Highland Village City Council members heard brief presentations Oct. 28 from more than a dozen local and regional nonprofits seeking municipal support for programs ranging from child advocacy to senior services.

The presentations, given during an early work session before the regular meeting, included specific local service statistics and anecdotes intended to show how city funding would be used. Debbie Jensen, executive director of CASA of Denton County, described one child they call "William" whose family had been affected by drug use and whose case was closed after a volunteer advocate worked with the family. "The system worked for this little boy," Jensen said, adding CASA had served "more than 600 children this year" and used almost 200 volunteers countywide.

The overview from Chisholm Trail RSVP and its executive director, Diana Corona, emphasized volunteer recruitment and placement across Denton County. "We aim to support and serve resource for volunteers for those nonprofits that are seeking additional help," Corona said, and described volunteers at hospitals, libraries and schools.

Daphne Houston, director of programs at CCA, described a shift toward deeper case management and the Working Family Success Model. Houston said the agency spent about $3,400 this year on rent and utilities assistance for three Highland Village families and reported that seven families — 11 individuals — used the agency's food pantry.

Representatives from Communities In Schools of North Texas told the council they serve students in Lewisville ISD and reported growth in local volunteer hours: "We went from 17 volunteers the previous year to 28 volunteers from the city of Highland Village last year," said Dr. Lindsey Schafer, chief development officer. Schafer said her organization provided case management for more than 6,300 students last year and reported that 91 percent of enrolled students improved in target areas such as attendance and behavior.

Other presenters included Denton County Friends of the Family, Denton County MHMR's LOSS team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors), Enabling Movement Foundation (adaptive cycling and an adaptive gym), Friends of the Flower Mound Public Library, Heart of the City, Journey to Dream, Lewisville Education Foundation, Lewisville Lake Symphony, LUPPEX/LovePacks, Love Thy Neighbor, MLK North Texas, Petey Place, SPAN Meals on Wheels, Special Abilities of North Texas, Studio B Performing Arts and several smaller service groups. Several presenters supplied data on clientele and program costs; for example, Petey Place reported it expects to provide services to about 6,000 children this year and cited a rise in uninsured pediatric patients, while Love Thy Neighbor said its clothing program served 260 clients from the Highland Village ZIP code and distributed about 1,400 items in the previous reporting period.

Council members asked procedural and programmatic questions: how volunteers are recruited and paired with students, how food is distributed through school-based holiday food programs, and which services operate with volunteers versus paid staff. Mayor Wilcox and other council members thanked presenters and noted the city will consider requests as part of its budget and grant decisions.

The session provided council members and staff with updated local service metrics and concrete examples of how city funding would be used, but no formal funding decisions were made at the meeting. Council business later that night proceeded to its regular agenda.

The presentations lasted from the start of the nonprofit block of the early session through the close of presenters; council members and staff said the packet materials and impact reports accompanying many presentations will be used in future budget discussions.