WACO, Texas — Editor's Note | The video above and below are previous segments on unrelated fundraisers in Central Texas
Since October 2016, The Cove has made it its mission to be a safe haven for Waco's youth. Since opening its doors, the non-profit has helped more than 295 young people in the Waco area.
Co-founder, Dr. Cheryl Pooler worked as a Homeless Liaison for Waco Independent School District for five years before starting The Cove with community volunteer Rosemary Townsend.
Pooler says it took four years, if not more to make The Cove a reality.
"Personally this is a dream come true. I am the co-founder of The Cove. So, we planned and raised money for four years before we could get the doors open and now we are celebrating our sixth birthday and so just knowing that our youth have somewhere to thrive in this community and a future that they can look forward to and truly thrive instead of survive."
Sept. 29 the organization celebrated its sixth year with a fundraising event to help with providing more services for the homeless youth in Waco.
The Cove Fundraising Event
Many people came out to support including former Baylor quarterback, Seth Russell. Russell was there as a special guest and spoke with 6 News about the importance of community and service. "The community support is how The Cove thrives, is through donations and volunteering. I've spoken to seven or eight people who just volunteer at The Cove just on a weekly basis. It's just an amazing foundation, organization they come in and they help the kids with their studies or just by talking to them, feeding them food whatever it may be. I think from what I've seen and the experiences from the people I've talked to today, the community is such a huge aspect of The Cove thriving here in Waco," he said.
Community and resources are always needed in order to help develop an organization. Harold Brown, The Cove Community Relations Coordinator, says that the ultimate goal is to raise $50,000 for the development of the organization.
"The Cove is a non-profit designed to provide a safe place for youth experiencing homelessness to access the resources they need in order to thrive. We are here to raise $50,000 to support the youth experiencing homelessness in the Waco community," he said.
The Cove is always looking for new volunteers and those interested in donating to the cause. If you are interested in volunteering or donating check out The Cove website here.
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