CONNECTIONS IS EXPANDING!
Connections Individual and Family Services has purchased land for a new facility that will bring all the agency’s services and programs together onto one campus. Acquiring the land, which is adjacent to the agency’s current headquarters at 1414 West San Antonio Street, serves as the first step in achieving the agency’s vision of becoming a social services resource center for the New Braunfels community. The capital campaign to fund the expansion project is currently underway. Agency leadership plans to approach the construction in two phases with a goal of campus completion by December 2023. More Info

THE FLAME OF CARE

This is one of my most emotionally complex pieces. The flame is blue because fire is blue at its hottest. The words within the flame signify both what kids in foster care desire and what they suffer from instead.

Kids in care suffer discrimination because of stigmas. They crave things like autonomy, choice, and freedom so they often turn to sex and drugs giving them some semblance of power in a situation beyond their control. This behavior solidifies their negative reputation hence the chains around her neck.

The words “safety” and “abuse” are side by side because, to an abuse survivor, being abused sometimes feels safer than safety. The hands are metal balls (no fingers) because kids in care are unable to hold on to anything solid or steady.

-Former Shelter Resident