The City of Grapevine is GRACE’s home. It is vibrant, growing, unique, and thriving. But if there is one quality the GRACE staff is thankful for above all others, it’s that the staff, elected officials, and leadership committees of the city work to remain aware of all the facets of their city. The City of Grapevine has been an ally of GRACE since its founding. We have partnered together for decades to provide a safety net of support and resources designed to assure that the residents of Grapevine and the service industry workers that make this city the destination it is are being well cared for. At the February 6th City Council meeting, GRACE CEO, Shonda Schaefer gave city officials a ‘State of GRACE’ update ahead of the release of the funds already approved to support GRACE programs and services. Here are the highlights presented to City Council: 741 families

GRACE would like to introduce the 2023 GRACE Gala Co-Chairs, Madeline and David Ricci! GRACE is thrilled to embark on this year’s planning adventure with two spectacular Co-Chairs! David is originally from Milwaukee, Wi. and Madeline from Miami Fl. and have been married for 22 years. They have two daughters, Amber and Nina. Together they decided to embark on a journey that neither of them could have dreamed of. They spent a combined 50 years in Corporate America. David held senior leadership roles for several Fortune 500 companies. Madeline spent eighteen years in management roles at Associate Financial Services where she became a thought leader on customer experience. When the stock market crashed in 2008, the Ricci’s decided to start embarking on their own businesses, the first being Bilingual Notary Network (BNN Services). BNN Services is a national signing company that relies on cutting-edge technology, integration capabilities, problem solving, and

Our donors and volunteers often give their time, resources, and financial support to the GRACE mission without getting to see first hand the effects it has on our clients. With clients’ privacy as a high priority, this is understood to be the standard. However, when we do receive heart-warming messages back from clients, we want to share them with those who made it all happen. Recently, one of the Christmas Cottage clients reached out to share the following message: Thank you for the help and support you have provided during these tough times that my family and I have gone through. If not for this program, I am not sure what we would have done.  We would’ve definitely been evicted. We would’ve definitely been without electricity for a bit. And, we would’ve definitely had a much more somber Christmas.  When Jamé told me about the cottage, I didn’t think much

Welcome to GRACE Volunteer Corner! Good February 4th everyone. I hope you are staying warm, especially having another cold snowy, and Icy week! Here at GRACE we truly appreciate our volunteers and the hard work they do for us. With that, we are going to start doing a weekly update to all GRACE supporters; spotlighting volunteer opportunities and our hard-working volunteers. Volunteering at GRACE is a great way to get involved in this beloved community. We have many opportunities for you to do so, and we want to make sure everyone knows what GRACE needs, what the opportunities are, what the qualifications are, and how to sign up for volunteering. Upcoming Volunteer Orientations The first step in being a GRACE volunteer is to get oriented with us! Through the volunteer orientation, individuals will have an opportunity to learn more about the GRACE organization, mission, and culture (something in that volunteers

Due to inclement weather conditions, all GRACE locations will reopen at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 3rd. To stay up to date on all future changes, please visit our social media pages. Updates will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram. For emergency assistance or food, please call 817.602.1204. Thank you for your patience, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Stay safe and warm!

Due to inclement weather conditions, all GRACE locations will be closed Tuesday, January 31 – February 2nd. To ensure the safety of our staff and volunteers, weather will continue to be monitored throughout the end of the week. To stay up to date on all future changes, please visit our social media pages. Updates will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram. For emergency assistance or food, please call 817.602.1204. Thank you for your patience, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Stay safe and warm!

The fifth annual GRACE Poker tournament is only a week away and what better way to get our cards ready for the special event than by introducing our fabulous Poker Sponsors. Starting with our Jack of Clubs Sponsor, we have two who are no strangers to GRACE. First, we have the Jason Ridley Agency.  Along with chairing the most recent GRACE Gala, the Ridley’s have become incredible GRACE supporters. Their continuous effort of not only monetarily giving back but also through volunteerism has led them to become strong advocates for GRACE. The Jason Ridley Agency is also active throughout the community as well. With over 100 years of combined industry experience, the Agency sets forth to develop a long-lasting relationship with each client, one that you can only find right here in Northeast Tarrant County. Our second Jack of Clubs sponsor is Johnny and Laura Campanello.  The Campanello’s are once

GRACE Staff was excited to attend the 64th Annual Grapevine Community Awards Banquet presented by Bank of the West and hosted by the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce, which were held on Thursday, January 26 at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center. This event recognizes the community spirit of Grapevine by recognizing outstanding contributions from its citizens and businesses. Here at GRACE, we strive to be good stewards of the community. Giving back and raising awareness of community involvement is a key factor in the GRACE mission. We are so proud of all the nominees and winners this year. GRACE is a proud member of the Chamber and looks forward to continued staff involvement in chamber events and leadership roles in this next year. Here are the Grapevine Chamber awards for 2023 (winners noted below): AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR Cass Clements, Decision Financial – Winner Cindy Martinez, Morgan Stanley Fenil

Transitional Housing is a GRACE program that works with homeless individuals and families to help move them toward self-sufficiency. This program is highly successful, largely due to the volunteers who aspire to take serving this community of individuals to the next level. Tammy O’Neil is an author, coach, consultant, and speaker who is passionate about helping people remove clutter and chaos from their lives, allowing them to reclaim their time, energy, space, and money. Her organization “The Organizer Coach” understands the value of encouraging clients as it creates a partnership for all parties involved. Last weekend, as part of January’s “Get Organized Month”, Tammy and her organization selected GRACE for the second year in a row to do a service project for Transitional Housing this year, the team chose to organize the community shed on the property. Along with the Organizer Coach, Tammy also partners with the National Association of

The Fifth annual GRACE Poker tournament is just a week always, and GRACE would like to introduce this year’s Presenting Sponsor, The Wright Family and Wright Construction Co., Inc.! Established in 1963, The Wright Construction Co. has been a beautiful staple in the city of Grapevine, with the Wright Family being dedicated citizens for even longer. The history of this dynamic family dates back to Mattie Mae Lucas and Lemoine Wright who strongly urged their young son, Joe, on a path that would play a major part in the success of Grapevine. Joe later founded Wright Construction and helped develop many of the major neighborhoods in Grapevine. Along with this, he became an advisor to many public officials who wanted to add to the success of the wonderful Christmas Capital of Texas. After the passing of Joe, his son Lemoine Wright, a namesake from his grandfather, took over the family