About

Bastrop County Cares, a nonprofit organization, is a county-wide partnership working to develop comprehensive community initiatives by identifying community priorities, collecting and analyzing data, and bringing together collaborative partnerships that will result in community solutions.  We identify large community issues that one organization cannot tackle on its own and build public will, advance policy, and mobilize and leverage funding.
We want to ensure that all individuals in Bastrop County can share in the social fabric of our community, access great educational programs, be economically stable, and to live healthy full lives in our wonderful Bastrop County community.
As an intermediary organization, Bastrop County Cares supports the provision of services by other organizations rather than providing direct services itself. The seven main functions of Bastrop County Cares are to: 

  1. Identify potential collaborative partners and support aligned activities;
  2. Identify comprehensive community initiatives by collecting and analyzing data;
  3. Guide the vision and strategies created through community collaboration ;
  4. Establish shared measurement practices ;
  5. Build public will;
  6. Advance policy; and
  7. Mobilize funding. 

MISSION 

Bastrop County Cares brings people together to collaborate around large community challenges that no one organization can solve on its own to improve the conditions where our neighbors live, work, pray and play.

VALUES

Bastrop County Cares achieves its mission through a variety of community partnerships and coalitions that bring together individuals and public, private, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations and institutions committed to creating the best Bastrop County. Our work must embody our core values of equity, inclusion, respect, trust, courage, and kindness.
We connect, empower, collaborate, support, advocate and act together to build the best Bastrop County.

HOW WE DO OUR WORK

  1. Connect – We connect with our community around large issues no one organization can solve on its own. 
  2. Empower – We empower leaders from marginalized communities by including their voices at the table in shared decision-making. 
  3. Collaborate – We collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders to review data and create action steps to impact systems change. 
  4. Support – We support emerging leaders to take action and provide training and capacity building to learn and grow. 
  5. Advocate – We advocate for our partners and seek funding for countywide equity projects and new initiatives.  
  6. Act – We take action alongside our coalition partners and move towards a more equitable and inclusive future for our community.


The Origin Story

In 2014, a small grassroots collaborative of primarily faith-based organizations identified a need to assess available resources, overlaps, and gaps in services. They envisioned a volunteer-run direct-service organization and quickly realized how much of a “heavy lift” finding volunteers and raising funds would be. 
The group initially replicated the “Hutto Has Heart” model & defined the service area as BISD attendance zone. The group’s first success was convening the Interagency Networking Group. 


Former County Judge Ronnie McDonald connected them Texas A&M, which led to the first pilot program: The Affordable Housing Coalition. 
Bastrop Mayor Ken Kesselus invited Debbie Bresette to help define the group’s vision and mission. Debbie’s input expanded our vision to be county-wide and focused on systems change. From there, the group began doing intermediary work by pulling together coalitions & agencies across Bastrop County. County Judge Paul Pape & the Commissioners’ Court soon got on board. 

September 1, 2017

Grassroots Organization

In 2017, the St. David’s Foundation recognized the community development that was taking place and awarded funding for priorities that were determined. 
St. David’s Foundation awarded pass-through funding to Bastrop County Cares to act as an intermediary in awarding $30,000 in funds to charitable food organizations whose supplies had been ravished due to demand created by the impact of Hurricane Harvey, the seventh federally-declared disaster to impact Bastrop County in eight years. 

Bastrop County Cares identified Early Childhood funds from the State and created an Early Childhood Coalition with an initial investment of $400,000 from St. David’s Foundation. 
The Early Childhood Grant from the State was $400,000 a year for a minimum of 5 years.

September 1, 2017
September 1, 2017

First Employee and Executive Director Hired

Debbie Bresette joined Bastrop County Cares as Executive Director. BCC had 3 active coalitions.

September 1, 2017
December 1, 2017

BCC Hires Second Staff

Dan Kleiner hired as Director of Finance and Operations, through a grant from the state. Dan was sent to grant school for $600 and wrote his first grant. 

December 1, 2017
December 1, 2017

Early Childhood Coalition Launches

15 non-profit organizations and 200 local parents work to produce the Bastrop County Early Childhood Roadmap Report. 

December 1, 2017
July 1, 2018

Mental Health, Resilience & Well-Being Launches

BCC expands its scope of work into Mental Health, Resilience & Well-Being with first grant from Hogg Foundation for $410,000. BCC hires Krystal Grimes, through a grant from the Hogg Foundation to lead the Well-Being in Rural Communities Initiative 

July 1, 2018
January 25, 2019

Bastrop County Cares Expands

The St. David’s Foundation provides a $150,000 investment to fund the backbone operations of BCC and a $50,000 Early Childhood Planning Grant. BCC grows to five full-time employees, 11 active coalitions, and seven funding sources. 

January 25, 2019
May 1, 2019

Community Mobilizes

900 community volunteers were activated to build playgrounds in Stony Point and McDade.

May 1, 2019
May 1, 2019

First convening of Bastrop County Veterans Collaborative

Bastrop County Veterans Collaborative was formed to support the mental health, well-being, and resilience of Bastrop County veterans.

May 1, 2019
October 1, 2018

Community Resource Network Launches

The Community Resource Network launches its online volunteer engagement site. This site became pivotal in the community organization of testing and vaccinating Bastrop County residents for COVID-19. To date, over 3,000 volunteers are registered.  

October 1, 2018
October 8, 2019

Older Wise Leaders (OWLs) Coalition Launches

20 senior citizens form a coalition to discuss aging in place in Bastrop County. The group met with St. David’s Foundation representatives and piloted an intergenerational project with local youth.

October 8, 2019
September 4, 2019

First Cohort of Network Weavers Begins

30 emerging leaders form the first cohort of Bastrop County Network Weavers. A seed fund was created and over $30,000 was distributed to Weavers to pilot change activities in their communities. 

September 4, 2019
September 9, 2020

Breast Cancer Coalition Work Begins

Bastrop County Cares raised over $114,000 to partner with the Alliance for African American Health in Central Texas to provide no-cost breast health screenings to women of color in Bastrop County. To date, over 150 women have been screened. 

September 9, 2020
April 19, 2022

First-Ever Bastrop County Youth Summit Takes Place

After two years of delay the Bastrop County Youth Summit, a full-day conference on teen mental health took place. The event was planned by local teens for their peers to destigmatize mental health. Over 180 students from every school in Bastrop County attended the conference.  

April 19, 2022
June 12, 2018

Faith Communities in Collaboration

June 12, 2018
October 1, 2020

Bastrop County Accountable Communities for Health (BCACH) Launces

​​The Bastrop County Accountable Communities for Health (BCACH) vision is to be the county platform for bringing leaders, stakeholders, and community residents together to share accountability for and ownership in the transformation of systems, structures, and policies aimed at improving population health and ensuring greater equity on a sustainable basis. We are about relationship building, growth of personal confidence, strengthening self-efficacy; and working on all of the barriers that keep people from being successful. We address identifying solutions to barriers such as child care, financial and health literacy, food, and housing. 

October 1, 2020
June 30, 2020

First Cohort of Community Health Workers Gets Trained

Our healthcare system sometimes fails to recognize cultural barriers to care, which is why Community Health Workers are trained to help their neighbors find access to the health resources they need. When people are connected to their community and its resources, they are better able to thrive.

June 30, 2020
October 1, 2021

Members of Faith Communities in Collaboration Receive Holy Currencies Training

Through the regular meetings of the Holy Currencies group, empower church and community leaders are empowered with skills and knowledge to serve their communities more inclusively by facilitating and developing access to their Holy Currencies, thereby making both the churches and their related communities more sustainable. 

October 1, 2021
October 4, 2018

BCC Receives Grant for Parent Education Programs

Grant funding from Texas Department of Family and Protective Services supports Family Connects and Parents as Teachers.

October 4, 2018
June 10, 2021

BCC Receives Funding to Support Change in Mind Work

Funding from The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities’ Change in Mind Institute launched a Community Awareness Plan through the Early Childhood Coalition focusing on educating the community about Brain Science and how it impacts children’s brains, specifically from birth to five years.

June 10, 2021
October 12, 2022

Sustainable Food Systems Collaborative Begins

October 12, 2022
October 10, 2022

Announcement of Funding for Park Improvements and Mobile Recreation and Well-Being Unit

Thanks to funding from St. David’s Foundation and an investment from Bastrop County through the release of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, park and public use facilities will be built at Stony Point County Park. Additionally, purchasing a Mobile Recreation & Well-Being Unit will provide recreational programming for children, as well as opportunities for health-focused organizations to distribute resources to underserved, rural communities throughout Bastrop County.

October 10, 2022
November 15, 2022

First-Ever Bastrop County Senior Expo Held

Many seniors in Bastrop County face issues known only to the senior population. The Senior Expo aims to ensure that all seniors have the ability to continue using their talents and treasures to improve the community, decrease isolation, and increase the ability to age in place.

November 15, 2022
November 1, 2023

New Executive Director


Debbie Bresette retired after seven years with Bastrop County Cares and Norma Mercado began as the new Executive Director.

November 1, 2023

Annual Report