North Texas’ Largest Provider of Social Services Welcomes New Leadership

Impact of coronavirus places priority on resources, capacity,
continuity of services across five-county region

(Featured photos: Major Bethany Hawks, Major Todd Hawks, Area Commanders for the Salvation Army of North Texas.)*

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Majors Bethany and Todd Hawks have begun their tenure as Area Commanders for The Salvation Army of North Texas. With a 4,078-square-mile footprint in Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis and Tarrant Counties, the nonprofit is the region’s largest provider of social services that seeks to combat poverty, addiction and homelessness.

After recently completing a deployment at The Salvation Army North & South Carolina Divisional Headquarters in Charlotte, NC, the Majors Hawks will guide the nonprofit’s efforts side by side with an experienced and talented executive leadership team led by Jay Dunn, managing director of The Salvation Army of North Texas.

Before transitioning to managing director, Dunn provided consulting and advisory services to facilitate the area command’s development and initial pursuit of a long-range plan. Dunn previously was managing director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance’s Assistance Center and founding president and chief executive officer of The Bridge.

The convergence of officer-based and professional nonprofit leadership will allow the organization to maximize efficiencies. In addition to Dunn, the executive leadership team comprises the following nonprofit professionals:

• Christina Cavalier, senior director of community relations
• Blake Fetterman, executive director of Carr P. Collins Social Service Center in Dallas
• Shannon Howard, senior director of business administration
• Sherrie Roberts, director of Doswell Family Children and Youth Programs
• Beckie Wach, executive director of J.E. and L.E. Mabee Social Service Center in Fort Worth

“Our first priority is to ensure that the Area Command has the resources and capacity to serve during this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Our new neighbors in North Texas are experiencing lost wages and living a new normal to keep food on their table,” said Major Todd Hawks. “Thanks to Jay and his team, we’ve hit the ground running to meet our supporters, partners and elected officials who make our mission of helping those in need – wherever and for however long it exists – possible.”

Like never before, The Salvation Army of North Texas is adapting delivery models in its five-county service area to mitigate crises and prevent cycles of vulnerability through the collaboration of community centers for the shared benefit of the North Texans whom the organization serves.

One outcome of the pandemic era will be the continued alignment toward more evidence-based, outcome-oriented programs. Partnerships with external collaborators have proved successful in expanding community engagement.

Currently, the region’s largest provider of social services is sheltering 1,200 individuals per night and providing food to 10,000 people per week. In 2019, the nonprofit served 82,000 people, or one out of 10 North Texans at risk of experiencing poverty.

“The impact of COVID-19 has accelerated our ongoing efforts to increase continuity of services across the nation’s fourth-largest metropolitan area,” said Dunn. “Service to vulnerable populations doesn’t shift at county or jurisdictional borders. Our success as a region is often due to regionalism and collaboration. We must continue in that spirit that makes North Texas a place where people can succeed.”

To learn more about The Salvation Army of North Texas’ 21 centers of operation that are working to deliver the same range of compassionate services and spiritual programs to meet human need without discrimination, visit SalvationArmyNorthTexas.org.

About The Salvation of North Texas 

The Salvation Army of North Texas provides a range of services to combat poverty, addiction and homelessness at 21 centers of operation in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton and Ellis counties. Faithful to our mission, The Salvation Army enables God-empowered transformations of individuals and society through food assistance, shelter, rehabilitation, counseling, spiritual support, mentoring, job placement and more. For more information, visit SalvationArmyNorthTexas.org.

*Courtesy photos.

(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, is honored to represent The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Fashion Show & Luncheon. If you would like your organization’s news to appear here, contact Sharon at adamscomm1@aol.com)