The Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation Challenge Course at the Center for Child Protection gives children and families who have experienced trauma a safe place to rebuild confidence, strengthen relationships, and develop the skills they need to heal. Through their longstanding support of children and families in Central Texas, the Garcia family is helping make innovative, trauma-informed therapy accessible to children who need it most.
The Dedication Ceremony
In honor of the Garcia family’s commitment to our community’s children, the Center for Child Protection recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the naming and dedication of The Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation Challenge Course.
During the ceremony, CEO of the Center for Child Protection Michael Torres introduced Angela Garcia, who gave a brief, beautiful speech about how much the Center and its mission means to her and Sergio.
“If there’s going to be a place where a child who has suffered trauma is going to come, be cared for, and feel safe,” Angela said, “this is the absolute best place I can think of.”
She was followed by Lead Experiential Therapist Africa Ibarra, who spoke about the Challenge Course and its impact in the lives of children and families served at the Center.
“[The course] creates opportunities for clients to experience trust, connection, confidence, courage, and success, all in real time,” Africa said. “I’d like to take a moment to thank the Garcia’s for supporting our work, our course, and believing in our mission. And for helping us continue to make this space accessible to all of our clients.”
What is the Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation?
Founded by champion professional golfer Sergio Garcia and philanthropist Angela Garcia, the Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation is dedicated to improving children’s lives by investing in local healthcare, wellness, and family-support services.
The Foundation raises funds and awareness through its signature event, FORE Kids ATX. This multi-day fundraising effort that has generated more than $8.5 million for child-serving organizations in Texas, including the Center for Child Protection, Dell Children’s Medical Center, Experience Camps, and The UGLI Foundation.
Through their generous support, the Garcia family ensures the Center can continue to offer free, individualized therapy to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or witnessed a violent crime. To honor their commitment to building a brighter future for children, the Challenge Course — one of the Center’s outdoor experiential therapy areas — now proudly bears the Foundation’s name.
What is a Challenge Course?
A challenge course is an activity area that uses physical challenges and team-based exercises to help participants develop skills such as trust, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.
At the Center for Child Protection, the Challenge Course is part of a trauma-informed experiential therapy program. Originally installed in 2009 and updated in 2025, the course features different elements that challenge clients physically while supporting social-emotional growth and healing.
Though it may look like an obstacle course, the goal isn’t speed, competition, or athletic performance. Instead, each activity creates an opportunity for children to gain and practice skills they can carry beyond the course. They can carry into their everyday lives.
Challenge Course Elements
The course uses low ropes and low-risk activities which therapist can facilitate individually, with families, or in larger group settings.
The Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation Challenge Course includes:
- All Aboard: Clients work together to fit their entire team onto a small platform.
- Multi-Vine Traverse: Clients cross a distance by climbing from one hanging rope to another.
- Nitro Crossing: Clients use a rope swing to move from one platform to another.
- Swinging Log: Clients cross a suspended log while relying on teammates for support.
- Telephone Pole Shuffle: Clients balance on a narrow beam while working with teammates to switch positions.
- Trolleys: Clients coordinate movements on shared boards to take steps forward as a team.
- Two-Line Tension Traverse: Clients cross a suspended rope while holding onto a second rope for balance.
Each element presents its own challenge, but the real work happens in how children approach it: asking for help, cheering on a teammate, or continuing to try until they succeed.
How Does a Challenge Course Help Children Heal from Trauma?
For children recovering from trauma, healing often requires more than words. It begins with rebuilding trust, confidence, and a sense of safety in the world around them.
For some children, that starts when they take their first brave step onto a balance beam. For others it happens when they realize they can rely on a someone else, solve a problem, or accomplish something they once thought was impossible.
Therapists guide children through the challenges, adapting each activity to meet their unique needs and support their individual goals. As children work through the course, they may learn to trust others, strengthen relationships with caregivers, reconnect with their bodies, or build confidence after experiences that left them feeling powerless. Each challenge provides meaningful opportunities for healing, growth, and connection.
“The Challenge Course allows our clients to move beyond traditional talk therapy through active engagement in a positive environment,” said Michael Torres, CEO of the Center for Child Protection
Each activity also fosters life skills such as perseverance, problem-solving, resiliency, communication, and collaboration. By working through challenges in a safe and supportive environment, children can begin to recognize their own strengths and discover that they’re capable of overcoming hard things.
The Challenge Course is also used for the Center’s annual Iron Paws group therapy event. Over four weeks, children work in teams with clinicians and Child Protection Team (CPT) members to practice obstacles. On event day, caregivers, Center staff, and CPT members cheer from the bleachers as teams work together to complete each challenge. This not only builds key skills, but also give children a change to feel seen, supported, and encouraged by their community.
No matter where they’re at on their healing journey, The Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation Challenge Course gives children and families a way to engage physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially as they work toward their therapeutic goals.
“We are grateful for the Garcia’s long and continued support, so our clients have a safe space to build trust and feel safe,” said Torres.
Building Brighter Futures Together
The Sergio & Angela Garcia Foundation Challenge Course represents what can happen when a community invests in children. Through the Foundation’s generosity, children and families served at the Center will continue to have access to innovative, experiential therapy that supports healing and helps build brighter future for years to come.
