KERRVILLE— The Cailloux Foundation announced that $490,500 in grants have been awarded during the third quarter of 2005. The awards range in size from $3,500 to $100,000. Among grants approved by the Foundation Board of Directors are awards to the Riverside Nature Center, The Salvation Army, Our Lady of the Hills Regional Catholic High School, Playhouse 2000, Young Life Kerr County, Hill Country Youth Orchestras, Kerrville Performing Arts Society, Texas Heritage Music Foundation, and the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country all in Kerrville, Texas. A grant was also approved for The Gladney Fund in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Foundation has awarded two grants to the Riverside Nature Center (RNC) to help Habitat for Humanity homeowners in Kerrville’s Meadowview Road area to educate residents about valuable natural resources in the area and to beautify the neighborhood with native plant landscaping. RNC was established in 1988. RNC has a visitor’s center, a gift shop, several spaces for meetings and educational programs, and a nature study lab in addition to native gardens with more than 100 varieties of trees. This program helps the organization fulfill a goal of increasing awareness about natural resources to different sectors of the community. RNC has a close relationship with volunteer groups such as the Native Plant Society and the Texas Master Naturalists and volunteers from these groups will be working with the Center on the grant project helping residents learn about native and water-wise plants that will require less care and water than a traditional landscape. The first grant for $10,000 to RNC creates a pilot for a larger project. The second grant of $100,000 will provide funding to work with multiple homeowners in the Meadowview area and operational monies for the organization to continue the project.

 A grant of up to $100,000 was approved to The Salvation Army to help those recently evacuated from hurricane stricken areas with their transportation needs. The Kerrville unit of the organization was started by a group of volunteers in the 1960's to support an all volunteer free medical and dental clinic for the poor. In 1986, the organization became a full-fledged Salvation Army Corp Center and they will make substantial improvements to their facilities in the near future. The local ministry also includes emergency assistance, several youth programs, and other programs that provide spiritual and physical nourishment for those in need. This grant will allow the organization to help people who have relocated to the Kerrville area or are here temporarily rebuild their lives as productive citizens. Approximately twenty used cars donated to the organization will be reconditioned and provided to selected evacuees. Grant monies may also be used in other ways to help with transportation and other needs for the evacuees.

 The Gladney Fund supports the Gladney Center for Adoption which has been in operation for more than 100 years. The Center provides adoption and maternity services to clients throughout the United States. Services for birth mothers include adoption counseling, prenatal and post delivery health care, as well as housing during pregnancy and career skills training for those utilizing residential services at the Fort Worth campus. The agency also operates adoption programs internationally. Last year the agency placed 345 children with adoptive families. The Foundation awarded $100,000 to the organization for an advertising campaign in the Hill Country that will reach out to women who may be experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. They will also host an award luncheon honoring area crisis pregnancy centers.  

The Foundation awarded $72,000 to Our Lady of the Hills Regional Catholic High School (OLH) to purchase and install a new modular classroom. OLH is a private Catholic high school providing a college preparatory education to students from varied social, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The school opened in 2002 on 85 acres east of Kerrville and now has more than 70 students enrolled. It is the only Catholic high school within a 70-mile radius of Kerrville and the only college preparatory school of any type within 50 miles. Due to an increase in students for the 2005-2006 academic year, the additional modular unit was needed to provide space for two more classrooms.

 Playhouse 2000 (P2K) was awarded a grant of $50,000 toward maintenance for the Kathleen C. Cailloux Performing Arts Center. P2K was established in 1998 as a nonprofit community theater. The organization raised funds for the reconstruction and expansion of the Kerrville Municipal Auditorium in 2000. The City retains ownership of the building and it is used for various purposes. P2K is responsible for the maintenance, repair, management, and operation of the facility and one-half of utility costs.  

The Foundation awarded $25,000 to Young Life Kerr County (YLKC) as a challenge grant for operating expenses. The organization must raise $15,000 in the next six months to receive the $25,000 award. The YLKC program began here 11 years ago. In 2001, they expanded to West Kerr County. YLKC programs include weekly club meetings, and Bible study, as well as weekend and summer camping opportunities. Those interested in helping YLKC meet the challenge grant should contact the organization at 830-896-7565.

 The Hill Country Youth Orchestras will receive a $20,000 grant from the Foundation for operating and program costs associated with their current annual budget. The organization began in 1987 as the Suzuki String Program. Today HCYO consists of four orchestras within the organization allow more than 100 area students to progress at their own pace. Four free concerts per year are open to the public. The grant will fund a named position entitled "The Kathleen C. Cailloux Director of Education and Hill Country Youth Orchestra Conductor Chair", partial tuition for youth summer orchestra camps, and other program needs.  

A grant of $5,000 was approved for the Kerrville Performing Arts Society (KPAS) to help pay for two performances of The Nutcracker presented by the David Taylor Dance Theater of Denver, Colorado, on November 26, 2005. KPAS was incorporated in 1984 to promote and support the arts associated with music.

 The Texas Heritage Music Foundation (THMF) received a $5,000 award to help with transportation and classroom expenses for their Living History event. THMF was created in 1987 to perpetuate Texas music. The Living History event is a free annual educational event for children featuring 50 performers, historians, and educators. Events around the event draw approximately 3,300 participants.

 The Foundation made a $3,500 grant to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country for the purchase of a new copy machine. The organization was established in 1982 and benefits Fredericksburg, Comfort, Medina, Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt, and Center Point. Since inception, the CFTHC has awarded more than $6,150,000 to charitable causes.  

 Floyd A. and Kathleen C. Cailloux created The Cailloux Foundation in 1994. The Foundation’s mission is to perpetuate the Cailloux’s vision through the betterment of individual lives, with emphasis on the needs of disadvantaged children. Mr. Cailloux was co-founder of Keystone International and was instrumental in the company becoming a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of industrial valves for general industry. In 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Cailloux moved from Houston to Kerrville, where they became very involved in charitable endeavors in the Texas Hill Country and around the state. The Foundation continues these endeavors by awarding grants to eligible nonprofit organizations mainly in the Hill Country. The Foundation is unable to make awards to individuals or groups that are not classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

 The application process for the Foundation consists of an initial letter of inquiry from a nonprofit organization to help Foundation staff determine if a project fits within its guidelines. If a project does fit the guidelines, a full grant application is provided for the agency to complete. Please read the application process section on this site for more information regarding inquiries to the Foundation.n