SAN ANGELO, Texas — The San Angelo Health Foundation's board president David Lupton announced Thursday the foundation has awarded $795,000 to 17 area nonprofits.
According to an SAHF press release, since its inception, 236 organizations and 839 projects have benefited from more than $62 million in foundation funding.
Grants chair Steve Cecil said in the release the grants encompass community impact, education, mental health and wellness, healthcare and youth development:
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley was awarded $200,000 for the Journey Recovery Center’s Detox Program. The center provides a detox and rehabilitation program for up to 12 adult men and women. Since opening the detox program has served 100 clients.
Ballinger Cares, Inc. was awarded $115,000 towards the purchase of a building. Its mission is to provide sustainable items and a variety of services and resources for people who are distressed or disadvantaged in Ballinger and the surrounding area. This organization can trace its roots back to 1999 when it began as a community food pantry. It has grown to add the distribution of clothing, household items, furniture and toys.
City of San Angelo was awarded $125,000 to install restrooms at MLK Jr. Memorial Park. Once home to Guinn Field, a minor league baseball park, it was developed into a neighborhood park in 1971. The park offers a basketball court, pavilion, tennis court, picnic area and a children’s playground.
Playland Communities Foundation was awarded $100,000 for playground equipment and surfacing for the City Park in Christoval. Established in November 2020, its vision is to increase community health and wellness through the renovation of the City Park. Other improvements for the park include an entertainment pavilion, a family pavilion, gazebo, picnic tables, game courts, ¼ mile walking trail and a restroom.
San Angelo Diabetes Coalition was awarded $200,000 to provide diabetic education to the Concho Valley. The coalition began in 2018 after a community health needs assessment of the poor and extremely poor identified diabetes as a top 10 health need. Its focus is assisting clients to find healthy and safe ways to manage diabetes through a variety of educational classes.
Water Valley Independent School District was awarded $25,000 towards the purchase of a virtual reality welding training simulator. The simulator will be used in the Career and Technical Program. This program is designed to provide students with academic and technical knowledge as well as the skills needed to prepare for further training certifications and obtaining a vocation upon graduation.
San Angelo Health Foundation President Deborah Watkins shared how they rarely say no to grant applicants and they're always open to help non-profit organizations in the community.
"Every year I sit down and come up with what our grants budget should be for the year. This year it was right at three million dollars. We actually awarded out just almost 4.3 for the year. Not everything was paid out the door, some projects were paid our for 2022 and 2023 and that's always exciting. We have almost 400 non profits in our Concho Valley," Watkins said.
Unsolicited seasonal assistance grants for 11 organizations totaling $30,000 were also awarded for holiday programming needs to: Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley, Boys & Girls Club of San Angelo, San Angelo Early Childhood Center, Children’s Advocacy Center of Greater West Texas, House of Faith, ICD Family Shelter, Early-Redwine Childcare Center, Salvation Army, Operation Blue Santa, San Angelo State Supported Living Center Volunteer Services Council and West Texas Boys Ranch.
