For nearly 40 years, the Christi Center has been a vital resource for Central Texans navigating the challenges of grief. Now, after the theft of a newly-installed air conditioning unit, the center is turning to the community for help via GoFundMe.

Last week, staff discovered the A/C unit at The Annex, the Christi Center’s largest facility, had been stolen. With Texas temperatures rising, the loss of a climate-controlled space poses a significant challenge for the center's programs.

“When you hear something like that happen to this small, you know, small agency, in this realm, it feels really scary that this is happening in literally our backyard,” said Jocelyn Chamra-Barrera, the Christi Center's executive and clinical director.

The Annex serves as the home of the “Kids Who Care” program, which includes activities like community dinners that support grieving families. Chamra-Barrera said now, those gatherings are paused.

In the meantime, she said the nonprofit has had to relocate larger grief support groups to smaller spaces. With more people seeking help, Barrera added that the lack of a large, reliable space makes it even harder for the Christi Center to serve those in need.

“Even small changes, if we have to pivot to go to the house, or even pivot to go to the library, a conference room, that is going to impact people and it's going to show in their, in their grief,” she said.

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