Nonprofit Matters Oct. 13, 2014

Food Bank breaks ground, kicks off capital campaign Tarrant Area Food Bank broke ground Sept. 25 on a two-story, 28,200-square-foot building at its Fort Worth campus, 2525 Cullen St. The new addition is named the Dorothy and Norman M. Kronick Program and Administration Building in honor of a leading donation from the Fort Worth Foundation.

The Kronick Building will provide space for programs and operations that formerly were housed in the nonprofit organization’s warehouse. Along with the groundbreaking, the foot bank kicked off a $12 million capital campaign to raise funds for the new building and for renovating, updating and expanding the organization’s food distribution center, or warehouse. The Building to Feed Communities campaign is needed to increase food distribution capacity, according to Bo Soderbergh, executive director of Tarrant Area Food Bank. More than 300 pantries and partner agencies distribute food to the needy across the food bank’s 13-county service area. These hunger-relief charities currently serve more than 460,000 hungry people, including children, senior citizens, veterans and low-wage workers. During fiscal year 2014, Tarrant Area Food Bank distributed 33 million pounds of fresh, frozen and non-perishable groceries. By 2020, the food bank projects that the need for assistance will increase to more than 50 million pounds of food annually. “Fortunately, we are receiving more and more nutritious and higher quality food donations, food that must be stored and distributed even more quickly and efficiently,” Soderbergh said. To assure speed and efficiency in distributing that amount of food, renovations to the warehouse will include improved cold storage, reconfiguration for new freezers and a warehouse management system. Warehouse upgrades are expected to be completed by 2016. Steel and Freeman Inc. is the general contractor for the project. Additional gifts supporting the Kronick Building construction project came from a coalition of foundations including the Amon Carter, Sid Richardson, Mabee, Paul E. Andrews Jr. and Ryan. Another significant grant was received from an anonymous family foundation.

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES TO EXPAND IN FORT WORTH, ARLINGTON Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth Inc. has purchased a 7,000-square-foot building adjacent to its headquarters on Campus Drive in Fort Worth and also acquired an 11,000-square-foot retail space in Arlington for what will be its 21st location in Tarrant County. Details of the transactions were not disclosed. The nonprofit bought the former DP&P Construction building at 2514 Mansfield Highway. Its contracts workshops and day-habilitation center will be relocated to the new building to erase a growing bottleneck in its donation and distribution warehouse and to expand its recycling and retail operations. Goodwill Fort Worth’s newest retail store, donation station and job resource center in north Arlington will be at 901 W. Lamar Blvd. It will open in early December after a reconfiguration of space, renovations of flooring and fixtures and repainting. According to David Cox, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth, the organization is “busting at the seams.” “In the last two years alone, we’ve opened three new donation centers, one new retail store … rebranded and reopened the Job Resource Center and expanded our recycling program.”

GIVING DAY SETS RECORD, PROJECT AIMS TO SAVE ANIMALS The sixth annual North Texas Giving Day, an online fundraiser organized by Communities Foundation of Texas, broke its national record on Sept. 18 by raising more than $26.3 million in 18 hours. More than 98,000 donations exceeded last year’s total of 75,000 and surpassed last year’s results by more than $1 million. This year, 1,580 nonprofits benefited. The Community Foundation of North Texas celebrated the day with a rally in downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. More than 600 people representing more than 100 Tarrant County nonprofits attended. During the rally, Community Foundation presented bonus prizes to three Tarrant organizations. Two $2,500 prizes were awarded to North East Emergency Distribution and Arts Fifth Avenue; one $5,000 prize was given to Texas Garden Clubs. In addition to the funds provided by the Community Foundation of North Texas and its donor advisers, bonus funds were provided by the Sid W. Richardson and Miles foundations. Separately, Community Foundation has partnered with the city of Fort Worth, residents and funders to save animals in danger of being euthanized due to minor illnesses or behavioral concerns. Project Henry, a new 3,300-square-foot animal medical treatment ward addition to the existing Chuck Silcox Animal Shelter, hopes to save the lives of more than 1,500 animals per year. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of this new facility at 4900 Martin St. in Fort Worth will be on Oct. 8 from 10 to 11 a.m. Community Foundation also will launch the Friends of Henry and Scout Giving Program, designed to attract ongoing financial support for the city’s animal care initiative. Contact Jessica Siegel at jsiegel@cfntx.org to make a donation or for information.

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SLATKIN TO CHAIR CLIBURN JURY, PROGRAM ON CLIBURN DEBUTS The Van Cliburn Foundation has named conductor Leonard Slatkin chairman of the jury for the 2017 Van Cliburn International Competition at Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall. Slatkin, music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lyon, France, also will conduct the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in the competition’s final round, but will abstain from voting in that round. Slatkin previously conducted the FWSO in the 2013 Cliburn Competition. He succeeds John Giordano, who served as jury chairman since 1973. For the first time, Performing Arts Fort Worth’s Children’s Education Program and The Cliburn are collaborating on a new arts education program that will teach children about the life, music and significance of Van Cliburn. “Van Cliburn: An American Hero,” written and directed by Dallas Theater Center Associate Artistic Director Joel Ferrell, will be presented at Bass Performance Hall to 12,000 Fort Worth Independent School District fourth graders Oct. 7-9 and during the following three school years. Attendance at the programs is coordinated through the school district and is not open to the general public.

PARENT ENGAGEMENT PROJECT PICKS GRANTEE PARTNERS Seven local agencies have been selected to receive funding as part of the Parent Engagement Collaborative, a joint effort started this year to make a difference in Fort Worth’s Morningside neighborhood. The Miles Foundation, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the Morris Foundation created the project to focus on parental engagement and education efforts targeting children ages 0-5. The grantee partners include AVANCE Inc., United Community Centers, Camp Fire First Texas, The Concilio, East Fort Worth Montessori Academy, Fort Worth Library and The Parenting Center. Programming provided by the seven agencies is scheduled to begin this fall.

ARLINGTON ISD, EXPERTS TO PLAN ARTS ACADEMIES The Arlington Independent School District is collaborating with industry experts to help develop the programming and facilities for the dual language/fine arts academies included in its 2014 bond program. Industry leaders participating in the planning labs for these academies include individuals from The Cliburn, Kimbell Art Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Casa Manana, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of North Texas. Teachers, staff, administrators, community members, parents and students also will participate in the labs. The groups will participate in five work sessions to develop educational goals, activities and technology needs. Community meetings and a second two-day work session also are planned.

AND THE GRANTS GO TO … Globe Life and Accident Insurance Co. and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation awarded grants to 11 nonprofits in Texas and Louisiana to support youth baseball and softball programs. Grant recipients included Pioneer Youth Baseball and Softball Association in Saginaw, which will build a Miracle League field, and Project938.org in Haltom City, which will use the funds to install a scoreboard, new lighting and additional bleachers on its field. … Amphibian Stage Productions has received a 2014 National Theatre Company grant of $12,000 from the American Theatre Wing, the creator of the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards. Amphibian is the only theater company in the Southwest to be honored this year. The company received the grant at a ceremony in New York City on Sept. 29. … The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) will share $162,500 in public awareness grant funds among 11 transit agencies nationwide to help increase safety awareness around tracks in the Fort Worth area. … The Tarrant County Bar Foundation has been awarded a $22,000 grant from funds raised by the Texas Access to Justice Commissions’ annual Champion of Justice Gala.

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