This year, Hope Clinic of Garland is celebrating 20 years of “Delivering Hope and Health” to the Garland and Northeast Dallas communities. The medical facility is located at 800 South Sixth Street, Ste. 100.
According to Tanya Downing, the organization’s new executive director, the anniversary festivities will begin at the annual Prayer Breakfast Thursday, May 12. The breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. at the Atrium, 300 North Fifth Street in downtown Garland.
Hope Clinic, a 501(c)(3) organization, provides approximately 8,000 patient visits per year at no cost to them. Several organizations including Baylor Scott-White, Health Texas Partner Network and Parkland Hospital partner with the clinic.
In addition, the facility receives some grants, but primarily relies on the generosity of the community and corporate sponsors. (Click here for information on Prayer Breakfast table sponsorships.)
In addition to traditional health care, Hope Clinic offers health and nutrition education, spiritual care, help with finding additional community resources for patients, prescription assistance and more.
Downing is, of course, excited about the health care they provide. But she also talked about other services they offer, such as a food distribution event for the clinic’s 300 patients and their families.
“The thing that has energized me is our food drive that we do on the fourth Thursday of every month. I love visiting with the people while they wait in line,” she said.
Downing shared a story about a patient of the clinic who told her that before he received the message about the food distribution event, he wasn’t sure how he was going to feed his family. This story helps describe both the needs in the community as well as Hope Clinic’s involvement in the meeting those needs. Catholic Charities, as well as volunteers from various organizations, help make the food distribution possible.
Downing said that In addition to the food distribution, there are several other events and services planned for the future.
Her background in traditional fundraising is a definite plus to Hope Clinic. She has served on numerous boards and done fundraising for a variety of organizations. For the last 15 years, Downing has done fundraising for health care organizations such as the Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Foundation, the American Cancer Society and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
The new director described the group at Hope Clinic as a “close-knit family of about 15 and added that they work very well together.
“I’m a servant leader at heart and I love the Lord,” Downing said. “I wanted to be in a place where I could help others, especially those that look like me. I’m all about diversity…This job fits with my personal desire to help…We’re doing amazing things here.”