Giving the Gift of Dignity at Christmas

Our annual Christmas Toy Store is winding down to a close here in the next couple of days. Once again, we have been blessed to be able to provide gifts for more than 3,000 children who otherwise would have had very little under the tree on Christmas morning. Our program focuses on encouraging and lifting up the families who participate. We have a huge hall filled with brand new toys--all the current "hot" toys and new bikes--truly a mini version of "Toys R Us." But the key is we don't allow the children to be in the store. The parents come to shop, receiving a voucher amount for each child so they can choose what to give--maybe two or three large gifts or many small ones. Then the parents get extra books and wrapping paper and everything goes into a large black plastic bag for them to take home, so that when Christmas comes, Mom and Dad are the heroes, not CCA.

We want to thank all of the hundreds of volunteers who have come together to make this store happen. We couldn't serve all of these families without you. I was especially touched by a woman named Theresa a few days ago who I met as she left the store. As recently as a year ago, she and her husband were doing fine, both of them with steady jobs and living in their modest home with their two children. But earlier this year her husband became ill with a blood disorder and was unable to keep working. She still has her job and insurance, but their portion of the medical bills continue to add up and their savings were gone by the summer. They would have lost their home a couple of months ago if CCA had not been there to help them get caught up. She is working two jobs now to keep their heads above water, but Christmas was looking bleak until she came to our store.

"I have tried so hard to keep our kids from bearing the brunt of our struggles," she said, " but it's so hard. My 14 year old daughter hasn't had a single new item of clothing in over a year." That's why Theresa had tears in her eyes when she showed me what she had clutched in her hand. She had chosen several gifts for her kids from the CCA toy store, but what she prized most was a $50 giftcard to American Eagle, where she knew that she would be able to go pick out a new outfit of clothes for her daughter. She hugged me and thanked me for allowing her to provide for her child what had been beyond her reach recently, and for giving her the dignity to be able to make her own choices in making this Christmas so special.

Hopefully as her husband's health improves and he returns to work, this family will be back on their feet and once again becoming contributors to CCA's efforts to help the community, as they were in years past. I'm just thankful CCA was there this year to get them through a rough patch and walk beside them on their path back to financial stability, providing some poignant memories along the way.

Season of Hope 2009 is a Wonderful Success!!

Last night we were blessed to be part of a phenomenal Season of Hope fundraising event benefiting CCA. Due to many months of hard work and planning by Krystle, Kathie, Pamela, Lara (the entire marketing team) plus additional help from many other key members of the CCA team, the evening went extremely well. The check-in process was efficient, the pacing of the evening was concise and the transitions smooth. "Same Kind of Different as Me" author Ron Hall gave a mesmerizing speech and the testimony by former CCA client Carol Burt was touching and uplifting. Ron captured the essence of the evening by tying the work of CCA to the amazing story of his friendship with Denver Moore and the amazing inspiration provided by his wife, Deborah. Carol reinforced the focus of CCA's mission by recounting her story of rising from a financially-struggling single mother of eight children to eventually earning her degree and becoming a successful ICU nurse.

The event was held in the Tuscany Ballroom of the Hilton Garden Inn in Lewisville, and the hotel was tremendous, providing a delicious meal, excellent A/V staff and courteous and efficient service. On top of it all, the videos produced by John Dempsey of PCS Productions were fantastic and truly the glue that brought the event into one seamless and moving message. This was the epitome of team effort—the perfect representation that we are ALL CCA.

Of the almost 750 people in attendance, we believe that more than half were new to CCA, which is a blessing in itself. Being able to tell CCA’s story to so many in such a first class venue was a home run in my view. It was amazing to know that this was the largest event CCA has ever hosted and the largest ever held by the hotel.

And now the best news: We are extremely pleased to report that the combined amount of current and pledged donations for the evening well exceeded our goal for the evening. This is a tremendous boost to our efforts to change the lives of our angels, and will provide income for us into the future. What a wonderful testament to the power of God and the hard work of everyone involved in our ministry. I feel blessed and honored to lead this wonderful, hardworking team. I believe events like last night reinforce those blessings for all of us.

And because of overwhelming demand, “I AM CCA” t-shirts will be in production soon! I am so thankful that I am CCA—and that you are as well!!

--Scott

Blessings from CCA's Back to School Store

From Cyndi Denham, my wonderful Executive Assistant:

What a great afternoon this was! CCA staff members were called upon to help out in the Back to School Store. I had worked in the Christmas Toy Store before so I was happy to volunteer.

Each family that I helped shop had different and unique situations. From a newly divorced mom who brought her 15 year old daughter in for help, to a single mom with a first grader and a new baby, to a grandmother who has custody of her two young granddaughters.

In all cases, these families were so grateful and so appreciative of what CCA is doing for them. The best reward for me was the smiles on the kids’ faces as they walked into the “store” to begin their shopping. The first thing on the list was picking out a backpack. You’d think they had been given a thousand dollars! They were so excited to be able to choose their own backpack from the many different styles available. One little boy kept looking, and looking through all the shelves. He was speaking Spanish and telling his mom something. I didn’t understand, so I called an employee over to help translate. He was looking for a backpack with a wrestler on it, or something with that theme. His mom kept telling him to just take the Spiderman one. We were all about to give up, when I looked at the very back of a stack and began taking one down to show him. He was jumping up and down and in Spanish was saying “that’s it, that’s it”! We found his “wrestler” backpack! Needless to say, it didn’t make it into the shopping cart…he wouldn’t put it down.

The newly-divorced mom and her 15 year old daughter started thanking me as soon as they walked in. This was the mom’s first time to be in a situation to have to ask for help. The young girl thanked me each time she picked out something. I told her mom she should be proud to have such a nice, polite daughter. She said, “Yes, I guess I did do something right.” As I helped them to their car, the mom said “Maybe you can help us shop at Christmas…we have been qualified for that already, and my first pantry appointment is tonight”. As they both hugged me goodbye, the mom said “When I get back on my feet I want to volunteer here at CCA. The daughter said “me, too”! I told them we’d look forward to that day.

People ask if I like working for CCA…no, I LOVE working for CCA, especially when I have a chance to interact directly with those we serve. I sure got a big paycheck today!

Andrea's Story

These are excerpts from a letter we received from Andrea, one of our clients:

"Since CCA was introduced to my life, it has completely changed. I first came for help in one of the most traumatic times of my life. I was a 33 year old mom of three children and had just found out that my 33 year old husband had stage 4 cancer and was soon to die. I was used to my husband being the breadwinner; my job waiting tables was just for supplemental income. In addition to being a fulltime caregiver and mother, I now was the breadwinner. The CCA staff was so understanding and supportive in what we had to walk through. I began to first see the glimpse of the love of Christ in others. My child was enrolled in affordable daycare at CCA's New Hope Learning Center. When I had no idea of how we could buy the medications for my husband and still buy groceries, I was introduced to the food pantry. My philosophy was "only enough for my children," as I could eat at work and my husband was no longer able to tolerate food because of the pain. I was watching this man I so desperately loved wither into nothing in front of my eyes and felt lost and alone. Nobody knew the pain inside me, but God did.

When my husband was close to the end, Jolene, my CCA caseworker, told me that CCA could help. I was given a voucher for Flower Mound Funeral Home to bury my husband, and it covered a large portion of the cost. CCA also allowed me to move into one of their houses in Old Town Crossing, and the calm and peace of God began resting on our lives. Through grief counseling at CCA, we began to start the healing process, and our neighborhood was a healthy place to raise my children. My toddler began to "adopt" some of our elderly neighbors as people to love, and I began to let go of some of my pain. And for the first time in a long time, I was able to pay my own way. The place was affordable and I was able to move into a fulltime salaried position.

Through CCA's help and guidance, I now have a savings account so I can build a prudent reserve when I move out of CCA's housing. In one year it will be time for us to move and for the first time in a long time I have great hope and purpose for my life. With the savings we might actually be able to put a down payment on a home of our own! The wonderful love of God has been shown to me through CCA and i could only hope to someday volunteer and share what has been so freely given to me. I thank you for all you do and for all that I have still not yet experienced. Christ is alive and living through your work. Thank you for giving my life back to me and guiding us to a better way of living."

Praise God indeed!

Matching Gift Funds for the Pantry!

Awesome news! CCA has been selected to join in the Feinstein Foundation Challenge to Help End Hunger in America. We are thrilled to take part in the challenge to match the dollars we raise from the community with funding from the generous Feinstein Foundation. More than $1 million will be shared between a number of agencies nationwide. And the more we raise for CCA, the bigger our share of the matching funds will be.

With the economy sliding over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the demands on our food pantry. As the largest pantry in North Texas, we are providing the majority of the food needs for more than 800 families (or approximately 3,000 individuals) each week. Providing the food for these needy families is a huge financial undertaking, and the amazing generosity of the Feinstein Foundation is a wonderful boost to our efforts to help all who walk through our doors. Please join us by making a gift of money or canned food (both count toward the goal). The more we raise the higher our match will be.

I've heard several stories from CCA clients who tell us that they are saving hundreds of dollars each month by not having to shop at the grocery store, and those savings are the main thing allowing them to keep their heads above water. Please join us in giving deeply for those who have been hit hardest in these difficult times. We will all be blessed and God will be glorified in the process.

Caring for the Elderly

A story from Alma, our Director of Family Services:

85 year-old Edna has been widowed since the mid-80s. She has one daughter, 68 year-old Brenda.

Early this year, Edna had a severe stroke that damaged her brain and paralyzed her left side. There was so much brain damage that Edna is like a child again. From the hospital, Edna was admitted to a rehabilitation center but released a few months later with no hope of improvement.

Brenda’s adult children talked her into admitting Edna to a nursing home when she was released from the rehab center. The nursing home only lasted a month. Brenda said she found her mother in dirty clothing and in a soiled bed too many times, so she took her home.

I went on a home visit recently to qualify Brenda for housing repair. Brenda has had to turn off her hot water due to leaky pipes. Both women are on a low-fixed income and they can’t afford a plumber. For two weeks now, Brenda has heated water on the stove to bathe her mother, wash dishes and bathe herself.

When I told Brenda that she looked as if she was about to drop, she burst into tears. Just like an infant, Edna wakes up every few hours and calls for Brenda. Edna calls her “Momma” now. I asked Brenda if her church could send volunteers to help sit with Edna so she could get some rest now and then. Between sobs, Brenda said she had been asking for relief, but was afraid the church would be unable to help.

I told Brenda to keep on praying for a solution and I would do the same. Today when I went back, Brenda told me her church had organized to send volunteers twice a week from now on to give Brenda some much needed relief. God listened to our prayers and took great pity on Brenda.

CCA's Housing Restoration program will be repairing the extensive plumbing problem at her house at no expense to Edna and Brenda, and she is now signed up with the food pantry which reduces her food bill by $160 and makes more room in her tight budget. Another CCA grant will be paying a round of utility bills to get these two ladies caught up and take the financial pressure off.

Praise be to God for answering our prayers and providing the resources to make difference--both financially and through the church. We are so thankful to be there to help those that most need us.

Farewell to a Wonderful Man

CCA recently lost a good friend and supporter. J.L. Huffines, a charter member of our Advisory Board, went to be with the Lord last week after losing his battle with prostate cancer. In his 85 years, however, he won many victories--not only in business, but more importantly in living a life of service and amazing generosity to others. J.L. was always an encouragement to our work at CCA. More than once I was thrilled to sit in his office at his nearby dealership and hear stories from his past and fill him in on the good works we were trying to do in the community. I enjoyed hearing of his love for Texas A&M and admiring his amazing collection of Aggie memorabilia, but even more I was impressed by the depth of his love and pride in his family, especially his many grandchildren. Because of his strong response to a CCA Christmas card we sent out a couple of years ago that was illustrated by a young child, we have continued to make it an annual tradition to have children decorate our holiday correspondence. The card touched his heart because it reminded him of one of his dear granddaughters who at the time was struggling with an illness.

Last Friday as I stood with the thousands of well-wishers who attended his memorial service at Highland Park United Methodist Church, I was struck by the tremendous outpouring of love from so many influential people. It was so obvious that he lived his life in a way that inspired others and brought out the best in everyone around him. Because of the location of my seat in the sanctuary, I was able to see many of the faces in the crowd as the Singing Cadets of Texas A&M sang "The Spirit of Aggieland" over his casket. Tears were streaming down my face, as they were for virtually every person in that room, including Governor Rick Perry. I'm sure that they were feeling, as I was, the sheer emotional power in recognizing a life dedicated to God and others. The close harmonies of the cadets' a cappella voices beautifully expressed the enormous gratitude of the school he loved, and more broadly expressed the thankfulness of the extended community on which he left such an indelible impact. I left the church thankful to have known him in a small way and with a renewed resolve to live my life in the same exemplary fashion.