Knapp Community Care Foundation

KCCF Intern and Team Takes First in National Social Entrepreneurship Competition We are so proud of Knapp Community Care Foundation intern Josiah Gonzalez, whose Enactus chapter won first place in the prestigious national competition –Enactus National Expo – that took place in Austin, Texas, in May. With their project and presentation, they represented our beloved Rio Grande...

Congratulations to the Second Nonprofit Leaders for Excellence Cohort In May, we celebrated the culmination of our second Nonprofit Leaders for Excellence cohort, a partnership between Knapp Community Care Foundation and Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation. This nine-month journey for 11 nonprofit leaders from the Rio Grande Valley has been filled with learning best prac...

Maximizing Partnerships to Further Investments in Our Local Communities

In March 2024, Knapp Community Care Foundation, in partnership with Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation and Methodist Healthcare Ministries, had the honor of co-hosting the Grantmakers In Health Board of Directors visit to the Rio Grande Valley.

Grantmakers in Health is a national organization with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. For more than 40 years, it has supported health funders of all sizes and interests through education, networking, and leadership. This visit was their first to the Rio Grande Valley.

The welcome reception, held at the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, attracted more than 80 community partners who had the opportunity to engage one-on-one with the Grantmakers in Health Board of Directors and staff team. Site visits with local nonprofit organizations and groups were scheduled to increase awareness of the Rio Grande Valley's local needs and the importance of philanthropic investment in our region.

Thank you, Grantmakers in Health, for your time and interest in our local communities.

https://www.communitycare.today/post/out-and-about-visiting-our-partners

KCCF Board Engaging With Our Partners This has been a year full of Board engagement with site visits and events where we have witnessed and celebrated the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our nonprofit partners.Knapp Community Care Foundation board members and staff attended the unveiling of MER-C, The Food Bank of the Rio Grand...

We are thrilled to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors. Jennifer Sander, Ramon Montalvo, and Dr. Daniel Lozano have recently joined us. Welcome, and thank you for your commitment to our mission of improving the health of Mid-Valley families! You can read more about each of them here: https://www.communitycare.today/post/welcome-new-board-members

This past week, Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF) Board and Staff were in Austin, Texas for the 2023 Philanthropy Southwest (PSW) Annual Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa. This year was special as it marked PSW's 75th Anniversary & celebrated the philanthropic efforts of KCCF founding CEO Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez.

This week, Knapp Community Care Foundation CEO, Cristina Trejo-Vasquez, participated in the Latina Leadership Conference 2023 which took place on Thursday, September 14, 2023 at the Mission Event Center. SHE SE PUEDE!

Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF), in partnership with Texas A&M University Colonias Program, learning from the community about the health priorities in the San Carlos and Hargill areas. Thank you to the San Carlos Endowment Center and Arise Adelante for hosting very informative community learning exchanges.

The Knapp Community Care Foundation was created in early 2013 with a mission "to improve the health of Mid-Valley families" in the Rio Grande Valley - Deep South Texas. We are thankful for our non-profit partnerships that enable us to collectively continue to target a better quality of life for the community we all proudly serve. Here's to many, many more years of community investment in the Mid-Valley! Please click the link below to view our KCCF 10 Year Anniversary Video highlighting our partner non-profits/grantees & the amazing work that they do! ❤️

KCCF 10 Years FINAL 4K.mov

Sharing a few photos from our 10th Anniversary/Community Grant Awards/Founding CEO Retirement Event that took place this past Thursday, May 18th at the Knapp Conference Center in Weslaco.

On behalf of Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF) Present/Past Board and Staff, thank you to our non-profit partners, our community, our friends and our loved ones for joining us in celebrating 10 Years of Community Investment in the Mid-Valley and the retirement of our founding CEO, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez.

Standing, left to right: Mark Perez, John Lackey, Bertha Suarez,
Ryan Vaughan, Lynn Carter, Ramon Montalvo, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez, Dr. Paula Garcia, Esperanza Garza, Spencer Bell, Judge Micaela Alvarez, Jesse Santana, Judge Nadia Medrano.

Congratulations from all of us at Knapp Community Care Foundation!

We were fortunate enough to win the governors award in 2017 and we are so excited to be chosen for a second award, the Environmental Excellence Award in Education!

Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF) was honored to attend the Musical Garden Ribbon Cutting that took place at Gibson Park on Thursday, May 11 at 10:00 a.m. Weslaco ISD Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Members, led by FCCLA sponsor, Ms. Mary Martin, were granted an award of $38,477 by KCCF for the installation of the musical garden that was proposed by the group to address the importance of physical and mental health for the community. Research confirms that experiencing music in nature positively engages the brain, builds social cohesion, and creates the conditions to build harmonious communities. KCCF is proud to partner with the City of Weslaco, Weslaco ISD and FCCLA in an effort to continue to invest in the health of Mid Valley families.

Knapp Community Care Foundation, along with Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, are proud to announce the Culminating Celebration of the 2022-2023 Nonprofit Leaders For Excellence Inaugural Cohort that took place on Tuesday, May 09, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. at the Knapp Medical Conference Center. The cohort sessions, which spanned over 9 months, included such topics as Nonprofit Governance, Financial Leadership, Creating a Culture of Philanthropy, and Data Driven Decisions and Impact Measurement, to name a few. The sessions featured guest speakers and presenters who are subject matter experts in their respective fields. We are extremely proud of the twelve amazing nonprofit leaders for their achievement, diligence and dedication to continuous learning that will ultimately benefit the communities they serve. Congratulations!

Our Board of Directors announced today that Mission, Texas, resident, Cristina Trejo-Vasquez, will serve as the Foundation’s second Chief Executive Officer. Our Board launched a national search in January 2023 after Founding Chief Executive Officer Yvonne “Bonnie” Gonzalez announced her retirement in November 2022. Ms. Cristina Trejo-Vasquez will begin her role as Chief Executive Officer in early July 2023.

She has worked in higher education administration since 2009 and served as the lead for community engagement at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In this role, she advanced community engagement helping UTRGV achieve national recognition and obtain the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Elective Classification for Community Engagement in 2020.

More details here ---> https://www.communitycare.today/post/knapp-community-care-foundation-names-cristina-trejo-vasquez-as-chief-executive-officer

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Trejo-Vasquez to our family. Please give her a warm welcome!

This weekend, Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF) was on site volunteering at the Texas Onion Fest in downtown Weslaco. The Festival, which celebrates the development of the Texas 1015 Onion in Weslaco, was held on March 25, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce and included live entertainment, vendor food and commercial booths, kiddie rides, a health fair, dancing horses and so much more!

It is always great to visit with our Nonprofit Leaders for Excellence Program partners and obtain valuable feedback on the sessions they are currently attending. We, along with our partner, Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, recognize the importance of investing in the nonprofit sector leadership in our communities.

We were so proud to join Open Hands this Saturday, March 11, 2023 at their Open House & Volunteer Appreciation Event. The purpose of the event was to honor dedicated volunteers, celebrate new partners and share their mission with the community.

Knapp Community Care Foundation attended the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley's Agency Relations Conference: Diversity, Equality, Inclusion held on Thursday, March 09, 2023. Our Director of Grants & Programs, Mel Escamilla, presented on the topic "Grant Writing/Story Telling" for those in attendance and informed on the importance of telling your story when applying for a grant. Thank you, Mel, for sharing your valuable expertise with our non-profits.

This past week, Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF) CEO, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez, was in D.C. attending Foundations on the Hill (FOTH) 2023. FOTH is an annual two-day event that brings together foundation leaders from across the country to D.C. for meetings with Congress about key issues of importance to philanthropy and the communities we serve.

Knapp Community Care Foundation (KCCF) CEO, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez, second from left, and Mel Escamilla, KCCF Director of Grants & Programs, far right, attended the Weslaco ISD School Board meeting Tuesday, February 20th to celebrate Weslaco High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) students and their FCCLA sponsor, Mary Martin, far left, for receiving a grant award in the amount of $38,477.00 for the addition of a musical garden at Gibson Park. The musical garden, which will consist of 8 groups of instruments, will create a space where families can experience the gift of music and nature.

Knapp Community Care Foundation attended the 2023 Weslaco Mayor State of the City Address on Wednesday, March 01, 2023 at Palacio de Destinee Event Center.

Knapp Community Care Foundation is proud to announce that our CEO, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez, was given the honor of being named a Food Bank of the RGV (FBRGV) Hunger Hero at their Farm Dinner event that took place on Friday, February 24, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley in Pharr, Texas. This honor is given to those who have gone above and beyond to expand the mission of the Food Bank of the RGV and has dedicated their time and skills to help them accomplish their vision. Congratulations Ms. Bonnie Gonzalez and thank you for your philanthropic service to our communities!

KCCF Board of Directors & Staff were so excited to join Hope Family Health Center on Friday, February 24th at 10:00 a.m. for their Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to officially celebrate their new facility located at 522 South Texas Blvd. Suite 108-A in Weslaco. KCCF is so proud to partner with Hope in their efforts to increase access to mental health services for residents of the Mid-Valley.

Please join us in congratulating our Knapp Community Care Foundation CEO, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez, for receiving the "Woman of the Year" award at the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center Annual State of the Chamber & Awards Luncheon. Thank you so much for your commitment and passion for our Mid Valley community!

We are more than half way through the Nonprofit Leaders for Excellence program and our leaders are still excited to discuss philanthropy, finance, Board governance, storytelling, and more so that, together, we strengthen the Valley's nonprofit sector. This leadership cohort, powered by the Knapp Community Care Foundation and the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, brings together 12 nonprofit leaders from the Rio Grande Valley each month for learning and collaboration. This month's session, led by Carrie Gray, covered all things philanthropy.