Highland Lakes Crisis Network changes name, expands mission
The Highland Lakes Crisis Center has rebranded into Ark of Highland Lakes. Courtesy image
Homegrown charity Highland Lakes Crisis Network is now Ark of Highland Lakes. The coalition of community leaders, churches, and nonprofits will continue to provide the same aid and services to residents in need while expanding its reach and mission.
Ark of Highland Lakes unveiled its new name and plans during an announcement party April 11 at the site of its future headquarters, a 211-acre ranch at 582 FM 1855 in north Marble Falls called Valley View.
“When the flood waters of life rise, the Ark emerges as a beacon of hope in the Highland Lakes region,” said Jackie English, Ark of Highland Lakes board president, in a media release. “Like Noah’s Ark, our network of churches and compassionate individuals provide shelter from the storm, walking alongside people weathering life’s challenges. Our new identity represents both immediate refuge during crisis and the journey toward renewal.”
The new name is connected to the nonprofit’s origins. It was created in 2018 after a group of churches banded together to help the community recover from the devastating flooding of the Colorado and Llano rivers in October of that year.
The organization has grown significantly since then, offering transitional housing, free dental care, and basic necessities to families in need as well as affordable household items through its secondhand store, The Warehouse, and meals delivered to the elderly. It also raises money for a number of local causes.
“The bottom line is that even though the name has changed, the heart is the same,” Executive Director Kevin Naumann told DailyTrib.com.
MORE TO COME
The Ark is developing a regional hunger alliance and a foster care task force, but more tangible plans are also in the works. The new Valley View facility will grow into an integrated community serving vulnerable families. It will include affordable housing, on-site job opportunities, community events, and essential services like job training, food access, medical supplies, counseling, and spiritual support.
“As the population in our region grows, the number of people needing help getting their lives back on track is growing with it,” Naumann wrote in the media release. “Valley View will expand the reach and depth of our ability to serve those who need a transformative encounter with God’s love.”
The Highland Lakes Crisis Network assisted 680 families after the 2018 flood, prepared and delivered over 175,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, supports more than 90 food-insecure children each summer, has provided over 875 vouchers for items at its secondhand store, and has seen 135-plus patients through its community clinics.