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McKenna Foundation awards more than $1 million in grants to Comal County non-profit organizations

June 8, 2023

The McKenna Foundation awarded more than $1 million in grant funding to 12 organizations in Comal County in the first round of grantmaking the organization will undertake this year.

The Foundation awarded $300,000 to the Rock Haus Foundation to assist with improvements, renovations and construction for a planned multi-phase expansion project at the Comal County IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) Center on North Street in New Braunfels.

Plans are underway on renovating an existing building that will house the New Braunfels Independent School District’s transition program for special needs students ages 18-22. A second phase will include developing and constructing a community center to house area service providers, medical care, case managers and navigators, and a multi-purpose facility for recreation, education, meetings, conferences, plays and concerts.

Continuing its investment in housing initiatives as part of its basic living needs grant portfolio, the Foundation awarded $200,000 to NB Housing Partners as it transitions from a motel-based model to long-term space for its First Footing program. Renovations are underway at the former fire station on Loop 337 in New Braunfels for use as a permanent facility to house the city’s population experiencing homelessness.

The Salvation Army of New Braunfels was awarded $100,000 for its Home Sweet Home program, which provides services to assist people to move from homelessness to transitional and stable housing. They were also provided funds to help with a mission planning study to assess how best the agency can serve the community.

The Foundation also awarded basic living needs grants to Comal County Habitat for Humanity, Comal County Senior Citizens Foundation, Connections Individual and Family Services, Family Life Center of New Braunfels, Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, Helping Hands Food Pantry, Provisions Outreach – the Bulverde Food Pantry, New Braunfels Food Bank and STEPS.

“During this grant cycle, we were fortunate to fund impactful work being done for our community through nonprofits in three of McKenna’s strategic initiative areas: hunger, housing and services for people with IDD,” said McKenna Foundation CEO Alice Jewell. “Our nonprofit community is growing and strengthening alongside our community through the development of infrastructure that provides for residents’ needs. We envision a community that cares for everyone in all ways and makes investments in people through partnership with these nonprofits.”

The Foundation’s board approved the grants during its June meeting.

McKenna’s basic living needs grant portfolio is designed to award funding to nonprofit organizations that assist individuals and families in crises with prevention, intervention and services that lead to decreased dependence and improved stability.

Funding areas include programs that provide financial assistance, workforce/employability, food assistance, housing instability/assistance and transportation.

Grant application windows for organizations seeking funding in the areas of health, education, family relationships and community development are upcoming. New and returning applicants are welcome to apply.

The Foundation accepts applications from verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving New Braunfels and Comal County residents. In addition, the Foundation maintains a geographic limitation that requires grant funds to be used in Comal County.

The application window for grants in health (physical health, mental health, healthcare support services and access to care) and education (school readiness, education access and support, after-school programs and literacy programs) opens June 12, with applications due July 5.

The application window for grants in family relationships (child and youth development, parenting support, abuse/neglect prevention and senior services) and community development (arts programs, parks and recreation and development of public spaces and services) opens August 15, with applications due Sept. 9.

McKenna began making grants to community nonprofits in 2009 and has since awarded over 500 grants to 85 nonprofit organizations serving New Braunfels and Comal County residents.

Last year, the Foundation surpassed the $25 million mark in grant funding to nonprofits, awarding 36 grants totaling nearly $2 million.

Contact McKenna’s grant team at 830-606-9500 or email grants@mckenna.org for more information. Visit the Foundation’s website at www.mckenna.org.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters recruiting volunteer mentors in Comal, Guadalupe counties

June 7, 2023: Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children realize their potential and build their futures. But we can’t do it without volunteers.

With 31 children in Comal and Guadalupe counties awaiting a match — 23 of those Little Brothers — volunteer mentors are needed to step up more than ever.

Some kids today are growing up without the support and guidance they need to be successful. Without access to positive role models, they often fall prey to the dysfunctional cycles of poverty, delinquency, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, failure and incarceration.

The Comal & Guadalupe counties branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas is inviting potential mentors to find out more about the program during a mixer on June 20 from 5:30-7:30 pm at Screaming Goat Yard and Tap, located at 4 Sun Valley Drive in Spring Branch.

According to Rianne Sykes-Wenske, director for the Comal & Guadalupe counties branch, the program has seen a 300% increase in the last two years.

“This is an awesome community,” Sykes-Wenske said. “So many great people are mentors in our program. Our program is successful because of our volunteers. We really have something special here – not only do these kids get a mentor, they become part of the BBBS family.”

The program in Comal and Guadalupe counties has seen remarkable success in the last two years. According to Sykes-Wenske, 100% of the matches are still together after one year. Additionally, 100% of students in the program saw promotion to the next school grade level in the last year.

The movement started in 1904 when Ernest Coulter, a New York City juvenile court clerk, observed how many fatherless boys were coming through his courtroom and recognized they needed a positive adult role model to help them stay out of trouble. He recruited the first 50 volunteers, marking the beginning of the Big Brothers movement.

The Comal & Guadalupe counties branch started in 2001 to change the lives of children for the better, forever.

For more information and to RSVP for the June 20 event, visit www.bigmentor.org/comal-guadalupe-counties or email rsykes-wenske@bigmentor.org.

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Area nonprofit offers ‘Safe Space and Language Matters’ workshop

May 30, 2023

An area nonprofit agency is offering an opportunity to learn about LGBTQ+ identities, gender and sexuality as well as examine prejudice, assumptions and privilege.

Thanks to a generous grant from USAA, the Thrive Youth Center, which provides emergency shelter, housing, street outreach and resources to homeless LGBTQ+ young adults in San Antonio, offers “Safe Space and Language Matters” workshops, an opportunity for people to talk, learn and ask questions about sexuality and gender in a non-judgemental, safe and educational environment.

The free workshop, according to Greg Casillas, Thrive Youth Center’s assistant director, is especially relevant to organizations in Comal, Bexar, Guadalupe and Wilson counties that serve the LGBTQ+ population – adults and youths.

“It’s not just about the clients that we externally serve,” Casillas said. “It’s the clients that we have as co-workers, as referral agencies and how we provide supportive language for clients that we serve when we’re working with those outside agencies. And then what we do internally and externally to understand what a safe space is.”

The workshop sets and clarifies a common vocabulary on LGBTQ issues, provides activities and lectures that serve as a space for critical discussion and examination of privilege, bias and identity, grants participants the freedom to ask and discuss questions and empowers participants to feel personally involved and invested in issues of gender and sexuality.

“It’s the lateral learning opportunities that exist within the community and taking away some of the walls and barriers that prevent us from collaborating and cooperating with other organizations and learning from them,” Casillas said.

The curricula, activities and resources used for the workshop were co-created by Meg Bolger and Sam Killerman in 2013.

Organizations interested in attending a workshop session should contact Casillas at 210-220-2474 or email greg@thriveyouthcenter.org. Sessions are available through September.