Bringing Hope: A Look at the Local Good Center

An exciting part of the Here For Good Project, the Local Good Center will open new doors for Chase Oaks to bring hope to our community like never before. We envision the center as “a bright place in the community”—one where people will be able to leverage their diverse talents to educate, empower, train, and motivate our community towards a healthy and self-sufficient future.

Four major initiatives, supported by project management staff, will combine to form the Local Good Center.

Health and Nutrition Initiative

The Health and Nutrition Initiative at the Local Good Center will bring targeted preventative care and education programs to those in need within our community. Merideth White, Health Advocacy Director, will lead the team in bringing about key changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with the larger objective of improving overall health.

By providing vital education classes, immunizations, physicals, and pregnancy services, the Local Good Center will address pressing needs in the community with resources that people can often take for granted.

The Health and Nutrition Initiative will also work to improve access to healthy foods while teaching participants life-long skills to reduce diet-related diseases, with the ultimate goal of empowering individuals and families to live healthy lives. The potential impact of this work is multi-generational in scale.

Interested in joining this initiative? Contact Merideth at [email protected] for more information.

Jobs Placement Initiative

Pivot Talent Group, under the leadership of Director Kenny Brown, is an innovative placement firm that helps businesses fill entry-level positions and administrative roles in a way that benefits and transforms the community.

It accomplishes this goal by sourcing talent from those receiving support or referred to Pivot from local non-profits, churches, and community organizations. By hiring Pivot candidates, companies can find talented people while providing a helping hand to someone in their community.

As a part of the Local Good Center, Pivot is seeking to build a team of dedicated volunteers who will help with one or more of the following:

• Join the Pivot Group’s roster of over 50 business leaders, who hire candidates from Pivot for entry-level and administrative roles. 
• Volunteer to review resumes so that people can put their best forward. 
• Volunteer to help prep people for interviews so that people go in confident and prepared for their opportunity. 

Potential volunteer team members can contact Kenny for more information at [email protected].

Advocacy Initiative

Directed by Reggie Nious, the Advocacy Initiative will serve to strengthen unheard and overlooked voices within our community by supporting three main projects.

The Foster Care Project will help to educate, support, and mentor children within the foster care system, particularly as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Team members will work with those who are nearing the “aging out” limit as well as those whose parents are incarcerated. This project aims to alter the trajectory of children’s lives by giving guidance in five key areas:

• Life Skills
• Mentoring or Coaching
• Transitional Living Guidance
• Career and Educational Development
• Connecting with a “tribe” or group of peers

The Money Bail Project for Single Moms assists women who remain incarcerated, pre-trial, for no reason other than that they cannot afford to pay bail. In particular, single moms face losing their jobs, jeopardizing custody of their children, and enduring trauma and abuse inside jail. This project will help single moms in Collin County get the support they need with bail, so they can have a fair day in court without losing everything in the process.

The Racial Awareness and Community Education Project will seek to catalyze the transformation and healing of injustices within our community by providing opportunities for people to learn, share, and talk about these issues. The Community Education Project will sponsor relevant teaching series, expert speakers, and engaging curricula to help equip our congregation and our community in the process.

As the Advocacy Initiative grows, so will volunteer opportunities with its various projects. For more information, contact Reggie at [email protected].

Education Initiative

The Education Initiative will expand upon community efforts that first began with the Chase Oaks Family Center. This initiative will target the larger goal of transformation through education for immigrant and underserved communities. Team members will help to provide valuable programs including ESL classes, U.S. citizenship test prep classes, and parenting classes.   

This initiative will also focus on our local school partnership events, as well as our annual SchoolZone and ToyZone.

Currently, the Education Initiative is seeking a qualified Director to lead its team.  Those who are interested in this role, or in volunteering with this team, may contact Julissa at [email protected].

Project Management and Systems Development

Rachel Corbitt will provide project management and systems development support to the four initiatives within the Local Good Center. The three key areas of support include

• Targeted project management and project support for key activities within each initiative;
• System and process development across the Local Good Center, which will enable its teams to work well together and leverage each other’s capabilities; and
• Management of the Local Good Center’s relationship with the Collin County District Attorney’s office, a key strategic partner within the community.

Together, the four major initiatives that comprise the Local Good Center will create a multi-faceted approach to bringing hope to the community—and a powerful statement that Chase Oaks and its people truly are Here For Good. 

Discover more about the groundbreaking Here For Good Project and how you can be a part of it, here.