Have you ever thought about what you would do if you lost your job or faced serious illness and couldn’t make ends meet for a period of time? If you had to choose between paying your electric bill and putting food on the table for your family, what would you do? Where would you turn?
Fortunately in McKinney there is a place to go when you need a helping hand. That place is Community Lifeline Center. Community Lifeline is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1989 by community leaders who saw the need to develop a safety net for families in crisis. The agency is dedicated to the role of assisting families and individuals who find themselves in temporary crisis when “life happens.”
Supplying emergency funding or supplies, Community Lifeline helps guide families back to self-sufficiency and independence by providing food, counseling, education and financial aid. In the past year, Community Lifeline has served some 21,000 people, providing relief to families who desperately needed a helping hand.
Montasha Longs knows first-hand what it means to have Community Lifeline on your side. Between jobs, and with her husband on medical leave due to an injury, she found herself struggling to stretch her food dollars far enough to provide nutritious meals for her growing teenage son. “We were having a hard time,” Montasha explains. “Often we didn’t have enough food to eat.” Thankfully, Community Lifeline was there for her. Being able to access the Community Lifeline Pantry has made all the difference. “Now I know that I can make good, healthy meals for my family,” she continues.
None of us know what tomorrow will hold. It’s a comfort to know that, if you find yourself in a desperate situation, there is help and hope. Community Lifeline provides that hope for families in crisis.
You can be part of that mission of providing hope to families in need by joining with Community Lifeline at the 2016 CLCelebration & Awards Dinner on Saturday, September 10 starting at 6:30pm. Dinner and the awards ceremony and live auction begin at 7pm, followed at 9pm with a live performance by the band Cuvee. The event will be held at the Sheraton McKinney Hotel. Cocktail attire, valet parking provided.
The awards ceremony will honor Lynn and Neil Sperry with the 2016 Lifeline Community Crusader Award. Market Street – McKinney will receive the 2016 Lifeline Corporate Crusader Award. Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Brumett are Honorary Chairs of the event, with Angie Bado serving as Event Chair.
Angie Bado serves as Chair of the Community Lifeline Center Board of Directors. Community Lifeline Center Board Members also include Brandon Johnson, Vice Chair; Tara Gentry, Treasurer; Jamie St. Claire, Secretary; Brett Butler; Elizabeth Strand Cimini; Tarry Marin; Ernest Miller; Michael Muck; and Cindy Peters. Event Committee members include Jennifer Estes, Jennifer Gray, Tara Gentry, Sharon Hagan, Jan Harris, Megan Hickman, Carrie Lantos, Mollie McCune, Lynn Pendergrass, Jamie St. Claire, Elizabeth Strand Cimini, and Jason Valdivia. The Executive Director of Community Lifeline Center is Brian Marques.
For ticket, donation, and sponsorship information for CLCelebration2016, please call 972-542-0020 ext. 108, or visit online www.CommunityLifeline.org/Events/Celebrate2016/
Community Lifeline Center was born as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides assistance, information and referral services for the residents of McKinney and North Collin County. For more information about Community Lifeline Center please visit www.communitylifeline.org.