Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Capito.
Hi Tina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m Tina J. Capito, and I’ve dedicated 25 years of my life to advocating for children’s well-being, focusing on their basic needs. My journey began in 1996 as a public educator, primarily working with children with disabilities and later shifting my focus to foster care children. Over the past decade, I’ve played a crucial role in empowering my community to support and uplift our youth. A strong, supportive community is essential for nurturing healthy, happy, and successful adults. My dedication led me to join the Garden of Hope of Central Texas, an organization I’ve been proud to serve for over 5 years. In addition to my role at Garden of Hope, I’ve served on the CASA Board of Various City Boards and contributed to numerous initiatives across Central Texas. As the COO of Garden of Hope, I collaborate with an incredible team of women who share my commitment to positively impacting the lives of children in need. My journey continues to be one of unwavering service to the most vulnerable, driven by my profound belief in the power of community support. My dedicated service to children in need comes from living like the children I serve: abused, neglected, and unstable. My dream is to provide safety and basic needs for all children. It started with my children Andruw and Jaylyn, then continued to community children.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This journey has been the most rewarding and challenging experience of my life. It all started when Garden of Hope welcomed its first foster care child, thanks to the Ocasio Family’s dedication, especially Mr. Junior, the founder. Our passion and determination were unwavering, matching like no other. We’ve navigated numerous changes in the DFPS system and fluctuations in the need for foster care children, including Emergency Services, long-term care, and foster family training. There have been countless sleepless nights. In 2022, we faced a heartbreaking loss when Mr. Ocasio passed away, leaving us responsible for carrying on his legacy. After 5 years, we’ve served over 800 children, continuing the tradition of supporting foster care children during some of their most challenging moments.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Garden of Hope of Central Texas?
Co-founder/President of Educated Angels, a nonprofit that serves homeless students and special needs children and assists youth in real-life work experience. Chair of Central Texas Coalition connecting families to resources in Central Texas.
COO of Garden of Hope of Central Texas
Garden of Hope of Central Texas Mission: Our Mission is to bring hope and empowerment to foster care children by connecting them with families and community resources.
Garden of Hope of Central Texas History: The history of Garden of Hope Central Texas began with a husband and wife who opened their home to foster children who needed a safe and loving home in their time of need. After facilitating over 90 children and adopting 11, the passion continued to burn in Mr. Ocasio and Mrs. Ocasio, the founders. In 2016, Mr. Wilfredo Ocasio (Junior) established GOH as a nonprofit and began a two-and-a-half-year journey to open an emergency foster care shelter to keep sibling groups together. In 2019, that dream became a reality, opening the first GOH establishment in Salado, Texas. In 2020, the second emergency shelter was opened in Killeen, Texas. From February 1 2019-December 31, 2022, Garden of Hope has served over 800 children with the help of dedicated staff, wonderful volunteers, and a strong community. We operate an emergency shelter, a longer-term living facility, and a child placement agency.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
COVID-19 has taught me that life changes whether we want it to or not. But we can see the light if we focus on making life better.
Contact Info:
- Website: Gardenofhopecentraltexas.org
- Facebook: %MCEPASTEBIN%
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-capito-a29b8a69
