Chris Roark, croark@cherryroad.com
Over the next few weeks local nonprofits could receive a spike in much-needed funds thanks to an annual donation bonanza.
North Texas Giving Day, a multi-county donation drive now in its 17th year, is set for Sept. 18. Early giving opportunities opened Aug. 28.
Led by Communities Foundation of Texas, North Texas Giving Day provides an easy way to donate to thousands of local nonprofit organizations through its online platform, northtexasgivingday.org. Residents can visit the site and search for a nonprofit by its name, location or cause.
Last year the initiative raised $68.3 million for 3,271 nonprofits in North Texas.
One organization participating in North Texas Giving Day is Mentors Care, which has been part of the initiative since 2019.
Mentors Care, based in Midlothian, partners with school districts to provide volunteer mentors to high school students deemed at-risk based on a variety of indicators, such as having grades below passing, experiencing anxiety/depression, having attendance issues, not having family support, etc.
Dena Petty, founder and executive director of Mentors Care, said North Texas Giving Day helps raise money needed to cover the cost of the full-time Mentors Care coordinator at each campus and students supplies, which can go over the contract amount.
“Each school has between 50 and 60 mentors, and we need to recruit mentors, train them and provide support,” Petty said. “That helps us continue to grow. We don’t want to settle where we are, we want to bring excellence to every school.”
Petty said in addition to raising money, North Texas Giving Day also helps get the organization’s name out in the public. She said that, in turn, attracts more volunteers to the cause.
“Our organization exists because of people,” Petty said. “People hear about us, they say, ‘Yes, I want to volunteer,’ and they partner with us. This is how we serve kids better, and they need us now more than ever.”
According to Mentors Care’s 2025 annual report it served 1,032 students last school year in 20 high schools, including Waxahachie, Red Oak and other Ellis County high schools. The program had 882 volunteer mentors.
Success stories include improved behavior in 63 percent of the students in Mentors Care who reported a history of discipline referrals, and 236 seniors who were in Mentors Care graduated in the spring.
Another organization participating in North Texas Giving Day is the Ellis County Homeless Coalition (ECHC). Executive Director Kim Fuller said this is the third year ECHC has been a part of North Texas Giving Day.
“Funds donated this year will be used for assisting those who have a job but need assistance with deposit and first month rent to get into a place they can afford and help those about to be evicted because they have had a set back, but could still afford where they are with temporary help,” Fuller said. “We help with phones so the homeless can stay connected to resources and apply for jobs. We also offer bus rides to reach family or friends elsewhere that can help them.”
She said the need to help the homeless in Ellis County continues to grow.
“In Ellis County 98% of our homeless are unseen because they are living in their cars,” Fuller said. “In 2024 we received calls involving 518 individuals, 215 were children. Just from January through June of 2025 we have already received calls involving 454 individuals, 178 being children.”
Several other Ellis County-based organizations have signed up to participate in North Texas Giving Day, including Waxahachie CARE, Ellis County Women’s Job Corps, Friends of the Nicholas P. Sims Library, Ellis County Children’s Advocacy Center, Hope Health, TBHC Foster Care and Adoption, CASA of Ellis County, The Heights Ellis County, the Pet Coalition of Ellis County, Inc. and others.
