Kicking Off 2019!

Hello Family and Friends,

We are so excited to start 2019 off with a bang! But first, we wanted to share some of our final moments of 2018 with you. We can’t do what we do without you, and we are so excited to see what this year has in store for Grace!

Christmas Celebration

We were in awe of the out-pour of kindness and generosity that we witnessed during the holiday season. A very special shout out to Dan Crisologo and all of his friends who ensured every child received everything on their Christmas wish-lists, got special Christmas pajamas, and a Christmas Eve stocking from Heidi Bounds of Central Christian Church. Thank you to A Glimmer of Hope – Austin, who sponsored a night out for our kiddos to go to the Winter Wonderland at Circuit of the Americas. Thank you Jani-King of Austin, one of our biggest supporters, who made stockings for each kid for Christmas Day and brought us some household goods to help out during the holiday break, New Hope Community Church in Round Rock who gifted each kiddo with an amazing duffel bag filled with gifts and essential items for each child, The Good Deed Society who gave small gifts every day for the Twelve Days of Christmas, and so many others who played a role in making this Christmas a success! Your kindness does not go unnoticed and we are so grateful for the community of love and support that we have for the kiddos in our care. The holidays can be tough, but you all made their Christmas SO much brighter and full of JOY! THANK YOU!

 

 

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve was another special occasion at Grace! We want to say a huge THANK YOU to one of our BIGGEST supporters – John King Construction who donated the materials and labor for the building renovations needed in order to open Table of Grace in 2015. We are so grateful that they have continued to support Grace and our kiddos ever since! On New Year’s Day, John King himself and his incredible team came to play baseball with the kiddos. They provided a delicious lunch donated by Southside Market & Barbeque,  brought boxes of various toiletry donations and household goods for the shelter, provided gift cards for our kids to go enjoy a fun day at Austin’s Park N’ Pizza, and more! We are so lucky to have this amazing company in our corner! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

 

Employee Spotlight

We are so excited to announce this month’s Employee Spotlight…the one and only Pat Foster! Pat Foster is our Licensed Childcare Administrator here at Grace and he has truly been a god-send. Almost three years ago, Pat had plans to retire in South Padre Island where he was going to ride his bike and work at the front desk of a hotel. That dream changed when he met Stacy, toured the shelter, and immediately knew that he was meant to be at Grace. From the moment Pat started, the program at Grace flourished. With over forty years of experience in child-welfare, his expertise and heart for children is invaluable! There isn’t a single day that goes by that Pat doesn’t give his all at Table of Grace whether it’s visiting past residents, making a made-to-order breakfast for a picky eater, driving hours on end so a child can visit with family, or letting one of our kiddos practice for their driving test in his own car, there’s no job too big or too small for Pat! Thank you Pat for your work, your heart, and everything you do, we love you to the moon and back!

 

Welcome to the Board!

We are thrilled to announce three incredible professionals that have joined the Board of Directors at Central Texas Table of Grace! With invaluable knowledge, experience, and a huge heart for kids, we are so excited to have each of them on our team!

Patrick Zurlinden is a senior executive consultant providing Interim CEO and CFO services. He has over 30 years of experience as a financial executive in the utility, automotive, financial services and nonprofit industries. Pat served on the Board of Vista Maria for 14 years and was CFO for 5 years. Vista Maria provides foster care for 80 youth and residential mental health services for 150 teenaged girls in Michigan.

Tamara Carlisle is an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience building and running companies such as Big Kids, Inc., Lights Out, Inc., and other business ventures. In addition to running Blair & Carlisle Homes with partner Donna Blair, Tamara leads the majority of staging projects at Blairfield Realty, which she joined in 2012 as the VP of Operations. Tamara is passionate about children’s issues and has played key roles in fundraising for Austin High School’s Academy of Global Studies as well as numerous elementary schools in Austin. She also served as Board President for the non-profit Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company for 10 years.

Linda Eddleman graduated from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos in 1983 with a BBA, concentration in Accounting and currently works as an Account Manager alongside her husband who is a partner of efg&m, L.P. an employee benefits firm.  Linda and Don lived in Round Rock for 23 years and now live in Georgetown.  They attend Hill Country Bible Church.  They love and have a passion for children and have been very involved in the Texas Baptist Children’s Home for over 25 years.

Save the Date!

We are so excited to be participating in Amplify Austin again this year. Mark your calendars because February 28th is the single biggest giving day in Austin and we would be so honored if Central Texas Table of Grace was your cause of choice. Every dollar raised goes directly to helping the lives of the kiddos in our care and this year is EXTRA special because one of our biggest supporters, the Reissa Foundation, is offering to match our donations – so your gift will go even further!

Check out our Amplify Austin page linked here and be sure to spread the word and save the date!

 

 

Our deepest thanks to all of you for everything you do for the kiddos at Central Texas Table of Grace. 2018 was an amazing year, but we know that 2019 will be even better with your continued support! I can’t wait to update you next month on all of the amazing things happening here at Grace!

Much love,

Stacy