Texas-Based Health Share Helps Eight Local Families Celebrate Christmas Through Adopt-a-Family Program
IRVING, Texas, December 17, 2020 – Christian non-profit and HCSM OneShare Health is on a mission to give back to affected families in North Texas. One way they’re extending support is by working alongside The Family Place, Texas’s largest anti-family violence service provider.
Founded in 1978, The Family Place (TFP) “empowers victims of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling, and skills that create independence while building community engagement and advocating for social change to stop family violence.”
“I’m motivated by the clients,” said Meg Bittner, Program Director and Volunteer at The Family Place. “Our non-residential clients come for counseling regularly, sometimes twice a week, to learn what they need to know to escape the cycle of domestic violence. And the shelter clients do the same on a daily basis. They all work so hard, which motivates me to want to help them.”
Today, TFP offers three emergency shelters and three counseling centers. In 2019, they served 11,711 clients, providing 64,605 days of emergency shelter, 38,690 days of transitional housing, 12,503 hours of counseling to nonresidential clients, and 12,573 hours of counseling to batterers.
Additionally, TFP organizes multiple giving opportunities throughout the year, including Group Volunteer Projects, Summer Camp, Back-to-School, Adopt-the-Shelter, and Adopt-a-Family. Last year, Adopt-a-Family served over 200 clients. This year, they reported having 290 total clients.
“The most rewarding part is hearing the stories of clients’ dismay and excitement when they receive their gifts,” said Bittner. “Our clients are truly thankful. But just as rewarding is to see how generous the community is.”
Heather Harrington, OneShare Health’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, said employees were eager to help when the idea was first presented.
“The folks at The Family Place devote countless hours to a cause that is so worthy,” said Harrington, “and if OneShare can get involved and relieve a portion of the stress the holidays can sometimes bring, we will. As Christians, the Bible instructs us to help our fellow man, to share our wealth and privilege with the less fortunate; programs like Adopt-a-Family enable us to do that. Each and every team member at OneShare is so willing to help our community. It’s truly humbling to witness.”
Anyone interested in learning more about The Family Place should follow them on social media, visit OneShare’s Mission in Motion page, or subscribe to the One Share, One Voice Blog!
OneShare Health is an ACA-exempt, non-profit, Christian Health Care Sharing Ministry (HCSM). HCSMs are not traditional health insurance and do not accept risk or make guarantees regarding payment of bills submitted by Members.
The Family Place is the largest family violence service provider in Texas, including the state’s only shelter for men and children. All services are in Spanish and in English. For more information, call (214) 559-2170 or visit familyplace.org.
Whether you are or aren’t familiar, health sharing is not a new concept! In fact, it dates back to the 1980s when certain Mennonite communities pooled their monies together to help individuals with debt. Similarly, OneShare Health’s Christian health share is on a Mission to help our Members pay for Eligible medical expenses through medical sharing. First, a Member with an Eligible medical need submits a Sharing Request to our Ministry. Then, OneShare determines which costs are Eligible for Sharing and, using the Monthly Contributions made by our other Members, pays that portion of the medical bill! It’s that easy. Become a part of something different—join our Sharing Community today!
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”
Proverbs 3:37 (NIV)