Fortress

04/21/2026

FORT WORTH, Texas — Catholic Charities Fort Worth (CCFW) and Fortress Youth Development Center are partnering to ensure that Fortress’s legacy of service continues to shape the future of Fort Worth families, transforming a moment of transition into a long-term investment in what comes next.

Following its closure in September 2025, Fortress made the intentional decision to extend its impact beyond its 20 years of direct service. As part of that vision, a restricted endowment, The Fortress Fund, has been established and will be held and administered by Catholic Charities Fort Worth.

The Fortress Fund will provide ongoing, sustainable support for programs that help low-income working families build bridges from poverty to promise, continuing the mission that defined Fortress since its founding in 2005.

“This moment feels like both a closure and a powerful new beginning,” said Stacy Agee Martin, Executive Director of Fortress. “As we entrust this next chapter to Catholic Charities Fort Worth, I do so with deep gratitude and hope. Through our partnership with CCFW – specifically the childcare specialist who connected families to our care – I’ve seen firsthand their commitment to thoughtful, family-centered work. I am confident The Fortress Fund will be stewarded with integrity, ensuring the Fortress legacy continues for generations.”

In addition to establishing the endowment, Catholic Charities Fort Worth has acquired the former Fortress campus, creating new opportunities to build on what Fortress started and to serve families in new and expanded ways. Planning is already underway to thoughtfully reimagine how the space can best support the evolving needs of the community, with more details to be shared in the months ahead.

Beginning in March 2027, distributions from The Fortress Fund will directly support families served through CCFW’s programs. These funds will be used to provide critical resources such as childcare assistance for low-income working families, financial support for education and career advancement, and services that strengthen emotional and financial resilience.

“The Fortress Board of Directors is delighted to partner with Catholic Charities of Fort Worth to preserve the 20-year legacy of Fortress’ service to the Fort Worth community,” said Kirk Lundblade, longtime Fortress board member. “Given CCFW’s strong presence in the community and its like-minded commitment to Fortress’s mission of ‘building bridges from poverty to promise’, we feel this organization is ideally suited to manage the fund and make distributions to deserving recipients.”

“Investing in children and families at critical moments in their lives is something we have the privilege of sharing in common with Fortress,” said Heather Reynolds, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Fort Worth. “We are excited to continue running this race and cannot wait to share more as we reimagine the space for the future needs of this community.”

Fortress announced its closure in September 2025 after months of sustained efforts by community partners and donors to maintain operations. Over its 20-year history, the organization served more than 1,700 children and youth, providing high-quality early childhood education and critical support that enabled parents to pursue education and employment.

Through this partnership, that impact will continue, ensuring that the legacy of Fortress remains an active, evolving force for good in Fort Worth.

About Catholic Charities Fort Worth
At Catholic Charities Fort Worth, we relentlessly end poverty through holistic, research-based solutions. Founded in 1910, CCFW serves tens of thousands of people in North Texas, and across the nation, each year.

About Fortress Youth Development Center
Fortress’s mission of “building bridges from poverty to promise” was realized through a multi-generational approach that helped families overcome barriers rooted in systemic inequities, generational trauma, and life circumstances. Our programs helped thousands of infants through adults establish transformative pathways to hope and sustainability.

Photo:
Pictured outside the former Fortress building in Fort Worth are (from left) Elisa Juarez, Childcare Specialist at Catholic Charities Fort Worth; Stacy Agee Martin, Executive Director of Fortress Youth Development Center; and Josh Audi, Chief Financial Officer at Catholic Charities Fort Worth. An early connection between Juarez and Agee Martin laid the groundwork for the partnership that will carry Fortress’s legacy forward through Catholic Charities Fort Worth.

09/26/2025

09/26/2025

After 20 years of memories, laughter, and service, we are closing this chapter.

It has been the greatest honor to walk alongside our children, families, and community. The relationships, stories, and milestones we’ve shared will stay in our hearts forever.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives , we love you and will always cherish this community we’ve built together.

09/19/2025

TIE-ing up the last few weeks with some TIE-dye! 🌈🌀 Our kids had a blast showing off their creativity!

While we are sad things have to end - we can share a little color, a lot of joy, and memories that will last far beyond this week!

09/16/2025

It is with profound sadness that we make this announcement. Despite good faith efforts of community partners and donors and the tireless work of our staff, the Board and executive leadership of Fortress have made the difficult and final decision to close permanently effective Friday, September 26, 2025.

The Board previously announced a pending closure in February 2025. Community investments rushed in, enabling us to keep our doors open through May, while our donor base rallied to keep us open through September. We used that blessing of extra time to continue serving children and families while also restructuring our funding and operating models for long-term sustainability. It became clear in recent weeks that a tough decision needed to be made. Fortress leadership has communicated with the 46 Fortress families currently enrolled in our programs, and the 24 staff members we employ, to let them know how they will be supported during this time.

Support for Fortress Families
We’re grateful to our partners at Center for Transforming Lives (CTL) who are supporting the smooth transition of the two CTL Early Head Start classrooms operating on the Fortress campus. We are also grateful to the Bethlehem Center for absorbing our After School students into their program and to Child Care Associates (CCA) who is helping our remaining Fortress families locate Texas Rising Star child care providers near their homes or work. CCA will also help ensure that Fortress families have updated paperwork with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Child Care Scholarship program. This program is oversubscribed statewide, with a waitlist in Tarrant County that tops 23,000 children. This is difficult news not just for Fortress families, but all lower-income families struggling to work and access support resources to afford quality child care.

Support for Fortress Staff
CCA is conducting on-site rapid cycle interviews and job offers this week to help place our educators into immediate positions within their vast network of early childhood education centers, and to facilitate networking opportunities with other Texas Rising Star providers and nonprofit organizations. As Fortress's Executive Director, I am deeply grateful to CCA for this opportunity, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that it is a viable option only because of our staff's hard work, dedication, and commitment to Fortress's mission. Despite the hardship of the last six months, Fortress's program team has maintained our 4-star Texas Rising Star rating, the highest achievement possible by the quality rating system that governs child care centers in Texas. Any early childhood education center will be blessed to have our excellent teachers on their team.

Our Impact
I am so proud of the legacy we’ve built and the lives we’ve been privileged to change. Since 2005, Fortress has been committed to ensuring that low-income families have access to high-quality children’s programming. We’ve blended social-emotional learning with developmental milestones, kindergarten readiness, literacy initiatives, and imaginative play to give kids the best possible foundations from which to grow. We instilled the belief that we are all children of God with the ability to achieve our dreams.

Rather than simply providing for parents, we partnered with them to create avenues for meaningful buy-in even when monetary contributions weren’t possible. Because consistent, dependable child care was available, dozens of parents were afforded the opportunity to complete their education, obtain job skills training, and to establish work histories that propelled them toward long-term stability, ultimately breaking cycles of generational poverty. Countless hours were invested by families into parenting classes, engagement opportunities, and community involvement. Some of the hardest working, most dedicated parents I've ever known have been Fortress parents. I am forever changed because of the lessons in tenacity, resilience, and gratitude that they've shown me.

Gratitude
Fortress wishes to thank the numerous foundations, churches, corporations, and individual supporters who stepped up to support us throughout the years. We owe gratitude to the hundreds of volunteers who enhanced our mission through their hands-on, servant-hearted work. Our efforts were multiplied exponentially by the organizations and community partners who walked alongside us to provide additional services such as our community pantry, mental health counseling, yoga and mindfulness, academic diagnostics, on-site therapies, and professional development. We have truly been part of a beautiful village.

We will remain eternally grateful for the care our Historic Southside neighbors entrusted to us and for the resources our donors allowed us to steward.

We trust we've been a blessing to the 1,700 children and youth we served over the last 20 years. While we bookend our chapter in direct service, we are heartened to know that our Fortress families will continue to be supported by a community of nonprofits, churches, and citizens whose efforts will ultimately continue our mission of “building bridges from poverty to promise.”

Children have always been the heart of Fortress, and it has been our greatest honor to grow alongside them. Thank you for making that possible.

09/08/2025

Have legal questions but don't know where to start? Come to our Free Legal Clinic, open to everyone in the community not just Fortress families! This clinic is here to help you find clarity and direction if needed. No topics are off limits!

This event is completely free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the Tarrant County Bar Association and Dore Rothberg Law. (Special thanks to Brent Dore, Fortress board member, for helping make this possible.)

Please note: this is not legal representation, but a free advice and referral clinic to help you understand your rights and next steps.

We hope to see you soon!

09/01/2025

Happy Labor Day from Fortress!

Today we celebrate the hard work and dedication of workers everywhere and the backbone of our communities! 💪

While our kids daydream about becoming doctors, construction workers, princesses, or just a gal on vacation, it’s a good reminder that taking a break today helps us come back ready to chase our dreams and reach new goals tomorrow!

08/29/2025

Happy Funder Friday 💸

Today we want to give a huge thank you to all of our amazing Friends of Fortress! Your recurring monthly gifts help Fortress provide enriching experiences for our preschoolers, after school kids, and families. We’re always looking to welcome more monthly donors because consistent support allows us to plan ahead, sustain programs, and make an even bigger impact for the children and families we serve!! For about the price of a couple of weekly coffee pickups or a monthly date night, you can help our kids learn, grow, and thrive.

Help us continue to have more days like this!
👉 https://fortressfw.org/donate-1 👈

08/28/2025

It's time! Today we're taking a look inside our preschool classrooms! This week, our preschoolers are hard at work learning all about faces - eyes, noses, smiles, and more! Not only is this activity fun, but it also helps little ones build important social and emotional skills as they recognize feelings and expressions!

There’s nothing better than watching kids connect the dots as they discover new things.

08/26/2025

Every child deserves a safe place to learn, grow, and dream big. 🌟 That’s what Fortress provides and VOLUNTEERS help make it happen!

Have an extra hour a week? Join us as a mentor, tutor, classroom buddy, or pantry helper! Every hour you give helps kids and families thrive!

Short on time? You can still make a difference! We’re always looking for volunteers to help with one-time projects and special events.

👉 Learn more: https://fortressfw.org/volunteer

08/25/2025

🎉🍴 It’s Party Time… and it benefits Fortress! 🎉🍴

In need of top-tier kitchen gear and also wanting to give back to our community?

Our Virtual Pampered Chef Party starts TODAY! 🥳 When you shop through our special link, a portion of every purchase goes straight to supporting kids and families at Fortress!

Here’s how it works:
🛒 $200–$649 in sales = Fortress receives 20% donation
🛒 $650+ in sales = Fortress receives 30% donation

That means the more we shop, the more Fortress families win! 🙌

Join the party here: https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/susanbrown0822

Treat yourself to amazing kitchen must-haves 🥘 while making an impact in our community - Our party ends this Saturday!