Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving back to the organizations that need it most. To celebrate and kick-off the holiday season, we’ll be highlighting all of the wonderful charitable programs and events we’ve had the honor of working with this year.
A cornerstone of Gexa is our commitment to giving back and supporting the people and organizations that impact the Texas community. We’re proud to support these amazing organizations and initiatives that are working to create positive change in our local communities:
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) mission is to cure blood cancer and improve the quality of life of patients and their families through fundraising and volunteer initiatives. This year, Gexa was the presenting sponsor of the 2017 LLS Light the Night Walk in Houston on November 17, and our president Brian Landrum was the corporate walk chair. Leukemia and lymphoma have personally touched the lives of several Gexa employees, and we know firsthand how impactful LLS’s fight against these deadly diseases is. We are thrilled to say that our employees were able to raise over $35,000 in donations for this amazing cause, and that over 228 employees and family members volunteered their time at the Walk.
Rebuilding Together Houston
For the past 22 years, Rebuilding Together Houston (RTH) has helped restore hope and revitalize neighborhoods by repairing homes at no cost for elderly low-income, disabled, and service-veteran community members. We had the privilege of working with RTH on two impactful events this year: The Kickoff to Rebuild event and the Spring Volunteer Home Repair event. The Kickoff to Rebuild event was the culmination of RTH’s Super Impact 17 campaign that we have been involved in since its launch in September 2015. Gexa employees volunteered their time to help repair and renovate six local homes in the historic Independence Heights neighborhood during this event. In celebration of National Rebuilding Month, we again joined forces with RTH to repair the home of Houston resident Carolyn Anderson as part of the organization’s annual Spring Volunteer Home Repair program.
Houston Food Bank
Each year, our parent company NextEra Energy hosts a company-wide event called Power to Care Day where employees work together in the communities they serve to make their neighborhoods a better place to raise families and conduct business.
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Over 30 Gexa and NextEra Energy Gas Infrastructure employees and their family members volunteered their time at the Houston Food Bank’s Portwall Warehouse location packing food to benefit local families in need. Volunteers sorted, inspected, and filled 895 boxes of non-perishable food, and created 22,375 meals that will help feed hungry families and individuals throughout the Houston area.
Candlelighters
Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Family Alliance provides emotional, educational and practical support to families of children with cancer as they battle the disease and the financial burden inherited immediately upon diagnosis. This year, we hosted 151 children from the Texas Children’s Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center at the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Our friends at Candlelighters Houston helped us identify and select these amazing kids being treated at local hospitals for a day of fun and games.
Nora’s Home
Nora’s Home offers affordable lodging for pre-transplant and post-transplant patients and their families who travel to any of the Texas Medical Center transplant centers. To help support these families, members of Gexa Energy’s Gexa Women in Energy group hosted a dinner for transplant patients and their families staying at Nora’s Home. Volunteers prepared and served dinner for over the 30 guests who call this place home, and also donated a basket of household items to help run this great organization.
Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center
The mission of the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is to partner with the community to help save and sustain lives by providing a safe supply of blood, blood components and related services. Earlier this year, 35 Gexa employees from the Houston office volunteered to donate blood to help save lives in and around the Houston area. Every donation can help save as many as three lives, and we are proud to be able to help support this deserving local organization.
Community Heroes Grant Program
Earlier this year, we launched our Community Heroes grant program that is designed to empower the public to make a positive impact by requesting funds to support a local charitable organization, program, or cause. So far this year, we’ve awarded $500 grants to two deserving local organizations: Oaks Dads Club and Building and Restoring Hope. A non-profit youth sports organization serving the greater Houston area for over 60 years, Oaks Dads’ Club is operated by volunteers who donate their time to help children learn the fundamental skills of sports while practicing good sportsmanship and developing confidence. Building and Restoring Hope creates an environment of opportunities within Houston and surrounding areas for individuals affected by Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and chronic mental illnesses. The $500 grant helped them restore parts of the Cullen Adult Day Care and Activity Center that were damaged during Hurricane Harvey.
2017 isn’t over yet, and we still have more work to do in the community before the end of the year. This year’s final round of Community Heroes is still ongoing! We want to know what community organizations you believe deserve a $500 community grant. Submit your suggestions by November 30, by visiting our website.
Here at Gexa, we believe that a community is only as strong as its members, and we’re committed to supporting organizations that have a meaningful impact on the lives of others in 2018 and beyond. Learn more how you can join us in making a difference.
