our story

In the Fall of 2015, Maria Rushton-Clem was speaking with a friend who worked for Dallas County Child Protective Services (CPS).  She shared some startling concerns about the plight of children in the Foster care system.

She learned that when children are removed from their homes oftentimes their belongings are packed in trash bags.  Many receive little or no Christmas/Birthday gifts and often clothes/gifts given to the children are not age and/or gender appropriate.  So, the children go through loss of family connection and often have nothing that brings them security, dignity, and joy.

Maria remembered her own experiences wiith poverty and the people who helped her children during those times and decided to try and help these displaced children and Gracefully Planted was formed.

Gracefully planted started initially providing backpacks filled with age and gender appropriate Christmas gifts and necessary supplies for these children and later back-to-school supplies.