Round Rock Future Fund Awards First-Ever Grant to Lone Star Circle of Care
$15,000 Grant Will Fund Pediatric Equipment
November 15, 2007 -The Round Rock Future Fund of the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded its first grant to Lone Star Circle of Care for the purchase of items that will benefit pediatric patients. The Round Rock Future Fund is a giving circle comprised of Round Rock couples wanting to make a difference in the lives of children in the community. The group felt strongly about using this grant to invest in the health and education of Round Rock children, and the $15,000 award to Lone Star Circle of Care will allow them to do both.
The grant will allow Lone Star Circle of Care to purchase a Welch Allyn SureSight Screener, two pediatric exam tables with integrated scales, and a variety of behavioral health assessment and education materials for parents and children. Each of these tools will be used at Lone Star Circle of Care's Round Rock Health Clinic and will be valuable additions to the clinic for years to come.
"Our members agreed early on to pool our philanthropic resources to benefit children and education in Round Rock," said Ashley Blake, founding member of the Round Rock Future Fund Giving Circle. "Lone Star Circle of Care, particularly because of its federally-funded program with Round Rock ISD and its comprehensive menu of services for children and families in Williamson County, was a perfect match for our support. We all recognize that a child's health and well-being are closely tied to their ability to succeed in school."
"We are privileged to receive the first-ever grant from the Round Rock Future Fund. We are grateful to the group for funding the purchase of enhanced resources for our pediatric primary care and behavioral health programs," said Amy Ellsworth, Lone Star Circle of Care spokesperson. "It is the tremendous support of the community and groups like the Round Rock Future Fund giving circle that allows us to continue meeting the growing needs of medically underserved children and adults in Williamson County."
The SureSight Screener provides accurate vision screening for children using new vision screening technology that allows younger children to receive a more accurate screening, since less interaction from the patient is required. The pediatric exam tables will allow the weight of babies and young children to be captured during their exam in a comfortable manner for both parent and child. The behavioral health resources include assessment tools to help identify the needs of patients; parental education materials; resources to help children with aggression, anxiety, depression, among others; and more.
The Round Rock Future Fund is mostly made up couples with school-age children who want to ensure that Round Rock continues to be a good, safe community to call home. The structure of the organization is a giving circle: a group of people who collectively pool their resources to make high-impact grants to the causes or charities of the group's choice. Couples with some excess resource (though not millions generally) can do more in partnership with others than they can typically alone. In the short term, giving circles are a great way to impact important community issues. It is also an effective introduction to the power and personal reward of philanthropy. For additional information about the Round Rock Future Fund giving circle, please visit http://www.rrcommunityfoundation.org/pages/future_fund_giving_circle.
The Greater Round Rock Community Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity created by and for the people of Round Rock. It enables people with philanthropic interests to easily and effectively support the issues they care about-immediately, or through their will. Donors can establish a charitable fund at the foundation by contributing a variety of assets and may also recommend grants-in their name, if they choose-to nonprofit groups they want to support. The Future Fund Giving Circle is one of two giving circles administered by the Foundation. The Leading Ladies Giving Circle, also in their inaugural year, distributed grants totaling $24,000 to three local non-profits. According to Kami Barron, Executive Director, "The Giving Circles have been wildly successful. The members appreciate that the process is simple and enjoy the camaraderie of coming together to discuss their concerns and create plans to affect change in our community."
In 2008, Lone Star Circle of Care expects to provide more than 43,000 visits to more than 30,000 children. Lone Star Circle of Care is a non-profit organization committed to providing quality health services for the medically underserved, including individuals with Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, another form of public insurance, or no insurance at all. Lone Star Circle of Care's clinics provide comprehensive care that includes, adult and pediatric care, dental care, mental health services, women's health services, discounted medications, and wellness classes. For more information, visit http://www.lscctx.org/.