The GRACE “Angels Among Us “GALA will be held back at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas on November 5th. This is one of the community’s most highly respect events that has been around for nearly two decades and continuing to grow in popularity each year. All net proceeds fund programs and services for those in need who come to GRACE for help. The GRACE Gala is the agency’s largest annual fundraising event that has quickly gained the title of the premier black tie event in the region. This year, GRACE is proud to introduce this year’s Gala co-chairs, Sheila and Jason Ridley. The Ridley’s along with the Gala committee are dedicated to celebrating the community effort on helping our neighbors facing hardship. “This is the time of year where we go all out for everyone,” said Shonda Schaefer, GRACE Chief Executive Officer. “Our clients, families, sponsors, donors, volunteers,

With GRACE’s annual event Designer Bags and Bingo benefitting GRACE Transitional Housing a month away, we want to thank and recognize our host for the afternoon, Sam Pack’s Five Star Subaru of Grapevine. The team at Five Star Subaru has been a generous supporter of GRACE for many years. GRACE is a beneficiary of their Share the Love event, a nationwide program held by Subaru, during which a portion of each sale is designated by the dealership to the local charity or charities of their choice. The Five Star Subaru team has also donated their time by volunteering with us throughout the year including time in the GRACE Community Garden and at the GRACE Christmas Cottage. “At Sam Pack’s Five Star Subaru of Grapevine, our promise to the community can be seen in many different ways,” said Community Relations Coordinator, Jessica Bass. “We strive to support our local charities, service

For 14 years, Melissa Simpkins has been an essential part of the GRACE team. It pains us to see her leave, however, we are even more excited for the journey she is about to embark upon! Many who have met Melissa describe her as joyful and lighthearted. She can often times be found lending a listening ear to those who walk into her office, providing refreshment and wise counsel to all who seek her out. She always knows just what to say in every moment. She is an encouragement to everyone she encounters, and always goes the extra mile to make sure those around her feel comfortable and welcomed. One of the many things Melissa does for the staff is sending out messages throughout the week to remind each person the mission of GRACE, but also that we are all special and seen. And on more than one occasion, those

We have exciting news! GRACE’s Donation Station is looking to grow our family and we want you or someone you know to be a part of the GRACE team. Last year, we opened our new Donation Station located on Texan Trail. Our community supported our move by donating more items to our organization, which truly keep our operation running. The donations are then sorted by volunteers and delivered to our clients. What we have remaining is shipped to both of our GRACEful Buys resale stores. If you are looking for the perfect summer job or a little side hustle, GRACEful Buys or the GRACE Donation Station are great places to work. We have opportunities for full time, as well as part time, and you have the benefit of working at a job that serves and impacts the community for good! One of the positions we have open is a Warehouse

GRACE welcomes GRACEful Buys Grapevine Manager, Sandy Laquey to the family! Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Sandy grew up with a passion for helping people and the community around her. She volunteered throughout various organizations with her parents and brothers, serving for causes that deeply impacted the lives of people in North Texas. Her passions led her to graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in education where she pursued a career in teaching. She soon landed in her career field teaching Chemistry and biology at Lamar High School in Arlington, TX.  Along with teaching in Arlington, she also taught in Dallas and in San Antonio alike, teaching for over a total of 35 years. After she retired from teaching, Sandy, decided to go back to her roots of volunteerism. She ran into GRACE through ads and word of mouth and attended a volunteer orientation

Left: Tiffany Young  |  Right: Bali Leffall Every college degree comes with it’s own challenges, but many would say nursing school is an entirely different beast. The sleepless nights, constant studying and clinicals and immense pressure are all byproducts of the degree nursing students must juggle with grace. Stepping into this field is learning an entirely different language. To know a nursing student during this process is to respect them. In recent years, nurses have been more vital than ever. It was March of last year when one of GRACE’s very own Transitional Housing clients, Tiffany Young, reached out to the housing managers and expressed her desire to become one herself. We jumped at the opportunity to support her dream, and the process ended up being more fruitful than any of us imagined. The idea of being a nurse was by no means new or spontaneous to Tiffany. “Taking care

The 2022 edition of “24 Hours of GRACE” is in the books! Your generosity was astounding. Thank you so very much for making our campaign a great success. THANK YOU! Your gifts and pledges help energize the GRACE mission and strengthen our programs and services. GRACE is truly blessed to have such generous and forward-looking friends. Few agencies help as many people in as many different ways as GRACE. Yet, the GRACE mission is only a channel through which your generosity reaches those in need. Your support provides stability, and strengthens GRACE’s ability to serve the needs of our clients and their families. GRACE is honored, humbled and fortunate to play a small role in ensuring your donations are used efficiently and effectively to address the needs in the communities we serve. Because of your generosity, hundreds of families will return to stable financial footing and continue their journey to

Through the donation of a car from a very generous donor, a partnership with Compass Church and commitment from our GRACE staff, a single mother drove away from GRACE this week with the freedom she had not experienced in a very long time.  After a number of setbacks, this mother found herself homeless, without a vehicle and without a job.  Through her determination and the help of GRACE and Compass Church, she has been able to secure employment and get her son settled in school, however transportation and housing were still an issue. This single mother was staying in a temporary housing situation, because it allowed her closer access to her child’s school and other resources.  With secured employment, housing options were looking more promising, but not without the ability to transport her and her son to school and work.  Now that barrier, a real obstacle for MANY families in

We are T minus six weeks away from our fabulous event GRACE’s Designer Bags and Bingo benefitting Transitional Housing. This event will be a full afternoon of fun competition, friendship, laughter and of course, designer bags. Designer Bags and Bingo raises awareness for the Transitional Housing program, designed to work with homeless individuals and families to help move them towards independence. Transitional Housing clients participate in intensive case management to help them achieve educational, career and financial goals while living in clean, stable housing. All activities guide clients to self-determination and self-sufficiency. The maintenance bay at Sam Pack’s Five Star Subaru of Grapevine will once again serve as the venue for this event on Sunday, May 1st. Players will have ten thrilling rounds of bingo, and many more chances to win a stylish and luxurious designer bag. Marc Jacobs, Coach 1941, and Longchamp are just some of the many designer

Gifts to “24 Hours of GRACE” have funded GRACE Emergency Services, the Community Clinic, Food Pantry and Gardens, Transitional Housing, Senior Services, and Children’s Services. Last year, the GRACE response to the COVID 19 pandemic was supported by “24 Hours of GRACE”. Our year ended with just over 11,000 unduplicated clients. After this massive inflow of new clients caused by the shutdowns, cutbacks, furloughs, and layoffs, GRACE estimated the number of clients seeking assistance would decline and stabilize. Yet, the following 12 months saw 12,300 unduplicated clients come to GRACE. The carry-over effect from the pandemic seemed to be a combination of slow recovery in the Grapevine-centric hospitality industry, deteriorating economic conditions nationally, and the fears of escalating global conflict. Even now with the pandemic “over” the numbers of people seeking relief are running at crisis levels, and continuing an upward trend. Next Tuesday, March 22, our “24 Hours of