Thank you for visiting our sister site! Texoma Giving Partners is the funds and endowment department of Texoma Health Foundation and is dedicated to the establishment, management and success of philanthropic partners in our community.
Thank you for visiting our sister site! Reba’s Ranch House is a hospitality house owned and operated by the Texoma Health Foundation created through the love and support of Reba McEntire and countless donors.
May 18, 2022
Hello, Texoma!
I am thrilled to share with you another installment in our ongoing series highlighting THF grantees. These organizations make a powerful impact within our community in their distinctive ways. You can directly support their services by giving to THF’s Community Fund. When THF receives a donation to the community fund, 100% of those funds go back to the community to support the area’s greatest needs. Thank you for helping us make a difference right here in Texoma – every single day.
The THF Team
Fannin County Children’s Center has been serving children in the Fannin County community for nearly 30 years. What first started as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program, has evolved into an umbrella organization providing a variety of services and two key programs (CASA and the Children’s Advocacy Center) to abused and neglected children.
This unique setup isn’t only financially efficient as the programs can share key staff, but because these critical programs are housed under one roof, staff can connect and collaborate to provide the very best experience to children who are served by both programs. “While CASA and CAC have different programs, our goals are similar—we’re here to help kids who are being abused or neglected and we can coordinate our efforts,” explains Sandy Barber, Executive director.
In addition to CASA and CAC, Fannin County Children’s Center is home to a resource room full of clothes, shoes, diapers and other necessities. The center hosts an annual school supply drive and Christmas toy drive to bless children and families in the community it serves.
Fannin County Children’s Center has expanded and adapted over the years as the community has grown and new laws have been introduced concerning children. “We’ve had to keep up with the growing and changing needs of our community,” explains Barber, . “Bottom line, we have a lot of dedicated volunteers, professional staff, and partners we work with as we walk families and kids through a difficult time in their lives and get them on the path to healing and recovery.”
Barber has served as Executive Director of Fannin County Children’s Center for 21 years. “I get to be the conductor of the orchestra and pull all kinds of things together,” she says. From getting the local community involved to recruiting volunteers and working with the board and donors, Barber says her favorite part of the job is “connecting people in order to help them make a difference in the lives of children and families. I get to love on people and I get paid to do that—I am one of the lucky ones!”
As a community program, there are various ways for members and other organizations within the community to get involved and help serve the needs of the children, whether that be through volunteering or making donations. “We rely on donations from our local community to fill in the gaps that our state and federal funding can’t cover,” says Barber.
By pooling resources they receive from state, federal, and local funding, Fannin County Children's Center is “better able to help kids.” Barber says that funds received through the Texoma Health Foundation grant help fund staff for CASA and CAC so they can continue providing services to kids and families. “Funding from Texoma Health Foundation has allowed us to keep up with our growth.”
Although the volunteers and staff at Fannin County Children's Center spend much of their days walking with children and families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives, there is a lot of celebration happening, too. Barber explains that when a child graduates from CAC counseling they throw a celebration party. And on the CASA side, the number one celebration happens “when a child gets to go home,” Barber says. “And if that can’t happen, the next best thing is that they go to stay with family.” She estimates that about 85 percent of the children served by Fannin County Children's Center are able to go home or be placed with a relative.
“We are a place where the community can be a part of helping kids coming from hard places,” says Barber. “Whether that’s through volunteering, donating or lending your skills and resources.”
For more information on volunteering with Fannin County Children’s Center or supporting the organization and the children it serves, visit www.fanninccc.org. If you would like to donate to the THF Community Fund or learn more about Texoma Giving Partners visit www.texomagivingpartners.org.
