Combined Community Action Celebrates 60 Years of Giving

Combined Community Action celebrated its 60th anniversary Thursday with a lunch program at the Randolph Recreation Center in La Grange.

But one event was hardly enough to encapsulate everything this organization does.

What began in 1966 in Smithville as an outgrowth of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, has grown to become an organization that helps people help themselves and others across a 10-county region. It’s now headquartered in Giddings.

Specifically here in Fayette County, CCA helps people via the Meals on Wheels program, utility and rental assistance for low income individuals, crisis and case management, and home weatherization services to help low income households reduce energy consumption.

“That legacy did not happen by accident,” said Jason McBroom, the CCA Board Chair, in his remarks to Thursday’s crowd. “It was built by people who care, people who served, and people who believed that helping others matters. As we celebrate this milestone today, we also look ahead with gratitude and hope. We honor the past, we celebrate the present and we look forward to the future, knowing that Combined Community Action will continue making a difference for generations to come. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey.”

Randolph Rec. Center was filled with people who have helped CCA over the past six decades. Historic photos of the efforts of CCA, many in black and white, played on a screen at the front of the room during the event.

Maybe nobody knows the organization better than Kelly Franke, who has worked with CCA for 42 of its 60 years in existence. Franke is CCA’s Executive Director.

At Thursday’s event, she talked about the organization’s efforts in everything from the Bastrop fires of 2011 to Hurricane Harvey.

But she also looked ahead. She said because of expected funding cuts CCA is trying to raise $500,000 over the next two years to keep its Meals on Wheels program going strong “The needs of our community evolve and so must we,” Franke said. “The next 60 years will require innovation, collaboration and the unwavering commitment to equity and opportunity ... if our past is any indication, I have full confidence that CCA will continue to rise to meet that moment.”

To learn more about Combined Community Action, whether you are trying to access some of their services, or to donate to their efforts, visit www.ccaction.com