Nonprofit Matters: Fort Worth bike share program rolls onward

 

A $554,610 grant to the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) through the Texas Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement Program will add new bike share stations and bicycles to the Fort Worth Bike Sharing nonprofit organization. The T’s application was chosen by the Texas Transportation Commission. The T project was one of 81 awarded statewide that received a total of $91 million. The grant will pay for 10 new bike share stations and 100 new bicycles. Operating expenses will be covered through sponsorships, advertising, memberships and usage fees. Fort Worth B-Cycle began on Earth Day, April 22, with 300 bicycles and 27 stations. Three stations have since been added. Specific locations for the 10 new ones have yet to be determined. The stations will be installed as early as February. Fort Worth Bike Sharing is in charge of operating the Fort Worth B-Cycle system. The concept began within the The T and the transportation authority remains an active partner.The four new stations are at: Museum Place, West Seventh and Barden streets; Burnett Park, West Seventh and Burnett streets; Main and East Weatherford streets; and West Berry Street and Cockrell Avenue. Fort Worth Bike Sharing is seeking sponsors for its next wave of expansion. For information, email tim@fortworthbikesharing.org.

Cancer services expand with grant The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and Fort Worth’s Moncrief Cancer Foundation each have pledged $5 million to bring comprehensive cancer services to Fort Worth and surrounding communities through the UT Southwestern/Moncrief Cancer Institute. The $10 million investment will help UT Southwestern to provide clinical expertise including chemotherapy as well as National Cancer Institute clinical research trials at the Moncrief center. The expanded services are scheduled to being in spring 2015.

Goodwill station opens Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth Inc. opened its 10th attended donation station on July 20 in Mansfield. The new location, at 960 N. Walnut Creek Dr., is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

- FWBP Digital Partners -

Ronald McDonald House spruced up The Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth will undergo a paint makeover thanks to a donation from Benjamin Moore Paints of more than 1,000 gallons of paint valued at $37,000. The donation will be used to brighten the interior and exterior of the 33,000-square-foot building at 1004 Seventh Ave. in Fort Worth. The organization provides accommodations for families who have a child receiving medical care at Cook Children’s Medical Center or Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. The house serves 38 families a night; in 2012 it served a total of 797 families. Later this summer, an expansion will add 20 family bedrooms (20,000 square feet), which will allow accommodations for up to 58 families a night. Helping Benjamin Moore fulfill Fort Worth RMHC’s paint needs is Frontier Paint Co.

Odyssey Hospice holds food drive During August, staff members from the Fort Worth Odyssey Hospice office and Odyssey Hospice House will place food collection bags at various local health care facilities and gather donations for the Tarrant Area Food Bank as part of the company’s 9th Annual Food Drive. Employees hope to beat last year’s national record of more than 396,360 pounds of goods for donation to charitable organizations across the country. For information about the food drive, contact Executive Director Christina Garland at 817-338-1512 or Chris tina.Garland@odsyhealth.com. The Odyssey office is located at 2630 West Freeway, Suite 102, Fort Worth.

OCG PR, Paul Quinn create scholarship In the wake of the national discussion regarding race relations and social justice following the Trayvon Martin case, Fort Worth-based public relations agency OCG PR (Open Channels Group) and Paul Quinn College have created a scholarship fund called the OCG PR Scholarship for Social Justice. In memory of Martin, the fund will award a $7,500 scholarship to a student in the college’s legal studies program. OCG PR specializes in multicultural communications. Paul Quinn is a private, faith-based, four-year liberal arts college and one of the nation’s 106 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The idea for the scholarship emerged from a conversation about multicultural issues between college President Michael J. Sorrell and CEO Tonya Veasey of OCG PR, a Paul Quinn alumna. OCG PR will provide $5,000 toward the scholarship and $2,500 will be provided by Paul Quinn College. To be eligible for the award, students must be juniors or seniors and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Applications will be taken starting this fall.

Send nonprofit items to Betty Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net