The journey of your donation. Follow a donated t-shirt from drop-off to lives changed! page 4. Christian Community Action

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1 A Christian non-profit helping to bring hope and change lives. Spring Summer 2014 Christian Community Action The journey of your donation Follow a donated t-shirt from drop-off to lives changed! page 4

2 CCA Volunteer Appreciation Banquet CCA held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet on Thursday, April 3, at the MCL Grand Theater in Lewisville. Comedian Lyndy Phillips provided entertainment and dinner was catered and donated by Morris Salerno, owner of Bistecca Restaurant. Volunteers were recognized in 23 categories for their outstanding and selfless service to CCA. Charlene Bell, CCA Volunteer Manager, summed up the event, It was an honor to spend an evening with 150 individuals who are committed to changing lives. We are grateful for our volunteers. Without them, we simply cannot do all that we do to help so many in our communities. Annually, volunteers contribute more that 55,600 hours of service to CCA. 1. Volunteer of the Year Dennis Song Pictured: Mary Hunt 2. Morgan Moore Award Diana Robinette 3. Administration Anita Schiller 4. Adult Health Center Kathryn Kremer 5. Donation and Processing Center The Lubin Family 6. Facilities Jimmy McAfee 7. Family Assistance Don Hamilton 8. Pantry Rita Hobson 9. Golden Angels First Christian Church Rev. Christal Fisher 10. Resale 121 Tracey Stanger 11. Spiritual Care Ray Lowery 12. Vocational/Educational Bonnie Flanagan 13. Church of the Year Triestch Memorial United Methodist Church 14. Community Partner of the Year George and Lorraine Nelle 15. Group of the Year CCA Charity League 16. Medical Partner of the Year Baylor Medical Center, Carrollton 17. School of the Year North Central Texas College, Flower Mound 18. Distinguished Leadership Award Charles Emery 19. Special Appreciation Bill Dandridge, Volunteer Interim President 1. Volunteer of the Year 7. Family Assistance 13. Church of the Year 2. Morgan Moore Award 8. Pantry 14. Community Partner of the Year 3. Administration 9. Golden Angels 15. Group of the Year 4. Adult Health Center 10. Resale Medical Partner of the Year 5. Donation and Processing Center 11. Spiritual Care 17. School of the Year 19. Special Appreciation 6. Facilities 12. Vocational/Education 18. Distinguished Leadership Award Lyndy Phillips Entertainment NOT PICTURED Business of the Year Bank of America Civic Organization of the Year National Charity League, Cottonwood Chapter Resale Carrollton Sister Simpson and Sister Gavin Resale The Colony The Colony High School AVLS Class Seasonal Mary George

3 Free Tax Return Preparation Helps More Than 400 Low Income Families To learn more about CCA s VITA program, or how you can get involved, please call Yvonne Booker at , or yvonne.booker@ccahelps.org. Since 2007, CCA has partnered with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide free tax preparation for families whose household income is less than 50,000 per year. Trained volunteer tax preparers focus on the Earned Income Tax Credits. In 2013, the program served 291 families in a single month, returning $552,031 back to the community. This year, VITA served 428 families, a 47% increase over last year. One particular case involved a single mother who had not filed her federal returns for the past three years. Through CCA s VITA program, she submitted her tax returns for all three years and actually received a refund. Connect to Success Academy Transforming Poverty Through Education In November 2011, CCA launched Connect to Success Academy in partnership with North Central Texas College, Flower Mound campus. Designed to help high school youth and their parents develop and navigate post-high school education and training, the Academy meets monthly on the campus of NCTC. Through Connect to Success Academy, students and their parents are offered connections to outstanding community resources, including college recruiters, employers, educators and human resources professionals, all communicating one central message: you must have a post-high-school plan. Since high school youth and their parents served students 100% of the seniors are currently enrolled in college students 22 have been accepted into a college or university In October 2013, a Connect to Success mom contacted CCA and was very concerned that she had not begun any post-high-school planning for her senior youth. My child hasn t taken any of the standardize exams (SAT, ACT), and we haven t even begun a college search process. To be honest, she shared, I have no idea where to start. Connect to Success Academy instructors immediately helped this frantic mom schedule both the ACT and SAT tests for her student and together they completed a college search. As of March 2014, this high school student has been accepted into a 4-year university and has qualified for several scholarships. To learn more about how you can get involved with Connect to Success, please call Yvonne Booker at , or yvonne.booker@ccahelps.org. ccatoday spring

4 How Your Donation Changes Lives! When you organize a closet, clean out the garage, or clear some clutter from your home you most likely think of CCA as the go to place to donate your unneeded items. But, chances are, you really don t know how important your donation is to CCA. Those items that no longer have value to you have great value to CCA and those in-need in our community. We ve taken this simple example of a donated t-shirt to illustrate how important your donation is and how this donated t-shirt actually changes lives Donations received: residential pick-up or drop-off at our Flower Mound Donation Center, Lewisville or Resale by CCA locations. 2 Processing: items that can be sold are identified and wellworn clothing and damaged goods are recycled. 3 Pricing and store distribution: processed and priced items are distributed to the Resale by CCA stores. 4 Resale by CCA: items are sold at the three stores and the proceeds help fund CCA s services and programs. We don t just accept clothing! Donate your unneeded housewares and furniture and make a difference in your community. Call for pick-up: ccatoday spring

5 Family Assistance meets the immediate, critical needs of families or individuals during a crisis: unemployment or under-employment, major illness, lack of insurance, or any situation that limits access to healthcare, food, clothing, shelter or the ability to pay bills by providing emergency financial assistance, child care opportunities, and program support. 10,689 individuals served * Adult Health Center offers non-emergency healthcare services to economically disadvantaged, uninsured adults. Services include treatment of acute non-emergency illnesses, chronic diseases, heart disease and diabetes, high blood pressure, and respiratory ailments. In addition, there is dental, optometry, chiropractic, medication assistance program/dispensary, well-woman exams, and health and wellness education. 5,909 patients visits * Food Pantry is a self-selection grocery store. With more than 40% of food needs provided by CCA, our clients are able to reserve their household income for other essentials such as rent, utilities, childcare, and healthcare. 22,000 family visits * Vocational and Education Programs provide the skills necessary for achieving economic self-sufficiency. Classes and programs offered by CCA provide the knowledge and training needed to help a person in need move beyond their life situation. Programs offered: GED Program, English as a Second Language, Connect to Success Academy (high-school college planning), Job Search Skills, Computer Skills, Financial Management, Forklift Certification 9,500 hours of training provided * Seasonal Programs address the changing needs of a struggling family throughout the year as school comes in and out of session, during the summer, and at Christmas time. CCA offers programs designed to support families, their children, and seniors through these seasons. Programs include Back-to-School, Christmas Toy Store, Senior Mondays, and Summer Lunches. 50,000+ summer lunches served * *Annual Statistics

6 Food Pantry Gets Healthier! Limited resources and lack of access to nutritious food have a significant impact on the health and well-being of families who live in poverty. To combat this issue, CCA s Adult Health Center has partnered with the Food Pantry to help patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol manage their conditions and improve their health by providing nutritional education and assistance. As part of this exciting new initiative, CCA has expanded our partnership with the North Texas Food Bank to provide a wider variety of fresh food choices, including fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, and milk. And to safely store and display all these fresh food choices, we are remodeling the Food Pantry with updated and enhanced refrigeration and shelving options. While CCA s Food Pantry is expanding its vision and opportunity, we are always in need of a variety of items. With more than 500 families shopping the pantry each week, many staples are in great demand. You can help by organizing a food drive this summer to provide fresh apples, oranges, watermelon, bell peppers, and so much more. Please contact Maureen Cummings at , for more information. Thank you to our partners who are providing access to healthy food options for local families in need. We are grateful for your support! Hoblitzelle Foundation Hillcrest Foundation Flower Mound United Methodist Church CCA Individual Donors ccatoday spring

7 Advertise on one of our trucks and be seen while helping! CCA is offering advertising opportunities on our trucks. Your ad will be seen all around town and the fee for the ad will go toward funding CCA services and programs that help so many in our communities. CCA has three 18 donation pick-up trucks on the roads everyday picking up donated items. The trucks make more than 6100 pickups annually averaging 2000 pickups per truck, about six trips per truck everyday, six days a week. The trucks are seen throughout 42 local communities including Lewisville, Carrollton, Coppell, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lantana, Bartonville, Corinth, and southern Denton County. The trucks are also used at school, church, and neighborhood events. Consider placing an ad on one of our donation pick-up trucks. Your business will get great publicity while helping to make a difference in our communities. For more information contact: Gary Daniels, CCA Director of Communications gary.daniels@ccahelps.org CCA needs your clothing donations! No matter what condition your clothing is in, CCA needs your clothing donation. Gently used clothing is processed and sold in our Resale by CCA stores. Well worn clothing and rags can also be used. These items are compressed into 1,000 pound bales and sold by the pound to recyclers. The proceeds from the sale and recycling of your donated clothing helps to fund our programs and services. So, clean out a closet and donate today!

8 NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT South Mill Street Lewisville, Texas I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40 shop resale by CCA Proceeds from Resale by CCA help provide food, shelter, medical services, education, training, and spiritual guidance to families in need right here in your community. Upcoming events: May Memorial Day Sale June 9-14 Father s Day Sale July 3-5 July 4th Blowout Unique items at each store. Visit them all! Lewisville 2202 South Highway 121 / Old Town Lewisville (Closed for remodeling) Carrollton 3050 Josey Lane / The Colony 5000 Main Street, Suite 270 / All stores open Monday-Saturday 10am 8pm Closed Sunday NEW Discount Days: Military Monday - 20% off Teacher and Student Tuesday - 20% off Senior Wednesday - 25% off Social Media Thursday - 20% off First Responder Friday - 20% off Saturday Manager s Special 2014 Christian Community Action. All rights reserved.