In honor of what would have been my sister, Cennea’s 52nd birthday, The Cennea Thorla Guidry Scholarship Foundation (TCTGSF) is pleased to announce its inaugural funding cycle! Applications received between November 1, 2023, and December 1, 2023 will receive a determination by December 15, 2023. Applications can be found at the “Apply Now” link on the website, www.tctgsf.com. The Foundation serves child and adult domestic abuse survivors living in program-based housing (long-term shelters, transitional living services, foster care, etc.) by funding not only traditional educational expenses such as tuition and fees, but other expenses that frequently derail educational attainment such as technology, childcare, and transportation. The Foundation also recognizes the role of extracurricular activities in healing for child survivors, offering financial support to cover associated costs. To apply, please go to the Apply Now link at the top of the page. Please note that we only accept applications from agencies providing program-based housing to applicants, and not the individuals themselves. If you have questions, please contact Shelbra at 505-456-0852 or tctgsf@gmail.com. I’m at once proud and humbled that TCTGSF has arrived at meeting its mission of supporting economic autonomy and personal empowerment for domestic abuse survivors through educational opportunity. Ten months from incorporation and we are preparing to award our first round of scholarships! I am grateful beyond measure for the support we’ve received from our community: without it, meeting this mission would be impossible. As the end of 2023 approaches and TCTGSF is on the brink of making its first awards, would you consider contributing to the Foundation? Donations are tax-deductible and 100% of all gifts received now until the end of 2023 will be marked for scholarships. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=W6FLWF5RDCGU6 Also, if your company provides any donation-matching opportunities, I welcome and appreciate the chance to stretch your charitable contribution. Cennea’s birthday is always bittersweet. Her absence and its resounding reverberations shift from being the background noise of my life to an unavoidable, constant sensation that roots in my body and shadows my every thought and move. Some years, it’s a heavy day. This year, though, her birthday feels lighter knowing that, through the Foundation, other people will have the opportunity to reimagine their lives free of abuse and with greater opportunities for independence and empowerment. ​ We also have big things on the horizon. Starting 9/1, the Foundation will raffle off one pair of tickets for the Denver Broncos vs the Los Angeles Chargers in Denver on New Year’s Eve! Raffle tickets will be available via the website and through various payment platforms. Raffle tickets will be $25. Check out our Events page for more information. On 9/9 from 5-9pm, Chipotle at the Paseo location is hosting a fundraiser for the Foundation. Please check out our Events page to learn more about the specifics of how that works whether you order online or in-person. On 9/16 from 9am-2pm, the Foundation will participate in a community outreach event with the New Mexico Reentry Center. We will have a table at their Car Show held at 215 3rd ST SW in Albuquerque, providing information about the Foundation, as well as wrapping up the Broncos tickets raffle. Please check out our Events page for information regarding the raffle as well as the Car Show. Hope to see you there! In perhaps the biggest news, the Foundation expects to have our scholarship applications online and ready for use by the end of the month. After only 7 months, the giving will begin! In related news, we are establishing a separate program through which we fund academically-oriented opportunities for child survivors of domestic abuse. As a therapist who has worked with traumatized children for over 30 years, I recognize that a great deal of healing for children comes from developing a sense of mastery, competency, safety and identity within safe peer groups. To that end, TCTGSF is committed to supporting child survivors’ involvement in extra-curricular activities, be it clubs, music, sports or other pro-social endeavors. Donors will have the opportunity to direct funding between general operations, adult scholarships, the laptop program, or youth support. Lastly, we are in the planning stages of creating a quarterly newsletter to more directly apprise our community of the Foundation’s development, victories and needs. If you’d like to receive a quarterly update by email, please subscribe on the website. Thank you so much for all the ways you support the Foundation, be it through direct giving, partnering for community outreach or fundraising opportunities, putting the Foundation’s name forward for funding opportunities, connecting us with potential community partners, or just sharing our mission within your own networks. It all matters and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. There’s a lot going on at TCTGSF at the moment! First, the Foundation has been the recipient of great generosity since our last update, and I’d like to take this space to publicly thank our amazing donors. On June 8, 2023, Shelbra Thorla-Ginn and Kelly McDonald attended the Albuquerque Involved dinner for the AIMer grant award of $5000 that the organization had provided the Foundation (Check out the Featured Partner blog for more information on Albuquerque Involved.). At the dinner, we also met Drs. Nancy and Joe Croker who matched the $5000 award. It was the most exciting of surprises and the Foundation is extremely grateful for their support and generosity. Thank you so much, ABQ Involved as well as Nancy and Joe! ​ June 9, 2023 will see the Foundation participate in its first public community outreach event at the Railyards Market. With community outreach comes the need for promotional material, and Martha Allen provided us with a generous donation to underwrite the costs of those materials. This event marks a significant step in the Foundation’s development, and Martha’s donation is critical to the Foundation being able to take that step. We are so grateful, Martha! ​ We have also received another laptop donation, this time from Dr. Jonathan Terry. His donation will provide an essential resource for a survivor to achieve academic success. Many thanks, Jonathan! ​ We were also honored to receive a donation from the Hood-Arnold Charitable Fund that we will be using towards community outreach supplies. Thank you for helping us to grow our exposure! As I mentioned, TCTGSF will participate in its first community outreach activity Sunday, June 9, 2023 at the Railyards Market. We are so excited to have been invited! We will be there 10-2, raffling off a massage gift certificate and spreading the word about our mission. This marks a significant milestone in the Foundation’s development. We have also been chosen by 505 Food Fights as a recipient of one of their Chef battles! 505 Food Fights is a local charitable organization that holds bracket-style culinary competitions with professional bartenders, cooks and chefs throughout the area. Think Food Network shows like Chopped and you get the idea. They even auction off a spot at the judging table, so if you ever thought you might like to be a judge on one of those cooking shows, here’s your chance! Monday, August 14, 2023—save the date, get a babysitter and come out in support of a great cause. You can learn more about 505 Food Fights on Facebook. We need a couple sponsors for this event.  ​ Calling all foodies! We are needing sponsors for this event. Here are the sponsorship levels: $250: Bronze • Recognition during the event—mention and tags on social media • 2 free-entry tickets $500: Silver • Recognition during the event—mention and tags on social media • 2 free-entry tickets • Name/logo on marketing materials • 1 seat at the judges’ table to taste all the competitors’ dishes $750: Gold • Recognition during the event—mention and tags on social media • 2 free-entry tickets • Name/logo on marketing materials • 1 seat at the judges’ table to taste all the competitors’ dishes • Secret Ingredient selection At the Silver level, you get a seat at the judge’s table to taste all of the competitors’ dishes. Since the raffled chef’s table seat has gone for as much as $600, this could be a bargain! At the Gold level, you get to select the secret ingredient the chefs have to use! If interested, please message us at tctgsf@gmail.com. ​ In other fundraising news, our Laptop Drive continues. I’m humbled by the generosity of our community. Thank you to Amanda Meek for her computer bag donation! We still need 9 laptop bags to go along with the computers, so if you’d like to donate to this program, please message me at tctgsf@gmail.com. As we prepare to enter our first season of giving, we are working with our web developers to get our scholarship application forms and databases up and running. We plan to be ready to begin making awards starting the Fall 2023 term. Since our last update, The Foundation’s primary focus has been applying for grants. Since our last update, we have applied for almost $200,000 in funding. It’s impossible to know how much will be awarded, so fingers and toes crossed that even a fraction of that amount comes through! In addition to working on fundraising, we have also been working hard to grow our board. I’d like to introduce our newest board member, Jane Kasper. Pic and bio to come! Jane has volunteered countless hours developing and producing our new brochures and artwork. I can’t wait to show them off. Having a community-led board is of utmost importance to the success of TCTGSF. “Community-led” means that the communities the Foundation serves is represented in our decision-making. Our board welcomes inclusion and diversity across race, gender, sexual identity, and socio-economic status. While we could certainly benefit from members with experience in the social media, accounting, and legal fields, we also need members with different cultural experiences. If you’re interested but uncertain whether board membership might be for you, I’d welcome the opportunity to explore possibilities.  Our latest board meeting was in early June and our next is scheduled for 9/11/23. I will be posting the meeting notes shortly. It was a busy Spring and looks like we’re having an even busier Summer. Thank you so much for your support!