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McKenna Foundation offers ‘Match Minutes’ during The Big Give

September 11, 2023

The McKenna Foundation plans to offer The Big Give participants two opportunities to potentially double their donations to their favorite local nonprofit agency during the event later this month.

For 10 years, The Nonprofit Council has presented The Big Give. This annual 24-hour online giving day helps connect South Central Texas nonprofits with new and existing donors through its website at thebiggive.org. Since 2014, The Big Give has helped organizations raise over $40 million from over 283,000 individual donors.

This year, The Big Give will start at 6 p.m. on Sept. 20 and conclude at 6 p.m. on Sept. 21. The McKenna Foundation will support two five-minute “Match Minutes” windows, allowing donors to double their donations to local nonprofits.

The first window takes place from 11:10 to 11:15 p.m. on Sept. 20, with an available fund of $5,000. The Foundation will match all online gifts up to $100 that occur during the designated five-minute window until the $5,000 fund runs out.

The second window runs from 8:10 to 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 21 and includes an available fund of $5,000. Only gifts processed online during the specified window will receive a match.

Jacob Huereca, CEO of Connections Individual and Family Services, said The Big Give allows the organization to leverage matching funds to do more for children and families.

“This event provides a wonderful opportunity to share critical information about what organizations do in our communities as well as give our community members opportunities to support these organizations financially,” Huereca said. “During the Big Give, there are ample opportunities for funds to be matched, which means if you donate $20, that can often mean the nonprofit will receive $40 or more depending on the matching funds available. The Big Give significantly impacts nonprofits that rely upon fundraising dollars to provide critical services in our community.”

Debi Dickensheets, executive director of RecoveryWerks!, said McKenna match minutes are a fantastic way for those supporting recovery for teens and their families to achieve an even greater impact.

“A lot of times, our families are financially strapped when they start coming to RecoveryWerks! but they love jumping into the McKenna match minutes through the Big Give,” Dickensheets said. “It allows them to give back to the program and have a bigger impact. We rely on the donations of our community to keep our program funded. McKenna match minutes through the Big Give are a huge part of maintaining these programs available for our teens and their families.”

Agencies that are current and former Foundation grantees whose operations are primarily located in Comal County are eligible for the matching funds. The Foundation recommends donors have their donation form filled out a minute or two beforehand so that once the five-minute period hits, they can submit their donation for the best chances of being matched.

Agencies eligible for the McKenna match are Any Baby Can, Believe It Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Comal and Guadalupe counties, Bulverde Spring Branch Activity Center, CASA of Central Texas, Children’s Advocacy Center of Comal County, Chosen, Comal County Conservation Alliance, Comal County Habitat for Humanity, Communities In Schools South Central Texas, Connections Individual and Family Services, Crisis Center of Comal County, CRRC of Canyon Lake, EdenHill Communities and Family Life Center.

Organizations also eligible are Headwaters at the Comal, Hope Hospice, NB Housing Partners – First Footing Program, New Braunfels Christian Ministries, New Braunfels Food Bank, New Braunfels Public Library Foundation, New Braunfels Youth Collaborative, RecoveryWerks!, River City Advocacy & Counseling Center, Rock Haus Foundation, SJRC Texas, STEPS Solutions That Equip People for Success and The Salvation Army – New Braunfels.

The success of The Big Give will be measured by the amount of money raised and the tremendous impact those dollars will have when nonprofits across Comal County and South Central Texas put them to work. Join the giving on Sept. 20-21 at thebiggive.org.

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Suicide prevention organization founder comes to NB Sept. 13 for Brauntex event

September 7, 2023

On Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m., New Braunfles and the Brauntex Theare will welcome Sam Eaton, author of “Recklessly Alive: What My Suicide Attempt Taught Me About God and Living Life to the Fullest.” He’s a powerful voice, dedicated to eradicating suicide deaths worldwide.

In 2011, Eaton gave himself an ultimatum — on Christmas Day, he would either end his life or never think about suicide again.

“I wrote goodbye letters and boxed up my belongings because I believed my life was meaningless and disposable,” Sam says on his recklesslyalive.com website.

In 2020, he published his first book entitled “Recklessly Alive: What My Suicide Attempt Taught Me About God and Living Life to the Fullest.” The book became a No. 1 Amazon best-seller.

Sam will share his story to equip and empower the New Braunfels community to engage in real and honest conversations about mental health, depression and suicide. The presentation is free and open to the public. The Walmart Foundation, Downtown Rotary Club of New Braunfels and Sissy Preston sponsor the event.

The event is free. To reserve a seat, click here.

For more information about the Brauntex, visit brauntex.org.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available 24/7. Call or text the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Call the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team of Comal County for local support at 1-877-466-0660 or text 741741.

Confidential crisis support is available for veterans and their loved ones by dialing 988, then pressing 1. Veterans can also text 838255. If someone is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

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McKenna Children’s Museum breaks visitor records in 2022

February 9, 2023

The McKenna Children’s Museum in New Braunfels, overseen by the McKenna Foundation, saw a year of record-breaking visitors and sales in 2022.

The Museum admitted 111,965 visitors in 2022, surpassing the previous top mark of 91,427 in 2017.

Admission sales also broke a record, with $523,221 in 2022, surpassing the 2018 mark of $409,052.

The Museum’s membership sales, which totaled $185,372 in 2022 and gift shop sales of $218,108, also represented top marks in those categories.

At the Museum, children discover a world of art and creativity, science and technology, culture, health, and history, engaging with educational exhibits designed to stimulate learning and encourage information.

“We’re very proud of the success we had in 2022,” said Isabel Martinez, the Museum’s operations manager. “We want to thank all of our visitors and members who came to the Museum and hope they will visit us again and again in 2023 for more fun and educational experiences.”

McKenna developed this unique hands-on experience to provide tools to help nurture a child’s well-being. Children explore in a safe and secure place while parents share in their child’s learning experience.

Admission for children older than 12 months and adults is $8 per person. School visits are available year around. Contact the Museum at 830-606-9525 for further information. All children must be accompanied by an adult 16 and up.

The Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday and for major holidays.
For more information and a calendar of events, visit https://mckennakids.org.