(Seguin) – A pair of non-profit organizations has been selected as the winners of this year’s Help Seguin Shine Grant Program.
Kendy Gravett, the president of the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce, says grant totals of $4,900 have been awarded to the following organizations in hopes of enhancing their facilities.
“We have the Silver Center who is receiving a beautification grant for replacing their sign, their outside marquee that is very much in need of replacing and will look a lot better for our community and so that is one project. The other project is for the South Texas Pregnancy Care Center and their new location that they are building over on Kingsbury Street right across from Arlan’s grocery market. They are looking to add some lighting along their walkway path so they will be able to have activities and events outside with nice lighting. So, we were able to fully fund what they requested and are very excited about what they are going to be doing,” said Gravett.
The specific amounts awarded include $2,400 to the Silver Center and $2,500 to the South Texas Pregnancy Care Center.
Gravett says the projects are made possible in large part to the pennies and dollars that are donated each month by city of Seguin utility customers.
“Help Seguin Shine was developed back in the early or late 1990s I believe to help with beautification projects in our community and the purpose of the grant program is to of course make the quality of life better for all city residents and to make our town more attractive for visitors and residents and really to improve the look and the feel of our community. So, we are looking for projects that are visible and we promote that through the city of Seguin utility billing. All the customers have an opportunity to select to add a dollar each month or whatever they would like to their bill that goes directly to the help Seguin Shine Fund. So, this is donated by Seguin residents through the utility billing. It’s also by individual donations and business sponsorships. Anybody who is looking at helping with these types of grants is welcome to make a one-time donation or get signed up through utility billing,” said Gravett.
The Help Seguin Shine fund is managed by a task force of eight organizations and citizen boards. They include Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce, Seguin Conservation Society, Seguin Guadalupe Hispanic Chamber, Seguin NAACP/MLK Committee, Seguin Parks and Recreation Board, Seguin Planning and Zoning Board, and the Main Street Citizen Advisory Board.
Gravett says proposals are judged on visibility, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and community benefits. The task force awards points for volunteerism, partnerships between community groups, enhancements to city parks, seasonal or permanent lighting, capital improvements, and increased opportunities for tourism, recreation, sporting events, competitions, conventions, seminars or meetings.
Gravett says each award recipient was responsible for matching their award with volunteer labor and other donations if necessary.
“It’s not a matching grant. It’s a reimbursement grant. So, really all they need to do is provide the remaining resources required for their project and then once it’s done, they submit their recipients, and we reimburse according to the grant amount. So, some projects in the past have been just really small organizations that have a little project and we were able to help them get it done where they wouldn’t have been able to do it before,” said Gravett.
Each selected organization has one year to complete its project before it can be reimbursed up to the amount of its grant.
For a Help Seguin Shine donation form, visit Seguin City Hall, the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce or the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce office.