Three non-profit programs serving San Antonio’s South Side – Any Baby Can, Boys & Girls Club of San Antonio, and San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired – were each gifted $20,000 during Brooks Gives Back’s annual monetary disbursement. Brooks Gives Back – Brooks’ community-centric philanthropic organization – was established to support nonprofits that serve the Brooks campus and surrounding region through a culture of philanthropy generated from within the Brooks region.

“These three organizations do so much good around Brooks, throughout the South Side and all over San Antonio,” said David Marquez, Chairman of Brooks Gives Back. “We had many deserving charities and organizations that all do amazing things for the community, but these three really hit the mark in serving the community and our three main target areas: families, youth and seniors.”

Any Baby Can was founded in 1982 with a mission of helping families with children who had chronic illnesses, disabilities, or developmental delays. They provide advice and assistance to families in need to navigate the complex and sometimes confusing healthcare system to ensure they are getting the resources and services they need including adequate nutrition, healthcare, and education. The gift will specifically go towards families in the Brooks region and ensure more families receive the care needed for children with special healthcare needs.

Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio serves more than 500 children between ages 6 and 18 in the Brooks area annually through a variety of after-school and summer programs. Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio aims to inspire youth to achieve their full potential in a safe, positive, and engaging environment that promotes education, health, and character development. The gift from Brooks Gives Back will help staff Southside centers and purchase supplies for programs that help with homework, develop technology skills or art competitions. The goal is to assist at-risk youth on the South Side attain their high school diploma and beyond.

The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired has been empowering and serving people who are blind, or vision impaired since 1933 by providing rehabilitation services, career training and employment in its light manufacturing assembly plant. Additional programs provide vocational and technology training and other services that increase the independence of individuals who are blind, or vision impaired and those with other challenges. The gift from Brooks Gives Back will help seniors on the South Side gain access to skills training and familiarize them with various technology and apps to better connect them with friends and family in a post-COVID world.

The $20,000 gifts are unrestricted funds that will be used to support the organization’s programs at their discretion if it impacts the 78235, 78223 and 78214 zip codes.

Brooks Gives Back raises funds through several events on the Brooks campus, including the Día de los Muertos Gala and Chanclas y Cervezas, an official Fiesta partnered event, which are vastly supported by the businesses located within the Brooks region. In addition, both the Brooks Gives Back and Brooks Development Authority Board of Directors continue to achieve 100% participation in giving, and Brooks Development Authority donates a portion of asset sales proceeds. These and other financial contributions generated from within the Brooks region for Brooks Gives Back are used to support meaningful growth and improvements on and around the campus.

Brooks Gives Back has gifted nearly $200,000 to area nonprofits since 2019.