[Editor’s Note: This article was intended to bid a fond farewell to Duff O’Dell, who is rolling off our Board after term-limiting at 9 years. She was asked to provide a few thoughts on her time at GRACE that could be woven into an article recognizing her leadership. Her “few thoughts”, though, are so profound and speak directly to the mission and values of GRACE.  We prefer, then, to run her entire post with very little editing.] As I retire from my position on the GRACE Board of Directors, the thing I’m most proud of—or feel I’ve accomplished—is the spotlight I’ve brought on our programs at GRACE to the entire Board. I really feel we have done a great job in educating our Board members on what we really do at GRACE in terms of ALL our programs. Having our GRACE staff members and department heads speak at our Board

The GRACE Community Clinic is proud to welcome our newest volunteer provider, Anthony Paternoster, D.C. Dr. Paternoster brings extensive expertise and educational background to the Clinic. After attending the Carl S. Cleveland School of Chiropractic in Los Angeles, now known as Southern California University Health Sciences, he completed his Post-Graduate Preceptor Program at the Keck USC Spine Center. He has also taken courses in Clinical Neurology through the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies. “Dr. Tony started volunteering at our clinic in July of this year,” said Shirley Roberts, GRACE Community Clinic nurse manager. “He is currently volunteering once a month, seeing between 6-10 clients each clinic.” “A lot of our clinic clients have physically demanding jobs and this service is a blessing for them,” said Nurse Shirley. “We have already seen positive outcomes with his conservative treatment and home exercise program for our clients. We are so excited to have

The Charles Schwab Corporation has partnered with GRACE since 2004, providing funding, in-kind gifts, and volunteer support to serve those in need in North Texas. It’s natural then, when the more than 2,500 Charles Schwab staffers at the massive North Texas Campus had questions about helping their community during the COVID-19 pandemic, they turned to GRACE for answers. Next week, GRACE Chief Executive Officer Shonda Schaefer headlines a panel discussion hosted by the multinational financial services company at the Westlake campus. The discussion will take place at 3 p.m., Thursday, August 27. “Serving Our Community through Challenging Times” will focus on the GRACE mission and the strength of our ongoing relationship with Schwab over the years. Joining Shonda on the panel is Tarrant Area Food Bank fundraiser Stephen Raeside, and Nickie Vogt Antonitis, Corporate Relations Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County. Schwab Social Responsibility chief

One of the many social problems exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic is people struggling to pay their rent. The hit to the economy has left 2-in-5 adults reporting job or income loss, leaving millions in danger of being evicted from their homes. The numbers from Stout Risius Ross are staggering: Over 17 million households are expected to be unable to pay their rent, with an estimated 12 million evictions to be filed within the next 4 months. Through the entire COVID-19 crisis, we at GRACE have known one of the most devastating outcomes will be homelessness. Without assistance, the most vulnerable populations will be affected as well as individuals and families who have never needed assistance before now. GRACE has been at the forefront of rental assistance by providing the monetary and advocacy assistance needed to guide people through this crisis. We have sought and secured resources that can aid

GRACE’S Transitional Housing program welcomed two families into their new homes this week. The home reveal to the family and the home blessings, two cherished traditions associated with this program, are now being conducted virtually to help keep everyone safe in light of the pandemic. Even though the event is now online instead of in-person, there are still a lot of happy tears and feelings of excitement and hope felt by all involved. Both families invited into the program: a mother of three and a mother with two little ones, escaped abusive domestic environments and are already on track to succeed with the program. This program is not possible without the help of our amazing partners, luckily many of them were able to join us in welcoming these families into their new homes and this time was no exception. These amazing partners and volunteers work so hard and put some

Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin visited our GRACEful Buys shopping centers a few months early this year. Behind he left tons of great goodies—demonic décor to celebrate the spooky season, witchy what-nots for every corner of your dungeon, creepy costumes for ghouls big and small, and terrifying tableware for the perfect Halloween party. Trickles of orange, red, black, green, and purple ooze from every corner of the stores, GRACEful Buys Grapevine at 418 East Northwest Highway, and GRACEful Buys Euless at 700 West Euless Boulevard. Come soon, or only the remains will be left. Of course, you’ll also find lots of great furniture, housewares, clothing, décor, rarities, fine jewelry, pictures and frames, antiques and collectibles, bedding, toys and games, designer labels, shoes and accessories, and much more at great GRACE prices! Remember, your shopping helps those in need: Net revenues from GRACE resale stores provide nearly a quarter of the annual

Transportation is a huge challenge for many GRACE clients. With little public transportation within north Tarrant County, getting to and from work, school, grocers, clinics, and all other destinations is a constant concern. The kind folks at Sam Pack’s Five Star Subaru of Grapevine know how important reliable transportation is. Recently the dealership worked with a customer to turn her trade-in into a donation to GRACE. Sandi Clark stepped onto the Five Star Subaru lot intent on getting new Subaru. When the conversation turned to the trade-in value of her older model car, Sandi saw the chance to help another person in a much more valuable way. Instead of a using her car as a trade-in, Sandi asked the Subaru salesman, Calum Allen, if she could donate it to GRACE instead. Calum and Dee Boyett, Five Star Subaru Delivery and Public Relations Specialist, immediately contacted GRACE. GRACE was recently selected

Childcare—quality, affordable care and education—is a godsend for hard working parents. Lionheart Children’s Academy stands as a leading childcare program in North Texas with locations from Argyle to Arlington. For GRACE, the Lionheart Academy at 121 Community Church is “home”. The Lionheart staff provides the kind of compassionate, nurturing childcare that mirrors the caring and respectful programs and services offered at GRACE. Above all, the thoughtful folks at Lionheart have created a scholarship program to help many GRACE families with tuition. When 121 Community Church moved to their new location on Ira E. Woods Avenue (Hwy. 26), and agreed to serve as a Lionheart center, their vision was to help their neighbors—those in need in the neighborhoods surrounding the church, according to Kindal Wright Kreamer, a leader at 121 Community Church and a member of the GRACE Board of Directors. “We have partnered with GRACE to pass the word about

The summerlong Torchy’s Tacos Gift Card Drive for GRACE netted an amazing $4,400 for our clients. The Southlake restaurant started this initiative in June, but had no idea it would be so successful. “Torchy’s is always happy to give back, and the response from our customers has been phenomenal,” said Managing Partner Brian Clark. Brian and Torchy’s manager Matt Sanchez stopped by the GRACE main offices this week with a duffel bag-full of gift cards. “We want to be as big a part of Grapevine and the surrounding community as possible,” said Matt. Lara Sundell, GRACE’s Director of Community Engagement, loves Torchy’s creative idea to help the GRACE family. “Torchy’s is such a valued partner,” said Lara. “They saw a unique need for these cards and stepped up to the plate as usual.” Matt, who jumpstarted the drive, went on to say, “With everything going on, we figured it would

The GRACE family is very pleased to welcome Kristina Davis as our new Grant Writer. Her duties include creating strong relationships with local, regional, and national funders that support the kind of essential services GRACE provides. Kristina started with GRACE last October but her connection and involvement goes back as far as her childhood. The Grapevine native says that she remembers bringing donations to GRACE with her mother. Her mother also served as a volunteer translator for the Community Clinic when clinical sessions were being held at a local church. She excitedly talked about her family shopping at the GRACE resale stores. “My mom and I pretty much furnished all our homes over the years through GRACEful Buys,” she said. “But whenever we were done with those items we always recycled them back to Donation Station.” After high school, Kristina was awarded a vocal performance scholarship to Oklahoma Baptist University—a