If the name Lena Pope sounds familiar, it’s for good reason. The Fort Worth resident’s legacy has long been tied to helping those most in need. Starting with a tragedy of her own, Mrs. Pope took her pain and turned it into a strength, and to this day, almost a century later, the organization she founded continues to be a lifeline for many residents of Tarrant County through early education centers, counseling, and programs for at-risk kids and teens.
The almost 100-year-old organization began during the Depression, when before succumbing to illness, Mrs. Lena Pope’s son Conrad, told his mother he wanted her to build a mansion and fill it with children. Through her grief, she saw a need to help the community, and in time, Mrs. Pope assisted when her Sunday School class at Broadway Baptist Church identified children who needed a good home. These women didn’t just want to find somewhere for these kids to live; they wanted to find loving homes filled with people who would care for them.
So Mrs. Pope started asking the community of Fort Worth for assistance. Ashley Elgin, Ph.D, the CEO at Lena Pope, elaborates, “Mrs. Pope just didn't take no for an answer. I think she was very patient. And if she knew someone could help her, she would wait until they talked to her. She did what was necessary to ensure those kids had what they needed.”
Maintaining family structure has always been important for the organization. From its inception in 1930 until 1980, Lena Pope was a residential care facility (that even created jobs for mothers so family units could remain intact), but eventually realized there was a better way to help others. ”Our goal for a very long time has been prevention and early intervention. What can we do before kids don't have a family, or they don't have a home; how can we prevent that from happening?” says Katye LaNier, Director of Marketing and Communication.
In the early 1980s, the Lena Pope organization turned its efforts towards what they call the front end of child welfare: helping families before children enter foster care or head down a path of risky behavior. Today, their programs include early childhood education, counseling and mental health services, and behavior interventions.
“We saw the gap in the prevention space. We want to be the first line, the first resource a family can turn to when things get hard. We can help them gain the skills needed to overcome those challenges and stay together as a family. That's the space where we want to live,” says Director of Development Keegan Hand.
Lena Pope opened its first Early Learning Center in 2012, knowing that childcare was a community need, and today, there are two nationally accredited (NAEYC) Lena Pope centers in Tarrant County that provide year-round, full-time care for children ages six weeks to five years old. “How do families work if they don't have a place to care for their kids? We didn't want to provide just anything. We wanted to provide the highest quality, the best care for the kids we have with us every day,” says LaNier.
Kids with access to resources aren’t the only ones who benefit from this concept. Lena Pope offers flexible fees because they believe all kids deserve access to quality early education. According to LaNier, the organization reserves space specifically for families that need financial assistance.
A lot of learning happens through play at the Lena Pope Early Learning Centers. Each center has a certified Nature Explore Classroom with climbing structures, mud kitchens, and sensory materials; things that are fun and help kids learn everything from using their bodies to natural consequences, like gravity when they fall.
There’s also an emphasis on emotional learning; students are taught to identify their emotions, calm down, and communicate with others. “They learn to advocate for themselves. They can say, ‘I feel mad about that’ instead of lashing out. Building these foundational skills serves our kids long-term. We're not just focused on their brains. We know that to be successful in the classroom and kindergarten, these kids need to know how to interact with their peers and teachers,” says LaNier.
Apart from the learning centers, Lena Pope has important programs for at-risk children and teens that revolve around emotional, intellectual, and behavioral well-being, and aim to help kids who are engaging in behaviors and acts that, without making changes, could potentially lead them to be involved with the juvenile justice system.
Some programs, like teen skill-building groups, are open to the public; parents who notice potentially risky behaviors in their child can attend with their children. Some are designed for kids who have already engaged with the system. “Kids who have a non-violent first-time offense can go through one of our programs with their caregivers and the offense doesn’t stay on their record. We have other programs for kids in the detention center; we want them to have a good transition back to their homes, and ensure they and their families are ready and have the skills to communicate and solve problems together. A lot of our work is about helping families see the strength they have as a family,” says LaNier.
Lena Pope also offers other important counseling services: such as programs that help children ranging from ages 3-17 and counseling for families, children, people dealing with substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges. They take insurance and offer flexible fees because their mission is to be a lifeline for anyone struggling at any point in their lives. To do that, their counseling services must remain affordable and accessible to anyone who needs support.
At its core, Lena Pope is about supporting people. The organization’s long history has continuously seen individuals for who they are and has never shied away from reaching out a hand. “As an organization, we believe that every individual has value, and everyone has strengths. We want to equip children, families, and caregivers in our community with a strong foundation through counseling, education, and behavior intervention, so families have a strong foundation from which they can thrive,” says Elgin.
And, as Hand explains, the support goes both ways. “We talk a lot about the role philanthropy plays in helping us bridge that gap in counseling, in our behavior intervention programs, making sure we are a place where families of all backgrounds and economic statuses can come. Ultimately, we work in partnership with other organizations to stay abreast of community needs and provide services to meet those needs. And that is why our history is so important. Because Mrs Pope did just that, right? She saw a need and said, "I can meet that need.”