Pro Texana Medal of Service – Brenda Snitzer, B.S.Ed. ’85, M.S.Ed. ’86

“I enjoyed life at Baylor in my undergraduate years,” said Brenda Snitzer, B.S.Ed. ’85, M.S.Ed. ’86. “I really think fondly of my roommates and all the people that I got to know at Baylor. I joined Delta Gamma sorority as a freshman. I loved intramurals, loved all the social activities, loved that it was a Christian environment and that it supported my values.” 

Going from her undergraduate degree straight into a master’s program at Baylor, Snitzer was able to soak in as much Baylor life as she could. She then became a probation officer in the inner city of Dallas as a way to get to know the community. During those first years, Snitzer laid the foundation for what would become a career of loving thy neighbor as executive director of The Stewpot, a ministry that serves those in poverty in Dallas. For people who are born into poverty with few resources, it’s often difficult for them to get out of poverty without either intervention, resources or others assisting them. After witnessing the aftereffects first-hand, Snitzer started moving into the nonprofit community and to organizations that focus on prevention or intervention and supplying resources to people who are in poverty or have other areas of need. 

“I never intended to be criminal justice-led. I am more of a social service-led person to help folks.”

Sometimes people who are in need end up getting put into the criminal justice system because they are misunderstood or not heard. Snitzer believes and embodies reaching out to people and deescalating situations to help them. The way to break the poverty cycle is to be proactive instead of reactive when able, she said, and to try to eliminate the many constraints that bind helpful resources.  

When Snitzer became Presbyterian with her family, she was the youth director and Christian educator at their church. She would bring the adults and youth to come and serve at The Stewpot, do meal service and help in the Saturday school program. When the position opened for the executive director of The Stewpot, it felt like the right place to bring together all the things she had done in her career so far.

One of the first improvements Snitzer made was The Stewpot’s environment and facility that had been neglected. The physical campus was transformed to make it a beautiful place for people to come, to heal, to be heard and to move forward with their lives. The space also became more inviting and nurturing for the community to gather — a fertile ground for new starts to blossom. 

“I think the loss of community is the hardest thing for folks that are experiencing homelessness.”

With the inviting nature of the space established, creative programming for the neighbors at The Stewpot began to take shape. The art program provides studio space and supplies free of charge to neighbors. There are various opportunities for the artists to show and sell their original work, with 90% of the sale price going directly back to the artist. Snitzer said artists in the program recently were able to partake in a special FIFA World Cup art showcase, in which artists were given a circular canvas to decorate and show. 

The writers’ workshop is for any skill level. Many participants of this group write about their own experiences, develop poetry skills and learn how to advocate for themselves in the written word. Other creative programming includes the Dallas Street Choir and the street paper, STREETZine. 

“It’s about spiritual enrichment, the whole person,” Snitzer said. “When folks feel nurtured in the whole person, it really makes a difference in the change for their lives.”

Snitzer likens The Stewpot to what she experienced as a student at Baylor — the community and the love and care that reflect the way of Jesus. Not everybody at The Stewpot is a Christian, but she said everybody there tries to love and serve and care for each other as neighbors. 

“Love is active — service is transformational.”

Snitzer has witnessed when people come to volunteer, they are transformed and become part of the neighbors and the community. Often neighbors who have been served return to volunteer. The ministry that Snitzer stewards is a beautiful community committed to replacing a cycle of loneliness and shame with a cycle of giving and love.