CarePortal’s Community of the Year 2020: The Coastal Bend of Texas
Congratulations to the Coastal Bend of Texas for being awarded the 2020 CarePortal Community of the Year! This award recognizes Nueces, San Patricio and Aransas counties for their momentous collective impact in their community.
Each year, the Community of the Year award will celebrate the impact of communities coming together to serve at-risk children and families using the CarePortal platform. This award isn’t determined by simply finding the community with the highest impact data. It’s so much more than that. Being the community of the year goes deeper into acknowledging the local ownership to meeting the needs of the vulnerable with diversity, consistency and self-sufficiency.
There are currently 289 kids in foster care in Nueces, San Patricio and Aransas counties, according to the Department of Family and Protective Services. Local caseworkers utilize CarePortal to help keep families together or find safe placements for children.
Agape Ranch serves as CarePortal’s Implementing Partner for the region and is grateful for the recognition.
“It means so much for us to win this award because we are not the biggest fish in the pond,” said Susan Klaus, Founder and Executive Director of Agape Ranch. “CarePortal chose us because they recognize that even though we’re a smaller community, a significant impact has been made.”
Residents from churches across the Coastal Bend have met 863 requests and served more than 2,150 children and their families. By meeting these urgent needs of at-risk families and preventing subsequent action from the state, the CarePortal platform has generated an economic impact of approximately $580,000 in the community.
The partnership has made serving in their community easier.
“With CarePortal, the mission to go into our community and disciple people became easier. We could provide for a specific, tangible need and then give the joy of Jesus, remind a family of His provision and, hopefully, build a relationship of trust with our neighbors,” said Bailey Wilson, Community Coordinator for CarePortal and Board Member for Agape Ranch
With the support of Agape Ranch, churches across the Coastal Bend are working together across denominational and geographical lines to meet needs and support families.
“This is an award to all of the churches, requesting agencies, Point People, Volunteer Community Coordinators, Pastoral Ambassadors, Regional Manager and our Faith-Based Specialist,” said Liddy Vargas, Director of Programs for Agape Ranch as an Implementing Partner. “To me, this is a reflection of the Church and the faith-based community locally, actually doing what they can, and should, be doing as the body of Christ.”
Thank you to the Coastal Bend of Texas for serving at-risk kids and families! What you do matters and we can’t wait to see your incredible continued impact in your region.
When we respond to CarePortal requests, we go expecting to meet a need, but often leave discovering that a need of ours has been revealed. There is always potential for transformation. This won’t happen every time, but the heart of CarePortal is this: to experience Jesus through real, meaningful connection with our neighbors.
