Stacy Diamond Rake’s office has been next door to the Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma (CFGC) for several years.
But the bond between Rake and the Sherman, Texas, nonprofit is even closer than that.
“There was pain in my life growing up, and sometimes extreme poverty,” said Rake, the owner of Diamond Insurance Group. “I didn’t have access to healing from a loving professional. Now I want children and families to have what I didn’t have.”
Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma Clinical Director, Tiffany Dancer, and Diamond Insurance Group agent, Stacy Rake, in front of client and therapist photos in the meeting room at the Center.
Making mental-health care accessible
Thanks to CFGC, they do. The center provides mental-health care to about 3,000 youth, parents, and caregivers annually, regardless of financial limitations. Services and programs include therapy and counseling, psychological testing, anger management, and women’s empowerment, among others.
‘It’s one thing to draw attention to a need. It’s another to roll up your sleeves and do the work to help meet it.’
—Stacy Diamond Rake, Diamond Insurance Group owner
The CFGC does—expanding access to mental-health care while also addressing a severe shortage of providers in Texas by operating its own training program for counselors, according to Brenda Hayward, executive director of the center.
“We need to ensure the availability of care for these families, and also support other social-service organizations who rely on mental-health professionals,” she said. “To date, 21 of our participants have become fully licensed, which makes it possible for more people to get help.”
A need that keeps growing
That describes Rake’s mission as well. She’s been on the CFGC board since 2006, and currently serves as president while also leading the capital campaign—a crucial effort, given that the need outstrips the center’s current capacity. “Our waiting list is bound by space,” she said. “Families and children experiencing trauma need care ASAP. Waiting adds to the trauma.”
Dancer and Rake, in one of the playrooms where children can use toys to tell stories when they can’t express their fear, grief and trauma.
A 2020 Make More Happen Award will provide a lift wherever the center’s greatest need lies. The award typically includes a donation of $5,000 and the opportunity to win another $5,000 through engagement on social media; however, in light of the current health and economic challenges across the country, Liberty Mutual and Safeco are donating the full $10,000 immediately to the Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma on behalf of Diamond Insurance Group.
Social distancing challenges have prompted CFGC to go fully virtual for now, providing services through telehealth options. “For us, it’s a totally new approach to delivering care, and it’s working,” Hayward said. “Clients are keeping their sessions. New folks are scheduling. The way everyone has adjusted is incredible.”
‘This healing work matters to her so much’
The unwavering support from people like Rake has been amazing as well, she added. “Stacy is the real deal. She talks the talk and walks the walk. This healing work matters to her so much—and her dedication means so much to us.”
Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma received the Nonprofit of the Year award from the Sherman Chamber of Commerce on January 31, 2020. CFGC Executive Director, Brenda Hayward, office manager, Jessica Hamilton, and Clinical Director, Tiffany Dancer, celebrated with board members including Board of Directors President, Stacy Rake.
For Rake, simply looking out her office window can provide a powerful reminder of why she does what she does. “Just a few weeks ago, I noticed a dad and three kids walking into the center. After an hour, they walked out with fuzzy blankets tucked under their arms,” she said.
“This means they are new clients. This means their healing has begun.”