Tag Archives: Children

Be a Spur for the day at the Spurs Family Fantasy Event!

By North SA Chamber Editor
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TicketAdvantageJoin us to be a Spur for the day! Through the Spurs Family Fantasy Event, you and your family or kids from your favorite nonprofit organization can join the entire San Antonio Spurs squad for an exclusive experience. Kids ages 5-18 will learn DSC_2146from, interact with and play with the Spurs players, get scouted by the coaching staff, and leave with incredible memories.

Participants will have unprecedented access to the Spurs Practice Facility where they will have the opportunity to learn from the reigning NBA Champions.  Food, drinks and treats will be provided throughout the day, and photographers will be on hand to capture the memories as you focus on the experience. In addition to running drills with Spurs players and coaches, you will take a tour of the facility and the weight room, take a photo with all five NBA Championship trophies, receive a signed contract from Spurs General Manager RC Buford, and get interviewed by studio host and sideline reporter Andrew Monaco.

DSC_2117This year’s Spurs Family Fantasy event is set for Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Spurs Practice Facility and costs $5,000 for a family four pack. All proceeds benefit Silver & Black Give Back youth sports programs like the Spurs Youth Basketball DSC_2158League, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season.

For footage of last year’s event, go to www.sbgb.org or click here. All participants are required to be accompanied by a chaperone. Only one chaperone is required for groups or families. To register for the 2014 Spurs Family Fantasy Event or for more information, please contact Loretta Kerner at lkerner@attcenter.com.

About Spurs Youth Basketball League The Spurs Youth Basketball League (formerly the Spurs Drug-Free League) was founded by Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and Kids Sports Network president/founder Frank Martin as a way of promoting recreational youth basketball and teaching students to make positive choices and have respect for all.  The SYBL is a recipient of President George H. W. Bush’s Point of Light Award for its innovative programming and anti-drug efforts.

Over the past two-and-a-half decades, more than 275,000 children and coaches have benefited from the SYBL.  The league offers 12,000 young people the opportunity to play basketball and improve their athletic skills while learning teamwork, cooperation and discipline in a positive and safe environment.

About Silver & Black Give Back Silver & Black Give Back is a 501(c)(3) public charity that invests in the community in partnership with the entire Spurs Sports & Entertainment family of teams. For more than 25 years our players, coaches and staff have focused on fostering young talent and enriching the community by encouraging local youth to become responsible adults and give back through programs like Spurs Youth Basketball League and Team Up Challenge. Together, our community has the power to empower and create lasting change throughout San Antonio. More information on Silver & Black Give Back can be found at www.sbgb.org. Fantasy - SYBL

Respite Care celebrates 27th anniversary with luncheon

By North SA Chamber Editor
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RespiteCare_colorChildren with special needs, as well as the families who love and care for them, deserve compassion, understanding, and support. Children who suffer injury and abuse deserve a calm, nurturing, and stable place to heal and hope. Respite Care of San Antonio provides care for children with special needs, some of whom have suffered abuse and injury. At Respite Care we open our arms wide in love and compassion for the children who need us most.

Founded over 26 years ago by families caring for a child with special needs and recognizing the demands placed on parents working to meet their child’s needs, these families created what is now known as Respite Care of San Antonio.  Since inception, a diverse cadre of supports has been developed to provide temporary care for children with special needs to give families a break to spend time within their marriage, with other children within the family unit and for themselves.  Sixteen years ago, with the opening of the Davidson Respite House, the agency began providing full time, overnight care for children who are victims of abuse or neglect from throughout the state and living within the state’s protective custody orders.  Respite Care’s emergency shelter program remains the only licensed service of its kind in the state of Texas.

To commemorate the unique services this entity provides, Respite Care’s 27th Anniversary Luncheon will be held Thursday, November 21, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. at the Historic Pearl Stables.  This event will honor Charline McCombs and feature guest speaker John Foppe, who will share the story of his success, despite the many obstacles he was forced to overcome.

To learn more about Respite Care or to purchase sponsorship and tickets to this very special celebration, visit www.respitecaresa.org.

Local Child Protective Services kids get school supply boost from KENS 5, Generations Federal Credit Union and Corner Store

By North SA Chamber Editor
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generations fcu logokens5com-logo-310Generations Federal Credit Union and Corner Store will partner with CBS affiliate KENS 5 to collect school supplies for the approximately 7,000 Bexar County children who are under the care of Child Protective Services.

Individuals are encouraged to participate by bringing supplies to the KENS 5 studios during the week of August 4 through August 8, donating online at http://info.mygenfcu.org/bills-elves or dropping off supplies at any of the 14 Generations Federal Credit Union branches between July 23 and August 9.  The school supplies will be delivered to the CPS offices during the week of August 11 and case workers will distribute the collected supplies to the children.  Individuals who donate will receive a coupon for a free Kolache and a cup of Cibolo Mountain premium coffee from Corner Store.

“This school supply drive is a win-win for everyone involved.  It enables Generations to make a tangible difference in our community and it provides these students with the supplies they need to be successful during the school year.  Additionally, the families who take in these children receive little to no financial assistance from the State, so it provides us with the opportunity to help them out as they step up to the plate to help these kids,” said Generations FCU CEO, Steve Schipull.

Hosted by KENS 5 Chief Meteorologist, Bill Taylor, the bi-annual event collects school supplies in August and Christmas toys in December.  The KENS 5 studios are located at 5400 Fredericksburg Road and volunteers will be out in front of the studios at the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts during the week of August 4 through August 8.

“San Antonio has always been a community that comes together to take care of our own.  The Bill’s Elves initiative has been very successful year after year and we look forward to exceeding our goals and making a difference in the lives of these great kids,” concluded Schipull.

About Generations Federal Credit Union
For nearly 75 years, Generations Federal Credit Union has been an advocate of financial growth and development within the community, offering award-winning financial education classes, as well as products and services that truly make a difference.  Generations strives to be a trusted advisor, offering personal attention that provides members with the financial skills they need to be successful.  Their tailored approach to banking enables them to deliver personalized service for both businesses and consumers.

 

12th Annual Jon’s 5K Run/Stroll benefiting Center for Infant and Child Loss and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research

By North SA Chamber Editor
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logo-without-taglineSave the date for Any Baby Can’s 12th Annual Jon’s 5K Run/Stroll presented by Pioneer Energy Services.
Activities, beautiful scenery and fun await runners, walkers and strollers as the community comes together in support of families who have lost a child. It is a time to celebrate the memories of lives that were lost too soon. May you be a volunteer, family member, friend or advocate, your participation in Jon’s Run helps Any Baby Can to provide funeral assistance, counseling and grief support to families who have experienced the loss of their infant or young child to any cause. Funds raised also support Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) research.
Join Any Baby Can at Éilan San Antonio, Saturday, May 10 at 8 a.m.

JR 2013 startAs Any Baby Can’s 12th Annual Jon’s Run embarks on a new location at Éilan San Antonio, the perseverance and significance felt that morning will remain. Jon’s Run will forever unite a community that is devoted to supporting families as they walk through some of the darkest of days after the loss of their child. Every year before the start of the run, a moment of silence is held with all eyes on the sky as families release colorful balloons, adorned with a message to their children.

“Jon’s Run gives hope to those who have lost all hope. This event comforts me with the knowledge that I am not alone in the grief and suffering I experienced when we lost Jon and that his brief life on earth has made a difference in the lives of so many others,” says Melissa French-Stephenson.

Jon Carl Stephenson, passed away of SIDS on April 25, 2002 and is the inspiration behind Jon’s Run. In May of 2003, Any Baby Can’s 1st Annual Jon’s 5K Run/Stroll was organized to benefit Any Baby Can’s Center for Infant and Child Loss.

Any Baby Can’s 12th Annual Jon’s 5K Run/Stroll welcomes runners and walkers of all ages. Kids will warm up with Spiderman as they prepare for the 50 Meter (1-4 years of age) and 200 Meter (5-11 years of age) Kids’ Fun Run, sponsored by Children First Pediatrics. Spiderman will then give his best to keep up with the kids as he runs alongside them. Kids can then wait for their parents to cross the finish line to see if they will be awarded in one of the following categories; 1st, 2nd or 3rd place for male and female, overall and masters for male and female, followed by the top 3 stroller runners. All Kids’ Fun Run participants will receive a medal.

In addition, there are a variety of activities for attendees to participate in, including face painting and balloon animals. Participants, volunteers and partners can start their morning off with a cup of coffee from Community Coffee and after the race, reward themselves with snacks and drinks donated by HEB, La Madeleine, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Honest Tea.

Registration Registration for Any Baby Can’s 12th Annual Jon’s 5K Run/Stroll is $27 per person for team registration and $32 for individual registration. Registration for the Kids’ Fun Run is $16 per child. For more information, or to register for Any Baby Can’s 12th Annual Jon’s 5K Run/Stroll, visit www.jonsrun.com.

About Any Baby Can For more than 30 years, Any Baby Can has provided services to families with children facing serious health or developmental challenges. For more information, visit www.anybabycansa.org or call 210-227-0170.

SSFCU donates to two San Antonio Nonprofits serving women and seniors

By North SA Chamber Editor
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Security Services Federal Credit UnionSecurity Service Charitable Foundation recently presented San Antonio’s Southwest Outreach for Older People (SWOOP) with a grant of $5,000 and the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter of Bexar County with a grant of $10,000.

SWOOP serves seniors in southwest San Antonio as a free transportation service that helps them get to doctors, pharmacies, banks and grocery stores. It’s a door-through-door service in safe, private vehicles for seniors who have no friends or family to rely on. SWOOP currently serves 230 seniors in just its second year of operation, and the grant funds will be used to support its volunteer program, including mileage reimbursement and training for this dynamic program.

SWOOP_SSFCUFrom left: Eileen Mares, SWOOP treasurer/secretary and SSFCU branch manager; Joan Fisher, SWOOP executive director; Dottye Williams, Ph.D., SWOOP president, and Jim Laffoon: SSFCU President and CEO

The Battered Women and Children’s Shelter is the only shelter in Bexar County for abused women and children. In recent months, the shelter has reached nearly 200 people a month – turning no one away. The grant will be used to provide victims of family violence a place of safety and help transitioning to self-sufficiency.

BatteredWomen's Shelter_SSFCUFrom left:  Mark Jimenez,  SSFCU assistant vice president of network engineering  and support, Marta Pelaez, president and CEO of the Battered Women’s Shelter, and Jim Laffoon, SSFCU president and CEO. 

“It is our great joy and honor to be able to help organizations like SWOOP and the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter that are grounded in building a better future for the most vulnerable in our community, providing important systems and supports to make life easier,” said Jim Laffoon, president of the Security Service Charitable Foundation and president and chief executive officer for Security Service Federal Credit Union (SSFCU).

The Security Service Charitable Foundation helps further SSFCU’s corporate goal of community service by contributing to deserving organizations and causes in the credit union’s market areas.

About Security Service Federal Credit Union
Security Service Federal Credit Union offers competitive, affordable financial products and services designed to meet the needs of its members. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Security Service is an industry-leading financial institution with $7.5 billion in assets and 70 locations in Texas, Colorado and Utah. The credit union is among the top 10 credit unions in the nation. Security Service strives to be America’s best credit union and provides the true benefits of credit union membership with financial services of the highest quality and value. Learn more at www.ssfcu.org or call 1-888-415-7878.

Respite Care of San Antonio celebrating 26 years of service

By North SA Chamber Editor
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respitelogofinalRespite Care of San Antonio, celebrating 26 years of service, is a locally founded and based nonprofit organization for families caring for a child with special needs.

Respite Developmental Daycare empowers parents to work while their child receives specialized care, preparing them with the tools they need to achieve success. The agency is most noted for serving the most vulnerable amongst us, children with special needs who are victims of abuse or neglect. The Davidson Respite House and Najim Family Respite Home provide safe shelter to children with special needs and their siblings who are in protective custody. The homes are notably the only shelters in Texas dedicated to children in need of specialized care. The agency also empowers families to embrace children in need of temporary foster care services.

To commemorate the unique services this entity provides, the 12th Annual Celebration of Love & Children will be held Thursday, April 10, 2014, beginning at 6:00 pm on the campus of Respite Care, located in the historic Monte Vista neighborhood. This event will honor Craig Boyan and his family, along with the partners of HEB, for their many gifts to the children of Respite Care throughout the years.

To learn more about Respite Care or to purchase sponsorship and tickets to this very special celebration, visit www.respitecaresa.org

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa awards community grant to Respite Care of San Antonio

By North SA Chamber Editor
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HyattHCResort_logoHyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa is helping Respite Care of San Antonio start the New Year strong, thanks to a generous $20,000 grant from Hyatt Hotels Corporation to further the organization’s mission to provide support and care to children with special needs and their families. The $20,000 grant is one of the highest of the 26 grants awarded to non-profits across the world as part of Hyatt Community Grants, a philanthropic program that empowers Hyatt associates to nominate nonprofits that directly serve their community.

Hyatt Community Grants, a key component of Hyatt Thrive – Hyatt’s global corporate responsibility platform – encourages hotels worldwide to identify and nominate local nonprofits for funding consideration. The program builds on Hyatt’s belief that no one better understands a community’s most pressing issues – and their solutions – than those that live and work there.

“Through the Hyatt Community Grants program, we are able to help Respite address the greatest needs they have in providing for these amazing children,” said Gino Caliendo, general manager. “We have been working with Respite since 2010 and we know this gift will help them continue the important work they are accomplishing.” The $20,000 ties in with the resort’s 20th anniversary and the addition of a 20,000 sq. ft. ballroom.

Respite Care of San Antonio, a locally founded nonprofit organization celebrating its 26th anniversary, serves the most vulnerable in our society, children with special needs. Their original mission – to enhance the stability and the nurturing opportunities of families caring for a child with developmental disabilities – is met through community-based and occasional overnight shelter services designed to give short-term relief to participating parents. In 1997, the mission expanded to provide residential care for children with developmental disabilities and complex medical diagnoses who have been taken into protective custody as a result of abuse and neglect. Respite Care provides care to approximately 450 children each year throughout its various program services.

Bert Pfiester, Respite Care’s President & CEO, shares, “This generous gift from the Hyatt will assist children with developmental delays to be better prepared for learning and maximize their capabilities for a life filled with hope. The specialized care each child receives provides lasting impact.  The children of Respite Care have enjoyed many partnerships with the members of the Hyatt Hill Country family.  This gift again demonstrates the special place our children hold within their hearts.”

About Hyatt Community Grants
Funding for Hyatt Community Grants is provided by Hyatt Hotels Foundation, a donor-advised fund created in conjunction with the National Philanthropic Trust. In 2013, Hyatt Hill Country was one of 26 Hyatt properties from around the world awarding more than US$340,000 in grants to nonprofits in their local communities. Since the program’s inception in 2008, Hyatt hotels have awarded nearly US$1,700,000 to nonprofit organizations in 103 communities and 34 countries around the world.

For more information about Hyatt Community Grants, please visit www.hyattthrive/philanthropy.com.

About Hyatt Thrive
Hyatt’s global corporate responsibility platform, Hyatt Thrive, is designed to help make our communities places where our associates are proud to work, our guests want to visit, our neighbors want to live and owners want to invest. Harnessing the power of more than 90,000 associates worldwide, Hyatt Thrive brings together teams of passionate people to focus on positive local efforts that create a significant global impact.

Hyatt expanded its corporate responsibility commitment with the launch of Ready to Thrive in 2013, a multi-year philanthropic commitment to education initiatives in Hyatt communities around the world. With a focus on literacy and career readiness, Ready to Thrive supports community organizations and programs that offer a launching point for individuals to learn and develop the critical skills needed to professionally advance.

For more information about Hyatt Thrive, please visit www.HyattThrive.com.

The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation or one or more of its affiliates.

About the Hyatt Regency Hill Country
The Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa is located on 300-scenic acres in the heart of San Antonio. The recently renovated 500-room resort features 53,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and 165,000 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor event space.

Resort amenities include the full-service Windflower-The Hill Country Spa featuring 21-treatment rooms with world-class services, a five-acre water park with a FlowRider® wave machine, 22’ tower waterslide, four swimming pools, Ramblin’ River and regulation sized sand volleyball court. With five restaurants, a lounge and tavern, guests can enjoy superb epicurean dining or cocktails with colleagues overlooking a lushly landscaped 27-hole Arthur Hills-designed golf course. For reservations or information contact 210-647-1234 or visit us at hillcountry.hyatt.com.

Respite Care provides specialized care to families with special needs children

By North SA Chamber Editor
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respitelogofinalRespite Care of San Antonio, celebrating its 26th anniversary, provides specialized care to families caring for a child with special needs. Services offered provide families a temporary break from the demands of caring for a child. A developmental daycare also offers fulltime early childhood interventions for children with numerous needs including newborns and toddlers that are medically complex to empowering families to work and gain financial resources.

respite support photoPerhaps what Respite Care represents most to friends who have visited our home is the safe haven provided for children in crisis. For the past decade, Respite Care of San Antonio serves the most vulnerable in our society, children with special needs who are victims of abuse or neglect. Our homes are the only licensed, round the clock residential facilities in Texas to children with developmental disabilities and often times complex medical diagnoses. Demand for care for children in protective custody continues to rise. A 66% increase in needed bed space for children in crisis has occurred in the past ten years. Several majestic homes within the historic Monte Vista neighborhood serve as a safe haven in need of loving hands and specialized care to aid in their physical and emotional healing.

Respite Care also empowers families to serve as foster parents to children with special needs. Members of the team invite prospective foster parents to join in caring for a child and or sibling groups until forever, permanent homes can be established.

Respite Care has been a partner with members of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce for many years. Respite Care benefits from the numerous offerings of trainings and small business development opportunities to increase efficiencies and managerial practices. Bert Pfiester, CEO of Respite Care of San Antonio, is a former chair of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and recently presented to the members of Lead SA sponsored by the North Chamber.

If you would like to extend support to Respite Care, consider becoming a Friend of Respite. Friends of Respite is a group that was founded in 2002 to provide support for children with special needs, with funds utilized for the purchase of various supplies, such as specialized baby formula, clothing, toiletries and the cost of essential medical care. Gift memberships are also available for family, friends and associates. Also, members of the North Chamber are invited to assist in empowering the needed services to children in crisis. Items and services to be presented at upcoming events assist in raising much needed resources for the costly care of children with complex medical diagnoses.

To learn more about Respite Care of San Antonio or to become a Friend of Respite, visit their website at www.respitecaresa.org.

Respite Care of San Antonio celebrates 26 years of service to families, children with special needs

By North SA Chamber Editor
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respitelogofinalRespite Care of San Antonio serves families caring for children with special needs, the only agency of its kind in San Antonio providing highly individualized care in a loving, home-like environment to children with developmental disabilities and complex medical diagnoses. To celebrate 26 years of the provision of these unique services to children, Respite Care’s 26th Anniversary Luncheon will be held Thursday, November 14, 2013, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the historic Pearl Stables, located at 312 Pearl Parkway. We are pleased to welcome a special guest, John O’Leary, who will share his inspiring story of tragedy and personal triumph. We hope you will join us as we see, first hand, the incredible power of the human spirit.

Because of Respite Care, families enjoy much-needed temporary breaks from the intense care often required by these special children. The Davidson Respite House and the Najim Family Respite Home provide safe shelter to children with special needs and their siblings who are in protective custody as a result of abuse or neglect. The homes are notably the only shelters in Texas dedicated to children in need of specialized care.

To learn more about Respite Care, how you can help or to make reservations to attend this very special celebration call 210-737-1212 or visit www.respitecaresa.org.

Help Elf Louise bring toys to children this Christmas!

By North SA Chamber Editor
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Elf Louise packages ready for Santa SPMThe Elf Louise Christmas Project (ELCP) needs a home for the 2014 Holidays. ELCP needs an “angel” to loan the use of a building or provide underwriting for a short-term lease on space from November 1, 2013 until January 15, 2014. Please help us spread the word. This is what the Elf needs to set up the Workshop:

  • Approximately 50,000 sq. ft. of donated space, preferably in one building, but it could be in smaller contiguous spaces, such as in a strip mall
  • ELCP provides insurance and can provide a rider for the property
  • ELCP has been able to help with the cost of utilities (if needed) in the recent past
  • Warehouse space with some air conditioning is ideal – need to be able to run a forklift
  • A loading dock or the capacity to bring in overseas shipping crates needed
  • High ceilings are a great benefit
  • A central location preferred, not far from down town, due to the price of gas (Santa teams provide their own gas)

Time is of the essence because the informational materials for volunteers and media need to include the location and physical address for the Project. The volunteers will leave the location in better condition than they found it! Read more about Elf Louise at www.elflouise.org.

Santas wait for Elf Louise packagesFor the 45th year, Elf Louise will provide presents for San Antonio children who otherwise might have been forgotten at Christmas. In 2012, approximately 19,000 children in 5,460 families experienced the joy of an Elf Louise Christmas. You can help make this project a reality this holiday season.

Please contact ELCP Director Bill Harrison at (210) 843-9237 or Elf Louise Locker at (210) 829-1467, or email the project at elf.louise@stic.net