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Christian Community Action

In The News Updated 8/15/2006

Charity eases the back-to-school burden

Lewisville: CCA plans to provide supplies, clothing to 1,700 youths

Dallas Morning News Sunday, August 13, 2006
By SARA MANCUSO / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
While many families head to local stores for back-to-school supplies and clothes, Stephanie Miller and her sons shopped in a makeshift store where the items don't have price tags and cash registers don't accept money.

Deja Pearson, 10, looks for shirts at Christian Community Action's back-to-school store in Lewisville. Each child can pick two new outfits, a pair of shoes and school supplies - for free.

NATHAN HUNSINGER/DMN

Christian Community Action's back-to-school program plans to put new clothes on the backs of roughly 1,700 kids who live in the area and who otherwise would go without much-needed items for the school year.

Over the last several months, the Lewisville-based nonprofit has collected donations at area malls and churches and from community groups.

"Our main goal, besides giving the kids the material items, is to not let them know that this is charity," said Maureen Cummings, CCA's director of seasonal programs and food. "We want the child leaving thinking that they just shopped at a regular store."

And with expenses averaging about $125 per child for supplies and clothes, regular-store shopping is just not possible for some families, Ms. Cummings said.

At CCA, each child chooses two new outfits, a pair of shoes and school supplies. Younger kids get to pick out one of the highly coveted backpacks.

Ms. Miller looked through the items with her sons Trevor, 7, and Brandon, 6, last week. She came to CCA for help after her marriage broke up, and she began supporting her children on her salary from working at a fast-food restaurant.

CCA is ready to serve area students

August 4, 2006

By MICHAEL RAMSEY / Special Contributor

People familiar with the Community Room in the Christian Community Action building located at 200 S. Mill Street in Lewisville need to stop and take a second look. In just a matter of days, volunteers and CCA staff have transformed the room into a “back-to-school” store. It is a complete store with dressing rooms, racks and shelves stocked with all the items necessary for a student to begin the academic year with a new, fresh start.

Included in the new items on the hangers, racks and shelves are 2,000 pairs of pants and jeans; 2,000 shirts and tops for boys and girls; 1,000 school uniforms; 1,500 backpacks; other items such as socks, underwear, and belts; and new school supplies for more than 1,400 children. CCA works with more than 200 volunteers to deliver this back-to-school program.

Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville, Stonebriar Centre in Frisco, and Grapevine Mills Mall are also working with CCA to collect needed items. “Caring schoolhouse” tables have been set up at each of the malls. Shoppers are asked to adopt a child by purchasing a set of school clothes and donating it. Supporters can also sponsor a child’s entire outfitting for $125.

For children to receive the clothes and supplies, they must have resided in CCA’s service area for 90 days, be qualified by a CCA caseworker and then given an appointment time to visit the “back-to-school” shopping area.

CCA’s service area includes eight school districts: Lewisville ISD, Frisco ISD, Little Elm ISD, Lake Dallas ISD, Argyle ISD, Northwest ISD, Coppell ISD and the Denton County part of Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD.

To schedule a visit with a caseworker, clients should call 972-436-4357.

Michael Ramsey is vice president of Marketing and Development for CCA.

Block grant plan gets OK from Lewisville council
By Josh Hixson Staff Writer

The Lewisville City Council Monday night voted to adopt the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2006 Annual Action Plan. The Annual Action Plan details the city’s plan for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants.

“We get a formula funding from HUD each year and this coming year our grants will be in the amount of $585,068,” said Jamey Kirby the grants coordinator for the city of Lewisville. “Out of that amount we are only allowed to use 15 percent for social services. That means we have $87,760 from HUD with CDBG dollars and that was allocated to various social service agencies.”

The U.S. Congress has cut the federal budget for the Lewisville CDBG by 13 percent over the last two years.

“Congress has been gradually decreasing the allotment to cities like Lewisville for two years,” Lewisville’s City Manager Claude King said.

Kirby agreed that the federal funding for CDBG has been cut significantly and Lewisville is no longer receiving the same amount for community development and social services that it used to.

“Basically, the administration in Congress cut the CDBG budget the last two years. It came up to a 13 percent cut over two years,” Kirby said. “That is really just a matter of federal budget priorities. Most cities got the same general cuts.”

Lewisville’s Assistant City Manager Steven Bacchus explained that cities will have to look to other sources if they want to keep the same number of projects.

“The council can either decide to fund other projects or make up funds other ways,” Bacchus said.

Of the 15 percent allocated for social services the biggest beneficiary of the grant is Christian Community Action. $28,000 in CDBG money has been approved to reimburse CCA for some of the uninsured patients they treat in their Adult Health Center.

Overall, the largest portion of the CDBG money goes toward housing and community development projects. The largest community development project covered by CDBG for Lewisville is the Rolling Ridge neighborhood improvement project. The project will improve streets, curbs, and driveway approaches on University Place, Ridgecrest Drive and Rolling Ridge Drive. The Rolling Ridge neighborhood improvement project will be receiving $310,920 in CDBG money.

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