Tag Archives: Grant

Morningside Ministries named winner of $350,000 Humana Communities Benefit Grant in San Antonio

By North SA Chamber Editor
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MM-Main-logo-300x108Morningside Ministries, San Antonio’s oldest and largest not-for-profit, faith-based senior care organization, is the recipient of the inaugural $350,000 Humana Communities Benefit grant in San Antonio, which is funded by the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM).

Morningside Ministries currently provides residential care to more than 800 older adults in the greater San Antonio community and extensive training services for their caregivers. Using the $350,000 Humana Communities Benefit grant, Morningside Ministries will expand its web-based training program, mmLearn.org, a nationally-recognized website that provides support and educational training to caregivers of seniors. The –enhanced e-learning website will provide caregivers an all-encompassing support system with educational videos on nutrition and medication management programs, mental illness, senior exercise routines, caregiver health and other valuable resources.

“The role of a caregiver can be difficult with little resources available that address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of older adults in their care,” said Alvin A. Loewenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of Morningside Ministries. “Thanks to the generous grant from Humana, countless families suddenly finding themselves in the role of caregiver will finally find the training and support they need to provide the best possible care to their loved ones, as well as for their own needs.”

In its inaugural year in San Antonio, the Humana Communities Benefit charitable giving program provided 501(c)(3) organizations in Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties the opportunity to apply for this year’s grant. The Humana Communities Benefit program awards nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations a total of $350,000, provided in three installments over a three-year period.

“Morningside Ministries’ proposal to create a sustainable and life-changing support system for seniors and their caregivers exemplifies the goals of the Humana Communities Benefit program,” said Pattie Dale Tye, Vice President, Humana. “Humana has had a presence in San Antonio for more than three decades and we’re thrilled to help such a deserving nonprofit improve the quality of life for countless caregivers throughout the greater community.”

The San Antonio Food Bank, an organization that provides food and grocery products throughout Southwest Texas, and ChildSafe, a children’s advocacy center that provides hope, healing and support to children and their families who have been traumatized by abuse, were the other two finalists.

The three organizations participated in the inaugural online community vote hosted on HumanaHCBVote.com. One of this year’s many new features, the online vote gave the public the opportunity to weigh in on which organization it felt was most deserving of the Humana Communities Benefit grant. The public’s results were included during the final round of judging, which included formal presentations to a panel of community leaders and business representatives, which decided the winning nonprofit in each city.

For more information on the Humana Communities Benefit program, visit www.Humana.com/HCB.

For more information on Morningside Ministries, visit https://www.mmliving.org.

About The Humana Foundation
The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care companies. Located in Louisville, Ky., the site of Humana’s corporate headquarters, the Foundation focuses on promoting healthy relationships and healthy behaviors. We believe that people who are engaged in caring and supportive relationships, are receptive and more likely to exhibit healthy behaviors; and healthy behaviors result in healthier communities. For more information, visit www.humanafoundation.org.

Humana and the Humana Foundation are dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Our goal is to ensure that every business decision we make reflects our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our members, our associates, the communities we serve, and our planet.

About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health and well-being company focused on making it easy for people to achieve their best health with clinical excellence through coordinated care. The company’s strategy integrates care delivery, the member experience, and clinical and consumer insights to encourage engagement, behavior change, proactive clinical outreach and wellness for the millions of people we serve across the country.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:

  • Annual reports to stockholders
  • Securities and Exchange Commission filings
  • Most recent investor conference presentations
  • Quarterly earnings news releases
  • Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls
  • Calendar of events (including upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors)
  • Corporate Governance information

 

Morningside Ministries is a Humana Grant Finalist!

By North SA Chamber Editor
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MM-Main-logo-300x108The Humana Foundation announced that Morningside Ministries Senior Living Communities has been selected as one of three finalists in its highly Humana green logocompetitive Humana Communities Benefit grant program.  Chosen from among 38 applicants, Morningside will have a chance to win a $350,000 grant in early September that will benefit its web-based mmLearn.org program.  The Communities Benefit program provides funds to local, nonprofit organizations that have an impact on healthy behaviors and healthy relationships in the San Antonio area and surrounding communities.

mmLearn.org at Morningside Ministries is a web-based, distance-learning service that provides education, training and support to those caring for older adults. mmLearn.org was founded in 2007 and has been 100% grant funded ever since its inception. The goal of mmLearn.org is to improve the quality of life experienced by older adults in care, as well as to help their caregivers cope with the often difficult task of caring for an elderly person.  Family members and others can view over 300 caregiver training videos in “real-time” or “on-demand” on the mmLearn.org website for free at any convenient time, 24-7.

With grant funds from Humana Communities Benefit, mmLearn.org will significantly expand its outreach and marketing efforts to make many more caregivers throughout the community aware of the availability of resources to allow them to provide better care, reduce stress in their lives and become more knowledgeable of the aging process. As part of this initiative mmLearn.org will make its recording and webcasting facilities available to other organizations making it possible for them to promote their services, including services to older adults and their caregivers.

For media credentials please call 210-734-1176 or email Kristen Perez at kristen.perez@mmliving.org.

About Morningside Ministries
Morningside Ministries is San Antonio’s oldest and largest not-for profit, faith-based, senior care organization dedicated with the specific mission of “Caring For Those Who Cared For Us.” Morningside Ministries has served the San Antonio community since 1961 with Morningside Ministries at the Meadows, Morningside Ministries at The Manor, Morningside Ministries at Chandler Estate and Morningside Ministries at Menger Springs. Today we continue to serve over 900 residents in retirement, assisted living, nursing and memory care.

Media Contact:
Sandra Scott, V.P. of Sales and Marketing
210-734-1012 office
210-483-3959 cell
Sandra.Scott@mmliving.org

A look back at Tux ‘N Tennies 2014

By North SA Chamber Editor
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silver black give back Logo_Horizontal_AlternateOn January 10, some of the city’s most dedicated Spurs fans once again laced up there tennis shoes and dusted off their formal wear for the annual Tux ‘N Tennies Gala presented by SWBC and H-E-B. The well-known fundraiser benefits Silver & Black Give Back – the nonprofit of Spurs Sports & Entertainment – and its two flagship programs: Spurs Youth Basketball League and the Team Up Challenge.

Spurs TuxnTennies DSC_0120_1Held at the AT&T Center for the second year in a row, the theme of “Spurs Night Live” transformed the attendees into a live audience and our beloved Spurs into cast members of the legendary sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Spurs legend Sean Elliott and sports media darling Michelle Beadle played hosts for the evening’s program with musical guest Vintage Trouble. Spurs players and coaches joined in the festivities by hosting the event and staring in recreations of crowd-favorite SNL sketches from over the years.

Spurs Tux nTennies DSC_0317_1

Home from college during his winter break, one recent Edison High School graduate was on-hand suited up in his tux and tennies to share his Team Up Challenge story with the crowd. Jeremiah Raygoza came to Tux ‘N Tennies with his mentor and his former high school science teacher for an evening they wouldn’t forget.

Jeremiah stood off to the side of the stage waiting for his cue. An Edison High School graduate, Jeremiah is now in his second semester at the University of Texas at Austin where he is majoring in biology. Jeremiah likes math and science … not public speaking.

Once called on stage and introduced, he begins his story. It’s the story of a high school club called e=mc2 that exists to help kids succeed beyond high school. The club focuses on encouraging the pursuit of math and science degrees, mentoring middle school students and visiting college campuses to make going to college seem more like reality less like a dream.

The group was selected as one of twenty Team Up Challenge semifinalists and received a $2,500 grant to keep the project going throughout the 2012-13 school year for a chance to be named a Team Up Champion and win $20,000 to fund the program for years to come. During that time, Jeremiah was thrilled to receive a Dell scholarship to attend UT-Austin.

As the school year progressed and the Champions announcement got closer, Jeremiah made a promise: if the group did not win the Team Up Challenge prize money, he would donate his scholarship to the club and the cause. In the end, everyone was a winner; e=mc2 won the $20,000 prize and Jeremiah started his college journey on the Dell scholarship.

Jeremiah got through his story leaving more than a few people in the audience teary-eyed. The evening was full of fun and full of hope and potential for the programs it supports. The Spurs family has always extended a helping hand into the community, with a heart for the city’s youth. Tux ‘N Tennies will always be a night to reflect on a history of giving and celebrate stories of success.

For more information on Silver & Black Give Back, please visit: www.sbgb.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.

PeopleFund and Capital One Bank team to provide financing for new Accion Texas corporate campus

By North SA Chamber Editor
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Accion logo colorAccion Texas will soon begin construction on its new corporate campus in San Antonio at 2015 W. Martin Street.  The new campus consists of four buildings. The centerpiece is a 13,100-square-foot headquarters complemented by a 1,897-square-foot business incubator center, a 1,400-square-foot workshop and training building as well as a 1,000–square-foot café which will be used as a culinary learning center.

Accion Texas President and CEO Janie Barrera and volunteers have spearheaded the project and initial fundraising since a multi-million-dollar capital campaign was announced in June 2012.  The capital campaign was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the United States Economic Development Agency.  In addition, approximately $1.4 million in grants and gifts have been raised from other benefactors.

Although the capital campaign is doing very well, Accion is short of its goal needed to begin construction.  However, recognizing the community impact of the project and also the successful history of Accion, PeopleFund and Capital One Bank were able to complete a creative financing solution that closed on December 30, 2013 to allow Accion to immediately begin construction.

The financing included a $6.1 million New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from PeopleFund with a tax credit equity investment and leverage loan from Capital One Bank.  Capital One also provided a $3.5 million construction loan.

“With our rapid growth, we have run out of space. Now we have funding in place to promptly build the entire campus as a single project,” Barrera said. “We thank PeopleFund for awarding its NMTC to us and to Capital One for providing construction financing to allow us time to complete our capital campaign.  Now our goal will be to continue our capital campaign to raise the remaining funds.”

On Sept. 17, the three organizations committed to the project. According to PeopleFund President and CEO Gary Lindner, “We seek to place our NMTC credits in high impact non-profit community projects located in severely distressed census tracts. Accion Texas is a great organization and a perfect fit for a NMTC investment.”

Capital One Bank, led by its Austin Market President and Commercial Banking Executive, Mike Perrine, also played an essential and pivotal role in making this financial deal a reality. “New Market Tax Credits transactions represent an example of how federal resources and local know-how can work together to support revitalization of underserved areas,” said Perrine.  “Capital One Bank has partnered with Accion and PeopleFund on a number of their important community programs, and that makes this latest transaction even more special.”

PeopleFund
Peoplefund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Established in 1994, it is a U.S. Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and SBA certified lender. PeopleFund provides business loans up to $250,000 to Texas businesses that lack access to traditional financing. It also provides clients business assistance and education. 89% of loans are to a target market of minority, women, and veteran business owners and those residing in low to moderate income census tracts. Over 50% of loans go to startup businesses and high social impact nonprofits. Through access to capital and education, PeopleFund creates economic opportunity and financial stability to build healthy small businesses.

Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $206.9 billion in deposits and $289.9 billion in total assets as of September 30, 2013. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has more than 900 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “COF” and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Accion Texas
Established in 1994 in San Antonio as a nonprofit organization, Accion Texas Inc.’s financial and business-support services help entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, stabilize and increase their incomes, create employment and contribute to the economic revitalization of their communities.  Accion has the nation’s largest microloan portfolio and is committed to providing capital to entrepreneurs who do not have access to loans from commercial sources. Since its inception, Accion Texas has disbursed 14,000 loans totaling more than $152 million and now operates in eight states – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.  For more information, visit www.acciontexas.org or call 1-888-215-2373.