Tracy Andrus Foundation’s Mission to Impact Lives Through its Transformative Social Change Initiatives

iCrowdNewswire

Mar 09, 2022

Tracy Andrus Foundation is Impacting the lives of Texans by providing education, childcare, rental-utility assistance, job training, and jobs to veterans, the homeless, LGBTQ, ex-felons, domestic abuse survivors and other vulnerable populations!

Tracy Andrus Foundation (TAF) is establishing a blueprint in Texas on how to strengthen communities. Tracy Andrus, a former ex-felon turned PhD, is impacting the citizens of Texas in great ways through the Tracy Andrus Foundation a 501c3 tax exempt private charity. The foundation has placed families in homes, taken the homeless off the street, provided shelter for ex-felons returning home from prison and provided shelter for domestic violence survivors through Heather’s Houses which are domestic violence safe houses named after his daughter who was killed by her husband in 2018. TAF has prevented families who have been impacted by Covid-19 from being evicted from their homes by paying their utilities and rent and now the foundation has extended its tenacles into central and west Texas to assist families who have been impacted by Covid-19 with paying their mortgages to prevent their homes from being foreclosed on. The foundation recently renovated and converted a jail facility into a homeless shelter to house the homeless in Marshall, Texas.

Tracy Andrus Foundation is now serving 12 counties in Texas. The foundation recently launched Gateway Technical School in Harrison County, Marshall, Texas. Gateway Technical School is licensed through the Texas Workforce Commission and is a haven of hope for anyone seeking a better life says founder Tracy Andrus. Gateway was established to offer vocational/technical training to all vulnerable populations in hopes of giving them another chance to improve their lives by earning a trade that will sustain them in life. Gateway will provide certificates and Associate degrees in Construction (HVAC, Plumbing, Electric), Culinary Arts, Childcare Apprentice, Certified Nursing Assistant, Paralegal, Business, Computer Tech, ……. And NO Student will graduate with a balance says founder Tracy Andrus. We want to be unique trendsetters in our field! Our goal is to take people in where they are at and get them to where they need to be! Through our network of community partners, we offer mental health counseling, mentoring, drug abuse counseling, and various supportive services. we have community partners in the counties that we serve who assist program participants with food and clothing if needed. We don’t want to just educate the masses; we will also assist them with job placement through our unique job fairs that will be held at Gateway semi-annually. We work with our corporate partners to find out what type of vocations are in high demand so our students can earn livable wages. Our corporate partners know that many of our students have prior felonies and misdemeanors, but they have agreed to give them a chance to be employed if they complete their training.

Program participants in our program will be eligible to receive free (subsidized) childcare while enrolled in Gateway Technical School (GTS). The childcare center will be located across the street from the school which will allow parents to check on their children during their breaks.

Dr. Andrus said when he sees a homeless person, ex-felon, domestic abuse survivor, homeless/displaced veteran, and persons who are down and out, he sees seeds that need to be watered and exposed to positive sunlight! Everyone has potential, our job is to get them to see their value and their worth. Once people see their value, potential and worth, they run after their destiny! Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day! Teach him how to fish and he will feed himself for life!

Tracy Andrus Foundation is making a positive impact on the lives of Texans. Through its assessments and surveys, the foundation has clearly established a baseline among researchers that clearly shows that persons connected and served by the foundation has lower levels of recidivism, greater rates of housing stability and employment. For more information on the programs and services offered by the Tracy Andrus Foundation or to make a financial contribution to the foundation, please logon to www.tracyandrusfoundation.com or call (903)471-8674. Tracy Andrus Foundation is located at 303 W. Burleson Street – Marshall, Texas 75670.

Rev. Dr. Tracy Andrus has served as Director of the Lee P. Brown Criminal Justice Institute at Wiley College for 15 years and as Pastor of Edwards Chapel Baptist Church in Marshall, TX for 12 years. He is the Founder/Executive Director of Tracy Andrus Foundation and a best-selling author of seven books including best-selling book – “From Prisoner to PhD, My Eleven Year Journey. Dr. Andrus is married to Dr. Sonya Burnett-Andrus, an educator with the Marshall Independent School District and Assistant Pastor of Edwards Chapel Baptist Church. He has two sons Tracy Jr and Desmond Andrus. He lost his only daughter Heather Mouton to Domestic Violence in 2018.