Abner V. McCall Humanitarian Award
Jill McCall, a Waco native, has dedicated her professional life to helping the children and families in the Central Texas community. After graduating from Baylor, Jill started in public service for McLennan County as a Juvenile Probation Officer.
Jill has served on many nonprofit boards, including a year as the President of the Junior League of Waco. In 1990, she was elected to the Waco ISD school board and served for six years, including a term as President.
In 1999, Jill took a big leap by becoming the Executive Director of Compassion Ministries, which at the time was a still new, but struggling, nonprofit. Compassion Ministries of Waco provides transitional housing and support services up to six months for homeless families with children.
In 2016, Jill got an enormous professional challenge with the announcement that the government would no longer grant funds to transitional housing programs. She had anticipated this change, and created an endowment fund for the organization many years before. However, faced with losing one-third of the organization’s annual operating budget in just a few months, Jill threw herself into a final endowment fundraising campaign to ensure that no homeless families in the Compassion Ministries program would lose any services, now or in the future. Two years later, the endowment fund is within striking distance of the final $5.5 million goal.
In 20 years at that organization, Jill and a committed staff have developed a program that is a respected standard for homeless care in the Waco community.
Along with her professional accomplishments, Jill has taught Sunday School for pre-schoolers at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church for 37 years!
