The Taylors moved to Frisco in 2003 after participating in the Clothe a Child program in their previous community. They were inspired to expand the program to help families in need in Frisco. With the help of local churches, they established the Clothe a Child program in Frisco which provides vouchers for new school clothes to children from low-income families. The program has grown significantly over the years and now serves over 1700 children across Frisco and Little Elm. The Taylors work tirelessly leading the program and bringing the community together to support it, though need continues to increase as the economic hardship grows.

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Paying It
Forwardby Marissa Hausmann
and thought it was something special,”
Mr. Taylor remembers, “Just seeing the
cooperationofsomanypeople,particularly
among churches, and the opportunity for
churches to partner together with small
businesses and community groups within
and beyond Frisco was so inspiring. We
hoped it would become a part of the
DNA of our Frisco church.” It did.
Within the year, the Taylors had
formed a leadership team and established
an alliance of five churches in Frisco that
were excited about contributing to the
cause. The goal that first year was to
clothe 100 children, but the interest and
generosity of the community enabled
them to double that; 200 children were
given the opportunity to shop for new
school clothes, children who otherwise
might have gone years without the chance
to pick out and purchase new shoes or
winter jackets. Since then, the Clothe a
Child program in Frisco has expanded
into Little Elm. In 2010, almost eight
years after the introduction of Clothe
a Child to Frisco, over 1700 children
received vouchers through the program.
The Taylors are hoping to include a third
Saturday next year, as the need seems to
be steadily increasing.
“You look around Frisco and don’t
these children are given the opportunity
to apply for Clothe a Child through
the school counselors. Once accepted,
children and their families come to Kohl’s
on the designated day in October and
each child is given a voucher for $100
to be used toward clothing items. The
entire event takes place over one or
two Saturday mornings, during which
each family that qualifies for the program
is matched with a volunteer to assist in
shopping.
The Taylors moved from Connecticut
to McKinney in 2001, relocating to Frisco
two years later. Originally intending to
put temporary roots down in the area
until the last of their seven children
finished high school, the couple had no
idea that they soon would play such an
important role in the lives of hundreds
of families and children in the community.
The Taylors were introduced to Clothe a
Child through the church they attended
in McKinney, and immediately felt a
passion for the program. After settling
in and joining a church in Frisco, they
began brainstorming about ways to use
and expand the Clothe a Child concept to
help the Frisco community.
“We saw how Clothe a Child worked
in McKinney, participated in the events,
John and Jeri Taylor
photo by Chris Fritchie
PROFILE
MOST OF US DREAM about retirement;
no obligations, no responsibilities. Florida.
We long for the days of freedom when
our time will be our own and we can
spend it however we wish. It is a beautiful
heart that wants more than its own
freedom, more than its own comfort;
it is an exceptional person who lives to
give to others. John and Jeri Taylor are
truly exceptional people. As the leaders
of the Clothe a Child program in Frisco
and Little Elm, the Taylors work year
round to ensure that needy children will
have the opportunity to have new school
clothes each fall.
“We are both retired, and we believe
that now is the time for us to give back,”
explains Mrs. Taylor. “We want to
continue to be available to our family,
friends, church and community – to
support and encourage in whatever ways
we can.”
Clothe a Child was started by Dr.
Lawrence Kennedy of North Church
in Carrollton in 1989. Since then,
the program has changed the lives of
thousands of children in several different
cities. Clothe a Child works with school
districts to identify kids in elementary and
middle schools who qualify for the free or
reduced lunch program. The families of

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realize how great the need is,” says Mrs.
Taylor, “it is continually growing. Even
though, driving down the street we may
not see it, the need is still here. And we
still believe that this is where we are
supposed to be.”
The tough economic times have
simultaneously increased the need and
made it more challenging for Clothe
a Child to keep up with the growing
number of families who are applying for
the program. Mr. Taylor has noticed that
several of the kids who have recently
qualified for Clothe a Child have either a
single parent who is out of work, or if they
do have two parents in the home, many
times at least one parent has been laid off.
Many of these parents are simply unable
to find jobs, with limited employment
opportunities available to them.
These challenges do not discourage
the Taylors, however, as each obstacle is
met with an increase of faith. “We’d love
to have others come alongside us. If we
are going to meet the need, we are going
to need more people. God continues to
bless us, and every year when some have
cut back, others have stepped forward.
We believe in Frisco – that the churches
and small organizations will be able to
fund this event.”
The Taylors are still amazed that Little
Debbie, Baylor Medical Center and Global
Peace Factory Coffee Shop in Frisco
stepped up this year to provide coffee
and snacks for the volunteers and families
that arrived when it was still dark outside,
anxiously awaiting the doors of Kohl’s to
open at 5:45 am on that special Saturday
morning. “We do clothing,” says Mr.
Taylor, “but to be able to do something
more for these families is truly special.”
The generosity of the community
impresses the Taylors year after year,
as so many different groups of people
come together to make a difference in
the lives of children and families. This
year, over 800 volunteers came to assist
the families with shopping, but according
to Mr. Taylor, “It is so much more than a
shopping experience. Seeing the hugs and
smiles exchanged between the families
and the volunteers at the end of their time
together is amazing. Sometimes they even
have an opportunity to pray together.”
The Taylors not only care for the
families within their community, but are
also very close to their own children
and grandchildren. In between Clothe a
Child events and leadership meetings,
they spend as much time as possible with
family. Gathering the family together to ski
in the winter and hike in the summer, the
Taylors are all about building relationships
andleavingotherswithpositivememories.
Whether they are volunteering alongside
their two oldest sons, who are now
out of college, or taking their two- and
three-year-old grandkids for walks in the
neighborhood, the couple carries the
same purpose with them. Mrs. Taylor
explains her goal in Clothe a Child, and
ultimately, in her life, “It’s all about passing
it forward. Wanting our kids, and the
children of the community, to feel good
about what else life can bring them. John
and I both have a passion for children,
and our mission is to always give them
something good to remember. Wherever
their lives take them, we want them to
have a good memory to look back on. We
want to give a good memory with Clothe
a Child, so that they see that people can
be good…they will remember this and
hopefully want to pass it forward, to
serve others.”
Marissa Hausmann is a freelance writer who
lives in Frisco.
Clothe A Child volunteers
wait to be paired with clients
photo by Chris Fritchie
Finding the right pair of shoes
photo by Chris Fritchie
Gathering the family
together... the Taylors
are all about building
relationships and
leaving others with
positive memories.