As the new Partnership Manager for SA2020, I’ve been touring and visiting with our amazing Partners to learn more about their work and how their efforts advance the SA2020 vision. I’ll be chronicling my Partner visits to connect the micro to the macro and prove how ground-level efforts are moving the needle across the Cause Areas and goals our community prioritized. See more of my visits here!

Several of my most recent visits took me to Partners who advocate for and teach health, wellness, and fitness to kids and adults alike. From after school sports to cancer screenings, these organizations are truly making our community healthier by the day. Read on to find out more about their work and how you can be a part of it!

SRG Force Sports

I had the honor of visiting the SRG Force Sports at the Young Men’s Leadership Academy in SAISD to once again see the magic that is our Partners in action. Mr. Ray and Ms. Thomas invited me to join in a game of kickball with the boys, where they learned teamwork, cooperation and listening skills (and I learned to stay out of the way when Ms. T kicks).

SRG Force Sports aims to provide quality, organized and structured programs that will enhance the overall development of children and young adults through the power of sports—and do they ever! Research shows involvement in sports promotes enhanced life skills and psychosocial development among youth. SRG Force Sports applies these findings through programming that promotes greater interest in education and broad-based learning through activities that show the importance of diet, sleep and exercise. Health & Fitness and Education aren’t the only cause areas impacted by SRG’s work. Their work with young students also impacts Family Well-Being, Economic Competitiveness, Community Safety and Civic Engagement.

Feeling inspired? Learn more about SRG Force Sports and find out how to get involved in the fun here.

Martinez Street Women’s Center

We just can’t get enough of our Partners who support our community’s young girls and women! Andrea Figueroa, Martinez Street Women’s Center Executive Director, shared insight on the comprehensive resources and support her team provides to females on the city’s Westside. Having recently revised their mission statement, MSWC can now extend their services into the South and East sides of town to reach even more women and girls!

MSWC transforms communities through women and girls by providing access to vital health services, quality education, and advocacy. They envision a world where women and girls achieve empowerment, equality, and justice. The outcome of increasing access to preventative health services and enhancing knowledge and awareness of health issues, for example, is achieved through such services like clinical breast exams, health screenings, providing fresh foods, consultations with medical providers, as well as evidence-based sex education to teens at or above the age of 15. MSWC programming aims to rewrite current statistics, which reveal 80% of adolescents don’t follow recommended dietary guidelines, and 40% don’t engage in sufficient daily physical activity. Through strategic partnerships and data-driven actions, MSWC is not only moving the needle on Health & Fitness and Family Well-Being, but also Civic Engagement and Economic Competitiveness.

Explore the many ways you can be a part of transforming communities through women and girls by giving your time, talent or resources to Martinez Street Women’s Center!

Girls on the Run of Bexar County 

I got to meet Dr. Minka Misangyi, Executive Director of this amazing girls leadership organization. Third through fifth grade girls at Woodridge Elementary welcomed me into their after-school program to witness their model firsthand. I was impressed to learn that all GOTRBC site coaches are either teachers or parents who selflessly volunteer their time, passion and talent to bring opportunities to the young women in our community.

GOTRBC inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running. Drawing from research that proves girls and women who play sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression, GOTRBC implements programming grounded in the ideals of female empowerment. For example, the organizational outcome to instill healthy food choices and lifestyle habits uses role-play and scenario-based learning to model wellness and healthy behavior. While these strong, resilient girls train all semester for a 5K, they’re also reaping the benefits of enhanced leadership skills, self-confidence, community building and cooperation. The GOTRBC impact can be felt across Cause Areas ranging from Health & Fitness and Family Well-Being to Education, Civic Engagement and Economic Competiveness.

Discover ways you can get involved and help motivate and empower the next generation of female leaders in San Antonio (and learn something from them along the way!)

Any Baby Can

Jana and Hugo, Chief Operating Officer and President and CEO of Any Baby Can, gave me the VIP treatment with a fabulous tour of their very large, impressive facility on Howard Street. Of the many things I gleaned from my visit with Any Baby Can, the greatest take-away by far was the contagious positivity and passion of their amazing staff! They’re clearly doing something right, because feeling like family is exactly what ABC is all about.

ABC’s mission is to serve families with children from birth through 17 years who are facing a chronic illness, developmental challenge, delay or health risk. Their goal is to guide families from crisis to care and focus on meeting the needs of each member of the family. This holistic approach to serving children and families is rooted in a dedicated Case Management team that links families to internal and external resource networks. To illustrate, the organizational outcome of increasing the social network and coping skills of parents takes social services to a whole new level. Enter the research: studies prove friend and family support is associated with less negative family impact, lower psychological distress, and better adjustment. With programming that spans Health & Wellness and Prescription Assistance to Autism Services, Sibling Support, and a Center for Infant and Child Loss, ABC serves the whole family unit from crisis to sustainability. ABC is moving the needle on more than just Health & Fitness and Family Well-Being, but also Economic Competitiveness and Education with an overarching influence on early childhood, social connectedness and community vitality.

Be a part of changing the landscape for children and families in San Antonio by giving your time, talent or resources to Any Baby Can!