Potter’s House backs back-to-school aid for foster youth and Dallas students

The Potter’s House of Dallas says it is supporting several education initiatives this back-to-school season, including dorm-room furnishing for foster youth, a full first-semester payment for one incoming UNT student and scholarships for Dallas-area seniors headed to HBCUs.

The Potter’s House of Dallas said its philanthropic arm, TPH Outreach, has launched three education initiatives for foster youth and students preparing for college. The church said the efforts include furnishing dorm rooms for foster youth entering college, paying the full first semester for one incoming University of North Texas freshman and awarding scholarships to Dallas-area high school seniors planning to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

One of the initiatives took place on Aug. 3, when The Potter’s House partnered with Greater Than Expectations and the UNT PUSH program to co-present the 4th Annual Freshman Fresh Move-In Day at UNT. The release says 10 incoming students who have experienced foster care were welcomed. Volunteers and professional interior designers furnished their dorm rooms with furniture, bedding, décor, hygiene essentials, school supplies and food. The North Texas Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. was listed as a co-presenting sponsor.

The church also said it will announce a full first-semester payment for an incoming UNT freshman during a Sunday service. The student is described in the release as a soon-to-be mechanical engineering student and a member of the Firehouse youth ministry. The release quotes the student as asking, “how do I make this work without relying entirely on the government?” Cameras are invited to attend the service, according to the release.

TPH Outreach said it will also work with The HBCU Project to award five Dallas-area high school seniors scholarships. The awards are to be presented at the organization’s annual College Fair at the AT&T Discovery District. The release did not name the recipients or spell out the full terms of the partnership.

The Potter’s House said it was founded in 1996 by Bishop T.D. Jakes and has grown into a 30,000-member nondenominational, multicultural congregation and global humanitarian organization, according to the release. It also said Jakes announced in 2025 that Pastors Touré Roberts and Sarah Jakes Roberts would serve as co-senior pastors.

The release said updated Sunday service times begin Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. CT and that services are streamed on the church’s official YouTube channel. The first-semester payment announcement was set for that Sunday service.

Sources

• PR Newswire release: The Potter’s House is redefining what a community owes its young people

Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and includes source attribution for reader review.