News Release
For Immediate Release

SHERMAN, August 13, 2026 – The Texoma Council of Governments has been awarded funding through the Texas Veterans Commission’s Fund for Veterans’ Assistance Grant Program to expand financial assistance and supportive services for veterans and surviving spouses across the Texoma region.

The grant will enable TCOG’s Area Agency on Aging to provide direct financial assistance and coordinated support to economically vulnerable older veterans and surviving spouses residing in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson Counties.  Eligible assistance may include help with rent or mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, transportation, funeral expenses, and restorative dental care.

“Veterans have given so much in service to our country and we want to make sure that service is honored by helping them remain safe, stable and independent in their own communities,” said Cara Lavender, TCOG’s Aging Services Director. “This grant gives us another important tool to respond when an older veteran or surviving spouse is facing a financial crisis and needs assistance to get back on stable ground.”

The program will place particular emphasis on veterans who are low-income, disabled or homebound, lack family support, or live in rural areas where access to assistance can be more difficult.  TCOG’s Area Agency on Aging has long worked to promote independence and coordinate services for older adults throughout the three-county region.

“We are grateful to the Texas Veterans Commission for recognizing the needs of veterans in the Texoma region and for investing in a local solution,” said Eric Bridges, TCOG Executive Director. ”  TCOG’s mission in fundamentally about improving quality of life, and helping veterans who have served our nation is a natural extension of that commitment.  This partnership allows us to bring resources directly to the people and communities that need them most.”

TCOG is a voluntary association of local governments serving Cooke, Fannin and Grayson Counties. Established in 1968, TCOG provides a broad range of human services, community and economic development, public safety, aging, housing and other programs designed to improve the quality of life throughout the Texoma region.