CCF distributes grants to Stepping Stones Foundation and Gill Children’s Services
The CoServ Charitable Foundation (CCF) distributed grants to Stepping Stones Foundation and Gill Children’s Services that will provide critical assistance to at-risk teenagers and children.
Stepping Stones Foundation
Through photography, Christina Bynum-Breaux found her life's mission: Helping homeless or disadvantaged children. What started as a photoshoot for some middle school students in 1999 evolved into accepting those children into her home.
That led her to start the Stepping Stones Foundation in 2009.
As the Founder and Board Member, she ensures the teenagers, who primarily come from Keller and Northwest ISDs, are loved, cared for and put on a path to success. They’ve been through so much trauma and disappointment that they aren’t ready for someone like Christina who refuses to give up on them.
She listens to their stories – all different but all heartbreaking. She provides food, rental assistance – whatever they need.
Her eyes light up as she talks about her biggest success stories. One of her youth now has a driver’s license, a car, a GED and a job with a city water department. Another owns his own roofing company with his own employees.
This is what keeps her going through the tough times. That, and the support from the community.
Stepping Stones Foundation’s biggest expense is mental health to help teenagers work though the trauma.
“Mental health is big. We can’t help these children until we get them in a better place mentally,” Katie said. “Then we start on other stuff, like dental work and optometry.”
For the past two years, Stepping Stones Foundations has received CoServ Charitable Foundation (CCF) grants totaling $15,000 to help pay for medical, dental, vision and education assistance for at-risk youth.
Gill Children's Services
For 46 years, Gill Children’s Services has been the medical safety net of last resort for children in Tarrant County.
“If a child needs something and they’ve been denied by another organization or insurance program, they can come to us and we’ll pay for it,” said Peyton Lehrer, Executive Director of Gill Children’s Services. “We specialize in interventional care.”
They have several medical partners in the Fort Worth area who provide services at a discounted rate.
Gill Children’s Service is a first-time CCF grant recipient. The $2,500 grant will go toward dental expenses, such as root canals, stainless steel crowns and other critical oral procedures.
“You know how painful it is having one tooth with an exposed nerve – imagine being a child with a whole mouth of impacted teeth,” Peyton said. “That’s our mission to fill in the gaps. This grant helps us do that and because the services are provided at a discount, you can multiply the grant’s impact by four.”
About the CoServ Charitable Foundation
The CoServ Charitable Foundation is truly a group effort that impacts nonprofits across North Texas.