Project Transformation Rio Texas is a faith-based, non-profit started in the San Antonio area in 2014 as a part of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Project Transformation began in 1998 in Dallas and has become the model for chapters in Oklahoma, Central and North Texas, Indiana, Arkansas, Washington DC, Georgia, and Tennessee.
In 2015, Project Transformation Rio Texas launched 3 summer sites in the San Antonio area with 2 permanent staff. In 2018, Project Transformation Rio Texas opened 2 new sites in the Rio Grande Valley and grew to 3 permanent staff. In 2020, 2 sites began in the Austin area fulfilling the promise made at PT’s inception to cover all the urban areas within the boundaries of the Rio Texas Conference which stretches from San Angelo to Corpus Christi to Austin to the Mexico/Texas border. Project Transformation Rio Texas became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in January 2020.
To date, Project Transformation Rio Texas has served over 1,000 children and youth through the leadership of 100+ young adults, since its founding. It has a permanent staff of 5 and hires 40+ young adults each summer. An afterschool program was launched at the request of a site church in the fall of 2018 that serves smaller numbers targeting systemic challenges. When the pandemic hit, PT proved that it was nimble enough to adapt to continue meeting the needs of children and their families by creating an online summer in 2020. This has led to online Reading Buddies being a permanent part of the out school time programming provided.
As each new geography is launched a Local Advisory Council for that area is created to guide the program from the grassroots level.
Today, Project Transformation Rio Texas serves the San Antonio and Austin areas and the Rio Grande Valley.
You can read more about our national history here.