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WELCOME NEW MEMBER
Foundation for Southeast Texas
(Beaumont, TX)
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Table Talk... Keep it Going!
To all who sat together at lunch at Philanthropy Southwest's Annual Conference in Colorado Springs to talk about what you need and want from us, thanks for participating in the loudest collective "BUZZ" we've ever created! As promised, here is a
high-level summary of what you said.
Let's keep the buzz going! You are the key to change and innovation, and together we can make things happen...faster.
Please consider becoming a  Philanthropy Southwest volunteer. The committees and our board of directors will take a deeper dive into the focus group responses, using this resource to strengthen the work of Philanthropy Southwest for member foundations and the field of philanthropy.
We invite you to be a part of this! Look at the
volunteer interest sheet and let us know what appeals to you. If you don't have the time or flexibility to be involved on a committee for a year, we invite you to help with short-term events or projects, like teaching or co-teaching at a seminar in your area of expertise, hosting a gathering in your office or community, or meeting with legislators in your area.
Philanthropy Southwest welcomes your ideas, suggestions, questions and feedback throughout the year! Contact us any time:
Lucille DiDomenico:
214.740.1787
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2016 Annual Conference
Continue the Learning!
If you were unable to attend the conference, or want to find out more, following are two articles about conference sessions. Speaker handouts and resources can be found on the Philanthropy Southwest website
here.
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Preserving Dignity in Aging
After a series of strokes, Henry has spent the last 10 years in a nursing home. His daughter visits
him regularly, and she says that for the most part, he spends his time sitting in his chair, relatively
unresponsive to the world around him.
That catatonic state goes away as soon as the headphones go on. Henry is transformed by the
music in his ears. His feet start moving, his hands wave. Most strikingly, his eyes open wide, and he
becomes alive again.
Henry is part of a simple program called
Music & Memory that is changing the face of long-term
care. Music & Memory takes iPods, often donated, to nursing homes and trains the staff to fill them
with playlists personalized to the "soundtrack" of each resident's life. That generally means music
that was popular when someone was in the prime of their youth, between the ages of 15-25. Read more.
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Providing a Path to Connect Youth to the Dignity of Work
An estimated 6 million young people in the United States, between the ages of 16 and 24, are out of school
and not working. These youths are disconnected from the education and work sectors for diverse, challenging
sets of circumstances, such as homelessness, aging out of foster care, justice involvement, disabilities or
special needs, or being immigrants or teen parents.
Believing "disconnected youth" are a heartbreaking symptom of a disconnected system, the Opportunity
Youth Network (OYN) was created by the White House Council on Community Solutions. The program, which
is co-managed by the Forum for Youth Investment, the Aspen Institute's Forum for Community Solutions, and
Gap Inc., launched in 2013 with leaders from nearly 100 national organizations.
In a Philanthropy Southwest education session, Steve Patrick, executive director of the Aspen Institute's
Forum for Community Solutions, said there are now 21 communities across the country engaged in the OYN.
"Using a
collective impact approach
, these communities have brought together funders, businesses,
nonprofits and government agencies, all working in a coordinated fashion toward the collective goal of
reducing the number of disconnected youth by one million over five years."
Full article
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Philanthropy Leaders Summit
Reno, Nevada
Once again Philanthropy Southwest participated as a co-sponsor with the Moonridge Group to present a PHILANTHROPY LEADERS Summit in September in Reno, Nevada.
Held at the Nevada Museum of Art, the program theme -
Be The Change
- was inspiring and informative. Included in the morning's program was a presentation on a 2016 recent giving study on corporate philanthropy in Nevada.
The event was preceded by an evening reception at the home of Staci and Mike Alonso, generous philanthropists and gracious hosts. This was the second PHILANTHROPY LEADERS Summit in 2016 co-sponsored with Moonridge. The first was held in
Las Vegas in February with the theme
Giving ... Done Better
. Board President at the time, Tim Schultz, represented Philanthropy Southwest at this event. Moonridge Group's Philanthropy Leaders was founded in 2012 and is held annually in both Las Vegas and Reno.
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National Initiative Underway
To Support Imperiled Wildlife and Sensitive Habitat
At the fall meeting of the Texas Environmental Grantmakers Group, Richard Heilbrun, conservation outreach program leader with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) outlined House Bill H.R. 5650 "Recovering America's Wildlife Act of 2016." If passed, the bill is a potential game changer for wildlife preservation and for the thousands of businesses and organizations that care about natural resources.
HR 5650 would allocate $1.3 billion annually from existing revenue sources to effectively implement all 50 states Wildlife Action Plans. Collectively, these plans identify and provide a roadmap to recover more than 12,000 nationally imperiled species, called Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
H.R. 5650 was introduced as a "marker bill" to begin a national conversation. The bill will be re-introduced in Spring of 2017, possibly with a new bill number and title. At that time the legislature will have 20 - 22 months to consider and vote on the bill. It currently has bi-partisan support. TPWD is seeking opportunities to educate the public regarding this important legislation. Read more or view full presentation here.
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Relations
hips, Collaboration and Learning
Measuring Progress, Addressing Challenges
On October 13 and 14, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation hosted the fourth annual Youth Substance Use Prevention a
nd Early Intervention Strategic Initiative
convening in Washington D.C. The meeting serves as an opportunity for partner organizations to learn about progress in advancing screening and early intervention approaches for youth, as well as to discuss emerging issues, and network with practitioners and experts in the field. More than 100 people attended the convening, including healthcare practitioners, experts on prevention research and health disparities, substance use prevention advocates, and young people with the lived experience of being in recovery from a substance use disorder.
Philanthropy Southwest's Executive Director Lucille DiDomenico who attended the Conference commented, "I was honored to be invited to The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's fourth annual conference. The information presented was impressive and thorough. The fact that the convening included the personal experience of youth, practitioners in the field and expert researchers made the event comprehensive with many opportunities for interaction among participants."
Full Article
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SHORT TAKES
Member Happenings
The board of trustees of
Communities Foundation of Texas
(CFT), one of the largest community foundations in the nation, is pleased to announce that David J. Scullin will become its new president and chief executive officer, starting in January 2017. Scullin replaces Brent E. Christopher, who led CFT for nearly eleven years. Read more.
In October, the
San Antonio Business Journal
awarded Eusebio Diaz its 2016 Health Care Heroes award as Outstanding Health Care Executive Nonhospital-Based. Mr. Diaz serves as vice president for the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio. Full article
The
Paso del Norte Health Foundation is pleased to announce the election of
Ruben Guerra as a new board member for the Health Foundation. Mr. Guerra is president and CEO of The Ruben E. Guerra Company, LLC.
Linda McDavitt, president and CEO of The Genevieve and Ward Orsinger Foundation, completed the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race as the oldest female circumnavigator. She celebrated her 69th birthday at sea. Read more.
Foundation News
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the
Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation
awarded one-time grants totaling $400,000 to nine agencies in Arkansas, North Texas, and West Texas. In selecting these grantees, the Foundation's goals were to honor the longstanding interests of the King Family and to strengthen the ways those interests can be served today -- a future the Kings sought to serve.
Read more
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In October, the Boettcher Foundation announced awards totaling $840,000 for capital grants to 16 nonprofit organizations in Colorado to help support community enrichment projects throughout the state. Awardees included organizations such as the Denver Public Library, the Tabor Opera House -- City of Leadville and the Ute Indian Museum. Full article.
St. David's Foundation
has
awarded
10 central Texas nonprofit agencies with innovative healthcare solutions "Opportunity Grants" of nearly $1 million. Opportunity Grants are a new initiative by St. David's Foundation aimed at collaborative, creative new approaches to addressing a wide range of health needs. Awardees include an e-cigarette prevention program, technology to streamline vision screening and support and counseling for LGBT youth. Full article.
The
Paso del Norte Health Foundation
recently awarded six grants totaling more than $867,000 under the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Priority Area -- Think.Change Initiative. The purpose of the Initiative is to reduce stigma associated with mental illness. For a full description of the funded programs, visit
pdnhf.org/news
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In an effort to aid Midland Independent School District - struggling with a $50 million school finance payment and an expected $25 million deficit -- the Scharbauer Foundation committed a donation of $10 million to the school district. "If there has ever been a donor-intent foundation, it is this one, because what is the donor intent? Midland, Texas," Clarence Scharbauer, III said at the time. Read full article.
For more member news continuously added to our we
bsite,
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UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
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