We are fortunate to live in the Texas Panhandle. Our region has many tremendous resources. We have fertile farmland to provide resources for our region and our nation. Thanks to pioneers like Don Harrington and others, we have been fortunate to produce significant oil and gas that serve as an economic engine for our region. We have many institutions, which help support the goals of higher education and economic achievement. But each of these pales in comparison to the tremendous resource we have in the residents of the Texas Panhandle.
Our region is tremendously diverse, vibrant, and is everchanging. In order to understand what goals we should pursue for the Foundation, we must first strive to understand our residents and include them in the process of developing solutions for the many challenges that face our region.
This means that we strive to engage our neighbors at every level in order to develop solutions for our region’s most challenging problems. We strive to include people from all parts of our service area on our Board of Directors. Our Board is composed of residents from multiple rural communities and from all sectors of our urban areas. This allows us to thoughtfully address issues that arise from all corners of our service area.
We engage residents to assist us in developing and revising programs to support individual goals of residents seeking to follow their dreams of education, independence, and prosperity. This can seem a daunting task, but by working together with our neighbors, we look forward to continuing our work to improve quality of life for all residents of the Texas Panhandle.
In 2016, we specifically focused on developing new tools to more effectively reach residents and organizations in our rural communities. Through technology, we hope to provide educational opportunities to all parts of our service area without the need for residents to travel a significant distance. Through our Nonprofit Service Center, we continue to work with nonprofits throughout the Texas Panhandle in an effort to foster greater understanding of our region’s needs and more efficient ways to deliver effective services.
As we look forward to 2017 and beyond, we know that the key to our success is involving all facets of our community in understanding our region’s significant needs, developing strategies to help address the needs, and implementing solutions designed to improve quality of life for everyone we serve. It is only by working together that we will succeed in this ambitious goal.
Puff Niegos
2016 Chairman of the Board
As I look back on 2016, it is easy to see why the theme of this annual report is investing in people. The mission of the Amarillo Area Foundation is to improve quality of life for Texas Panhandle residents. As we enter our 60th year, little has changed since the Foundation’s inception related to this single-minded focus on assisting our friends and neighbors.
When I discuss the Foundation’s work with those in the community, quite often the discussion shifts towards the Foundation’s role as a financial manager. Usually there are questions concerning the financial transactions conducted by the Foundation, the holdings in our investment portfolio, and the overall net asset value of the Foundation compared to prior years. All of this highlights one of the many important things we do to support the residents of our region. However, all of this work is done to support our goal to provide resources to projects that positively impact citizens in all corners of our service area.
As we consider how best to invest the Foundation’s resources to benefit Texas Panhandle residents, we must ask several key questions:
- How do you determine the needs of a large and diverse geographic region?
- How can you measure the improvement made to the quality of life for your friends and neighbors?
- How do you identify partners who play a vital role in helping you accomplish this ambitious mission?
- How can you find and support the most impactful projects undertaken by nonprofits in our region?
- How can you best develop new solutions to address community needs both now and for years to come?
At times, this seems like a daunting task. As with any journey, this one begins with a single step. In 2016, the Foundation made great strides in improving and expanding our grant programs. We implemented new guidelines for our traditional grant program designed to fund projects that provide the greatest impact to residents of our area. We initiated a corporate grantmaking initiative designed to assist corporations with developing a grant program consistent with their values and objectives for investing in the people of our region. The first two corporate funds launched in 2016 supporting the goals of CNS Pantex and Pattern Energy. The response to these grant programs was overwhelming. We initiated our Catalyst Grant Program designed to provide a streamlined application and review process for grants that fall below the threshold for the Foundation’s mainstream process. Finally, we began funding healthcare projects through our Harrington Regional Medical Campus Grant Initiative to support quality healthcare throughout our service area.
Each of these small steps helps the Foundation develop a greater understanding of the needs of our community and we hope to be better positioned to address our region’s needs and support our friends and neighbors. By investing in people, we know our region will become stronger and more vibrant as we prepare for the challenges we will face moving forward.
Clay Stribling
Amarillo Area Foundation President & CEO
The Amarillo Area Foundation family is made up of tremendous leaders who offer their time and talent to help the Foundation fulfill its mission. They are our board members, volunteers, committee members and staff, each bringing their own expertise to make the Texas Panhandle a better place.
| 2016 AAF Executive Committee and Board Members | |
|---|---|
| Puff Niegos | Board Chair |
| Cliff Bickerstaff | Immediate Past Chair |
| Jason Herrick | First Vice Chair |
| Jackie Pearson | Second Vice Chair |
| Roy Bara | Treasurer |
| Paul Clark | Secretary |
| Jeri Bezner | Member at large |
| Kathy Cornett | Member at large |
| Lori Henke | Member at large |
| Rod Schroder | Member at large |
| Clay Stribling | President and CEO |
| Stephania Jones | Assistant Secretary |
| Amarillo Area Foundation Board of Directors | |
|---|---|
| Vanessa Buzzard | |
| Terry Caviness | |
| LeRayne Donelson | |
| Raymond Gaitan | |
| Steve Hoard | |
| Paul Matney | |
| Vanessa Miles | |
| Julie Mitchell | |
| Linda Rasor | |
| Salvador Rivas | |
| Dyke Rogers | |
| Eddie Scott | |
| Caroline Smith | |
| Roy Urrutia | |
| Suzanne Willis | |
| Amarillo Area Foundation and Harrington Foundation Staff | |
|---|---|
| Clay Stribling | President & CEO |
| Stevie Jones | Vice President of Financial and Resource Management |
| Charlotte Rhodes | Vice President of Resource Development and Sustainability |
| Katharyn Wiegand | Vice President of Community Investment |
| Roxann Ball | NSC Program Officer |
| Connie Bradford | ACE Program Director |
| Broc Carter | No Limits No Excuses Program Officer |
| Keralee Clay | Director of Operations |
| Karen Delashaw | Donor Services Data Coordinator |
| Cynthia Estrada | ACE College Liason |
| Kathie Grant | Grants Administrator |
| Sarah Griffin | Administrative Services Assistant |
| David Hurtt | Director of Accounting |
| Angie Knight | Executive Services Manager |
| Kasey Long | Director of Development |
| Janet Luman | Office Coordinator |
| Suzy Murray | Staff Accountant |
| Karen Phillips | Donor Services Administrative Coordinator |
| Traci Shields | Scholarship Program Officer |
| Jessica Tudyk | Grants Manager |
| Harrington Regional Medical Campus Board of Directors | |
|---|---|
| Ms. Julie Mitchell | Chair |
| Ms. Carolyn Witherspoon | Vice Chair |
| Mr. Bill Harris | Secretary/Treasurer |
| Ms. Mary Bearden | |
| Mr. J.B. Lane | |
| Ms. Fay Moore | |
| Ms. Linda Rasor | |
| Mr. Dyke Rogers | |
| Dr. Steve Urban | |
The Don and Sybil Harrington became a supporting organization of the Amarillo Area Foundation in January of 1988. This supporting organization status has enabled The Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation to benefit from the Amarillo Area Foundation’s professional staff, administrative services and favorable tax status as a community foundation. Meanwhile, The Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation has its own grantmaking authority and Board of Directors.
| The Don and Sybil Harrington Foundation Board of Directors | |
|---|---|
| Clay Stribling | President & CEO |
| Dyke Rogers | Chair |
| Puff Niegos | Vice Chair |
| Vanessa Buzzard | Secretary/Treasurer |
| Mark Bivins | |
| Jason Herrick | |
| Wales Madden, Jr. | |
| Richard Ware, II | |