Melanie Cawthon was working with people with intellectual disabilities when she discovered her calling. She saw that while many organizations exist to help people with specific disabilities, a person or their caregiver dealing with multiple disabilities would need to find three, four or more different agencies to get assistance. The city needed a unified community of service providers. That insight … Read More
Making lemonade through Lemonade Circle
Growing up on San Antonio’s East Side, Brandi Coleman treasured the support of teachers and community leaders. As an adult, she wanted to recreate that support for today’s generation of African American girls. That led her to start The Lemonade Circle, a mentorship program serving girls of color in grades 5 through 12.
Changing systems for better outcomes
It was a transformative experience when Kimberly Sama moved into a rural village in a small West African country. Her job with the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso was the start of a decade of living and working in African countries.
She worked on issues ranging from girls’ education, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence recovery and prevention and community health work.
Bringing the Arts to Everyone
After decades in business, Cory McRae never thought he’d be leading an arts organization. But his business experience has helped the Alamo City Performing Arts Association (known as Alamo City Arts) grow into a multi-faceted performing arts powerhouse. What started as a volunteer position became an obsession, McRae said. Today his work with the arts association is full-time.
“I saw there was a lot of potential with this organization,” he said. “I wanted to see what its true potential would allow it to become.”
Supporting veterans with personalized care
Military service sometimes comes at a personal cost for service members and their families. That’s why Endeavors, a San Antonio-based nonprofit organization, is dedicated to helping veterans and their families with personalized, comprehensive care. Hear from one of the SVPSA Fellows on their mission to support military and their families.
Soaring to New Heights
The Dee Howard Foundation, which focuses on preparing youth for careers in the aerospace industry, is soaring to new heights. The foundation has its first-ever executive director, an impressive board with some of the region’s top leaders in aerospace and aviation, and just launched a new initiative to introduce local students to drone technology. Training from Social Venture Partners San … Read More
The Power of the SVPSA Network
A car wash does not seem to be a very big deal. However, when a fledgling organization gets an unexpected communication offering the proceeds of a Haunted Car Wash to be held the weekend prior to Halloween, the wheels start to turn.
Mission Visit to Promesa Academy
Upon arrival at Promesa Academy, Social Venture Partners received big smiles and high fives from staff and student leaders from the school, welcoming us on a sunny afternoon October 6th. The warm day was matched by an extraordinarily warm welcome by our host, Ambika Dani, the academy’s founder and Superintendent and the four students who led us through a tour … Read More
From First Responder to Nonprofit Executive
SVPSA Partner Leslie Palmer knows the nonprofit world from every possible angle. In a career spanning more than 30 years, she’s volunteered in just about every position on various boards and served in virtually every role as a nonprofit staff member. “I’ve been CEO, program and operations person, chief development officer and emptied the trash if you needed it,” … Read More
Kickoff to 2022 Fellowship
Nineteen nonprofit leaders began a journey with SVPSA on September 14th to strengthen their skills, learn from each other and build a community of support. The SVPSA Fellowship, under Lead Partner, Jennifer Moriarty, started with each Fellow telling their own story of how they began their nonprofit journey.