Melanie Evans joined Impact San Antonio in spring 2022. Then, in January, she became an Emerald sponsor! Here’s what she has to say about our organization, why she joined and why she decided to become a sponsor.

When and how did you first hear about Impact San Antonio? What prompted you to join?

I was invited to a membership meeting by Nicole Jackson, an attorney with Rosenblatt Law Firm. Prior to this, I had never heard of Impact San Antonio.  Nicole knew it would be something that would pique my interest. Sure enough, a grant recipient from 2020, San Antonio Young Women’s Leadership Academy, brought a student to speak about the impact she had from the grant. The young lady gave a “wow” speech!  I was so impressed with how the grant impacted her life that I knew I needed to be a part of Impact San Antonio.

Why did you decide to become a sponsor this year?

I immediately knew that I wanted to volunteer for Impact SA. I started by signing up to be a part of the grant review committee in the family focus area. The experience I had from being a part of the grant review committee — learning about numerous nonprofits, meeting a wonderful group on the committee, the site visits to agencies — all led me to want to become a sponsor.

What impresses/inspires you about Impact San Antonio?

Every event I attend, I see the outpouring of love and generosity by so many women. Everyone is truly excited to be a part of this organization and to help however they can. Seeing the joy inspires me to want to become more involved.   It’s truly amazing group of women!

Are there any volunteer roles that you would like to take on in the future?

I hope to continue to volunteer on grant review and possibly in other areas.

Tell us about PMI. What does your business do in the San Antonio area?

I am majority owner of PMI Pipe, Steel and Supplies and hold the position of president and CEO.  We have seven locations throughout Central and South Texas and have been in business for almost 23 years.  Our products consist of steel pipe (new and used); steel products, such as square tubing and rectangular tubing, plate, fittings and fencing materials; hay and feed; farm and ranch supplies, and more. We work with numerous industries, including industrial fabrication, contractors, welders, oil and gas companies, farms and ranches, and others.  We also sell to those “weekend warriors” who may want to build a barbecue pit, a concrete patio, or maybe a steel art sculpture.  Our products have many uses!  It happens to be products that most don’t say, “Hey, look at that beautiful piece of steel holding up that building!” I guess it’s something that most of us take for granted.  All I know is that I love what I do!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

It’s been a pleasure working with so many caring and giving women in Impact SA.

It is amazing to see how the vision of 25 founding women awarding a single $25,000 High Impact Grant in 2005 has blossomed into an organization awarding a $100,000 High Impact Grant in each of Impact San Antonio’s five focus areas for the past several years.

Each year, Impact SA rebuilds its membership, with a goal of awarding five $100,000 High Impact Grants to deserving projects in San Antonio and the surrounding area.  And while that might seem daunting to some, the women of Impact San Antonio continue to show up and make a difference by renewing their memberships, introducing their friends to Impact SA and serving in essential roles as volunteers.

As we build the 2023 membership and grant pool, we say thank you to those who have already joined or renewed.  Together, we have funded our first $100,000 grant for 2023, and each new and renewing membership puts us $1,000 closer to funding even more grants.

We encourage you to attend one of our events — and bring a friend!  Each event is a chance to see old friends, make new ones, and learn more about Impact San Antonio and the difference our grant recipients are making in our community.

If you are planning to join or renew, regardless of whether you plan to attend an event, we encourage you to do it now!  It is very helpful to know if we have achieved our goal of at least five $100,000 grants well in advance of the May 15 membership deadline.  As an added incentive to joining or renewing early, we will be holding monthly prize drawings.  The earlier you join or renew, the more drawings you will be eligible for!

The kickoff to membership season is well under way, and with your help, we will again be able to award at least five $100,000 High Impact Grants this year.

There’s no doubt that Impact San Antonio’s High Impact Grants are a major benefit for the nonprofits that receive them. But for some of our grantee agencies, the funds they receive from us are just the beginning.

Those agencies have used the prestige of receiving a major Impact SA grant as a catalyst to apply for others. And other grant-making foundations, organizations and individual donors are impressed!

Two agencies that have done quite well with this strategy are the Magik Theatre and the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center.

Magik Theatre received a 2017 High Impact Grant from us to address accessibility issues. Our grant ultimately paid for the renovation and enlargement of the two lobby restrooms, making them wheelchair accessible and adding a shower and other amenities for the casts of their plays. Other grants have addressed accessibility issues in the building, which was constructed in 1893 and needed serious updating.

The theater has posted the logos of their funders on a wall in their lobby for all to see.

“The key to it all was the first grant we received from Impact San Antonio,” said Frank Villani, Magik Theatre CEO. “It taught us two things: first, to think holistically about everything we needed, and second, to break that down into parts.

“The work we did for the Impact SA grant transferred to the other grant applications we did,” he said, citing the rigorous process that Impact SA requires for its grant applicants.

Development Manager Eric Schneeman added, “Because of the prestige of the Impact SA grant, you can build in a continuing plan with other funders.”

The benefits of the Impact SA grant were soon evident, with a $100,000 grant in December 2017 from the Lee Family Foundation to repair and update the backstage area. Subsequent grants included $500,000 over five years from the Kelleher Charitable Foundation; $50,000 from the Meadows Foundation; $35,000 from the Circle Bar Foundation, Greehey Family Foundation and Valero Benefit for Children; $100,000 from the Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation; $100,000 from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation; $20,000 from the Pryor Charitable Trust; and $30,000 from the TND Family Foundation. All are being used for accessibility updates, including a wheelchair seating area at the front of the theater and a ramp with an awning outside, Villani said.

Esperanza’s project, the Museo del Westside, received a High Impact Grant from Impact SA in 2020. The Museo project involves renovating and enlarging the old Ruben’s Ice House to become a museum highlighting the history and culture of San Antonio’s West Side.

Graciela Sanchez, director of Esperanza, believes that the Impact SA grant helped other funding organizations recognize the widespread community support for the Museo project. She can cite a considerable list of grants that have been received since the Impact SA grant, including $100,000 from the San Antonio Area Foundation and $50,000 from an individual donor and long-term supporter of Esperanza in 2022. The agency also was awarded a Humanities in Place grant of $1.6 million over three years from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2021. And it received a $1 million grant in 2021 from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

In addition, Esperanza received a $500,000 Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant in 2022 from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which requires a 3:1 match. The grant will be matched by the $1.5 million in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone funding awarded by the City of San Antonio for the Rinconcito project in 2021. Rinconcito is the larger project that surrounds and includes the Museo.

In terms of programming at the Museo del Westside, Esperanza was awarded a $75,000 Public Humanities Planning Grant in 2021 from the NEH to plan the opening exhibition at the Museo, which will be a survey of Westside history titled Historias del Westside. Finally, Esperanza was awarded a $50,000 Inspire! Grants for Small Museums award from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services in 2022 to do an assessment of the Museo’s collections, purchase any needed storage materials for the archives, and hire a consultant to select the software that will be used to manage the Museo’s digital and material collections.

Esperanza was the first agency to request a letter of support from Impact SA to include with their other grant applications, and that is now done routinely for grant recipients, said Audrey Laird, co-chair of Grant Oversight and Outcomes on the Impact SA board of directors.

“Impact SA’s rigorous and objective grant application and review process is run by our members and helps ensure that the most impactful grant proposals are selected as finalists,” she said. “Once a grant award is made, we publicize the achievement and extend support letters that can be used with other funders.”

Elizabeth Garretson, vice president of Operations for Impact SA, said, “I continue to be blown away by the amazing good our grant recipients are able to do in our community with the funds they’ve received from Impact SA. It is doubly rewarding to hear from those who’ve shared that going through our process has helped them make other strong applications and secure further funding. In this way, it feels like our grants keep on giving.”

The Volunteer Interest form has been updated. You’ll find it on your membership profile. You can edit your profile to change your interests at any time – just log in at: https://impactsanantonio.wildapricot.org/Sys/Profile

In February and March, our membership volunteers are the busiest, planning and hosting events and recruiting members.  Announcements of specific volunteer needs are sent via email and are posted on our website calendar of events at www.impactsanantonio.wildapricot.org/events.  Our member-volunteers help Impact San Antonio prosper and increase your social benefits!

Last year, more than 11,600 hours were generously donated by 182 volunteers to keep Impact San Antonio operating.  Over 6,500 hours were volunteered in connection with our grant-making (2,000 by our grant review teams alone!), and over 3,000 hours in connection with member recruitment and engagement.  Finally, we had over 2,000 hours volunteered in connection with our other operations (marketing, sponsorship, leadership, volunteer coordination and technology).

This helps us when we’re seeking volunteers for our various events. Of course, we are still a “membership on your terms” organization. You can do as much or as little as you wish!

Entering a new year always brings excitement, hopefulness and inspiration for the many possibilities ahead.  As we shift our focus to 2023, we are building upon the wonderful accomplishments Impact San Antonio achieved last year. The board and other volunteers are planning events to share the story of Impact San Antonio and our grant recipients, while also giving members and others in the community an opportunity to connect.

As always, our goal is to award at least five $100,000 High Impact Grants — one in each of our five focus areas. To achieve or surpass this goal, we need your help.  Prior and current members can help by renewing their membership, volunteering time and talents, and introducing friends and colleagues to Impact San Antonio.  Members who would like to become more engaged can attend an event to learn more. If you have not yet joined, now is a great time to become a new member. You can also help by becoming a sponsor or non-voting contributor.

Our team is working to build an exciting calendar of events that will share the many ways Impact San Antonio empowers women to make a difference, while also shining a spotlight on the wonderful work our grant recipients are doing to transform our community.  We are already well on our way to achieving our first $100,000 grant for 2023!

We wish all of you a wonderful year.  I appreciate the great members and supporters of Impact San Antonio, and I cannot wait to see each of you at an upcoming event!

Imagine that your first experience of the world is one where touch often means discomfort. That’s the world of babies in neonatal ICUs, who regularly require painful procedures.

It’s also a world where parents may struggle to understand how to interact with their baby, so tiny and hooked up to a variety of machines. That’s where the Family Nurture Care program in the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at University Hospital comes in. That program, provided through partnership with UT Health San Antonio and the Columbia University Nurture Science Program, received a 2021 Support Grant from Impact San Antonio that funded its operation for a month last year.

In addition, a generous donation from an anonymous Impact SA member allowed the program to be funded for an additional year.

“An Impact San Antonio member was inspired by our presentation on this program (at Grant Award Night in 2021) and decided to give through her family foundation,” said Stephanie McClain, senior director of corporate and foundation relations for UT Health San Antonio.

Through the program, nurses are trained as nurture specialists and show parents — usually mothers, although fathers are equally welcome and important — how to hold and interact with their fragile, sick babies.

“It’s vital to ensure that the babies strengthen their emotional connection with their parents, which has lifelong implications,” said Dr. Umber Darilek. She is a post-doctoral research fellow at UT Health and studies the Family Nurture Care program along with Dr. Alice Gong.

“When a healthy baby is born, there is usually some uninterrupted time with Mom,” Darilek said. “But when a baby is born sick or premature, they are immediately separated, and that opportunity to bond outside of the womb is interrupted due to medical necessity when baby is taken away to the NICU. This is traumatic for both baby and parents. The baby is going through painful procedures, not experiencing positive touch and interaction with their parents.

“For the moms, this can be terrifying,” Darilek continued. “We primarily see moms feeling guilty because they think they are somehow at fault because their baby is in the NICU, which we know is not true. Despite having many highly skilled people caring for the baby, the NICU staff cannot provide the baby’s need for their parents’ touch, voice, smell and love.”

“Knowing how to hold your baby when you’re dealing with all the wires and tubes makes a huge impact on the child’s and parent’s ability to bond emotionally,” McClain said. “The parent learns how to talk to their baby and strengthen their connection. The baby learns the parent’s voice and receives love through multisensory interaction coupled with emotional expression.”

The nurture care concept was developed by Dr. Martha Welch at Columbia University in New York, Darilek said. UT Health and University Health used their research as a springboard to create this program at the University Hospital NICU.

So far, in Texas it is only being offered at University Hospital, but staff are hoping that it will expand to other hospitals with NICUs. A key factor is showing how the program will ultimately save money by improving care and reducing the length of hospital stays, Darilek noted.

So far, the program has worked with 832 families, and most are seen more than once, she said. Feedback from parents has generally been positive, she said.

“They are very grateful,” she said.

To see a video of the 2021 Grant Award Night finalist presentation about the program, click here.

This year’s theme is Connect, Empower and Transform.  Members of Impact San Antonio connect with other women who share a heart for giving. By joining together, our members are empowered to achieve meaningful change by helping to award significant grants that fund innovative projects that transform lives in our community.

“Each of our five focus areas is critical to improving lives in the greater San Antonio community,” said Laurie Kaplan, Vice President of Membership. “Let’s join together to reach our goal of more than 500 memberships so that we can award a $100,000 grant in each of our focus areas again this year!”

We have four membership options:

• Impact: $1,000. Every dollar of this amount goes to our grant pool.
  • To provide you additional flexibility in paying for this membership option, through February 15 you can sign up for a 4-installment payment option. You will authorize recurring monthly payments of $257.50* on your credit/debit card, starting with the first payment when you register. Then your card will be charged on the first day of each of the three following months. *This option includes a $7.50 electronic processing fee per installment.
• Impact Plus: $1,100 to $1,499. The amount over the $1,000 membership contribution funds our operations.
• Impact Champion: $1,500 and up. The amount over the $1,000 membership contribution funds our operations.
• Shared Membership: A group of two women contribute $525* each to form a single membership with one vote. Existing 3-woman and 4-woman Shared Memberships may renew “as is” if they complete the process by April 30, 2023.  *The administrative fee is $25 per woman for both new and renewing Shared Members.

If you are a new member, you will join here.  If you are renewing, you can either login to your member profile here  and follow the instructions to renew, or you can email renew@impactsanantonio.org – just include your name, how you’d like to pay, and if you’d like to make any changes to your membership option (changing to or from Plus or Champion).  If you are having your IRA broker or charitable fund send us your contribution, or if you are donating through your employer’s giving platform (with or without a match), let us know so we can be on the lookout for the funds.

You choose your payment method – we accept checks (personal or from a third party on your behalf), credit card or debit card payments, charitable distributions from your IRA or other personal charitable fund, stock donations, and employer-match funds.  If you have questions about the method you would like to use to pay, please email treasurer@impactsanantonio.org. 

Thank you for your generous support of Impact San Antonio!

Renee Sabel has served in a variety of positions since she joined Impact San Antonio in 2016. You’ll often see her friendly smile at our events. Here’s what she has to say about being a member of Impact SA.

How did you first hear about Impact San Antonio?

A friend brought me to a membership meeting, and after seeing a moving presentation from a former grant recipient and meeting some amazing women, I joined on the spot, initially through a shared membership.

When did you join, and why? 

I joined in the spring of 2016, shortly after I retired. I had always participated in United Way and liked giving to many nonprofits with one pledge. Impact SA is similar. Because each member has a vote in where our collective money goes, it’s more personal, and also more gratifying.

What impresses and/or inspires you about Impact San Antonio?

I love Impact SA’s collective giving model and the grant review process, which gives me an opportunity to learn about the enormous needs in our community. It is a joy to work with so many generous and caring women toward a common goal and to see the results of our efforts.

What positions have you held in the organization?

I have served on Grant Review for seven years, am a member of the Marketing and Communications Committee, and serve as a co-liaison for the Carver Community Cultural Center, which received one of our 2021 High Impact Grants.

What did you do for a living?

I retired in 2016 after a long career in public relations and communications, including almost 20 years as Director of Corporate Communication at Frost.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Being involved with Impact San Antonio has been a gratifying experience.

The holiday season is a time for us to enjoy our family and friends, reconnect with those we may not have seen in a while, reflect upon the year that is ending, and look forward to the possibilities for the upcoming year.

As I look back on 2022, I am amazed at all we were able to accomplish, including awarding $555,000 in transformational grants! We would not have been able to accomplish this without the many seeds that had been planted by Impact San Antonio members over the years.  It has been a privilege to carry on the legacy that so many wonderful women have created and nurtured and an honor to continue planting seeds so that the future women of Impact San Antonio can reap the benefits, and hopefully achieve even more!

I hope each of you are able to enjoy this holiday season with family and friends.  Amid the celebrations, also take a little time to reflect on all of the seeds you have planted over the last year to help to cultivate a more vibrant community – TOGETHER!!

Since 1992, Project MEND has been supplying home medical equipment and assistive technology to people in the San Antonio area who otherwise could not afford it. And they not only supply that equipment, they also repair it as needed.

The $10,000 Support Grant they received from Impact San Antonio in 2020 has helped keep that program running by funding tools, supplies, and gas and maintenance for their vans. It’s the second grant Project MEND has received from Impact SA. In 2017, they received a $100,000 High Impact Grant to buy two vans and a HubScrub medical equipment cleaning machine.

“Project MEND repairs or replaces any piece of equipment our program distributes,” said Kristy Walston, chief development officer for the agency, which accepts donations of medical equipment from the community. “We offer repair services to our clients at reduced costs, professionally sanitizing, inspecting and repairing personal pieces of medical equipment that we carry in our inventory.”

The agency originally had planned to use the Support Grant to help buy two new repair vans, but the high cost of vehicles due to Covid supply issues caused them to redirect the funding to the operation of the repair program.

Walston says Project MEND, which stands for Medical Equipment Network for those with Disabilities, has two specialists who have repaired 243 pieces of equipment so far this year. About 40 percent of those repairs were done curbside at the client’s home, and the rest were done at the agency’s headquarters at 5015 Wurzbach Road on the Northwest Side.

The agency moved to the new headquarters in January from their old site near downtown. The new facility has 16,000 square feet, compared with 10,000 square feet at their old location. Now, “we can combine program staff and our warehouse in one building to significantly enhance our clients’ experience and expand the numbers we serve,” Walston said. The increased space means they can house more inventory and have a larger repair area, she said.

“The new facility has a dedicated bus stop, a warehouse space specifically designed for cleaning and refurbishing equipment, and private meeting spaces where our clients can learn about other resources offered by state and local agencies,” she noted.

The new building also has a meeting space dedicated to veterans, which make up about a fourth of the agency’s clientele. It’s a place where they can meet privately with their case workers to make sure all their needs are being met.

“In addition, the meeting space allows Project MEND to be a referral source to connect our clients with resources to solve any other challenges they may face, including food shortages, utility and rental assistance, employment, counseling and housing,” Walston said.

Project MEND charges each client a $20 annual administrative fee. “They pay the fee once, no matter how many pieces of equipment they need or how many times they need service throughout the year,” Walston said. “We do not charge on a sliding scale, but clients are requested to assist with battery costs or mattresses for beds.” Those items must be purchased new, she said, unlike other equipment, which is refurbished.

Clients express their gratitude to the agency in various ways, Walston said. One client, Lexie, who received a walker/Rollator for severe back pain and gait problems, “wanted to buy us a pizza,” Walston said.

Project MEND is grateful to Impact San Antonio, whose funding “enables organizations like Project MEND to make life-changing differences for people who need it the most,” she said.

www.projectmend.org

(210) 223-6363

Claudia Hura has been an Impact San Antonio member since 2017 and has participated in a variety of volunteer roles. Here is what she has to say about our organization.

How did you first hear about Impact SA?

In 2017, I heard about Impact SA from friends as I was contemplating retirement from my career of 35 years as a nephrologist.

Why did you decide to join?

I was looking for volunteer service opportunities, and after attending a few Impact SA events, I decided to join. My work had made me aware of the areas of great need in our community.

What impresses/inspires you about Impact SA?

Our organization is 100 percent volunteer run, and 100 percent of every dollar (of a $1,000 membership) is donated to our grantees. The grant review process is thorough and meticulous, and the follow-up and support given to the grantee agencies is excellent. By combining our resources and awarding five large grants, the impact of those grants is substantial. We have the opportunity to learn about community needs and the large number of nonprofit organizations that are trying to address those needs. We also have the opportunity to meet, work and socialize with dedicated women from a variety of backgrounds. I have made many new friends since joining Impact SA.

What volunteer positions have you held in the organization?

I have served with Grant Review and Membership.

Are there any positions you would like to hold?

I am interested in program monitoring.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am continually impressed by the competence and dedication of the members of Impact SA and by the passion and quality of the work being done by our grantee agencies. I look forward to continued participation in Impact SA for years to come.

This is the time of year when we give generously to our favorite charities to celebrate our good fortune and share it with others. You can include Impact SA on your giving list through a membership, sponsorship or unrestricted donation.

Here’s how you can make a difference for 2023:

• Join or renew your membership. We have a variety of options: Impact Membership, Impact Plus, Impact Champion and Shared Membership. We have a four-installment payment plan available for Impact level members. Visit https://impactsanantonio.wildapricot.org/JoinRenew
• Donate a gift membership to a friend or family member. This is a wonderful way to introduce others to our collective giving model and the fun and friendship that go with it! Visit https://impactsanantonio.wildapricot.org/Gifts
• Make an unrestricted donation to cover our operating expenses (website, printing, database fees). These donations make it possible for 100 percent of each $1,000 membership contribution to fund our High Impact and Support Grants to local nonprofits. Visit https://impactsanantonio.wildapricot.org/Donate
• Become a sponsor! Impact San Antonio has a variety of sponsorship levels to choose from. Our sponsors help us with our operating expenses and receive publicity at our events, on our website and in our communications. Visit https://impactsanantonio.org/donate/sponsorships/

However you give, we appreciate your generosity. It helps us continue our work of making our community stronger.

We wish you the best for the holidays and in 2023!

Note: Contributions made through December 31, 2022, will be receipted for the 2022 tax year.  

Grant Award Night 2022 celebrated our community and the power of women coming together to make a significant difference through transformative gifts!

More than 400 Impact San Antonio members, sponsors, agency representatives, friends and guests gathered October 24 at the Witte Museum for our biggest night of the year — our 18^th annual Grant Award Night.

A festive reception kicked off the evening as guests mingled and enjoyed refreshments amid the exhibits in the museum’s Dinosaur Gallery.  Afterward, the crowd moved down the hall to the Mays Family Center, where they viewed highlights of the finalist presentations and then heard the exciting announcements of this year’s High Impact and Support grants. They also viewed video updates from the 2021 High Impact Grant recipients on how their projects are progressing.

Thanks to our members’ generous contributions, Impact SA was able to award a total of $555,000 in grants to 10 outstanding nonprofits this year. Five agencies — one in each of our focus areas — received $100,000 High Impact Grants. The remaining five finalists received $11,000 Support Grants. We wish all these nonprofits the best as they work to improve the lives of so many in our community!

And thank you to Valero, our presenting sponsor for this event. We are proud to have their support!

Following the event, Impact SA donated all the decorations to three area nonprofits. Flower arrangements and the lit trees went to the Village at Incarnate Word. Crates of fresh produce were delivered to San Antonio Clubhouse to be enjoyed by their clients. And seven potted landscape grasses were donated to the Ecumenical Center, which will be added to their meditation garden.

To see a list of the 2022 grant recipients, click HERE.

Enjoy our GAN video link and the GAN photo collage.

Blessed Sacrament Academy has a long history of helping families to thrive through parent training and children’s activities. But in all their years, they never faced a crisis like they did when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020.

The academy was forced to move from in-person parenting classes to online offerings. The 2021 Support Grant they received from Impact San Antonio allowed them to purchase a camera, MacBook Pro, wireless microphones and other equipment for producing online content.

“Covid restrictions completely shut down our in-person classes for parents, as well as our family strengthening events,” said Kathy Lozano, director of the Family Success Academy, one of the support programs at Blessed Sacrament. “While we were able to maintain operation of our Early Childhood Center throughout the pandemic, in-person services to parents had to be suspended. After 25 years of on-site parent education workshops, we had to switch to online support groups.

“The Family Service Academy provides education, support and resources for the families whose children are enrolled in our Child Development Center,” she explained. “Children from 6 weeks to age 5 benefit from quality early education and care.”

The staff learned to use the iMovie program to create and post videos to YouTube, and they started an online support group for parents on Zoom.

Videos include weekly parenting pep talks, demonstrations and directions for family creative activities, stories that families can enjoy together, and educational resources for parents on child development topics.

The program also started drive-through events where parents could drop by and pick up art packets created to promote literacy and celebrate the joy of children’s books, Lozano said.

“We had holiday events in our parking lot and were able to connect with community resources to get pumpkins for every family at harvest time, gifts for everyone at Christmas, and free books, diapers and clothing throughout the year,” she said. “We also provided drive-through food box pickups a number of times throughout the pandemic. We started a gardening program and distributed seeds, soil and plants to families.

“We were able to resume some in-person family activities this spring by hosting play groups and family events in our children’s courtyard and playgrounds,” Lozano said. “We are happy to welcome parents and their children back to play in our Family Engagement Center also. We are still wearing masks, but now parents can enter their child’s learning environment and join the fun.”

Moving to online content changed some of their client base, Lozano noted.

“We have attracted parents from out of our area with our Zoom options,” she said. “Rather than serving a large number of parents, we find this approach is giving us a deeper connection to the same families over time. Before the pandemic, when we were hosting in-person parenting workshops, we often had families who came to one eight- or 10-week session to meet a requirement, and then moved on. Now we are serving fewer families but making more impact. With the online resources, parents now have the capacity to share our videos, and we can link them to our social media accounts to reach more people.”

Lozano can cite a number of success stories, but one that stands out is a couple who were foster parents to two boys, ages 1 and 2 years. They enrolled the boys in the Early Childhood Center shortly before the pandemic began.

“They were looking for support and encouragement in helping the boys overcome the challenges of abuse and neglect that they had suffered before they were placed in the couple’s home,” she said. The couple also participated in the academy’s programs.

“Their adoption became final in June 2021, and the children are thriving now,” Lozano said. “The family continues to participate in our programs. We are proud to be part of their success story!”

Lozano has high praise for Impact SA and its work in the community.

“We love the deep involvement and commitment of Impact San Antonio members,” she said. “Blessed Sacrament Academy thanks each member and the organization as a whole for all you do for our community.”

www.blessedsacramentacademysa.org

(210) 532-4731

If you have an interest in volunteering for Impact San Antonio, you may have met or heard from Leslie Cardinal. This outgoing redhead works with Mary Massey to recruit volunteers for a variety of roles. Here’s what she has to say about Impact SA.

When did you first hear about Impact San Antonio?

I first heard about Impact San Antonio about 10 years ago when I facilitated a board retreat for the group. If I remember correctly, at that time Impact San Antonio was aiming to reach 300 members so they could make three large grants. I remember being very impressed with the mission and the focus of the leadership team in working toward their goals.

Why and when did you decide to become a member?

Earlier this year, (Impact SA member) Wiede Cutshall mentioned Impact San Antonio in a conversation. I remembered my earlier work with the board and decided to look into the group again. I attended one of the spring mixers and found the group very welcoming and filled with interesting women. They told me about membership, and I jumped in and joined. I’ve already started talking with my friends about Impact San Antonio. I look forward to inviting them to upcoming events, and hopefully they’ll join the group too!

What impresses and/or inspires you about the work of Impact SA?

I was impressed to learn more about the grant review process and how detailed it is. I also like the fact that a liaison is assigned to each grantee agency to support them as they implement their plans.

What roles have you played in the organization?

I knew that one of the ways to get started with the organization would be to volunteer. I heard that Mary Massey was working to create good systems to organize volunteers, especially now that events are being held in person again.  So much of the success of the events comes from having the right number of volunteers in the needed roles at every Impact San Antonio event. I’ve enjoyed helping Mary with that project this year.

Are there any roles you would like to take on in the future?

One of the roles I have always enjoyed is being a greeter at events. I grew up in a military family, and we moved often. I learned that if I would jump in and help to welcome people when I went to events, even if I was one of the new people myself, I could more easily relax and meet other people, too. It has become one of my favorite things to do.

What do you do for a living?

In my professional life, I love working with leaders and professionals to build their skills to advance or change their careers. I did this in the corporate world for many years and then continued this work as a self-employed leadership and career coach. At this point, I am semi-retired, working with a handful of wonderful clients. I’m always taking classes and workshops to learn new things, and I’m currently exploring opportunities to do more teaching myself. I’m active in a real estate investing group, and I volunteer with several organizations in San Antonio. I enjoy lifting weights and I grow a large, year-round container garden.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I look forward to continuing to meet other members and to helping Impact San Antonio grow into the future!

Grant Award Night 2022 was the culmination of a year’s worth of generosity, passion, and hard work by the amazing women of Impact San Antonio, non-voting contributors, sponsors, and the non-profit agencies we all love and support.

As we approach this holiday season, I am filled with immense gratitude.  I am thankful to our members and board for the selfless contribution of their time, resources and talents to help cultivate a more vibrant community. I am thankful to our contributors and sponsors for supporting the work we do and for helping us spread the word about Impact San Antonio and the wonderful work of our grant recipients. Most importantly, I am thankful to our area nonprofits that see the needs in our community and work hard every day to achieve meaningful change.

Impact San Antonio was started 18 years ago by a small group of women who wanted to give women a platform to make a difference in the community. The goal was to allow women members and non-voting contributors to pool their funds together and award substantial grants that enable area nonprofits to transform lives.

Since its inception, Impact San Antonio has donated over $5.3 million to non-profits in our community. While that goal has not changed, the work we do to reach Grant Award Night has expanded dramatically.  Impact SA developed thoughtful grant application, review, and oversight processes to help our teams identify the non-profits whose projects meet high-impact markers and have the ability to successfully implement these projects.

In addition, our processes:

• Educate nonprofit agencies on what information funding organizations need, which can be used in grant applications with other organizations,
• Introduce our membership to the broad spectrum of needs in our communities, as well as the non-profits meeting these needs, which enables them to become advocates, and
• Inform the community of the amazing work that Impact San Antonio and the organizations that have received High Impact and Support Grants are doing.

As we celebrate all that we are thankful for and our wonderful year, I ask you to join me in doing it all again next year. Now, 2023 Impact San Antonio membership registration is open. Let’s make an even BIGGER IMPACT!!

Wishing you and your family a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!

Recruitment for our 2023 membership cycle has begun!  Just a few weeks after Grant Award Night, we have over $25,000 in memberships, on the way to funding our first High Impact Grant.

There are some changes to our membership options this year:

• Elimination of $30 Fee for Electronic Payment. We no longer charge a $30 fee for a $1,000 membership contribution paid by credit/debit card.  Although we do incur processing fees of approximately 3%, we believe the efficiency gained by standardizing the membership contribution amount will be worth it.  You will have the option to make an additional contribution to help defray fees if you pay by debit/credit.
• Additional Payment Options – E-Check & Zelle. We have two new payment methods available: in addition to paper check, debit/credit card, stock donation, broker or other third-party payment, and your employer online giving platform, you can now make your membership contribution by electronic check or Zelle money transfer.  When you submit your application or  renewal and choose one of the new options, we will provide instructions for you to complete payment.
• Shared Membership Changes. In an effort to reduce administrative burden on our treasurer and membership team, we are offering only a 2-woman Shared Membership option ($525 per woman) for new Shared Memberships.  Existing 3-woman and 4-woman Shared Memberships may renew “as is” if they complete the process by April 30, 2023.  The administrative fee this year will be $25 per woman for both new and renewing Shared Members.  These changes were made after thoughtful consideration, discussion and deliberation by the Board.  Shared Members may make their contribution by any payment method.  See more details about Shared Memberships here.

What isn’t changing:

• May 15 is our Membership Deadline. During the COVID-19 crisis, we shifted our membership deadline, but we returned to May 15 in 2022, and the same deadline will apply in 2023.
• The 4-Payment Plan is Back. Through February 15, you can sign up for a 4-installment payment option. You will authorize recurring monthly payments of $275.50 on your credit/debit card, starting with the first payment when you register. Then your card will be charged on the first day of each of the three following months.
• Impact Plus ($1,100 – $1,499) and Impact Champion ($1,500+) membership options are still available. Plus and Champion members are critical to our ability to operate. All amounts contributed over $1,000 will be used for operational expenses.
• Simplified Renewal.  If you are renewing your membership, you can either login to your member profile here  and follow the instructions to renew, or you can email renew@impactsanantonio.org – just include your name, how you’d like to pay, and if you’d like to make any changes to your membership option (changing to or from Plus or Champion).  If you are having your IRA broker or charitable fund send us your contribution, or if you are donating through your employer’s giving platform (with or without a match), let us know, so we can be on the lookout.

If you’ve watched and been touched by an Impact San Antonio video in recent years, you can thank Dave Sims Media. The company is one of our in-kind sponsors. Dave Sims tells us what he thinks about Impact San Antonio and why the company became a sponsor.

How did you first hear about Impact San Antonio?

We first heard about Impact San Antonio through our video work in the nonprofit sector. Impact San Antonio grants were, and continue to be, resources many organizations want to receive due to their ability to transform the futures of an organization.

Why did you decide to become a sponsor?

Our decision to support Impact San Antonio was based on our admiration for their intentional model that centers on women catalyzing change within communities.

What impresses/inspires you about the work of Impact San Antonio?

As social impact entrepreneurs, we admire how Impact San Antonio uses the generosity of their membership to empower organizations to move forward and accelerate change.

Please tell us about your company and the type of work you do.

Dave Sims Media is a team of socially conscious and driven artists, designers and creative thinkers specializing in high-quality video production, marketing and design. With more than 18 years of experience, we’ve worked with organizations ranging from some of the world’s largest tech companies to local, grassroots initiatives. Through authentic and engaging storytelling, we activate the purpose that is at the core of a message. We love what we do!

Our annual Celebration! brunch on September 10 was great fun for an enthusiastic crowd of 132 members, sponsors and agency representatives. The event, held at the San Fernando Ballroom downtown, started out with a mix-and-mingle social time, then moved on to a delicious brunch.

But the highlight of the event was hearing from our speakers. Keynote speaker Erika Prosper Nirenberg, senior director of customer relations for H-E-B and the wife of San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, gave a rousing talk to the attendees, calling them “women who just won’t sit down.” She emphasized the importance of caring, especially during the last two-plus years of the pandemic.

“Impact San Antonio was ahead of the game when it came to the word ‘care,’ ” she said.

Barbara Goldman, executive director of TEAMability, a 2021 High Impact Grant recipient, spoke about the importance of hope. She thanked Impact SA for the grant, which helped the agency purchase and upgrade their overhead tracking system, which they use to help their clients with multiple disabilities.

To end the program, noted poet Naomi Shihab Nye read her moving poem “Kindness,” which began, “Before you know what kindness really is, you must lose things.”

For a selection of photos from the event, click here.

There is so much for us to celebrate!

We celebrate the wonderful women of Impact San Antonio, who in 2022 contributed $555,000 toward grants and shared their time and talents, logging an incredible number of volunteer hours.

We celebrate our sponsors, who make it possible for Impact San Antonio to operate, and help ensure that each and every membership dollar goes directly to the grants we award to deserving agencies.

We celebrate the agencies in our community who do so much amazing work to address the many needs in our community and improve lives.

And most importantly, we celebrate that we are cultivating a more vibrant community … together!

So as you learn more about this year’s grant finalists and get ready to submit your votes, remember that you help make all this possible — so celebrate yourself!

And we look forward to seeing you at Impact San Antonio’s biggest night of the year, Grant Award Night on Monday, Oct. 24. Registration is now open. I know you’ll want to be there as we announce the recipients of our five $100,000 grants to see the power of collective giving in action!