The GVTC Foundation had a banner year in its efforts to raise funds to support its mission: To profoundly enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve, through charitable contributions and volunteer service in support of our program goals. There were three significant initiatives that contributed the most to The Foundation’s funding – employee pledge, annual golf tournament and Round Up campaign.
The annual employee pledge drive resulted in the highest number of employees participating ever, with 92% of all employees donating to The GVTC Foundation. The GVTC Board of Directors fully participates at 100% as they have for many years. The pledge drive generated a total of $111,896.86. GVTC will match this amount at 150% for a total of $279,742.15. This is almost 4% more in pledge dollars than the previous year.
The GVTC Annual Charitable Golf Classic is the only fundraiser that benefits The GVTC Foundation. For the past 13 years, this annual golf tournament has provided over $1,000,000 in donations to the Foundation. In 2017, the Foundation netted $195,473.90, the most ever for the tournament. This was a 31% increase over the 2016 tournament proceeds. It was held at the beautiful JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, where it will be held in 2018.
A new initiative, Round Up for Change®, was announced at the GVTC Annual Meeting in June of 2017. This initiative that allows GVTC customers to Round Up on their bill to the next dollar, generated $5,012.89 for the Foundation. GVTC matched these customer donations at 100% for a total of $10,025.78 to the Foundation. Almost 6% of GVTC’s customers opted to Round Up on their bill in this short period of time. This initiative will continue in perpetuity, giving all GVTC customers the opportunity to partner with The GVTC Foundation to better our community.
Individuals and businesses have also made generous donations to the Foundation during the year. Anyone may donate to the Foundation and customer donations up to $5,000 will be matched at 100%.
The funds raised by The GVTC Foundation supports year-long initiatives that give back to communities it serves. This includes the Thanksgiving Give Back Project that provided Thanksgiving meals to 215 families plus many other projects during the year such as sizable donations to all area food pantries and support dollars for all area Volunteer Fire Departments. The Foundation also awards two $20,000 scholarships to deserving youths graduating from high school. The Ritchie T. Sorrells Scholarship for Leaders is awarded to a high school student who has shown superior leadership skills during their high school career and the Ola Armstrong Scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated their passion for service to their community. #0000158587-001-5
The success of The Foundation’s fundraisers is due in large part to the participation of GVTC employees, their families and friends. They donate not only their dollars and but also volunteer service hours toward the different community service programs. This winning combination, which has been proven over previous years, will continue to guarantee that 2018 will be another fruitful year for The GVTC Foundation.