The Emergency Food and Shelter Program providing financial aid to Erath County residents is administrated by Erath County Meals on Wheels.  Please call 254-965-3510 to apply for assistance.

FY 2008 Agency Descriptions

CASA for the Cross Timbers Area, Inc. – mission is to train and supervise community volunteers to be a voice for abused and neglected children who are in the court system.  CASA believes that each child has the right to a safe, loving and permanent home.  We train and supervise community volunteers to speak out for the best interest of abused and neglected children in court proceedings so that they can be permanently placed in a nurturing environment as quickly as possible. In 2007, 54 children from Erath County were served.  www.casacta.org

Cross Timbers Family Services – mission is providing hope, help and healing through direct services to victims of crime, particularly crimes relating to family violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

CTFS is a non-residential violence center, but provides access to emergency shelter for victims.  In 2007 direct services were provided to 304 county residents and 64 individuals in outlying areas, educational programs to 566 students and professional training to 138 professionals in the field of victim services.

www.crosstimbersfamilyservices.org

Dublin Goodfellows – mission is to provide financial assistance to the needy in the Dublin community.  This entails providing money for food, housing, utilities, medicines, car gas and other miscellaneous items during the year.  Financial aid in 2007 was provided to 817 Dublin residents.

Emergency Food & Shelter Program – is a Federal Program administrated by Meals on Wheels to all Erath County residents, providing financial aid to families in crisis for rent, mortgage, utilities, emergency shelter and food. ECUW supplements this funding to provide available 12-month financial assistance.  In 2007 financial aid was provided to 66 families in Erath County.  www.efsp.unitedway.org

Erath County 4-H – is committed to providing high-quality, relevant outreach and continuing educational program and services to the people of Texas.  The Erath County 4-H Developmental Program encourages young people to develop positive life skills in order to become productive individuals.  This is accomplished through a wide variety of project areas available through 4-H.  In 2007 the programs provided services to 2329 county residents.   www.erath-tx.tamu.edu

Erath County Child Welfare Board – exists to promote the welfare of the children of the county.  We recognize that the responsibility for the will being of a child rests on the parents of the child, and not on the government.  In situations where CPS had determined that the parents are unwilling or unable to provide for the physical needs and basic safety of their children or are an active threat to the safety and emotional well being of their children, we exist to promote the well being of these children, since they can not protect themselves.  In 2007, 464 children under the age of 18 were served along with 566 parents or grandparents. 

Erath County Habitat for Humanity – mission is to work in partnership with God and people from all places and walks of life in developing communities with God’s people in need by building and renovating houses.  65 individual family members were served in 2007.  www.habitat.org

Erath County Senior Citizens dba Meals on Wheels – was formed to engage in and promote all activities and projects necessary to improve the economic, physical, educational, recreational and mental welfare of senior citizens that are residents of the county.  The agency provides the home-delivered meal, transportation and nutritional services to all eligible residents.  301 residents were served in 2007. 

Girl Scouts of Central Texas – builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.  In 2007 171 girls under 18 and 75 adults participated in various programs and services.  www.gsctx.org

H.O.P.E., Inc. – (Helping Other People Effectively) assist the needy residents of Erath County with food, clothing, comprehensive medical and financial assistance in an effective manner.  Their mission is to provide not only immediate emergency assistance for the poverty level residents, but to encourage our clients to break the cycle of poverty by improving their own productivity and lifestyle management skills.  In 2007 direct, medical or financial services were provided to 5,521 residents.

Heart of Texas Area Red Cross – a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.  295 county residents were served in 2007, including victims of fire.  www.waco.redcross.org

The Helping Place – (Safe Child Exchange and Supervised Visitation Program) provides a safe venue by which children can be exchanged for visitations between parent and guardian without interaction between the parties.  Two levels of visitation are offered, Observational Supervision and Interactive Supervision.  This is a new program offered to residents of Erath County. www.thehelpingplace.org

Star Council on Substance Abuse – provides substance abuse education and treatment to individuals, families and communities that empower them to choose a substance free lifestyle.  2,524 Erath County clients received direct services and or educational programs in 2007. www.starcouncil.org

SAIL – (Summer Adventures in Learning) is a Tarleton State University program that provides interesting and challenging learning experiences for students in grades 1-8.  Teachers in SAIL are adults enrolled in an alternative teacher preparation program, TMATE, and are supervised by Tarleton professors and Stephenville ISD teachers.  All learning activities in SAIL include the development of basic skills, but an equal emphasis is place on creativity and critical thinking.  The goal is for students to “graduate” from SAIL realizing that learning is not only valuable, but also fun! 127 students attended the program in 2007.

TREAT – (Tarleton Equine Assisted Therapy) mission is to provide training and experience at the higher education level for students who wish to work in the therapeutic riding industry and to provide therapeutic riding opportunities for individuals with special need in the local community.  64 clients received therapeutic riding for FY 2007.

Texas Trails Council, BSA – the mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

In 2007, 421 scouts under age 18 and 147 adults were involved in various programs or projects.

www.texastrailsbsa.org

Treehouse After-School Program – purpose is to provide after-school care supervision for elementary children whose parents have limited income, in order to promote school achievement and good citizenship.  Single parents in our community find this program a tremendous benefit.  Licensed, trained adults will plan and provide after-school transportation, assistance with homework, healthy snacks, socialization, art activities and recreation in a safe environment.  73 children (ages 5-11) were enrolled in the 2007 program.

Agency Application Criteria Guidelines:
 

Erath County United Way’s purpose is to provide funding assistance to non-profit agencies whose responsibility is to improve the quality of life of the citizens.
 

• Must be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization for 12 months preceding the application. Any organization with less than 12 months must apply for special review to be considered as a fund recipient.
   

• Provide direct services (health and human care, etc.) to Erath County residents without regard to race, color or creed.
   

• Have an unpaid volunteer Board of Directors who meets at least four times a year, with at least one member residing in Erath County or volunteers residing in the County.
   

• Provide service programs with clearly defined goals for targeted population in Erath County. Service(s) provided must be available within the County.
   

• The organization’s service(s) must be available to all targeted populations in Erath County regardless of ability to pay.
   

• Pledge to aid in the fund raising process during the ECUW drive and limit their individual agency fund raising so that there is no direct conflict with the ECUW annual drive.
   

• Understand and accept that ECUW allocations are based on criteria mentioned in the application, together with the oral presentation to the committee. ECUW budget committee has the full authority to recommend approval or disapproval of any request in its sole discretion and there is not guarantee of funding, partial or complete.

2009 Campaign Dates