On July 1, 2024, East Texas Communities Foundation reached another milestone, completing 35 years of service to the communities of our region. When the organization began operations in July 1989, the name and focus was different than what it is today. The organization was formed as the East Texas Area Foundation and the bylaws of the organization specified the organization would serve ten East Texas counties, including Smith and the surrounding nine counties. It didn’t take long for the leaders of the organization to realize the need to serve more East Texans, and they made two significant changes in early 1992. First, they dropped the list of counties to indicate that the organization is willing and able to serve a much broader region. Second, from the original name “East Texas Area Foundation” they changed the simple word “Area” to “Communities”. I think it was an important change because people don’t just live in geographic areas, they live in communities.
We all live in communities where we share the streets and parks with our neighbors and friends. We attend school and church and sporting events and festivals together. We also share needs. We rally around each other when illness or death or tragedy strikes. We prepare and deliver meals to our friends when we feel they could use our help. Everyone has a ready recipe for just such occasions.
In the same way, neighbors and friends rally to support people we know, communities rally to address the needs of strangers. Why? Because knowing people personally is not always possible or necessary when it comes to helping others. When there is a critical mass of needs that can’t be addressed by individuals and neighbors alone, citizens rally support from a government agency or create a public charity to meet the need. Without me trying to name over 5,000 East Texas nonprofit organizations, think about the following tangible support nonprofits provide to people in need in our communities: food, emergency shelter, cooling stations, safe shelter from violence, medical care, dental care, mental health services, respite care, hospice care, mentoring, childcare, after school programs, education, recreation, arts, parks, job training, language lessons, prescription medications, clothing, foster care training, home repairs, fire protection and much more. Every community in East Texas has organizations that serve individuals and families in need.
I attended an event this week where the Literacy Council of Tyler announced they had changed their name to PAVE East Texas. Their mission has expanded over the years from helping adults in Tyler obtain a GED, to include English language services, family and workplace literacy, college preparation and career training in six counties. Their focus is on providing Pathways for Adults Via Education. It is not possible to personally meet and get to know the 2,100 students they served in the past year, but as a community, we can acknowledge this important work and support the adults in our communities who are trying to improve their future through education. The community created PAVE East Texas and continues to support its vital mission. ETCF has been entrusted along the way to administer several endowed funds to support PAVE East Texas, in addition to processing a steady stream of annual support from various other ETCF charitable funds.
East Texas Communities Foundation is a public charity that administers over 450 unique charitable funds set up by individuals, families and organizations in our communities to address specific needs. ETCF listens to the charitable interests of donors and has established many funds which are restricted to supporting charities or providing scholarships for students in very specific communities. We have funds that provide scholarships for students from Clarksville, Jefferson, and Winnsboro. We have unique funds that support charities in Henderson, Sabine, Rusk, and Shelby Counties. We have funds that support specific charities, and funds that take applications from many charities in a specified community. In short, as our name implies, we serve East Texas Communities, not just one, but ALL communities. ETCF is a charitable vehicle that can help you support the East Texas communities you love, both now, and into the future. Many people I have met over the years are natives of East Texas, but they don’t live where they were raised. Yet that place they were raised still serves as an anchor to which they hold deep affections. For such people, home can mean more than one East Texas community. ETCF can help you and your current, or former, neighbors support charitable causes in your home and your hometown. As you reflect back on the communities you call home, consider establishing a fund at ETCF to give back, as your next best opportunity to give well.
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