Three cities served by BCFS Health and Human Services’ Community Services Division (CSD) gathered to celebrate the fall season this week.
In Abilene, Texas, nearly a dozen vehicles parked at BCFS Health and Human Services-Abilene, their trunks open and decorated to welcome the public to stop by, grab some candy, learn something new, or just chat.
Alana Jeter, regional director of North Texas at CSD and an Abilene resident, shared that their organization wanted to host a public event so they had a chance to interact with other community members who may not yet be familiar with the work that BCFS-Abilene does.
The Trunk or Treat event featured several local partners, including medical-service providers, counselors from a drug and alcohol recovery clinic, guests that help victims of human trafficking, representatives from the city of Abilene, and U.S. Air Force members.
A few hundred miles south, BCFS Health and Human Services-San Antonio gathered more than 60 friends and family from their programs into a venue spooked out with lights and festive decorations. The Fall Festival included competitive games, dinner and dessert, pumpkin and cookie decorating, and dancing.
A mummy relay challenged two teams to see who could wrap their partner fastest. Meanwhile, a play on the classic cake-walk invited guests of all ages to try their luck walking between paper cutouts of pumpkins on the floor, stopping when the music did in hopes that their number would net them one of several prizes.
In South Texas, BCFS Health and Human Services-Del Rio celebrated with a trunk-or-treat similar to the event in Abilene. Staff passed out more than 4,000 pieces of candy to the community and hope next year to invite other local partners to their event. This was BCFS-Del Rio’s first fall event of its kind, celebrating both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.
Across Texas, CSD helps teens and young adults in eight cities with a range of services that increase access to education, counseling, housing, and more. The organization serves youth that often face a statistical risk for negative outcomes.
Learn more about what BCFS Health and Human Services provides to youth in Texas.