A Better Tomorrow- NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE: New executive director working to revitalize Family Promise nonprofit in New Braunfels | News | herald-zeitung.com

Meet Executive Director, Rachelle Rene' Garza

The new executive director of the nonprofit Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, Rachelle Garza-Cadena, was inspired to apply for the role because the nonprofit’s mission to help families with children experiencing homelessness gain independence resonated with her tremendously.   

The New Braunfels Family Promise affiliate has been hurting since the pandemic as it affected the organization’s operations and fundraising abilities. Now, staff are working to revitalize the nonprofit and increase its presence in the community.  

Family Promise operates off of four pillars — eviction prevention, temporary shelter, the shelter diversion program and the stabilization program. Making sure each child they serve has their own bed is a mission that is personal to Garza-Cadena, she said.   

“Most importantly for me is to make sure that every child who walks through our door, that [then] they’re leaving [and] they’re going to walk into their own bedroom, have their own bed to lay their head down to dream big dreams. That’s my motivation. I didn’t have my own bed until I was 14-years-old, so I firsthand know how it breaks a child growing up.”

She has been in her role with Family Promise for about 90 days now and has come up with a strategic plan to increase provided services by 78% this fiscal year. Her goal is to ensure that the nonprofit is operating off of all four pillars and to greatly increase fundraising efforts and community events.  

She said she thinks it is important for the community to know that homelessness is all around, and Family Promise needs the help of the community to tackle the issue, whether it be through donations, volunteering or attending fundraising events.

“As New Braunfels continues to grow, so does homelessness, and most people don’t see it around because we’re not a city that has homeless people living in the streets or camped out like sadly some other cities do, but homelessness is when somebody does not have a home of their own,” Garza-Cadena said. “It could be that they’re sleeping on the couch at a relative or a friend’s [house]. They could be sleeping in a hotel. They could be sleeping in a shelter, in their car. Homelessness comes in many forms and sadly, one out of seven children nationwide are homeless.”

Family Promise aims to be a responsive solution for families in crisis. Garza-Cadena gave an example of three sisters who came to the area from another state for a better life. When living with a relative did not pan out, they came to Family Promise. 

“They came to our center, and they were broken,” Garza-Cadena said. “You would rarely see them with their head up because their heart was heavy. Their mind was bogged down like ‘what do we do?’ They met kindness and care and genuine love for them from our staff. They felt safe.”

Now, the oldest sister is thriving in her job, and the sisters are soon preparing to move into their own place. Their heads are up, and they are full of smiles, Garza-Cadena said. 

“That’s what our mission does, it’s literally transforming lives,” she said.

To learn more about Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, visit fpgnb.org/.

Erica Wilson is the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung's education and nonprofit reporter.