Moody Grant Recipient: Helping Hand Home

With the Moody Foundation grant, Helping Hand Home achieved a significant milestone, completing their Capital Campaign for a foster care school.

By: Can you tell us more about the Capital Campaign and Building a Future of Hope?

The Building a Future of Hope Capital Campaign has been a tremendous success for the Home’s east campus. Thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters, the campaign was able to fund a range of vital projects to expand the Home’s programs and services. These included the construction of eight new homes for children in residential treatment, a community and learning room, a permanent facility for the University of Texas (UT)/ Helping Hand Home (HHH) Charter School and additional space to double the capacity of the foster care and adoption program. The campaign also supported essential renovations to existing facilities and created a sustainability fund. After several months of construction, the project wrapped up in December 2022. The Home is now focused on finalizing the landscaping and grounds around the new construction to create a welcoming and nurturing environment for the children and families they serve. 

How many people does your organization help every month/year? Any volunteers? 

In 2022, the Home made a significant impact on the lives of 413 children and their family members. These children are either victims of child abuse and neglect or are at risk of facing such violence. The Home’s dedicated team and staff work tirelessly to provide them with essential support and services they need. The organization’s success is also due to the selfless contributions of its 250 volunteers, who generously donated a total of 8,989 hours during the year. This is a testament to the community’s commitment to creating a better future for vulnerable children, and the Home is deeply grateful for the volunteers’ time and effort.

How does the University of Texas/Helping Hand Home Charter School serve to benefit the community?

The Helping Hand Home provides a specialized on-site Charter School in partnership with the University of Texas to serve our most intense children. Due to their trauma, our children often display extreme behaviors, and our school’s curriculum is designed explicitly to help them succeed academically while regulating their behaviors through trauma-informed interventions. The school’s unique approach, coupled with the much-needed wrap-around and foster/adoption services, helps our children transition from abusive and impoverished situations to a stable and healthy home environment.

 At the UT/HHH Charter School, our main goal is to prepare our children to transition successfully to a public school setting, which is achieved by more than 35% of our students each year. Before the expansion, our school was located in two portable buildings. With the addition of the new multipurpose building, the Charter School now has four large classrooms with state-of-the-art design and technology, offering a safe and nurturing learning environment for our students. Additionally, the new building provides a community and learning room for school assemblies and other events, fostering a sense of community and connection among our students and staff. We are proud of our Charter School’s success and grateful for the support that has enabled us to provide these crucial resources to our children.

How has the Moody Foundation gift helped your organization?

Thanks to the generous gift from the Moody Foundation to the Building a Future of Hope Capital Campaign, the University of Texas/Helping Hand Home Charter School was able to purchase furniture for all four new classrooms. This gift has been instrumental in creating a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our children. We are deeply grateful for the Moody Foundation’s support and their commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable children. Their contribution has helped us to provide high-quality education to our students and has contributed significantly to the success of our programs.

Where can people go to learn more about the Home’s programs?

You can visit us at helpinghandhome.org to learn more about our programs, how to help and upcoming events.