The 3rd graders at Bethesda Christian School collected hygiene items, brought them to Cornerstone, and put together 172 bags for people in need! We were blessed by their servant hearts. They made a second trip to Cornerstone with hot cocoa mix and thank you notes to encourage our staff. We want to share some of their sweet notes.

Dear Cornerstone,
You guys are great at your job. There is nothing you do better! And don't forget Matthew 25:35-40. - Cole

Thank you for letting us come. I hope you don't have to say no to many people. I like Cornerstone a lot. I hope I get to give more things to you. - Grace

You are very good people. I adore you. B.C.S. looks up to you. You are awesome. Please read Luke 2:1-7 and Luke 2:8-20. - Spencer

Thank you for inviting us! I hope you have blessed many people with the hygiene items we brought. Merry Christmas! - Audrey

Thank you for letting us come and help. It was fun. Have a mearry Christmas with your family. - Brady

I thank you for giving us a tour of the place. I hope you get a lot of thank you for the presents. I had a really fun time learning about y'all take care of people. I think it is more fun serving others. I think what you do is great. There are a few people I met on the tour. They are Ms. Kristen and Mr. Roddy. - Graham

I love what you do. You are "osom". Let the Lord shine in your heart. May God bless you. And a very mary Christmas to you. - Ian

I like to go to Cornerstone to help the needy. And Cornerstone is a fun place. They have stores and the best part is you can bring hygiene items and they let you organize it yourself. And I wish I could go there every day. - Jacob

I really liked sorting hygiene items. It was a lot of fun. I hope to go again sometime. I like how you like the verse Matthew 25:35-40. Remember to keep doing what you're doing. - Kinsey

Thank you for letting us come to help you sort hygiene items! We're praying for you. One again, thank you. -Garrett

Thank you for helping the needy when they need it. I like your place. You are helpful. You are helpful to others. You are generous to others. Thank you for letting us come to Cornerstone. You are loving and kind. - Luke

Thank you for letting us come. That was the most fun I've had with something that had to do with the bathroom! I hope you are doing OK. Just so you know I am fine. Merry Christmas! - Liberty

Thank you for letting us come! We had lots of fun. The best part was, well it was all good. I think you are doing a great job helping people. I also think you all have a really big heart. The field trip was great. - Addy

Thank you for letting us come to help you! It was so much fun, it really made me happy!! It was so exciting. It felt sooo good to help you. I hope I get to come there again!!! - Kaleigh

A family exited the program early due to earning enough income to maintain their monthly expenses without help. The mother is experiencing and has been experiencing many health problems, but she is thanking God they are able to provide for the needs of their family without assistance.

The husband of one of our families has just gotten out of jail. The wife has a seven year old at home. Their faith has sustained them, even as the mother had surgery and was unable to work for a few weeks. We had a sweet prayer time at their first case management meeting praying for a job for her husband and thanking God for this provision for their rent. You can really see the joy of the Lord in them.

A mother in our program has two children and one was only a month old when she came in. Her husband had been working, but his hours were cut. He got a new job, but they needed help getting caught up. This family was very grateful for the help. They moved to Texas recently and are experiencing some southern hospitality along with the prayers on their behalf. This is a young family just starting out that needed a helping hand that we were able to give.

One of our ladies was at her wits end when she came in. She has been experiencing depression while her life had been going downhill. She had just been hired at a resale store, but did not start work soon enough to pay her rent and back rent. She was so grateful for the chance to succeed at her new job. She and her son are going to be able to stay in their home this Christmas because of our help.

I had the opportunity to have an extended interaction with a client, a single, homeless mother of three who was fleeing domestic violence. Despite a mountain of challenges, I found she was able to encourage me through the joy and peace she had via a personal relationship with Jesus. Much concrete aid was rendered, though the tone of interaction with her blessed my heart more than anything else.

A woman came via one of our partner churches who ultimately was unable to obtain monetary assistance due to ZIP ineligibility. Regardless, I was able to spend a great deal of time with her, praying with her, and ministering to her. She had such an upbeat, positive attitude. In my experience, such an attitude amidst circumstantial stressors is evidence to the habitation of Jesus in her heart. By Holy Spirit empowerment, we both parted ways “glowing.”

We had the privilege of serving a woman in her sixties who needed items for a baby. This godly woman was raising two great grandchildren under the age of 2. In addition to these children, she had two older grandchildren living with her. She was so pleased to get assistance with a few items she needed for the children.

We have been blessed to have another woman volunteer with us that loves the Lord and has a gift of ministry. We were able to help her with a few groceries. It is a privilege to serve her!

We were able to help a man living in his truck with some groceries and a pair of jeans. Needing so much, he only asked for so little. He was going to start a job the following day. More than just meeting his physical needs, he has felt the love of the Lord in his life.

In need of some warm fuzzies this chilly Wednesday afternoon? Read these Cornerstone stories our staff was blessed to be a part of in November.

One of our single mothers is teaching her daughter how to avoid mistakes she made before they got into the program. She continues to say how thankful she is for Cornerstone and wants to give back by investing what she has learned in her daughter.

A young mother in our program has recently started a job that is within walking distance from her apartment. Her employer is willing to work around her school schedule and is very understanding when it comes to her child. She is now learning how to balance work, school and motherhood all at once. These skills will benefit her as she continues to go forward in her goal of self-sufficiency.

One of our mothers is watching her children excel academically. This family has overcome a lot since they have been in the program. It is encouraging to watch the effect it has had not only on the mother but the children as well.

This month, a man in our program decided he was willing to seek out counseling resources to recover from his grief over the death of a loved one. He was still angry with God and still has lots of questions. We had the chance to talk a lot about the comfort we can have if our loved ones are in heaven. Through that, I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him. Please keep praying for him and his family.

A man in our program had to move out of his apartment due to maintenance issues. The apartment staff agreed to give him a first floor apartment and have their staff move his belongings to the new unit. We are currently working on partnering him with a church member to help fix his car. He is also looking to go back to school this spring.

A 9 year old daughter of one of our families had another severe meltdown due to a medication switch. She again wanted to harm herself and was rushed to the hospital where she spent another 5 days. She is attending a school where she will receive therapy for a large part of the day. The prayer request is that the doctors would be able to assist her and her parents in managing her medication and modifying her behavior. Both the child and parents are attending counseling sessions.

A mother of 7 underwent surgery to remove her gall bladder and right kidney. She lost a lot of blood, but she was able to receive enough blood to keep her healthy. She was released from the hospital and is recovering at home. The prayer for this family is that the recovery process would not be too long and she will be able to return to work in a timely fashion in order to support her family.

A single mother was able to acquire full-time employment in a position that allows her to use her automotive certification. She also took the Give Thanks, Give Back lesson to heart and has decided to have her children give away some of their toys and clothes and help another family out this Christmas. She does not wish them to take part in receiving gifts this year.

A single mother fell into depression after losing her job. She'd stated a couple years ago that if Jesus wanted her to follow Him, He would tap her on her shoulder and tell her so. During her most recent bout with depression, she said that she felt Jesus calling her to Himself and has had an insatiable appetite for His Word and fellowship. She has begun to consistently attend church and Bible studies and read her Bible at home. She said that her recent study of the Bible has helped her more than the medication the doctors wanted her to take.

A single mother of 7 has struggled with depression and feeling confident for many years. This month, her electricity was turned off because she did not manage her income properly. She felt ashamed and did not want anyone to know her family's situation. It was during this time that she turned back to God and began reading her Bible by candle light and having her children read with her consistently. Now that her electricity has been turned back on, she and her children continue reading the Bible as they did when they had no light. She has decided that she and her family have been blessed beyond measure and are not in need of gifts and things for Christmas. She and her children will volunteer at the shelter they were sent to prior to entering the program.

“Give Thanks, Give Back” is the theme of the Fall workshop for Cornerstone’s Comprehensive Care Program families. It is a time to reflect and be thankful for many blessings and to make a plan to give back. This year, Tangulon Gardner, from the Sickle Cell Disease Association, presented information about Sickle Disease. She provided handouts and prizes for participants giving them a wealth of knowledge about a disease not many are familiar with. While the adults enjoyed their presentation, the children (of all ages) enjoyed activities that generated discussion about being thankful and helping others. They also created crafts with Thanksgiving themes. For example, the children used apples, toothpicks, gumdrops, and marshmallows to create their turkey snacks. Everyone, adults and children alike, created books of thankfulness and made plans to give to someone else throughout the holidays. They were able to write down the things they were thankful for and create a booklet to remind themselves of these things when things seem to go wrong. As a direct act of giving back, the adults sorted socks and underwear for the Cornerstone Thrift Store. Finally, everyone contributed to our Thankfulness Tree which can be found hanging on the wall in the case management hall at Cornerstone Assistance Network. Each person placed a hand print on the tree and wrote what they are most thankful for. This tradition began a few years ago and will continue as we fill up our tree with thanksgiving.

The purpose of the workshop for our 3CP families is to engage them in learning things they would not otherwise be exposed to in a manner that they can receive. In a way, the workshops serve as teachable moments, therapeutic engagement, and social exercises. We look for new ways to engage our families each year in order to help them continue on their way to becoming self-sufficient.

Click here to see pictures of the Give Thanks, Give Back workshop.

Director of Housing/Case Management


Contact Philip.

Director of WelcomeBack/Tarrant County


Contact Jerry.

Nurturing Seeds of Hope Through Physical and Spiritual Support

Cornerstone Assistance Network
3500 Noble Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76111

817.632.6000

info@canetwork.org

Cornerstone is growing and as a result, so is our online presence. To make sure you know where to go for what info, we've created this handy cheat sheet.

Come to the newly designed website for information on all of CAN's programs, important announcements, client videos, to make a secure online donation and much more.

Interact with friends of Cornerstone and see current happenings at CAN.
Join the conversation!

Follow Cornerstone at www.twitter.com/CANUpdate for encouragement and the inside scoop on opportunities to join together in Christian love to meet people's needs.

You can choose from the following e-Newsletters (or opt to receive them all!): quarterly, volunteer posts, Cornerstone Thrift Store, and network partner.

Have something you'd like to know about CAN? Is there something you'd like us to feature in our social media? Comment on this post and we'll do our best to answer your question and/or feature your idea.

The Cornerstone Christian Women's Job Corp is having record numbers of participants and graduates. There were 61 people at the graduation on October 14th.






Chief Executive Officer

There have been lots of great stories floating around Cornerstone lately, so we’ve compiled a few for you to read and be excited about with us!

“M was able to exit the program without owing anything and being able to pay all of her bills by herself and in full each month. She plans to remain in her current home for at least another six months after the program.”

“It is encouraging to watch one of our participant families who will be completing the program soon. As they look toward the future they are researching prices for houses. With courage and faith they are making an action plan to accomplish their goal of becoming home owners.”

“A single mother is finding success in college. She is learning how to prioritize her time. It is exciting to watch her thrive in her studies and become proud of the work she has accomplished.”

“V is a single mother who recently got promoted to a new position and is making nearly twice as much as she was making before. The HPRP program was a bridge for her and her family to stay housed so she can get her life back in order and be able to properly provide for her family.”

You CAN help! Join us in meeting the needs of others this holiday season.

• Toy Sorters...Cornerstone has received a large donation of Bible man toys that will need to be sorted, organized, and distributed starting November 15th.
• Christmas Store Staff...help clients select last minute toys on Friday and Monday, Dec. 17 and 20.
• Gift Wrappers...Offer to gift wrap items for clients picking up donated gifts at Cornerstone and gift wrap items for the men at The New Life Center.
• Adopt-A-Resident...the New Life Center is looking for volunteers to provide gifts for our residents this Christmas. Make a monetary donation to this project online at www.canetwork.org/christmas.
• Carolers/Musicians...The New Life Center is also looking for volunteers to sing Christmas carols and lead residents in holiday tunes during their annual Christmas party. Date: TBA.
• Add to Our Collection...This winter, we are actively collecting hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, razors and shaving cream, and feminine hygiene products). We are also gathering warm winter coats.
• Elves wanted: need NOT be short or wear green tights!...Need people 2-3 hours a week for the next 3 or 4 weeks to help put out Christmas merchandise in the store for clients and customers!
• Earn credit for the Cornerstone Food Pantry...schedule a time for your family or small group to sort food at TAFB and earn credit to help CAN purchase food and stock our Food Pantry.
• Host/Hostess...help set up the monthly staff luncheon on November 22 and help decorate and serve breakfast with Mark Barfield on November 18. LUNCH PROVIDED!
• Newsletter Mailout Helpers...help us get the end of year newsletter in the mail. Date TBA.
• Receptionists...greet guests and answer phones one morning or afternoon a week.
• Data Entry Volunteer Needed...2 hours/week Monday or Tuesday, enter information from items given away via client vouchers to Cornerstone's Data Base. Minimal computer skills/data entry experience required. Training provided.
• Bilingual Spanish Interpreter...Cornerstone Medical Clinic is in need of bilingual Spanish interpreters to help patients and doctors communicate during our monthly Saturday clinics.

Questions? Contact Kristen @ 817-632-6022 or khorton@canetwork.org for more information.

Please Note: All volunteer positions require a volunteer application, interview, and orientation. Direct client services and cash handling also require background checks.

*You can now download your volunteer application on our new website! Visit http://www.canetwork.org/ for details.

Job Opening

Thrift Store Cashier - responsible for maintaining outstanding customer service as per Company standards, processing sales quickly, accurately and efficiently, cash register operations, and safeguarding company assets.

Tasks and Responsibilities

• Ensure that each customer receives outstanding service by providing a friendly environment, which includes greeting and acknowledging every customer, maintaining a standard of excellence, maintaining price control, and all other aspects of customer service
• Maintain an awareness of all promotions and advertisements
• Accurately and efficiently ring up transactions on registers and accurately maintain all cash and media at the registers
• Communicate customer requests to management
• Enter all media from register into the client program
• Maintain orderly appearance of register area and supplies stocked
• Any other tasks as assigned from time to time by any manager

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to process information/merchandise through register system
• Ability to communicate with associates and customers
• Ability to read, count, and write to accurately complete all documentation
• Ability to accurately process sales transactions, both cash and credit card
• Ability to operate all equipment necessary to perform the job

Requirements

• Physical ability to stand for extended periods and to carry, move, and handle merchandise, and perform all functions as set forth above
• Must be able to work Wednesdays, Thursday, Fridays, and two Saturdays a month
• Criminal Background Check required

To apply, please contact Jesse Vasquez or Kim Fuller at 817-632-6000 or send a resume to jvasquez@canetwork.org.

Cornerstone Christmas Needs

The holidays are just around the corner and it's time to start thinking about how your group can be involved in the holiday ministries of Cornerstone!

Adopt-A-Child for Christmas
Many of the children in our programs will go without Christmas presents this year without the help of donors and sponsors. Since the parents of our sponsor children are not financially able to provide them with much of a Christmas, they are overwhelmingly grateful when they come into Cornerstone to pick up their children’s gifts.

If you and/or your organization, small group, co-workers, neighbors, etc. would like to participate in this year’s annual Adopt-a-Child-for-Christmas, we are offering several options to choose from:

• Option #1: Sponsor a child by donating $100
• Option #2: Buy gifts for a child from their wish list. Come by our office to pick up a child’s wish list or contact us to have one sent to you.
  

3CP Crock-Pot Drive
3CP’s (Cornerstone’s Comprehensive Care Program) goal is to provide families opportunities and encouragement to become self-sufficient through rental assistance, intensive case management and teaching life skills. One of the skills 3CP tries to promote is cooking healthy family meals and eating together at home. Also, most of our single moms and dads do not get any gifts at Christmas, so we’d love to bless them with a practical gift that would reinforce some of the skills we are trying to encourage.

How to help: Any size crock-pot (we have families that range in size from 2 members to 9 members) dropped off at our Cornerstone offices through December 14th.

New Life Center Christmas
Cornerstone’s New Life Center helps formerly homeless men transition to a new life of self-sufficiency. During their stay, residents are provided the supportive services of case management, mentoring as well as spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial guidance. Most of these men also lack family support and are blessed when others choose to make sure they have a happy Christmas.

• Option #1: Donate funds for gifts. $50 covers most of the cost for a resident’s gifts.
• Option #2: Go shopping for a resident with their Wish List. Wrap the gift and deliver it to the New Life Center or Cornerstone’s office.

For more information about any of these options, please contact Lindsay at 817-632-6000 ext. 116 or lwright@canetwork.org. More information is also available at our website at www.canetwork.org. Make a donation online and write “Christmas” in the notes box.

We look forward to partnering with you to make Christmas merry for our clients and their children.

Cornerstone Assistance Network
3500 Noble Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76111
Phone: 817-632-6000
www.canetwork.org

October is traditionally a very busy month at Cornerstone as churches around Tarrant County set out to put their Faith In Action. Some churches call it Faith In Action, others call it Great Day of Hope. We call it a blessing of volunteers able to accomplish big tasks in relatively brief amounts of time! This October, McKinney Memorial Bible Church sent nearly 60 volunteers over the course of two different Saturdays and helped us sort Christmas items, prepare coats for winter giveaways, landscape our men's housing facilities, and canvas our neighborhood with information. North Richland Hills Baptist Church also participated on Sunday, October 24, by sending a team of 90 volunteers to help spruce up our flower beds and organize our upcoming book sale. They also sent teams to three of our neighbors' homes for clean up and repairs. Christ Chapel Bible Church participated by taking pallets of shoes and linens that needed to be sorted and boxed to their church then returning them the following Monday. Each of these churches blessed us abundantly by their generous gifts of time and service.


"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action- is dead." James 2:14-17

On October 21st, Cornerstone was one of two Fort Worth non-profits to be awarded a two-year, unrestricted grant by Bank of America. The Local Market Selection Committee recognized Cornerstone's commitment to address the needs of individuals and families struggling under the burden of poverty in Tarrant County.

Watch the video to see how Cornerstone is changing lives, one person at a time.

Thank you Bank of America!

THOUSANDS of books for sale from $.25 to $3.00! CD's and movies included!


Dates: November 4th (Thursday), 5th (Friday), and 6th (Saturday) from 10am-4pm.

Location:
Cornerstone Thrift Store
3500 Noble Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76111
(Just off access road of 121 and Riverside Dr.)

Proceeds benefit the ministry of Cornerstone Assistance Network.

Cornerstone's major fundraiser of the year, the 16th Annual Golf Tournament, raised $51,038 to benefit needy families in Tarrant County. We'd like to say, "Thank you!" to all the golfers, donors, and corporate sponsors who made the day such a success.



Grand Prize Winners
The fund-raising team of Jay Bruner, Jim Collier, Wendall Brown, and Raymond Watson won this year's rights to the Cornerstone Trophy with a total raised of $9,170.00 along with the Grand Prize of a Suite for 20 at a 2011 Rangers baseball game. The team of Valerie Stokes, Charlotte Youree, Donna Turner, and Carolyn Dorsey were a close second with $8,770.00.

Winning Team
Operating under a new Scramble format, golfers competed for 4 tickets to anywhere Southwest Airline flies. The winning team from Cornerstone Baptist Church, Travis Pipkin, Pete Pipkin, Jim Roberts, and Steve Cooks were all new participants in the Golf Tournament. Congratulations, guys!

Special thanks to our Corporate Sponsors:

• Advanced Chemical Logistics
• Baker & McKenzie
• Fort Worth Community Credit Union
• John Askew Homes
• Kensington Surgical
• McQueary, Henry, Bowles, Troy
• Miller & Chevalier
• Northwood Church
• Five Star Ford

It's not too early to plan for next year. Consider becoming a Title Sponsor- your company's name and logo will be displayed on the Cornerstone website and all Golf Tournament information. The sooner you sign on, the sooner our community will know that you are standing with us in helping meet the needs of families in Tarrant County.

Golfers- you can sign up now for next year's event. Don't forget that we help your team with your fundraising efforts.

For more information, please contact Denice Crawford or Roddy Youree.

To see pictures of the event, please click here.

The Cornerstone Thrift Store is growing rapidly, both on-site and on-line. We are excited to announce we are now selling on e-bay under the username cornerstoneassistance2010. One hundred percent of the profits go to benefit Cornerstone Assistance Network.

Customers are able to read about Cornerstone and even donate while checking out. Click here to see the current items for sale. If you would like to arrange for pickup of the item(s) at the store, we will waive shipping.

Cornerstone is making plans to increase the hours of operation and number of patients served through its Free Medical Clinic. This expansion is made possible through a $205,000 grant from Baylor Health Care System, HCA North Texas Division, Methodist Health System, and Texas Health Resources. Mike Doyle, President/CEO of Cornerstone says, "This grant will allow us to find medical homes for many more people living in Tarrant County who are not covered by insurance. This is a real Blessing to the people we serve. We are ecstatic over the opportunity given us by the participating Health System Partners. Our entire community will benefit."