Six charitable organizations in the Coastal Bend were the recipients of this year’s CHRISTUS Fund, which is providing more than $260,000 in donations to area community groups.
The CHRISTUS Fund awards grant funding to nonprofit community organizations that align their work with CHRISTUS Spohn’s mission, values and Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Every three years, CHRISTUS Health evaluates and reports on the more pressing health needs of the region.
The CHRISTUS Fund Advisory Committee made up of community members throughout the CHRISTUS Health ministries, meet twice a year to make grant award recommendations for these vital community programs.
One of the recent recipients of a CHRISTUS Fund award is the Mary McLeod Bethune Early Child Development Nursery. Their work provides daycare for children with parents who are experiencing poverty and homelessness. Through the CHRISTUS Fund, CHRISTUS Spohn is able to help those parents who are underemployed and have little to no access to financial and health care resources, leaders said.
“We want to improve the health and well-being of all people in the communities we serve. Through the CHRISTUS Fund we’re touching so many lives including helping those families and their children,” said Steve Kazanjian, VP of Mission Integration for CHRISTUS Spohn Health System. “We believe that by working together, we can make a profound difference in the quality of people's lives and create sustainable, positive change in our communities.”
The full list of this year’s awardees was announced during a special event at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-
South. There, CHRISTUS Spohn leaders recognized these amazing organizations, our important community partnerships and their invaluable work.
The donations distributed at the CHRISTUS Fund event included:
Mission of Mercy - $75,000 Corpus Christi Pregnancy Center - $15,000 Corpus Christi Hope House - $15,000 Mary McLeod Bethune Early Child Development Nursery - $25,000 Nueces County Family Drug Treatment Court Advisory Committee - $59,812 YWCA - $71,128
“CHRISTUS Health is committed to working with community-led partnerships. Together we can achieve measurable, sustainable improvements in well-being,” said Angela M. MacDonald, CHRISTUS Fund Program Director. “Everyone deserves access to high-quality affordable health care and basic necessities. Our commitment to deliver on this is a reflection of CHRISTUS Health’s mission and core values.”
Each organization was welcomed to the front of the stage to receive a large commemorative check and share in photo opportunities with CHRISTUS Spohn leaders. The local community groups said the funds will be a big boost to their budgets just in time for the holidays and provide much-needed services for the most vulnerable in our community.
“We are ecstatic to receive these donations which will assist our patients and provide free medical care and prescriptions, along with healthy cooking classes, behavioral health services and more,” said Sherry Bowers, Executive Director of Mission of Mercy. “Without the support of CHRISTUS Spohn we would not be able to assist as many patients as we can.”
Community organizations interested in learning more can visit:
www.christusfund.org