We take a 360° approach to supporting the needs of individuals and their communities through four intersectional pillars of thriving: Health, Wealth, Living, and Learning. At the heart, what we’re striving to achieve through attention to these areas is equity, connectedness, and belonging for all.
The Chocolate MINT Foundation, located in DeSoto, and Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts, located in Fort Worth, were two of 200 nonprofits who received grants from CFT’s North Texas Community Response Fund to address COVID-19 related needs. View the details of each of these grants at CFTexas.org/COVID19grants.
HEALTH is a holistic concept engaging the biological, psychological, and behavioral dimensions of life. What affects a person’s health encompasses everything from their local environmental conditions to access to things like grocery stores and parks, pets as companions, transportation, preventive medicine, and education. To move the needle on health, interventions must move upstream and engage the choices people make and the environments in which they live.
WEALTH is defined as financial security, which is significantly impacted by employment opportunities for individuals and economic development within communities. While the majority of people living in poverty have jobs, millions of adults live paycheck to paycheck, unable to cover a surprise expense – demonstrating that employment is not enough to ensure financial security. We must aim for financial resilience in the face of economic shocks, pathways to progressively improving opportunities, and the state of prosperity in which people have enough money to fulfill their needs and many of their wants.
LIVING ZIP code can be more predictive than genetic code when it comes to life outcomes. Decisions surrounding community planning, engagement, and design; access to arts, culture and parks; as well as the presence of crime prevention strategies and justice system processes, can have a significant impact on the physical, social, and mental health of community members and their ability to thrive today and across generations.
LEARNING Education has the power to change a life. Educating our youth to maximize their potential also provides the foundation to power the workforce of tomorrow. The pursuit of a certification or postsecondary degree significantly affects the earning potential for an individual, impacting the community they live in and the legacy of their future generations. Training and skills growth also provides individuals an opportunity to reinvent themselves as circumstances change throughout their lifetime.
This story was originally featured in our 2020 annual report. For additional details and content, click here.
