MCH Welcomes Waco Nonprofit to MCH Family Outreach Center

In June, The Cove – Heart of Texas, Inc., moved its operations to the first floor of the MCH Family Outreach Center at 524 W. Waco Drive.

Methodist Children’s Home acquired the building and moved its Waco MCH Family Outreach team to the second floor of the facility in January 2019 while considering options for the more-than 5,000-square-foot first level.

With a common focus to equip and empower youth, sharing a building with The Cove “whose commitment aligns so closely with that of MCH was a natural decision,” said Trey Oakley, MCH president. “This collaboration of two strong and focused organizations will strengthen both of our nonprofits and the Waco community at large.”

For The Cove, a teen-nurturing center in its fourth year of operation, leasing the space means growing in a variety of ways. With nearly double the square footage of The Cove’s previous facility, the new location gives the organization the capacity to serve more youth experiencing homelessness, prepare meals in a commercial kitchen, and further develop community partnerships, according to The Cove’s executive director Kelly Atkinson.

“This beautiful facility is a dream come true for us – not only because it offers the extra room needed to grow, but also because of the growing collaboration it represents,” Atkinson said. “We are thrilled to share space with such a leader in our community’s work to serve vulnerable youth. Methodist Children’s Home has been an anchor in our community for 130 years, and without their generosity and leadership, this new chapter for The Cove would not be possible.”

Oakley noted that collaborating with The Cove fulfills a previous strategic goal for MCH and serves as an example of how the ministry will operate in the future.

“When we opened the MCH Family Outreach Center in Waco in 2019, a goal in our previous strategic plan was to build a facility to support and broaden our programs and open new opportunities for collaboration,” Oakley said. “This space has allowed MCH Family Outreach to increase its impact on families through trainings, meetings, community events and other gatherings in a unique and transformative way.”

The collaboration further exemplifies MCH as a focused and flexible ministry, a key point in the new strategic plan of the ministry, Oakley noted.

“Our expertise and resources make it possible for us to respond quickly to needs and opportunities in our communities, sometimes in ways we have never done before,” he said.