Making a Difference: Support local nonprofits this holiday season

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As the year slowly begins to come to an end, the season of giving is upon us. Across the Brazos Valley, there are various options of giving back to the community and helping our neighbors in need through charitable actions. Ranging from cultural organizations to medical nonprofits, consider supporting these local nonprofits.

Animal Friends of Washington County

Targeting the gap between Austin and Houston, Animal Friends of Washington County established a veterinary clinic with the objective of providing a safe and resourceful environment for the community. The nonprofit offers spay and neuter services as well as vaccinations, heartworm tests, prevention and more for cats and dogs at a low-to-no cost.

While located in Washington County, Animal Friends receives clients from 15 surrounding counties and others who are traveling through town. Their statistics show that in Fiscal 2023 alone they have spayed over 1000 cats and 830 dogs and neutered over 650 cats and 525 dogs, with a total of 50,000 surgeries since their opening.

“Think about all those puppies and kittens that are not on the streets making more puppies and kittens,” says Paula Cizik, president of the board for Animal Friends. 

The nonprofit is located on 40 acres of land, with the clinic built on the higher ground and then three volunteer-driven dog parks — a park for large dogs, another park for small dogs and a third fully fenced park for training.

“That costs us about $25,000 a year just to maintain the dog parks because we keep them groomed by mowing them regularly, plus we have to control burrs and fire ants and keep both ponds clean,” Paula says. “[Dogs] get exercise out there, they get their socialization with other dogs and now it's grown into a community of the humans as well.”

Animal Friends hosts an annual dinner fundraiser in October that goes toward replacing medical equipment and other clinic maintenance. This year, their goal is to raise $50,000 through the $500 minimum entrance cost, sponsor donations of $1,000-$2,500 and an exciting raffle. 

Aside from their fundraiser, Animal Friends accepts monetary or Amazon wish list donations through their website at animalfriendstexas.org year-round.

Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation

Based in the small town of North Zulch, the Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation (ACHF) provides relief through medical supplies to Ukrainian hospitals that have been affected by the war, with a recent focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment among military veterans. With roughly 65 tons of medical supplies sent and other humanitarian aid, ACHF has assisted 23 health facilities across nine different cities.

“It is just abhorrent how little rehab equipment [is] in some of these facilities that I've personally witnessed and done site visits at,” says Lena Denman, president of ACHF. “There'll be about 5 million veterans from this war depending on when the war ends, but that's the current estimates from scholars.”

Although they accept donations all year, ACHF started a holiday toy drive in 2022 which serves the Kyiv Heart Institute and the Kyiv Children’s Center for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery. Due to the war, children get displaced due to conflict or lose a parent, so the hospitals help foster them.

“I go in and I actually shop for the presents in person in Kyiv,” Lena says. “The state of unemployment is close to our Great Depression levels over there. Sometimes getting a kid a gift will be like the only thing that they may receive this year so it's very, very important that we continue that if at all possible.

“It's a very difficult situation but people here can make a direct difference,” Lena adds. “I think the hardest thing for Americans is realizing that we have agency, that we have the privilege of having greater wealth here. One U.S. dollar is 40 of their currency at the moment.”

To learn more about ACHF’s mission, sign up for their newsletter or make a monetary donation, visit arlenecampbell.org.

Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center

In 2023, the Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center (BVRC) served over 500 families through its comprehensive physical, occupational and speech therapy programs. 

“We have an entire comprehensive team that looks at the global needs of the patient and their family,” says Alina Fifer, chief executive officer of BVRC. “We are the only outpatient therapy clinic that has a licensed clinical social worker, and that service is provided at no cost to our patients.”

Outside of in-house therapy, BVRC helps patients with referral coordination, access to other healthcare sources and even financial services like acquiring social security disability benefits, medical transportation, lodging reimbursement and much more.

“We truly believe that therapy does not function in a vacuum, that looking at the patient’s and the family's needs — whether it's shelter, whether it's food, whether it's transportation — brings so much more value and makes that therapy outcome a lot more likely in terms of success than just focusing on the therapy piece alone,” Alina says.

Since 1993, BVRC has sold minted, limited edition Aggie-themed Christmas ornaments to support the care that the rehabilitation center provides. This year, the ornament showcases five yell leaders kneeled in front of the 12th Man Statue with Kyle Field in the background. Crafted by local artist Dary Dega, the ornament is being sold for $30.

"I don't have exact details of how this initiative was born,” Alina says. “However, it became a great partnership with the University and an additional way for us to raise awareness of our programs. Aggies provide excellent support in any community they're in so this is another way for them to support a local nonprofit while also getting their Aggie fix.”

To purchase the 2024 Christmas in Aggieland ornament, go to bvrc.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/bvrc/giftstore.jsp. To support BVRC in other ways, visit brazostherapy.org/support.

Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Serving all seven counties of the Brazos Valley since 1984, Brazos Valley Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse (BVCASA) is a nonprofit that focuses on prevention, intervention and treatment services for substance abuse. They are dedicated to free prevention education from elementary school through high school and offer evidence-based outpatient treatment at low cost.

“There's so much pressure on kids these days in schools,” says Crystal Crowell, executive director of BVCASA. “[Our prevention specialists] also help them to kind of resist [the] pressure of drinking and vaping and some of those things that are becoming such huge problems among those age groups and some of those things that weren't a problem even as adults as parents when we were younger.”

Through grants, BVCASA has been able to expand and serve more of the community with over 70 employees. In the 2023 fiscal year, a total of 1,143 residential treatment clients were served with a capacity of 202 beds in the treatment center.

“Drugs change and drug trends change and needs change,” Crystal says. “We just continue to evolve and adapt as the need in our community changes based on what's needed for the people in our communities.”

The best way to support BVCASA is through monetary or wishlist donations. To learn more and donate, visit their website at bvcasa.org or drop off supplies at 4001 E. 29th St., Suite 90 in Bryan.

Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas of Bryan/College Station Texas

Besides spreading the traditions and beauty of Mexican culture to the B/CS area, Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas of Bryan/College Station Texas has a mission to provide scholarships for higher education through four different programs — high school students, royal court, college students and teachers. During their annual Cultural Event in September, the nonprofit hosts essay contests, with the option of English or Spanish, that are judged by three Texas A&M professors.

“[The scholarship program] evolved really well and that's what makes me keep going with this project,” says Alma Villarreal, administrator and organizer of Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas. “I enjoy it so much because I have seen it grow and I have seen it give so much back to the community, for the kids that are like, ‘How am I going to start?’”

Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas began in 1993 by selling beer and putting on small festivities out of tents by William J. Bryan Parkway. Today, they have support from all over the state, including the Consulate of Mexico in Houston, to put on their free festival and parade. 

“We even have people coming in from Mexico for the past four years,” Alma says. “They come from Mexico with their authentic dresses and all of these typical dances. We start off with local bands, food booths and craft booths and live music. I get excited just talking about it.”

To become a volunteer or event vendor, contact Alma at (979) 575-2910, or visit their website at fiestaspatrias.org.

Grimes Health Resource Center & Madison Health Resource Center

To bring resources to the rural communities of the Brazos Valley, the Grimes Health Resource Center and Madison Health Resource Center provide a space where organizations can meet clients and assist those in the community. They offer a large scope of services ranging from senior meals, transportation programs, free counseling and more.

The Grimes Center has two closets that support the area — a basic needs closet with various items that can’t be purchased with food stamps and a clothes closet where people in need can get free clothing.

“We're always open to anyone who wants to help,” says Lara Meece, director of the Grimes and Madison resource centers. “We take infant up to plus sizes [for clothes donations]. We need people that want to help with the clothes closet or work in one of the gardens.”

During the holiday season, the Grimes Center hosts a senior Thanksgiving meal in partnership with the City of Navasota’s Gold Club. They also put on a senior Christmas for their clients to receive gifts where they might not otherwise.

To donate, visit their websites at madisonhealthresourcecenter.com and grimeshealthresourcecenter.com. To keep up-to-date about their events and services, follow their Facebook pages at @MadisonHealthResourceCenter and @GrimesHealthResourceCenter.

OnRamp

While working as a pastor in 2017, Blake Jennings began utilizing his background in automotive engineering and his own garage to help single moms with car repairs after recognizing the need for reliable transportation. One day, a woman came to him with a vehicle beyond repair: her engine was severely damaged, only being held together by baling wire. With support from the community, Blake eventually gave her a reliable vehicle and she became OnRamp’s first client. Now, the nonprofit donates 40-50 cars each year.

OnRamp helps nominated applicants whose lack of a reliable vehicle is holding them back from self-sufficiency. Not only does OnRamp donate cars, but they also offer a client care team that includes a full year of maintenance, care, community resources and more.

“OnRamp’s care doesn't end when we hand the keys over to them, it begins,” says Cassidy Somervill, marketing director of OnRamp. “A vehicle is just one piece of the puzzle. We really want to see our clients grow and achieve their goals. The pastoral care, the finance, budgeting, things like that, I think kind of sets us apart from the others and makes it really special.”

To support the mission, OnRamp accepts both monetary and material donations; learn more about how you can give on their website at onramptx.org/give. To read about client success stories, visit their Facebook @OnRamp.

Scotty’s House

As the only nonprofit in the region that works directly with law enforcement and child protective services in child abuse investigations, Scotty’s House provides healing and justice for children through forensic interviews and exams, family advocacy and support services. 

Scotty’s House has licensed professional counselors on staff and trained contractors to support investigations, with a large focus on helping child victims move past their trauma. Also sometimes overlooked as a core service, the nonprofit’s staff feels it's their duty to educate the community about how to report abuse, says Cary Baker, executive director of Scotty’s House.

“We know that we don't have a magic wand that can make trauma go away,” Cary says. “The abuse the children that come here have experienced, it's going to be with them for the rest of their lives. We want it, for those children, to be a part of their story, we don't want it to be the entire book.”

To help provide more comfort to children, Canine Companions for Independence placed an assistance dog named Sawyer with Paws for Hope, which serves Scotty’s House. Sawyer can be used in forensic interviews, medical exams, counseling and court testimonials.

“The whole goal for Sawyer is to provide quiet comfort as children work through what they've experienced in counseling, but then also just a quiet presence as they go through this process,” Cary says. “When we were looking at adding a facility dog to our agency and to the services that we offer, we viewed the idea as a tool that we could use to make the process of being involved in a child abuse investigation easier for the child and their family.”

During the holiday season, Scotty’s House also has a Christmas assistance program called the Star Program to help families provide gifts and clothing to their children. Community volunteers and donors “adopt” a family who is screened by family support specialists and counselors, and help them in various ways depending on their needs.

To get involved, donate or learn more about Scotty’s House, visit their website at scottyshouse.org and Facebook @ScottysHouse.