Anniversaries often are occasions for reflection; sometimes nostalgic, sometimes inspiring, sometimes sad, but thankfully often joyful. The end of 2021 marked our 15th anniversary as a foundation and my 15th year with the Rees-Jones family. Reflecting back on those years has produced all of the mentioned emotions, but most often by far, joy.
We have been on a journey up a steep learning curve and the journey continues. We have met and been taught by so many partners, we have observed how God has been at work in our world, even in the midst of conflict and division, and we have experienced his presence in our midst on a daily basis. We have enjoyed our journey and do not want to see it plateau. There is still so much to learn and so many opportunities to reach others in the areas where we serve.
These annual summaries over the years have highlighted some of our experiences and amazing partners who continue to inspire us. The following pages will highlight more of those partners we supported in 2021, some old, some new. Their work goes on, even with an endless COVID-19 overhang, and people in need continue to be served. Thanks to them one and all.
Anniversaries also can be times for renewal, affirmation of vision and re-dedication to mission. We take stock of where we have been, how we have been prepared and resourced, and what opportunities remain in front of us. As people of faith, we have always felt God’s providential hand on our shoulders directing and encouraging us, challenging us, and sometimes re-directing and correcting us. We are at our best when we allow him to be foremost in our vision and action.
And so it is that at the end of 15 years, with our past experiences still fresh in mind, we now look forward to the challenges that lie ahead, still guided by our Lord’s command to love him with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are resolved to do the former by pursuing the latter.
When we as a grant-making foundation seek to love our neighbors, we find a common characteristic in almost all of our partners and those they serve. To one degree or another, they are or are willing to be vulnerable. There is risk in vulnerability, and for that reason we often seek to avoid it. It may come with pain or loss or disappointment or rejection. And yet it is central to the mission of loving our neighbors. To be willing to become vulnerable in this context is to be willing to expose what we have to achieve a particular end; the end in this case of advancing the welfare of our neighbors.
Our neighbors themselves are vulnerable in another way. They often live day to day in a state of risk or exposure to loss, most often unwillingly or without ability to change the state of risk or exposure. Our partners see their vulnerability and choose to expose themselves, their time and their resources to address the needs of their constituents. They choose to be vulnerable.
This affirmative choice is inspiring to us. It has challenged us too to be vulnerable, to take what we have and risk it for the benefit of those around us.
Two things we have discovered. The exposure of our resources to directly or indirectly lift up our neighbors brings us and hopefully them a sense of joy, a sense that things can be made right, a mutual flourishing. And it also brings us into deeper relationship with our partners as together we seek to advance God’s kingdom here on earth. We discover a unity of purpose and spirit when we allow ourselves to be led by the model of our Lord who himself became vulnerable that we might flourish in his kingdom.
I am grateful to and inspired by Andy Crouch who in his book Strong and Weak (Inter Varsity Press 2016) opened my eyes to how exposing our resources to meaningful risk (in so doing becoming vulnerable) for the benefit of those who are without such resources (vulnerable as they are) can indeed bring harmony and flourishing to us all. This is what we hope for, what we dream about as we look forward to the next 15 years.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped; but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
-Philippians 2:5-8
Julie* is an elementary-school-aged child and the youngest of three. Through a partnership with The Center, Julie…
Project Transformation North Texas Through both the after-school and summer programs, Project Transformation North Texas (PTNT) provides…
Ken Ken attended the same charter school as his siblings. Ken had a positive experience at school…
Good quality antenatal and child health services in Sierra Leone, West Africa, are scarce and often unaffordable….
Ja’Niyah Multiplication-loving Ja’Niyah has been a Rivertree student for three years, and is now in 5th grade….
Lyric Sakina was at her wit’s end when it came to choosing a school for her granddaughter…
Funding to support in-school mentoring programs in Title 1 elementary schools.
Funding to provide out-of-school-time programming to students at six Dallas County schools.
Funding for general operations, which ensures that children who have sustained abuse or neglect receive services such…
Funding to support the AFIL Way Program, which helps adults with disabilities live more independent lives.
Funding to support the Parent-Child Education Program, which ensures children are safe, nurtured, and on-track to enter…
Funding for the continued partnership with Canine Companions for Independence, which matches children with physical and developmental…
Funding for the in-school reading program that targets children at 14 low-performing elementary schools in southern Dallas.
Funding for the purchase and renovation of the Cedar Crest Community Center, which will serve those living…
Funding to support access to internships and professional skill development for youth in under-resourced communities.
Funding to provide pediatric surgeries, rehabilitation, and therapeutic intervention to children in Sub-Saharan Africa with correctable disabilities…
Funding to support the faith-based mentoring program.
Funding to support the protection of endangered animals along the Kenya-Tanzania border.
Funding to support the Theatre and Cultural Enrichment Camp for children and youth.
Funding to provide children residing in South Dallas with high-quality, early childhood development programming.
Funding for character formation and youth development programming taught through lacrosse.
Funding to support the re-opening of two classrooms that provide infants and toddlers with intensive, medically-managed, early…
Funding to support the Tiers of Success Internship Program, which helps youth formerly incarcerated gain self-confidence and…
Funding to provide camp scholarships to children and youth with disabilities.
Funding to support inclusion camperships for North Texas children with disabilities.
Funding to provide camperships to individuals with disabilities from North Texas.
Funding to provide camperships to North Texas youth with diabetes for therapeutic summer camp.
Funding to support the early childhood education and after-school reading programs in the Bachman Lake community.
Funding to provide children who have been abused or neglected in Tarrant County with a Court Appointed…
Funding to support the Partnerships for Accessible Counseling and Training (PACT) Program, which provides those in under-resourced…
Funding to support the Healing Children Program, which provides children and youth in North Texas with mental…
Funding for the Early Childhood Education Program, which offers high-quality, subsidized childcare and developmental programming to children…
Funding to support early childhood development, maternal and child nutrition, and eviction prevention for low-income families.
Funding to support the Born Learning Parent Engagement Program, which helps parents build positive parenting skills and…
Funding for general operations, which ensures that children who have sustained abuse or neglect receive services such…
Funding for general operations, which ensures that children who have sustained abuse or neglect receive services such…
Funding to support The Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence, which addresses the physical, mental, and behavioral…
Funding to provide children and youth with access to Christian group counseling.
Multi-year funding for the maintenance and upkeep of the Trevor Rees-Jones Scout Camp.
Funding for the Transition Resource Action Center, or “TRAC” program, which provides services for youth aging out…
Multi-year funding to address the deficit of high-needs placements for foster youth in Region 3E.
Funding for the Medicine of the Heart Program, which provides financial assistance to families that are facing…
Funding to support North Texas Giving Day.
Funding to provide the relationships and resources needed to eliminate students’ barriers to success by focusing on…
Funding to provide K-12 students with evidence-based, integrated support that empowers them to overcome obstacles.
Funding to support the Little Doves Program, which provides terminally ill children with end-of-life services, and affords…
Funding to support a pilot program that teaches leadership skills to CPS/CPI Supervisors.
Funding to support access to internships and professional skill development for youth in under-resourced communities.
Funding to support the operation of the CURE Children’s Hospital in Ethiopia.
Funding for the expansion of and capital improvements to the CURE Children’s Hospital in Ethiopia.
Funding to support efforts to restore the network of out-of-school-time service providers in Dallas County to pre-pandemic…
Funding to support operations that ensure children who are victims of abuse receive therapeutic interventions and services.
Funding to expand the Power Youth Program, which includes mentoring and character building for youth in under-resourced…
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to support access to internships and professional skill development for youth in under-resourced communities.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide youth from under-resourced communities in North Texas with a summer day camp experience.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide households in need with pet food.
Funding to support the accreditation of early childhood care centers located in under-served neighborhoods.
Funding to support operations that allow teacher-mentors to reach students with character and life skills curriculum.
Multi-year funding to support programming aimed at preventing child abuse through home-visiting and community-based education.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to support the Safe Babies Program, which works to prevent infants from entering state conservatorship by…
Funding to support the capital campaign aimed at the purchase of a new facility that will serve…
Funding to support access to internships and professional skill development for youth in under-resourced communities.
Funding to support the hiring of a child life specialist for the Family Bereavement Center at Faith…
Funding to outfit the historic Forest Theater with a creative education lab for local children.
Funding to provide year-round, Christian, child and parent programming to families in under-resourced communities.
Funding to purchase 3-D printing equipment that will be used to create custom hearing aids for infants…
Funding to support the after-school and summer programs that provide students with homework help, academic tutoring, and…
Funding to provide youth from under-resourced communities in North Texas with a summer day camp experience.
Funding to provide young women from under-resourced communities in southern Dallas with an e-camp experience during the…
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide last resort financial assistance to children with disabilities in Tarrant County with unmet needs.
Funding to support the facilitation of adoptions of older children in the foster care system.
Funding to support the renovation of an on-campus apartment building where individuals with disabilities can live more…
Funding to support the hiring of additional staff to more expediently distribute COVID-19 assistance funding to families…
Funding to provide children and youth with behavioral health services that are accessed during primary care visits.
Funding to support the Head, Heart and Hands (H3) Program, which addresses a child’s academic, social-emotional and…
Funding to support programming that provides in-home personal care attendants to children with disabilities.
Funding to support healthy daily living by providing essential items to families with infants, toddlers, and children.
Funding to provide children in Ethiopia with access to clubfoot treatment.
Multi-year funding to support anti-human trafficking work in Uganda.
Funding to provide Kenya’s most vulnerable youth with access to quality education through scholarships and school infrastructure.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to support the design and implementation of a justice data system.
Multi-year funding to support innovations aimed at ending modern-day slavery in India.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide family retreat camperships to North Texas families of children with disabilities.
Funding to support the Transitional Living Program, which provides supervised housing at Kyle’s Place, programming that teaches…
Funding to support construction of the Jubilee Park Community Health Clinic, which will provide medical and mental…
Multi-year funding to support in-school youth development programs.
Multi-year funding to support the Sustained Freedom Project that performs anti-human trafficking work in India.
Funding to provide character-based, karate programs throughout the school districts of Irving, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, Grand Prairie, and…
Funding to provide music therapy to children experiencing chronic health conditions, hospitalization or trauma.
Funding to provide camperships to youth from under-resourced communities in North Texas.
Multi-year funding to support general operations of programs that support children with disabilities.
Multi-year funding to support the conservation of wildlife throughout northern Kenya.
Funding to provide English literacy and life skills to non-English speaking children and adults.
Funding to support an organization-wide investment in human capital.
Funding for the purchase of equipment that will provide sustainable, safe water solutions to individuals living in…
Funding to provide sustainable, safe water solutions in Uganda, Zambia and Nicaragua.
Funding to support the integrated behavioral health program, which identifies mental health conditions in children and youth,…
Funding for the Sack Summer Hunger Program, which serves children that are facing food insecurity during the…
Funding to support the Early Childhood Education Program, which serves preschool students with a limited-English language background.
Funding to support the Childcare and Advocacy Program, which provides case management, counseling, child care and advocacy…
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Multi-year funding to support MP YOUniversity and the expansion of online education designed specifically for individuals with…
Multi-year funding to provide tuition assistance so that children with disabilities have access to a high-quality, Christian…
Funding to support the Counseling and Family Advocacy Programs, which provide counseling services and family support to…
Funding to expand access to behavioral health care for children and youth living in under-resourced communities throughout…
Funding to support the training of service dogs for individuals with disabilities.
Funding to provide children and youth with interactive, educational programs.
Funding to provide camperships to youth from under-resourced communities in North Texas.
Funding to support the Family Service Center, which provides children residing in the shelter with trauma-informed care.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide camperships to youth from under-resourced communities in North Texas.
Funding to provide youth from under-resourced communities in Tarrant County with a day camp experience during the…
Funding for youth development programs that provide students with social-emotional learning, spiritual development and academic skill-building.
Funding for the Together We Vaccinate Program, which provides COVID-19 vaccines to under-served communities.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide mental health counseling to individuals for whom traditional counseling has not proven effective, and…
Funding to provide elementary students with programming that helps build literacy skills.
Funding to support in-school reading programs that serve at-risk students in Dallas and Fort Worth that are…
Funding for the Enduring Families Counseling Program, which serves veterans and their families.
Funding to provide Christian education to students residing in the Lake Como area of Fort Worth.
Funding to support SafePlay, a wrap-around program that provides housing, therapeutic services, and case management to children…
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to provide Christian summer camp scholarships to children and youth residing in under-resourced communities.
Funding to support the 24-hour Crisis Line that takes calls from individuals in crisis.
Funding for general operations as it works to ensure Texans’ well-being and economic prosperity.
Funding to provide fundamental healthcare for the animals belonging to low-income, homebound community members enrolled in the…
Funding to protect Texas children from the trauma of abuse and neglect and empower families to thrive…
Funding to support the Grow With Me Program, which provides children under age five with developmental delay…
Funding to provide children, youth, and their parents with individualized and intimate grief support groups year-round.
Funding to provide individualized, therapeutic care and support to children with disabilities.
Funding to provide Christmas gifts to children in need.
Funding to support the Success by Six Program, which teaches children foundational literacy and social skills necessary…
Funding to support the initial hiring of Rental Assistance Navigators, who will assist residents of Dallas with…
Funding to support access to internships and professional skill development for youth in under-resourced communities.
Funding to support operations of the school, which provides children with a high-quality, Christ-centered education.
Funding for the Stock Up for Summer Program, which provides families that are food insecure with supplemental…
Funding to provide equine therapies to children with disabilities.
Multi-year funding to provide therapeutic interventions to children with physical and developmental disabilities in Sierra Leone.
Funding for the Urban Young Life, Capernaum, and Young Lives Programs, which all seek to create access…
Funding to provide students in the Vickery Meadow and Lake Highlands neighborhoods with Christian, character-based, out-of-school-time programming.
Funding to provide youth exiting the juvenile justice system with the life skills necessary to build a…
Founded in 2006 by Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones, The Rees-Jones Foundation is a private foundation that works with nonprofit organizations, primarily in North Texas, to serve and improve the quality of life of others in tangible ways.