TX - Gregg

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Pines will be "the place to be" for youth and teens in East Texas; Club leadership will develop and implement programs and events that will increase participation and excel in community involvement.

We inspire and equip all young people, especially those that need us most, to achieve their full potential as healthy, productive, responsible caring citizens.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF THE BIG PINES

Great Futures Classic Golf Tournament

The East Texas Angel Network is a foundation established for the enhancement of the lives of families in East Texas whose child may be suffering from a serious or life-threatening disease.

**Getting Started**
ETAN was established in 1995 by Neal McCoy and his wife, Melinda, who both wanted to support the families of children with severe medical needs.

**Giving Relief**
For over two decades, ETAN has been cutting red tape and making funds available for hundreds of these families to pay off their secondary expenses.

**Events**
Our annual fall fundraiser includes a golf tournament, sponsor’s dinner, and benefit concert. Neal is the featured artist for the concert along with many friends from the entertainment industry who donate their time to the cause.

East Texas Angel Network

Bubbles and Bingo

The children’s advocacy center model originated in 1983 by then-District Attorney Bud Cramer in Huntsville, Alabama. Recognizing that child victims were being re-victimized by the very system that was supposed to protect them, Cramer led a group of front line workers from CPS and law enforcement agencies, nurses, mental health providers, and others to establish the first Children's Advocacy Center in 1985. Today, the Huntsville center is the National Children's Advocacy Center and serves as a model and resource for advocacy centers across the country. Bud Cramer went on to serve as a US Congressman where he continued to fight for children until his retirement in 2008.

Amarillo is the proud home of the first CAC in Texas when The Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center opened its doors in 1990. Since then, communities all across the state have established multidisciplinary teams to investigate, prosecute, and provide intervention for abuse victims and their non-offending family members.

In 1998, leaders in both Gregg and Harrison counties began educating their communities regarding the need for a children’s advocacy center. East Texas CASA contacted Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, the membership association for CACs in Texas, and the process of starting a CAC in our community began.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of East Texas (CACET) was established in a little gray house on College Street in Longview and children received forensic interviews beginning in June 2000. At the time, the CAC had one employee, a Program Director, who quickly hired a Child Advocate to help ensure the children and their families received services so vital to their healing process. CACET began to coordinate the efforts of the professional teams who investigate, prosecute, and facilitate healing in both counties. The teams included representatives from area law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, Child Protective Services, and local medical and mental health professionals.

In 2002 East Texas CASA changed their organizational name to East Texas Child Advocates (ETCA) with three programs under their umbrella: East Texas CASA, CAC of East Texas, and Getting Together Safely. Because of the desire of the board to have all three programs under one roof, the programs moved to a larger location on South High Street in 2006.

In the summer of 2008 the ETCA board voted to separate CAC of East Texas from the umbrella organization. A committee was formed to begin the process of the legal separation. In the summer of 2009 a new board of directors was formed and The Martin House Children’s Advocacy Center of Gregg and Harrison Counties was established and moved to 606 West Garfield Drive in Longview.

In 2014 the board of directors voted to add Marion County to its official service area and changed the name of the organization to The Martin House Children's Advocacy Center. To better support the multidisciplinary teams and families from Harrison and Marion Counties, a CAC satellite office was established in the Carlile Building in Marshall in September 2015.

The Martin House Children's Advocacy Center is the result of a remarkable collaboration and coalition of dedicated individuals and agencies which serves more than 600 children and their families each year. This partnership, combined with a generous outpouring of community support, has made the center a reality and children a priority. The center is one of 70 CACs in Texas and more than 800 across the U.S. dedicated to protecting our most vulnerable citizens: our children.

The Martin House

Bags, Boots & Bingo

Critical Repair Specialist

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in approximately 70 countries. Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat works toward our vision by building strength,  and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.

**Our Mission**
Seeking to put God’s love in action, Habitat for  Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

**Our Vision**
A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

**Our Principles**
- Demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ
- Focus on shelter
- Advocate for affordable housing
- Promote dignity and hope
- Support sustainable and transformative development

**Who We Are**
Habitat for Humanity partners with people in your community, and all over the world, to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. With your support, Habitat homeowners achieve the strength, stability and independence they need to build a better life for themselves and for their families. Through our 2020 Strategic Plan, Habitat for Humanity will serve more people than ever before through decent and affordable housing.

Northeast Texas Habitat for Humanity

Tees for Keys

Area Director

Greater Longview Young Life is a nonprofit organization (501c3) that enters into the world of teens to love, mentor, guide, and help them in many ways. Young Life has been around since 1941 and in over 95 countries, and to this day we continue to impact the lives of teens. 4 out of 5 Young Life participants consider Young Life and it's leaders to be a significant influence on their faith. 94% of volunteer leaders and staff with Young Life would overwhelmingly recommend their leadership experience to a friend. In Young Life we will show the love of Jesus to our teens through our Young Life leaders and volunteers!

Greater Longview Young Life

Young Life BINGO Night

Family Care Coordinator

Studies have repeatedly shown that loving and nurturing adult caregivers providing a safe, stable and age-appropriate environment for the children in their care is vital for the emotional and developmental foundation that children need to be successful in school and life.

Since 1996, Champions, a 501(c)(3), has been the motivating force behind a coordinated community effort to design and implement progressive programs to help at-risk children, parents and childcare providers. From professional teacher trainings  to individual interventions for at-risk children and families, Champions' provides caregivers, teachers, and families with the education, mentoring, training, and support they need to ensure that their children have every opportunity at success.

Champions for Children is a United Way of Tyler/Smith County partner agency and is focused on quality, early childhood development for all children. Champions' provides training and mentoring for adult caregivers to better understand the unique needs of young children and specialized services to children and adults to build strong families and a stronger community.

Children are our future!

Champions for Children

Brighter Future Symposium

TX - Smith

### What is the Andrews Center?

The Andrews Center is a community mental health and mental retardation center established by law as a local governmental entity in accordance with the provisions of the Texas Health and Safety Code, Title 7, Section 534, Subchapter A. The Center is named for Earl C. Andrews, one of the leading citizens of Tyler, Texas, who helped found the Center in 1966. June 4, 1968 the contract was signed with Smith County Commissioners Court which legally put the Center in place. Earl Andrews served 25 years, 20 as Chairman of the Board. The Center is governed by a nine-member board of community leaders appointed by the commissioners’ courts of the five counties it serves.

The Center operates a variety of programs and services for persons with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities. Andrews Center serves individuals and their families from 25 different service locations including, outpatient clinics, day training and rehabilitation facilities, manufacturing plants and group homes. Andrews Center has more than 400 employees including Psychiatrists (M.D.), Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Licensed Professional Counselors, (LPC), Social Workers (LCSW), Psychiatric Nurses (B.S.N., R.N.), Behavioral Therapists and other professional and paraprofessional specialists. Revenues the Center generates annually are derived from more than 30 different sources including contracts with state agencies, federal grants, contracts with managed care and insurance companies, local industry, patient fees and insurance.

The Andrews Center Behavioral Healthcare System is a recognized leader in this industry locally and at the state and national level. It is recognized for quality care and management. Several of its programs are considered models across the state.

### Andrews Center History

Andrews Center (formerly Mental Health Mental Retardation Regional Center of East Texas) was originally established on June 4, 1968, as the Smith-Wood County Mental Health Mental Retardation Center under the sponsorship of the Commissioners Courts of Smith and Wood Counties. A local planner, Gary K. Smith, was employed by the Board of Trustees to plan the Center and became its first Executive Director.

In November 1969, the Smith-Wood County Center for Mental Health and Mental Retardation Services began formal operations. The offices were moved from the basement of the Smith County Courthouse to the Bryant Petroleum Building.

In 1974, the County Commissioners Courts of Henderson, Rains, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties contracted to sponsor the Mental Health Mental Retardation Regional Center of East Texas.

A nine-member Board of Trustees was established as the governing body of the Center. Members were appointed by the County Commissioners Courts on the basis of population as follows: three trustees from Smith County; one trustee each from Henderson, Van Zandt, Wood and Rains Counties; two trustees appointed at large. The Board of Trustees established policy and employed the Executive Director to carry out the purpose and policy for which the Center was created.

Following these years of rapid expansion and growth, in March 1978, the Board of Trustees employed Mr. Richard J. DeSanto as Executive Director (now Chief Executive Officer). Mr. DeSanto was employed to assist in the improvement of the quality of care and the completion of a capital improvement plan to establish adequate facilities for operation in each sponsoring county.

The following is a list of the original Board of Trustees, June 1968:
- Jack Jackson, Chair
- M. H. Moore, M.D.
- F. O. Penn
- Earl C. Andrews
- George Pirtle
- Mildred Speights
- Phil Gossett
- Henry Bell, Jr.
- Harold Stringer

**Other citizens who have served on the Board are:**

Charles L. Childers, W. T. Black, Jr., E.F. Joseph, Mrs. Ann Hall, Mrs. Martha Hunter, Lawrence LaCroix, Reverend Roger Givens, Mr. L. F. Sanders, Mrs. Billie Furrh, Mrs. Mary Lou Moon, Ms. Mary Davis, A. C. McMillan, Mrs. E. B. Long, Mrs. Rebecca Laughlin, Mr. Bobby Sanders, Mrs. Linda Hill, Dan Peacock, Mary Lynn Smith, Tonya Spencer, Joan Brooks, Dr. Richard Groepper, Dr. William Bone, Mary Lookadoo, Dennis Murphy, and Mr. Wayne Leake.

Mrs. Mildred Speights served on the Board as Vice-Chairman from 1968 until her retirement in 1985.

Dr. Masters Moore served on the Board from 1968 to 1981. During his 13-year tenure he was personnel committee chair and, as such, was a key player in choosing the distinguished staff that has characterized the Center since its inception.

Mr. Isadore Roosth was appointed to the Board in July 1975, and served as Secretary/Treasurer until his death in July 1992.

Mr. Earl C. Andrews was elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees on August 15, 1973, and was reelected to that capacity each year until his retirement in April 1991.

On May 31, 1991, Richard J. DeSanto, Chief Executive Officer, announced that Earl Andrews had agreed to allow the Center to be renamed “Andrews Center.”

Andrews Center

East Texas Behavioral Health Summit 2.0

Based in Longview, TX our goal is to provide services to those that have served or are serving our communities and our country. Our counselors have specific training and experiences that help establish a therapeutic connection with our clients.

We believe veterans and those who diligently serve our community have earned our support and respect. We are a faith-based organization that provides readily accessible counseling and trauma treatment for veterans, first responders, medical personnel, and their families. We are creating a strong community network which will help these individuals make necessary connections to lead successful lives and bring healing to them and their families.

**Our Vision**
Our organization was created to meet unmet needs. We see the struggles and hardships our veterans, first responders, and medical workers experience and we want to support them and their families as best we can. Asking for help can sometimes be the most difficult step. We would like to make it as stress-free as possible for these individuals and families to get the assistance they need.

Operation True North

Freedom 5K Fighter

TX - Harrison

Hannah House Ministries was founded in 1999 by Glennis and Gary Woodall. Glennis had a passion to love God and to reach women who have found themselves in a crisis pregnancy situation.  Hannah House was located in Glen Rose, Texas until 2010 when they relocated to Gilmer, Texas. 

Today, Melanie and Alan Wright oversee Hannah House.  Hannah House Ministries has now expanded on the 60 acres by adding the Gathering Place.  The Gathering Place, finished in 2021, can now house up to four women who are needing a home during their pregnancies. 

Hannah House welcomes each woman where they are on their journey.  Hannah House is located on 60 acres of beautiful and peaceful countryside. This provides our girls with the opportunity to listen and hear God, clear of distractions, so they are able to make the best decisions for their child and themselves.

Upcoming Fundraisers

Great Futures Classic Golf Tournament

Bubbles and Bingo

Bags, Boots & Bingo

Tees for Keys

Young Life BINGO Night

Brighter Future Symposium

East Texas Behavioral Health Summit 2.0

Freedom 5K Fighter

Pasture Party 2025

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