Jill McCall - Executive Director
Jill McCall is the Executive Director of Compassion Ministries. A native and life-long resident of Waco, she attended Baylor University, where she majored in education, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in 1975.
After graduation, she became a juvenile probation officer for McLennan County and worked there three years before retiring temporarily to rear her family in 1978. While "retired", she was active in many volunteer endeavors including, but not limited to the Junior League of Waco, Waco ISD School Board, Heart of Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Waco Girls and Boys Club Foundation Board.
Her volunteer work has been recognized through such awards as Humanitarian of the Year - Greater Waco Interfaith Conference, Liberty Bell Award - Waco McLennan County Young Lawyers Association, Hometown Hero Award, 6 Who Care - KCEN TV and Good Neighbor Award - Neighborhood Housing Services of Waco.
Jill returned to McLennan County Juvenile Probation in 1993 and remained there until she was offered the position of Executive Director of Compassion in 1999. Under her leadership, Hope House became a reality in 2002, providing the only transitional housing facility in Central Texas for homeless families with children and single women.
Her hobbies include watching old movies, sudoku and spending time with her husband, Dick, and their children, Harvey and Laura.
Barbara Bridgewater - Case Manager
Barbara Bridgewater has been working as a part-time case manager for Compassion Ministries since 2002. She came to Compassion from Ohio where she was working for a transitional program and emergency shelter for 6 years. Barbara has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Miami of Ohio University and a Master's Degree in Education, specializing in Bilingual Education from Ohio University. Because she speaks the language, Barbara works with our Spanish-speaking families as well as those residents who want to work on their GED while in our program. Barbara, who home schools her own two girls, is married to Phillip Bridgewater, a full-time employee of Habitat for Humanity. The whole family is very involved in Hope Fellowship, a neighborhood church ministry in Waco, as well as with Habitat and Compassion.
Lory Latimer - Case Manager
Lory has worked for Compassion since 1999. She grew up in Ohio and earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio State University and a Masters in Education from the University of Houston. She moved to Texas in 1983.
Lory's employment history includes teaching special education in the public schools, working at state schools for the handicapped, and supervising the Independent Living Skills program for handicapped adults at MHMR.
Married for 25 years, Lory and her husband have two children who are now in college. Lory is a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Waco, where she has been involved as a Sunday School teacher and Vacation Bible School teacher. Among her other volunteer activities are coaching for the Special Olympics and softball, working in the library, and serving in PTA.
Judy Perry - Case Manager
A Licensed Social Worker, Judy has worked for Compassion Ministries since December of 2004. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and also holds a Mental Health Substance Abuse Certification from McLennan Community College.
Judy was born and raised in Rossford, Ohio and attended nursing school in Sandusky, Ohio. She worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse in hospital and home settings. At the same time, she continued her education and earned an associate degree in Early Childhood Education from Owens Community College in Ohio. She worked in both career fields in Ohio, California, Washington, and Hawaii. While living in Hawaii, Judy also became a certified Substance Abuse Group Facilitator through the University of Arizona at Pearl Harbor. She worked at Pearl Harbor as a part-time facilitator for the Navy Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Program. Judy spent several years as a stay-at-home mother and home educator and was active with Home School Groups and Home Educator Cooperative Groups.
Judy considers her three grown children the greatest blessings in her life. She is active with several Christian Ministries and Prayer groups in the Central Texas area. She enjoys spending time with her children and her friends. She loves traveling to visit family in Ohio and her daughter in California. She escapes to the ocean as often as possible.
