Member Agencies
ADAPT (Adolescent Development & Achievement Program of Tyler)
903-533-8299 email: adapt@suddenlinkmail.com
Latch Key and Drug Free/Kids Café Program – Clients are young people ages 8–18 without adult supervision after school and during summer and those with poor academic report cards. They are considered above average risk for alcohol, tobacco experimentation, drug abuse and dropping out of school. They are also more likely to engage in sexual activity which causes sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy. Also serve families without insurance or financial ability to pay for professional drug/alcohol abuse counseling. These clients receive counseling free of charge. Program provides individual counseling to identify substance abuse and depression; educational groups for substance abuse, sexual abstinence, delinquent behavior; daily academic tutoring/summer school in a structured environment; follow-up with parents, caregivers, probation officers and siblings; stress reducing recreational activities and fellowship with peers and trusted adults; provides nutritional education, snacks, 2 daily meals in summer and 1 during school year; collaborate with other social service agencies for referral and case work follow-up.
American Red Cross
903-581-7981 www.smithcounty.redcross.org email: tprater@tyler.net
Armed Forces Emergency Services – Clients are active duty military, reservists, their families, and veterans in the community. Program gives emergency communications services, financial assistance with benefits and counseling to active duty military, their families and veterans in the community. Red Cross volunteers verify emergency situations such as death and serious illnesses and provide reports to military personnel and their commanders.
Disaster Relief Services – Clients have lost many of their material possessions and are homeless due to house fires or weather related events. Program gives assistance by trained caseworkers based on verified disaster-caused need which may include temporary shelter, clothes, shoes, work-related items, food, medical items, and basic household furnishings. Service is free and available 24 hours a day.
ARC of Smith County
903-597-0995 www.arcofsmithcounty.org email: shawkins@arcofsmithcounty.org
Respite Camping: Camp HeyDay - Clients served are people with mild to moderate cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities ages 10-75. Program provides a week of respite for their parents or caregivers; offers a week of highly supervised fun for the client; teaches upper-level high school students (counselors) responsibility, social growth and compassion; provides campers with role models to emulate at camp and following their return home.
Respite Camping: Camp Kennedy – Serves adults over 21 with mild to moderate cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities. Program provides all of the above and opportunity for adult campers with mental retardation to participate in a more physical camping environment which includes archery, hiking, shooting BB guns, canoeing and other typical camp activities. Campers also participate in the low ropes course to experience success in overcoming a challenge.
Respite Camping: Camp Friendship – Day camp held twice a year (April and October) at Keipersol Cattle Company Sale Barn and arena. Serves severely disabled, medically fragile children ages 5-21. In 2006 this was made ‘intergenerational’ day camp and now includes older campers who no longer are able to attend one of the residential camps. Activities include horseback riding, music, therapy dogs, hayrides, etc. Through these activities they are provided social interaction with their peers and counselors.
Azleway, Inc.
903-566-8444 www.azleway.org email: kimbeckham@onecentralthing.com
PAL SMART: Preparation for Adult Living Start Making a Responsible Transition – This program provides case management services to young adults between the ages of 16 and 21. Although the services needed for these young adults to become self-sufficient already exist in the community, individuals leaving care often lack the knowledge, skill and motivation to access them. Case management can provide the support and planning that can make success possible for clients. PAL SMART facilitates aftercare benefits to youth aged 18-21 when the CPS PAL Coordinator refers clients for financial assistance. These benefits are available to youth based on need and in line with eligibility guidelines. The most important aspect of the program is providing direct contact between case managers and clients to ensure that youth leaving care are not entirely on their own with no support once they leave the ‘system’.
Bethesda Health Clinic
903-596-8353 www.bethesdaclinic.org email: jenglish@bethesdaclinic.org
Chronic Disease and Wellness Management – Clinic is designed to provide medical care for individuals living or working in Smith County who make less than 200% of the poverty level. Program provides general primary care, including ancillaries (labs, x-rays, EKGs, etc.), education and exercise programs, along with considerable subspecialty access; provides dental care, and counseling on a limited basis.
Boy Scouts of America
903-597-7201 www.etexscouts.com email: Ballew@bsamail.org
Cub Scouting – Clients consist of approximately 1,620 boys in Smith County. Program is year round family-oriented designed for boys who are in 1st thru 5th grades. Parents, leaders, and organizations work together to achieve the 10 purposes of Cub Scouting: character development, spiritual growth, good citizenship, sportsmanship and fitness, family understanding, respectful relationships, personal achievement, friendly service, fun and adventure, preparation for Boy Scouts.
Boy Scouting – Clients consist of approximately 1,039 boys in Smith County. Program is available to boys who have completed the fifth grade and subscribe to the Scout Oath and Law; achieves the BSA’s objectives of developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness qualities among youth by focusing on a vigorous program of outdoor activities.
Venturing – Clients consist of approximately 253 young men and women in Smith County. Venturing is a youth development program for young men and women who are 14 through 20 years of age. Purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults.
Learning for Life – Clients consist of 1,298 boys and girls in Smith County. Learning for Life offers 8 programs designed to support schools and community based organizations in their efforts to prepare youth to successfully handle the complexities of contemporary society and to enhance their self-confidence, motivation and self-esteem. Helps youth develop social and life skills, assist in character development, and help youth formulate positive personal values. Prepares youth to make ethical decisions that will help them achieve their full potential.
Boys & Girls Clubs of East Texas
903-593-9211 www.bgcet.org email: john@bgcet.org
After School Program – Clients served are students at Griffin Elementary and Dogan Middle School. Within a one-mile radius live almost 1,900 children from ages 5 to 19. The median household income for the area is $18,259. Boys & Girls Club is a catalyst for transforming generations of young people into productive, responsible, caring and compassionate citizens who will in turn transform the world; work is solely focused on youth development. Successful character development in youth happens when young people have fun, are recognized, have opportunities and expectations, are in a safe, positive place and develop supportive relationships. Programming is divided into 5 core areas: character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; the arts; and sports, fitness and recreation.
CASA for Kids of East Texas
903-597-7725 www.casaforkidsofet.org email: patty@casaforkidsofet.org
Court Appointed Special Advocates – Client population is 0-18 year olds who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect and are in custody of the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. When it is not safe for children to be with their own families, Child Protective Services petitions the court to remove the children from their homes. They may be placed temporarily with relatives, a verified foster family, or an emergency shelter. After removal, the children are at the center of a 12 month legal process to determine permanent placement. CASA volunteers represent these children by speaking on their behalf in court making sure that their best interest is met. Volunteers are trained to act as first-hand experts on the individual needs of abused and neglected children in foster care, giving them the best possible chance at a hopeful future.
Champions for Children
903-592-1454 www.championsforchildren.org email: magcfc@sbcglobal.net
Childcare Trainer/Mentor Teacher Program – Clients served are the nearly 8,000 children in Smith County that spend 2-10 hours in a licensed childcare center. Program provides solutions for poor quality childcare, untrained or under-trained childcare teachers, and individual children who present behavioral or learning challenges in early childhood settings. Offers professional training, on-site consultation and teacher mentoring, curriculum and teacher materials and resources for use in the classroom.
Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County
903-533-1880 www.cacsmithcounty.org email: carol@cacsmithcounty.org
Child Abuse Intervention Program (CAIP) – Clients served are child victims of physical and sexual abuse and their families. Program works closely with a team of law enforcement investigators, Child Protective Service investigators, sexual assault nurse examiners and criminal district attorney prosecutors to detect, investigate and prosecute incidents of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse in Smith County. The program also provides individualized yet comprehensive services to child victims of physical and sexual abuse, child witnesses to violent crimes, their protective caregivers and siblings.
East Texas Crisis Center
903-509-2526 or 1-800-333-0358 www.etcc.org email: director@etcc.org
Family Violence/Sexual Assault Program – In 2007 this program provided services to 1,132 men, women and children in Smith County who are, or were, victims of family violence and/or sexual assault. This number for 2008 is expected to be closer to 1,200. Program provides safety and protection through crisis intervention, legal advocacy, and emergency shelter. Provides counseling, education and support services through counseling, support groups, Suited for Success, children’s prevention and education and children’s counseling.
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
903-526-2007 www.gsnetx.org email: jbrown@gsnetx.org
Girl Scouting in the School Day – Clients targeted are girls, ages 8 to 14 who are attending elementary and middle schools in Tyler ISD, particularly in areas where children are living in poverty. In-school program offers girls an opportunity to participate in activities and group projects that highlight issues that affect them in a safe, girl-only environment. Topics include self-esteem, leadership skills, personal hygiene and social etiquette, stress management, relationships, anger management, and community service.
Every Girl Everywhere–Girls at the Center – Clients are girls, ages 5 to 17, in under-represented population segments of Smith County. The girls are considered to be at-risk because of their environment, socio-economic status, as well as being female. They are exposed to high levels of negative social factors such as teen pregnancy, gang activity, drug use, and crime that inhibit their personal self-esteem and hope for a positive future. Program targets girls through three distinct types of programs each offering four different sets of activities: Daisy Head Start, a collaboration between Girl Scouts and Smith County Head Start to improve literacy rates and relating to others; Girls at the Center, a collaboration between Girl Scouts and Tyler’s Discovery Science Museum to increase interest of females in areas of science, math, and technology; and Get Ready, Set, Go, an effort by Girl Scouts to offer a series of enriching summer programming throughout Smith County.
Goodwill Industries / Opportunities in Tyler, Inc.
903-593-8438 www.tylergoodwill.com email: davidw@tylergoodwill.com
Workforce Development/Adjustment Training – Clients are individuals that have mental or physical disabilities and other barriers to employment. Services include vocational assessments, work adjustment training, and vocational adjustment training.
Extended Employment Services (Opportunities in Tyler) – Clients/employees of OIT are individuals who need to strengthen their work skills and self-confidence in a closely supervised and unthreatening environment. Program provides transitional work experience and permanent employment in a sheltered environment.
Habitat for Humanity
903-595-6630 www.smithcountyhabitat.org email: director@smithcountyhabitat.org
Building Homes, Building Hope– Client’s income falls within 30-70% of the median income for Tyler. Majority are single women with children who want to be able to provide a home for their family without the threat of having to move at the whim of a landlord. They want to own something; they want to provide their families with a safe environment and a safe place to grow and play. They are most often living in substandard housing and are not able to make their dream of homeownership a reality through conventional means. They are often paying 40-50% of their monthly income towards rent. Program builds and renovates homes with the help of homeowner partners and volunteers. Houses are sold to partner families at 0% interest. Mortgages are issued over a fixed period (usually 20 years) and are sold on a deed of trust and note held by Habitat. Each homeowner family is required to invest 350-500 hours of “sweat equity” towards the construction of their home.
Literacy Council of Tyler
903-533-0330 www.lcotyler.org email: info@lcotyler.org
Adult and At-Risk Youth Education Classes – Clients served are adults who are deficient in basic reading skills, lack a GED, and/or do not speak English as their first language. Program provides basic literacy, GED and/or English as a Second Language. Classes are held at 16 sites in Smith County where it is shown there is a need and reasonable participation occurs.
At-Risk Youth GED Program – Previously the Academic and Career Development Program at the Boys and Girls Clubs of East Texas, this programs targets at-risk youth who are trying to further their education and develop a career by getting their GED.
Niño’s de Promesa
903-520-5385 email: fbcastilma@tyler.net
Niño’s de Promesa Preschool – This program provides 3 and 4 year-old children of all cultures with language and developmental skills to help them be successful in school and in life. Currently, they concentrate on children from Spanish-speaking homes, who have a much lower success rate in public schools due to the language barrier. (The drop-out rate for Hispanic students in Texas is greater than 60%.) Tuition is based on the income of the parents and the number of people living in each household. This past year there were 54 children enrolled in three classes, with a long waiting list.
North Tyler Day Nursery
903-592-3671 email: northtylerday@att.net
Child Care Program – Clients are children ages 18 months thru 5 years who are from low to moderate income families who are working, may be incapacitated, seeking employment, in college, or in a job training program, and are in need of an affordable quality child care program. Majority of the parents and grandparents have little or no knowledge about cognitive, affective, and physical growth as it pertains to their children and the environment where they live. Therefore, the children have various sensory, emotional, and behavioral issues due to their home and surrounding environment. Individualized instruction and curriculum is provided to develop reasoning skills and problem solving along with social skills and academic readiness in reading and mathematics.
Parent Services Center, Inc.
903-595-2235 www.parentservicescenter.com email: jsisk@parentservicescenter.comParent Education Program (PEP) – The PEP provides educational classes and support groups designed for parents, foster parents, grandparents raising grandchildren, child care providers, teachers and mental health providers. Topics range from birth through young adulthood and cover normal developmental or family issues as well as specialty issues such as ADHD, autism or bi-polar disorders. These are primarily non-sequential/stand-alone classes that are provided free of charge by licensed professionals in their area of expertise. Specific contract or in-service training classes are also available.
Parents Anonymous of Tyler
903-597-1831 email: juliegibson@suddenlinkmail.com
The Middle Way Parenting Program – Clients are primarily low-income families that are dysfunctional because of abuse, neglect, truancy, child custody issues, poor or no parenting skills, drug use, and failure to successfully complete anything. Many feel a sense of hopelessness, despair and anger. They are in a crisis situation with their
children, some to the point that the children have been removed from their home. This creates a sense of loss of control of their lives. The program provides a structured year-round parenting and family program in both English and Spanish which is based on a guided learning curriculum that includes role-plays and exercises to force parents to explore their learned values and beliefs. Program provides positive coping mechanisms, communication skills, and self-esteem building techniques designed to eliminate all aspects of child abuse and neglect from family life.
The Salvation Army
903-592-4361 www.salvationarmysouth.org email: zach_bell@uss.salvationarmy.org
Red Shield Social Services – Clients are all the homeless populations and those at-risk of becoming homeless in our area. Vision is to reach beyond just housing the homeless. Self-sufficiency is the objective. Offer a true “second chance” at life by supporting basic needs while the client achieves goals of employment, budgeting, education, and permanent housing.
SCCADA (Sister Communities Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse)
903-939-9010 www.sccada.org email: cshreder@tyler.net
Community Assistance Program (CAP) – Client population is adults and adolescents in need of services for problems and issues relating to substance use/abuse/dependence. Program provides problem identification and screening, brief intervention counseling and referral to treatment and/or other appropriate community support services for individuals and families experiencing substance use/abuse/dependency problems.
Youth Primary Prevention (YPP)
Clients are students in grades 3 to 8 who have not yet initiated substance abuse. A major component of the Youth Primary Prevention Program is the LifeSkills Training Program which seeks to influence major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation and early use of substances. YPP Specialists deliver distinct elementary and middle school curricula in a series of classroom sessions over the year. The sessions use lecture, discussion, coaching, and practice to enhance a students’ self esteem, feelings of self-efficacy, ability to make decisions and ability to resist peer and media pressure.
Smith County 4-H
903-592-1454 email: sehindman@ag.tamu.edu
Youth Development Program – Clients consists of 3,300 youth and 100 registered adult volunteers. All youth are considered “at risk”. Program offers monthly meetings as an opportunity for members to develop life and leadership skills. Club programs primarily focus on community service, citizenship, and leadership through 4-H project work.
Curriculum enrichment programs for schools are conducted by County Extension Agents, 4-H volunteers, and school teachers in order to teach students a wide array of topics ranging from ag literacy, to healthy lifestyles, to character education. Educational programs and modules are taken directly to the schools as well as other outlets, such as health fairs, special events, and the East Texas State Fair.
Tyler Day Nursery
903-592-4861 email: tdned@sbcglobal.net
Child Care Program – 88% of client population meets low income or poverty-level standards. Program provides quality daycare and pre-school services for children from low-income to poverty-level families. Program provides services that meet the educational need of the children; meet their physical and emotional needs; prevent them from being left at home while their parent(s) work or attend school (a setting that places children at risk for abuse and/or neglect); prepare parent(s) to actively participate in their K-12 education (parent involvement in children’s learning is positively related to their future achievements – academically, socially and emotionally); meet the growing demand in Smith County for affordable, quality childcare.
YMCA of Tyler
903-593-7327 www.tylerymca.org email: sgilpin@tylerymca.org
YMCA Childcare – Learning Center provides care to children 2 years of age thru preschool and provides for their nurturing and entertainment needs and provides an educational curriculum to prepare them for their promotion into elementary school. Prime Time After School Programs provides care to Pre-K and elementary aged children from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm during the normal school calendar year and provides prevention of “latch-key” children and provides educational support. Other programs include No School Fun Days and Summer Day Camps.
YMCA Youth Services – Program builds respect, honesty, caring and responsibility through positive programs that emphasize character development. Requires good sportsmanship from participants, parents, coaches, and fans. Educates participants in healthy physical activities while providing a fun atmosphere. Utilizes sports, activities, and special events to assist in combating childhood obesity. Children will learn the benefits of physical activity, leadership skills and how to be a team player; will learn good character development values and how they relate to life; Teen Nights and Y-Teens will give children a positive avenue to develop leadership skills and will provide constructive Friday and Saturday night alternatives to youth at this very delicate time in their lives.
United Way Programs
Nonprofit Development Center
903-581-6376 x211 Please select "NDC" on the contact form to contact the center.
The Nonprofit Development Center is a professional resource in partnership with nonprofits to create a community of excellence. The Center serves as a training and consulting service for the nonprofit community.
2-1-1 East Texas
Dial 211 or 903-534-9977 Please select "211" on the contact form to contact us.Need help finding help? 2-1-1 East Texas is an information source that links people to services available in their community and nationwide. 2-1-1 East Texas covers a 14-county area.