Champions of Care
A year in review of the nonprofits strengthening our communities
By Sonia Duggan
From the beginning, In & Around Magazine set out to do more than showcase destinations, events and lifestyle. It set out to tell the stories that anchor a community — the ones that don’t always make headlines, but shape lives every single day.
That mission is most clearly reflected in the magazine’s Champions series, a recurring feature spotlighting nonprofit organizations working on the front lines of need, hope and healing across Collin County and beyond. While nine of the year’s 11 issues included a Champion, the work never stopped. The organizations featured throughout the year represent just a small fraction of the nonprofits operating quietly in our communities — filling gaps, meeting needs and changing lives one person, one family or one cause at a time.
Together, they tell a larger story: of compassion in action, of people who saw a need and answered it, and of communities strengthened through service.
A Haven for the Vulnerable — People and Animals Alike
On 70 peaceful acres in Farmersville, Gold Star Horse Rescue and Sanctuary has become a refuge for horses with uncertain futures. Founded in 2014 by Mollie Hines, the sanctuary now operates at full capacity, caring for dozens of horses — many older, injured or medically fragile — along with a menagerie of other rescued animals.
Hines, a former corporate lawyer, traded courtrooms for corrals, building a place where horses discarded by circumstance are given dignity, safety and care. Gold Star’s story reflects a recur
ring theme among the year’s Champions: transformation — not just for those served, but for those who serve.
Many of the horses come from trying circumstances — owners unable to care for them, military families relocating, older horses with medical issues and horses rescued from kill pens—
And for each one, Gold Star offers a fresh start.
That same principle guides Habitat for Humanity of Collin County, our March Champion, which spent the year helping families step into stable, affordable homeownership despite soaring housing costs. From new builds in McKinney to revitalized “recycled” homes in Wylie, Habitat’s work went beyond construction. Through sweat equity and long-term support, families became partners in building not just houses, but futures.
While building new homes remains a priority, HFHCC is also committed to helping aging homeowners stay in their homes through its critical repair program. This initiative addresses safety concerns, from installing handrails and ramps to major structural repairs.
Together, these organizations underscored an essential truth: stability — whether shelter for a horse or a home for a family — is the foundation on which everything else is built.
Shining Light Where Darkness Thrives
Some needs are less visible but no less urgent. In April, In & Around highlighted the Poiema Foundation of Rockwall, an organization confronting the realities of human trafficking through education, outreach and survivor care.
Founded in 2012 by Rebecca Jowers, Poiema works to bring trafficking out of the shadows — training healthcare workers, educating communities and mobilizing volunteers to search for missing children alongside law enforcement and private investigators. Its safe house, expanded in recent years, reflects a trauma-informed approach that recognizes healing happens best with privacy, dignity and time.
Education sits at the core of Poiema’s mission. From training healthcare professionals to speaking at churches, businesses and schools, the foundation equips individuals with the knowledge needed to identify and prevent trafficking. Its flagship program, Human Trafficking 101 (HT101), covers all aspects of domestic sex trafficking and is open to the public, offered both in person and monthly via Zoom.
Poiema’s outreach efforts extend beyond education. Partnering with 17 churches in 16 cities — along with law enforcement and private investigators — volunteers distribute posters of missing and exploited minors to high-risk locations every Saturday throughout Dallas and surrounding areas. The tip line listed on the posters is monitored by a private investigator affiliated with 4theONE, a Carrollton nonprofit dedicated to rescuing missing teens. Each outreach team includes an experienced leader, a driver, a data collector and a prayer warrior.
That commitment to meeting people where they are is echoed in the work of the Undaunted Warhorse Initiative, founded by Lavon resident and Marine veteran Bradley Tiegs alongside Jeff Johnson, a fellow veteran with a construction background. What began as a simple effort to help a fellow veteran avoid homelessness grew into a nonprofit addressing one of the most persistent challenges facing former service members.
Through mobile housing solutions, mentorship and long-term vision, Undaunted Warhorse focuses on prevention — intervening before veterans fall into crisis by offering flexible housing options, most notably through RV placements. It serves as a reminder that service does not end with a uniform, and that meaningful support must be as adaptable as the lives it touches.
Stewardship, Education and the Power of Connection
Service isn’t always about rescue — sometimes it’s about stewardship. In July, readers learned about North Texas Wildlife Center, founded by Murphy resident Mela Singleton, which has grown from a grassroots effort into a nonprofit, rehabilitating thousands of injured and orphaned wild animals each year and working to return them to their natural habitats whenever possible.
Through public education programs, school visits and community seminars, the organization fosters coexistence between people and wildlife, helping residents understand how small actions can have a lasting impact.
Connection took a different form in August, when the Wylie Community Band — featured as both a Local story and a Champion — reminded readers that nonprofits also nurture the soul of a community. Founded by longtime music educator Ross Grant, who previously led other community bands across the Metroplex, the “Official Band of Wylie” is now part of a thriving adult recreational instrumental music scene supported by the Dallas Wind Symphony and local colleges.
Now in its ninth year, the band brings together musicians of all ages and abilities from across the Metroplex, creating shared experiences — and a sense of belonging — through music.
Dignity, Mobility and Honor
For Lakeside Ambucs, the October Champion, service means restoring mobility and independence. Through its Amtryke program, the organization provides custom-built adaptive tricycles to children and veterans with mobility challenges — offering more than recreation, but freedom.
Each tricycle is tailored to the recipient, a process that takes time, expertise and patience. The result, however, is transformative, reaffirming the idea that dignity often comes through access.
The Lakeside chapter, led by President Julian Olalde, serves families in Wylie, Rowlett, Sachse and surrounding communities. In 2024, the group gifted 31 Amtrykes and was on track to surpass that number in 2025.
In November, readers learned how two longtime friends and fellow members of American Legion Post 315 in Wylie shared a journey neither will ever forget. Vietnam veterans Don Bridges and Chuck Davis traveled to Washington, D.C., on Flight No. 60 sponsored by
Honor Flight DFW, a volunteer-run nonprofit that takes veterans to visit the memorials built in their honor.
For veterans like Bridges and Davis, the experience is emotional, affirming and long overdue. Flights are fully funded by donations and powered by volunteers, ensuring that gratitude is expressed not in words alone, but in action.
Comfort in the Smallest Acts
As the year drew to a close, Community Quilters and Project Linus embodied the quiet power of consistency. Week after week, volunteers gathered to create handmade blankets for children facing illness, trauma or uncertainty. Each blanket carried warmth, comfort and the unmistakable message that someone cares.
With more than 100,000 blankets donated to date, the organization’s impact is staggering — yet deeply personal. It is service measured not in scale alone, but in compassion stitched into every seam.
The Champions featured this year offer just a snapshot of the nonprofit work happening across our communities. For every organization highlighted, many more continue their work quietly, meeting needs large and small.
As In & Around looks ahead to another year of storytelling, these Champions serve as a reminder that meaningful impact doesn’t always happen in the spotlight — but it is always worth recognizing.