As Impact San Antonio members, we can change lives and champion others’ success. I want to share two great stories about extraordinary women helped by nonprofits that received our high impact grants of $100,000. What a treat it was for our members to hear from them at our Kickoff event last month!
Thier personal, inspiring stories illustrated how far they have come already, beyond their expectations, when given the opportunity and the support system to succeed.
Meet Edith Estrada-Contreras, a high school junior who is welding and plumbing her way through the Construction Careers Academy program at the North Side Independent School District. Edith credits the CCA program, funded in part by a 2017 Impact SA grant, with giving her the confidence to kick stereotypes aside and excel. Between her work on building the Impact SA tiny home, a summer internship with Zachry Construction and attending educational sessions with the National Association of Women Business Owners, she envisions earning a college degree in civil and environmental engineering. She also plans to start a welding business with her father after graduation to help pay off student loans.
Meet Linda Williams, a member of San Antonio Clubhouse, which serves those with mental health challenges. In her inspiring story, her strong desire was coupled with the support she needed to leave behind her history of being in psychiatric hospitals and turn her life around. Now she’s moving forward with lots of confidence and drive. She is leading the Clubhouse Farm Unit, which includes Project H.U.G., their high-tech hydroponic farm funded by a 2018 grant from Impact SA. And she’s part of the elite International Clubhouse Faculty, a member of the SA Clubhouse Board of Directors, a business owner and a homeowner.
We all need support to help us navigate life’s curveballs and reach our potential. Impact SA helps you become a champion of others through the collective generosity of caring, civic-minded women coming together, pooling their donations each year and then awarding grants to local nonprofits who can truly change the trajectory of people’s lives.
I’ll bet our members will also tell you they’ve made new friends with other Impact SA members who have become mentors and champions of their own lives, too.
So join us, and feel what it’s like to be a champion – for our community, for our nonprofits, for those who need our support and for each other.
If you’re already a member, help us find more champions like yourself to come together to make a significant difference in our community. If you’re not, we’d love to have you join us! Visit www.impactsanantonio.org to learn more.
