Austin Business Journal Online
June 19, 2008
A Glimmer of Hope is stepping up its donations in Central Texas, while extending its funding strategy to address the needs of disadvantaged seniors.
Last year, the international foundation granted more than $670,000 to programs in Austin; this year, it is on course to distribute more than $1 million.
"We are so proud of the work A Glimmer of Hope Austin has done in the community over the past five years. And, it feels like the right time to extend our efforts to include those who have given so much to that same community during their lives," says founder Donna Berber.
Until now, the foundation has mainly supported programs and services that serve at-risk youth, but it is extending its funding coverage area to include disadvantaged seniors.
The foundation says it plans to fund organizations and programs that address senior housing, transportation and legal services, as well as health and mental services.
"We saw and felt the need to reach out and lend support to the elders in our society, to give them a chance to live their lives with dignity and grace," Berber says. Entrepreneur Philip Berber, co-founder of the foundation, says A Glimmer of Hope is able to increase its Central Texas giving because the foundation -- which has an endowment of $62 million -- is insulated from fluctuations in the economy.
"We are largely a self-funded foundation that is not dependent on donations to determine our funding levels," he said. "This is a community [seniors] that is in need and we are doing what we can to help."
The foundation has also launched a re-designed Web site at www.aglimmerofhopeaustin.org."