T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Angelina College’s Nonprofit Leadership Center Announce Community Collaborative
By GARY STALLARD
AC News Service
As the need for effective nonprofit organizations continues to grow in the East Texas community, so does the need for vital partnerships leading to strength through training and networking.
Behind sponsorship from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Angelina College’s Nonprofit Leadership Center has teamed up with Resilia and BreakingBounds to announce a collaboration among some of the area’s leading nonprofit agencies. Those organizations will offer specific courses designed to assist nonprofit agencies in both building and sustaining their own groups.
On Sept. 1, officials from those organizations met with various nonprofit leaders for a presentation announcing the new initiative.
According to a released announcement, the “R.I.S.E.” (Relationships, Innovation, Support, Elevation) Collaborative “is an investment in the people and organizations making a difference in our communities.” The R.I.S.E. Collaborative offers participating nonprofits “access to three complimentary capacity-building opportunities designed to strengthen leadership, increase organizational effectiveness, and provide practical tools and support.”
Charlie Glover, President and CEO of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, said the effort to organize the new initiative proved the value of area partnerships.
“We actually helped develop this initiative, and we’ve been working with a number of organizations – phenomenal groups – as one of the funders in the region,” Glover said. “Having the opportunity to grow is critical for any organization, and many of these organizations have been legacy grantees of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. They’re a critical part of our Deep East Texas infrastructure, so when we wanted to make this investment, we had the opportunity for a conversation with Angelina College and connect with the work that’s happening here, where they’ve been working on capacity-building in our communities.
“By bringing those two things together, we think we have a really great partnership in conjunction with the additional providers in order to build something that will last in East Texas.”
Patty Williams-Downs, CEO and founder of BreakingBounds commented on the unique nature of the new grouping while expressing her hope for its longevity.
“This is a significant initiative, and I would say one of the first of its kind in Texas,” Williams-Downs said. “Angelina College and the T.L.L. Temple Foundation have put together the R.I.S.E. partnership, and it will provide a year and a half of capacity-building among three different nonprofit entities. It’s essentially to support nonprofits in realizing their mission and impact they want to have in this community.”
“The origin of this comes from Heather Kartye (Director of AC’s Nonprofit Leadership Center) and Melanie Colclough (T.L.L. Temple Foundation), who have been discussing this for more than two years. This is a grass-roots effort, and it has so much potential to grow.”
For Kartye, the move is another step in the NPLC at AC in strengthening a growing need throughout East Texas.
“It’s such a huge step to help the nonprofit organizations in our community, because when they’re stronger, our communities are stronger,” Kartye said. “We’re excited to learn what their needs are so we can meet as many of those needs as we can through this programming.
“The three offerings through the R.I.S.E. Collaborative are very different, but they’re also very complementary,” Kartye added. “We’re hoping all our nonprofits will take advantage of this opportunity. In addition to the learning, those relationships are at the top of the list.”
For further information on Angelina College’s Nonprofit Leadership Center, email nplc@angelina.edu.
Photo captions:
Group 1:
Behind sponsorship from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Angelina College’s Nonprofit Leadership Center has teamed up with Resilia and BreakingBounds to announce the “R.I.S.E. Collaborative” among some of the area’s leading nonprofit agencies. Pictured are (L-R) Heather Kartye (Director, NPLC at AC), Charlie Glover (President and CEO of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation), Melanie Colclough (T.L.L. Temple Foundation), Patty Williams-Downs (CEO and founder of BreakingBounds) and Dr. Michael Simon (Angelina College president). (Gary Stallard photo for AC News Service)
Charlie Glover:
Charlie Glover, President and CEO of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, addresses the crowd during a Sept. 1 event at Angelina College. Behind sponsorship from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Angelina College’s Nonprofit Leadership Center has teamed up with Resilia and BreakingBounds to announce the “R.I.S.E. Collaborative” among some of the area’s leading nonprofit agencies. (Gary Stallard photo for AC News Service)
Heather Kartye:
Heather Kartye, Director of the Nonprofit Leadership Center at Angelina College, addresses the crowed at a Sept. 1 event at AC. Behind sponsorship from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Angelina College’s Nonprofit Leadership Center has teamed up with Resilia and BreakingBounds to announce the “R.I.S.E. Collaborative” among some of the area’s leading nonprofit agencies. (Gary Stallard photo for AC News Service)