SMUUF Donates to Child Protective Board

The San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (SMUUF) recently donated $850 to the Hays County Child Protective Board.  Jeannie Lewis, SMUUF Social Justice Chair, said, "Once a month we take up a collection during our Sunday morning Worship Service to donate to a local non-profit organization whose work aligns with our religious values."   Lewis continued, "This is the fourth year we have had a Donate-the-Plate to the Child Protective Board, whose work we value and admire."

The Hays County Child Protective Board promotes a safe environment for all Hays County children, most crucially neglected and abused children in State care. The Board’s chief mandate is to meet needs of children and families in the care of Hays County Child Protective Services (CPS), when those needs are not met by the State of Texas. 

June Hankins, Secretary of the Child Protective Board, said, "The Board’s constant challenge is to raise sufficient funds to promote a safe environment for the growing numbers of Hays County children, and to address the increasing number of emergency and ongoing needs of CPS children and families. 

Hankins pointed out, "In the last year, the eleven-member Board, which is appointed by the Hays County Commissioners Court, has used its funding to meet children’s essential needs, such as emergency clothing and medical care, safety needs such as car seats, beds, fire extinguishers, and smoke alarms. It has also been able to fund requests that enrich children’s lives, such as summer camp, band instruments, school trips, driver education fees, and holiday, graduation and birthday gifts."

Hankins continued. "The Board is grateful to San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for its generous Donate-the-Plate collections each of the last three years. The donations have made it possible for the Board to pay for summer camp and extracurricular experiences that could not be funded in the past. This current donation will help the Board to respond to the rapid increase in numbers of neglected and abused children in the County, and to continue to enable children to enjoy some of the enrichment activities that more fortunate children enjoy."

For more information about the San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship go to their website at www.smuuf.org or contact Jeannie Lewis at jeannie@centurytel.net or (512) 353-2872

• Submitted by SMUUF