As Roy Maas Youth Alternatives marks 50 years of caring for Texas children, we invite you to a special evening of celebration, inspiration, and community.
The 50th Anniversary Gala is our opportunity to honor the legacy of dreams we have built together, share stories of transformed lives, and look forward to the next 50 years of healing.
Enjoy an elegant dinner, inspiring program, and the chance to connect with others who believe every child deserves a Bridge of Hope. Your attendance and sponsorship directly support the important work ahead while celebrating everything we have accomplished today.
Join us as we celebrate 50 years of healing!
This evening of hope will include:
Thirteen-year-old Mia grew up in a rundown house on the outskirts of a small Texas town. Her mother was lost to methamphetamine addiction and her father’s rage. For as long as she could remember, Mia lived with physical beatings, sexual abuse by a family member, and long stretches of total neglect—days without food or clean clothes and nights in a closet while her parents fought or used drugs.
A neighbor finally called the State of Texas Child Protective Services hotline and CPS removed her from the home. She was placed in an emergency shelter and two different foster homes. Each move meant new rules and fresh trauma. She stopped speaking for weeks at a time. She lashed out. Trust was difficult. Without specialized trauma care, children like Mia often cycle through the system, their families shattered, and their futures dim.
At RMYA, Mia finally stepped onto the Bridge of Hope. She found safety in art therapy, where she could draw the monsters she had lived with and begin to let them go. Psycho-drama groups helped her practice feeling safe. Family therapy worked with her mother—now in recovery—to rebuild the relationship and keep the family together whenever possible, exactly as the State of Texas hopes. Therapeutic outings to the park and life-skill workshops taught her that the world could be kind.
Today Mia speaks in full sentences again. She laughs. She sleeps through the night. She talks about wanting to be a teacher someday.
Help the next child, like Mia, take their first steps across the bridge.
