Vision For Village Main Project Nears Reality

Some $120,000 have been received in recent donations including $20,000 from the Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation to name the Jenifer Strait Children’s Activity Center in the future Family Justice Center located within the Village Main building.

A long-dreamed-for campus for non-profit social service agencies in San Marcos is nearing reality with only $800,000 needed for construction to start.

The Village Main Partner Agencies have launched a “Community Give Back” campaign through June 12 seeking donations to support the project. Contributions may be mailed to the Village Main, P.O. Box 748, San Marcos, Texas 78667-0748, or made online at www.villagecampus.org or through the Village of San Marcos page on Facebook. Checks may be made payable to Village of San Marcos.

The 22,000 square foot Village Main building will be built at 215 Reimer Avenue off Hunter Road and future home to Community Action Inc. of Central Texas, Early Childhood Intervention (ECI)- Homespun; the Family Justice Center (FJC)serving San Marcos & Hays County, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program of San Marcos.

The four agencies serve more than 30,000 Hays County and Central Texas residents annually.

“The 29-acre Village of San Marcos campus was acquired in 2005 as a result from cash and in-kind donations totaling $755,000 from the City of San Marcos and project benefactors, Kathy and Randall Morris,” said Carole Belver, President of the Village Board and Executive Director of Community Action. “We are shovel-ready but still need at least $800,000 to break ground and start construction on the Village Main building so our four agencies can provide services from one location as soon as possible.”

“Having a central campus will help coordinate services and make it easier for people in need to overcome barriers for improving their lives,” said Assistant Police Chief Penny Dunn, President of the FJC.  “People in need will finally be able to go to one location for a variety of services, such as education, skills to improve their household income, developmental assistance for children with special needs, nutrition education, supplemental foods, and counseling and assistance for crime victims, she added.”

“The success we have at WIC will be greatly enhanced by co-locating services with other agencies. Although we provide valuable information and resources related to health and nutrition, we rely on our partner agencies to fulfill other needs of our low-income families. Placing multiple services in one location reduces transportation challenges and makes it easier for our clients to be successful,” said DerryAnn Krupinsky, Director of WIC/City of San Marcos.

Fund raising has achieved $3,700,000 of the $ 4,500,000 remaining goal through generous donations and commitments from foundations, the City of San Marcos, Hays County, local businesses, organizations and many individuals. Some $120,000 have been received in recent donations including $20,000 from the Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation to name the Jenifer Strait Children’s Activity Center in the future Family Justice Center located within the Village Main building. 

“We are so grateful for our donors who have brought us close to ground-breaking,” said Kathy Morris.

“Have you ever wanted to Give-Back for social services you or a neighbor received?”, said Lois Hickman, ECI – Homespun Advisory Board President “We need the support of the community to continue to support intervention services for children from birth to 3 year olds with a developmental disability or qualifying medical condition. The new Village Main building will allow us to continue our wide range of therapies, training, support and educational services,” she added.

Additional information about the Village of San Marcos and the Village Main Capital Campaign may be obtained on the Village Campus web site at www.villagecampus.org  or by contacting the Development Project Manager Alisha Roberts at 512.618.3166. The Village of San Marcos is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.