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There are over 500 educators who are part of the Southlake Carroll family, including Maureen Fauatea. As a sixth-grade math instructor, Maureen has taught at Durham Intermediate for 22 years and counting. She even met her husband, Joe, on campus during one of his bus-driving shifts.
Earlier this year, tragedy struck the Fauateas without warning. Not only did Joe suffer from a surprise heart attack, but his father also passed away just a few days later. Between Joe’s recovery, hospital bills and their combined grief, it was a lot for the couple to process all at once.
“It was a rough time,” Maureen recalls. “He just got out of the hospital, and we had to go to Utah for his dad’s funeral services. We had a lot to deal with for one school year.”
Luckily, the Fauateas didn’t have to go through it alone. After a staff member caught wind of their predicament, their name was referred to Dragons Care, which specifically caters to Carroll ISD teachers, staff and school resource officers dealing with personal hardships. A couple of weeks later, the Fauateas received a check from the nonprofit to cover their medical expenses.
“It came at a time when we really needed help,” Maureen reflects. “There were a lot of happy tears. It was emotional for both of us.”
Joe and Maureen aren’t the only CISD staff members who have experienced the kindness and generosity of Dragons Care. Since being officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit last year, this small group of community supporters has been working to ensure every CISD staff member feels seen and valued. After raising over $100,000 and helping around 100 families, it’s safe to say this powerhouse team of hometown volunteers has shown the district’s educators that Dragons Care.
A FAMILY IN NEED
The idea for the district-wide initiative began when one family needed their help in the fall of 2020. Back then, parents received a school email notifying them about the first confirmed case of COVID-19 at Rockenbaugh Elementary. After the exposed student was sent home, the disease spread to the rest of the family. While the child and father both experienced mild symptoms, the mother had complications due to a preexisting condition and had to be admitted into a hospital.
A concerned Dragon mom with her own children in the school, Virginia Hinkle reached out asking if there was anything she could do to help the family. Together with nine other Rockenbaugh parents, Virginia coordinated a meal train to ensure the family was provided for throughout the week.
“She came home a couple of days later, and we did this ‘Welcome Home’ celebration in her front yard,” Virginia recalls fondly. “We had flowers, cookies, all sorts of baskets, and I had the neighbor across the street videotape it for me. She was so excited to come home. That’s where the whole [idea for Dragons Care] came from.”
A philanthropist and community volunteer with a servant’s heart, Virginia divides her time between caring for her two younger daughters and serving the community at large, volunteering for both local nonprofits and her school’s PTO. Knowing the pandemic would continue to be a concern throughout the year, Virginia decided to help more than one family.
“I went to my husband and I said, ‘I really think we should help people at our school who get sick,’” Virginia says. “I felt called to do this, and he just said, ‘Let’s just do it until we can’t anymore.’”
From there, that same group of 10 families became the foundation of Dragons Care and kept their pulse on the community, continuing the meal train and delivering cleaning supplies to those in need.
“It grew to 86 members very quickly,” Virginia recalls of her fledgling organization. “We brought on a few staff members as well, and they helped us become more connected to the district.”
In just its first year, Dragons Care raised $12,477, which went towards nine families and 13 staff members. While the group of big givers was initially formed in response to the pandemic, they decided to expand and cover all illnesses and injuries in 2021. The pivot paid off twice over, with over $25,697 going toward four families and 29 staff members in only its second year.
“The staff would always tell me it not only made them feel more loved by the parents, but it’s changed the environment within the school,” Virginia expresses. “It brought everyone closer together. That inspired me to keep going.”
GROWING THEIR GIVING
In 2023, Dragons Care was approved for 501(c)(3) status, officially making it a tax-exempt organization. To expand its grassroots operation and keep up with the growing number of requests, Virginia appointed a parent liaison volunteer at every school to help keep track of campus requests.
“I’m the main point of contact for any teacher or staff who have a grant request come up,” Carroll Middle School liaison Abby Ward says. “I get notified if someone fills out an interest form or if we have a teacher who reaches out. From there, I follow up for more details and forward the request to the board for review.”
After the grant request has been filed, the executive team will process the request and present it to the board of directors for approval.
“We vote based on whether it falls under one of our three criteria, which is an illness, injury or family tragedy,” Virginia explains. “It has to fall within one of those three categories. If it doesn’t, we’ll write an email listing other resources or nonprofits they can refer to. I don’t ever want our staff to feel like they don’t have options or don’t have anywhere to go, because they still have a need that has to be addressed.”
Once a grant request has been approved, the parent liaison will notify the campus principal and open an online fundraiser through Givebutter on Dragons Care’s website for donations. From there, Dragons Care members will share the campaign community-wide to raise funds for the recipient, including in email communications and on social media.
“It’s a lot of networking, thinking about who I know, what parent groups can I connect with, how do we best communicate this and get the word out to others,” Abby says.
Needs vary from person to person, which is why there are different support levels for each grant request. Level One fundraisers last for one week and are reserved for minor injuries, while the highest Level Four fundraisers will last a whole month to cover bereavements, long-term diseases and cancer diagnoses.
“We have somebody who’s walking through stage four colon cancer right now,” Virginia expresses. “Somebody just got a tumor removed from their spine, someone else is going through chemo and radiation. It’s just hard sometimes, knowing how heavy some of these burdens are that our teachers are carrying.”
When the fundraisers close and they have the money in hand, the campus liaisons will present a check to the recipients along with flowers and a personalized note. In Abby’s case, she’ll select a student to bring along so they can share the good news together.
“I just think it’s so moving for [students] to see how this affects the teachers and how grateful they are,” Abby says. “There’s raw emotions that come out — tears of happiness. Presenting these checks is the best part of the job, and the people working behind the scenes don’t get to see that.”
Maureen and Joe experienced that star treatment themselves when Abby hand-delivered their check last spring. What made it extra special was Maureen’s former student presented her with the check — it was Abby’s daughter, Marley.
“It was a full-circle moment for us,” Maureen says. “We couldn’t be more grateful for the help Dragons Care gave us.”
At the end of every quarter, Virginia sends a follow-up newsletter to members with updates on the campaign’s final numbers. By maintaining communication and transparency every step of the way, Virginia builds trust with supporters and ensures their continued support for the Dragons Care mission.
“Every single dollar goes directly toward the staff members,” she says. “Having a full team to rely on, having people dedicated to helping out and having businesses always say ‘yes’ when we call — it’s simply incredible how the community has come together to support us in this.”
PAYING IT FORWARD
While Dragons Care has helped several people through tough times in just a few short years, their goals for giving have only grown. The nonprofit began accepting title sponsorships earlier this year, which led to more funds going toward grant campaigns. They’ve also increased fundraising goals, aiming to raise
$100,000 by the end of the year. With $65,000 going towards 44 CISD staff members so far this year, it’s a goal well within their reach.
But for all of the volunteers and community members contributing to this caring initiative, most feel the greatest significance is seeing how it’s changing the district’s culture overall.
“I’m finding more and more often there are people who receive a grant, only to turn around and submit a request right back for another teacher they know who is struggling with something behind closed doors,” Abby says. “These teachers care about each other. They know their personal stories, and they also know what’s going on in their schools.”
Experiencing Dragons Care’s generosity firsthand has motivated Maureen to support her fellow teachers’ campaigns and pay it forward in whatever small way she can.
“These volunteers aren’t getting paid — they’re doing this out of the goodness of their hearts,” Maureen states. “To think somebody is doing that and we’re fortunate enough to benefit from it, I think it’s made us really want to help and give back.”
From the very first family to those she’s yet to meet, everything Virginia has built through Dragons Care has been in the spirit of being a good neighbor. With an entire community of volunteers and supporters standing behind the organization, its legacy of caring for Carroll’s teachers, staff and families will last well into the future.
“I think we’re just called to love our neighbor,” Virginia says. “We live in an incredibly generous community. The hearts of the people in this district are really beautiful, and they have a genuine love for our teachers. I just felt in my spirit I was supposed to help. My hope is that we can get everyone in Southlake to support our staff and join the Dragons Care family.”
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