A note from the president -
I encouraged Gene to include this video because of the seemingly insurmountable odds he addresses in this short speech/sermon. Although his estimates were off on the total number of roofs due to ambiguous and arbitrary numbers provided by various sources along with strict qualifiers imposed during the vetting process, his concerns of being overwhelmed were not realized and just 4-6 months after this video was made well over 120 families who had no insurance for their roofs got new ones on their homes at no cost to themselves. These roofs cost the Abilene Damascus Road Hailstorm Relief Effort on the average of from $4-6,000.00 per roof. That is over $1/2 a million dollars in less than 180 days. That is @ $2,800.00 per day raised ladies and gentlemen, and if we say that there is on the average of 4 people living in each house, that's nearly 500 individuals who now sleep in dry homes all due to an organization which had nothing to do with construction, roofing or even general public benevolence. This organization nevertheless saw the glaring need within our community and picked up the mantle placed before them by God. Not only placed before them mind you, but placed before many others in the community, Gene and his organization were the ones who fearlessly picked up this large, challenging and expensive, but urgently necessary task much better suited to other organizations.
Abilene Damascus Road is an organization which provides transitional housing for the formerly incarcerated, primarily coming from T D C J. That's right, an organization not only for ex-offenders, but headed up by one. Gene was one of the 3 founding members of Abilene Damascus Road (ADR) and served as its Executive Director and member of the board of directors. ADR began as a dream and vision held by Gene and his other two co-founders. In just under two years ADR grew from an idea to now what has become a formidable non-profit in this community with a net worth well over $1/2 million. They are about to complete a state of the art transitional facility which will set the standard not just for Abilene, but for the industry. Gene also designed the facility and created the concept for the program which is unique to the industry.
I am very proud of Gene's work in his previous position(s) within our industry, I am even prouder to be working side by side with him every day. We now have this visionary man who is not only a proven "rainmaker" but a non-compromising and far beyond driven leader changing the landscape of TSCC-AD while unselfishly joining his newly created organization "God's Own" with us. While we are starting in a position not unlike the one Gene is facing in this video, we know that our missions can and will be accomplished. Why? For the same reason they were accomplished for Gene's former organization - Because it is God's work and God's will and it is properly recognized as that. By elevating ourselves via our service to and in our community, we will gain respect and recognition and by those vehicles we will make big changes.
Exciting things are happening at TSCC-AD as we move boldly forward to serve. We need your help. We need board members, we need corporation officers, we need volunteers and active members, donors and general supporters. (Sign up via the contact form on this website or calling or emailing either me or Gene, you can find our business cards at the bottom of the "Who We Are" page. There is strength in numbers and by numbers we will conquer. We are family and we take care of our own. We will band together and stand together as those who society calls "felons", "ex-offenders", 'inmates" and "convicts' their families and loved ones. While all along we know who we are.... "God's Own."
God Bless,
George Stokes
President TSCC-AD
President "God's Own"
I encouraged Gene to include this video because of the seemingly insurmountable odds he addresses in this short speech/sermon. Although his estimates were off on the total number of roofs due to ambiguous and arbitrary numbers provided by various sources along with strict qualifiers imposed during the vetting process, his concerns of being overwhelmed were not realized and just 4-6 months after this video was made well over 120 families who had no insurance for their roofs got new ones on their homes at no cost to themselves. These roofs cost the Abilene Damascus Road Hailstorm Relief Effort on the average of from $4-6,000.00 per roof. That is over $1/2 a million dollars in less than 180 days. That is @ $2,800.00 per day raised ladies and gentlemen, and if we say that there is on the average of 4 people living in each house, that's nearly 500 individuals who now sleep in dry homes all due to an organization which had nothing to do with construction, roofing or even general public benevolence. This organization nevertheless saw the glaring need within our community and picked up the mantle placed before them by God. Not only placed before them mind you, but placed before many others in the community, Gene and his organization were the ones who fearlessly picked up this large, challenging and expensive, but urgently necessary task much better suited to other organizations.
Abilene Damascus Road is an organization which provides transitional housing for the formerly incarcerated, primarily coming from T D C J. That's right, an organization not only for ex-offenders, but headed up by one. Gene was one of the 3 founding members of Abilene Damascus Road (ADR) and served as its Executive Director and member of the board of directors. ADR began as a dream and vision held by Gene and his other two co-founders. In just under two years ADR grew from an idea to now what has become a formidable non-profit in this community with a net worth well over $1/2 million. They are about to complete a state of the art transitional facility which will set the standard not just for Abilene, but for the industry. Gene also designed the facility and created the concept for the program which is unique to the industry.
I am very proud of Gene's work in his previous position(s) within our industry, I am even prouder to be working side by side with him every day. We now have this visionary man who is not only a proven "rainmaker" but a non-compromising and far beyond driven leader changing the landscape of TSCC-AD while unselfishly joining his newly created organization "God's Own" with us. While we are starting in a position not unlike the one Gene is facing in this video, we know that our missions can and will be accomplished. Why? For the same reason they were accomplished for Gene's former organization - Because it is God's work and God's will and it is properly recognized as that. By elevating ourselves via our service to and in our community, we will gain respect and recognition and by those vehicles we will make big changes.
Exciting things are happening at TSCC-AD as we move boldly forward to serve. We need your help. We need board members, we need corporation officers, we need volunteers and active members, donors and general supporters. (Sign up via the contact form on this website or calling or emailing either me or Gene, you can find our business cards at the bottom of the "Who We Are" page. There is strength in numbers and by numbers we will conquer. We are family and we take care of our own. We will band together and stand together as those who society calls "felons", "ex-offenders", 'inmates" and "convicts' their families and loved ones. While all along we know who we are.... "God's Own."
God Bless,
George Stokes
President TSCC-AD
President "God's Own"