TAA Recognizes Members Giving Back this Winter
Synopsis
One of the things we love about the multifamily housing industry and those who are a part of it are the stories we hear so often. The small acts of kindness toward residents, the acts of generosity to help the community! Texas Apartment Association shines a light on members giving back this winter.
The Apartment Association of Central Texas Community Outreach Committee, Board of Directors, and their families, assembled 100 Christmas Trees. The trees were then hand delivered to the children at McLane’s Children’s Hospital which is where the magic began. The smiles on their faces, excitement when they lit up their trees, the happy stories they spoke, was completely magical. A total of $634.00 was collected in efforts to support Brady’s Bridge. Committee Members: Cody Newton, Dedra Bouffard, Toni Rackley, Robert Price, Kim Stanford, Latasha McCombs
Each September the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas NextGen Committee hosts its Annual Fundraiser, Costume for Kids. This committee fundraiser provides local non-profit organizations the funds to purchase costumes for children who would otherwise go without. In addition to the fundraiser, the committee also hosted its first annual AAGD Halloween Bingo Night and Costume Contest to raise money and bring awareness to this need in our community. Thanks to the generosity of our AAGD Members, the NextGen Committee raised an outstanding $8,226! The amount raised is well over the $6,000 goal and will be divided equally between the following organizations: Casa Denton, Shared Housing Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, Nexus recovery Center and Hope’s Door Plano. The Apartment Association of Greater Dallas Cares also hosted a food drive benefitting Inspired Visions. The Lofts at Watters Creek stepped up to the challenge and donated over 800 cans, and Market Street teamed up to help with the cause! A big thank you to the members for giving back and helping to make this drive so successful!
The Apartment Association of Southeast Texas HEARTS Committee held its 16th Annual HEARTS Committee Blood Drive, and it was once again a huge success! They worked alongside LifeShare Blood Centers and exceeded their drive quota of 10 units with 11 units which will save around 33 lives. As a perk for donating, all donors who contributed received free drinks, food, and a LifeShare Blood Center T-Shirt.
Big Country Apartment Association was busy in 2022 with a variety of charitable drives:
- BCAA supported the Misty Colmer Scholastic Book Fair Fundraiser to help EVERY student in the Wylie & Abilene Independent School Districts receive a book this year.
- BCAA collected and donated over 100 pounds of non-perishable canned goods to the Annual Mission Thanksgiving Food Drive, and also hosted their own Thanksgiving Day Meal drive, collecting donations to feed 20 local families with a warm holiday meal.
- BCAA collected and donated over 100 pounds of non-perishable canned goods for the Camelot Apartments Food Pantry.
- BCAA held a toy drive and collected board games, Legos, playdoh, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk to benefit the Boys & Girls Club in the Big Country area.
- BCAA held a toy drive and collected toys for boys and girls in need at a local community to be given as Christmas presents.
- BCAA collected school supplies to fill 50 backpacks that were donated to students in need in the Abilene and Eula Independent School Districts.
Bryan College Station, BCS Apartment Association made their annual donation to Tiny Hope Village. Tiny Hope Village is building a community of 24 homes to be supportive, permanent housing for those who have experienced homelessness in the area. It will be a missional community, where everyone there is involved in doing the good work of housing people who are not getting housing through what is otherwise available in the area.
Houston Apartment Association recognizes Shaun Johnson, manager at Toro Place Apartments, a 321-unit community managed by Better World Properties. Her team and company participated in the 2022 HAA Annual Food Drive and collected an incredible 10,700 food items to donate to the Houston Food Bank.
Lubbock Apartment Association hosted their 7th Annual Dream Big Chili Cook-off benefitting the New Legacy Home for Women. With 22 teams and 150 attendees, they raised $3,700 for the special cause! New Legacy Home for Women is designed to offer women the best possible environment to write a new life story by providing necessary tools to live healthy, independent, productive lives that will leave a positive impact on Lubbock and their families.
Rio Grande Valley Apartment Association board members, members, and family volunteered their time at the RGV Food Bank in Pharr, TX (Nov. ’22) to help sort seed packets to prepare for donations to the surrounding communities to help prepare and establish community gardens. RGVAA board members: Sonia Munoz- President, Crystal Moya- Treasurer, Steve Urbina- Director & family, Rafael Delgado- Events Committee Chair, Cooper & Laura Lundquist- Product/Service Partners. Rio Grande Valley Apartment Association also held a toy drive at their annual Holiday Banquet in Dec ’22. It was a huge success with members donating well over 60 gifts benefiting the children at Su Casa de Esperanza. RGVAA board members helped deliver the toys: Sylvia Salas- Past President, Crystal Moya- Treasurer, Carolyn Vela- Director, and Steve Urbina- Director.
San Angelo Apartment Association collected over $1,000 in toys for Goodfellow AFB’s Operation Warm Heart to be distributed to local service men and women during their Making Spirits Bright community service efforts! Members also donated socks, gloves, hats, scarves, toiletries and books to help the local Meals for the Elderly fill stockings for the elderly people of San Angelo.
The local homeless shelter in San Antonio, Haven for Hope, has been experiencing an influx of families. In the winter months it is so important for the shelter to help keep children warm. The San Antonio Apartment Association’s Homeless Initiative Committee conducted a community project to collect children’s coats from association members and member properties for families sheltering at Haven for Hope. The committee successfully collected over one-hundred coats and delivered them to Haven For Hope with the help of San Antonio City Councilperson Dr. Adriana Rocha-Garcia. Emery Johnson, Kara Morkovsky, Celine Williams, Victoria Dries-Keeler, Tricia Goergon, Kelley Liserio, Omar Rodriguez, Steffany Esnaola, Linda Izaguirre
Members of Victoria Apartment Association joined Operation Fire Fighter to put out 15 collection boxes and collected 446 toys and cans of food. Seventeen apartment families were chosen and given five gifts per child, a box of food, and a complete turkey dinner (a total of 41 children). In addition, twenty-three senior citizens that were alone for the holidays were also given gifts and a ham dinner that was cooked and delivered warm. Families in Victoria and Edna were served through this project, which was done in partnership with the Victoria County Fire Marshall’s Office. Committee members: Toni Stithem, Richard Castillo, Robert Koudelka
