Giving Back: A Look Inside the Weaver Private Foundation – Summer 2016

The Weaver Private Foundation is dedicated to creating a relationship between our employees and the communities in which we work and live. We encourage a workplace culture of outreach, and one of the Foundation’s goals is to support Weaver employees in their personal volunteer efforts. So, twice a year, we give our employees the opportunity to apply for contributions to an organization they’re involved with. In this half of the year, the Foundation donated $21,500 to 15 different organizations on behalf of our employees in support of their community involvement efforts. Below we highlight two of these organizations and the reasons our employees support them.  

To Educate All Children (TEACH) – Houston, TX
Nominated by Mark Watson

TEACH is an organization that focuses on helping Houston ISD to better educate its students by training teachers to manage their classrooms in a manner that creates calm learning environments. With a focus in providing educators with training on de-escalation, conflict resolution, building students’ self-image, and nonverbal communication, TEACH seeks to create safe and stable environments for students in the classroom. “Houston’s economic future is dependent on a well-educated workforce, and TEACH works with HISD teachers in the most underprivileged schools,” notes Mark Watson, Partner-in-Charge of Tax Quality and Risk Management at Weaver. TEACH continues to expand its efforts, adding four new partner schools for the 2016-2017 school year. 

The Ladder Alliance – Fort Worth, TX
Nominated by Danielle Marshall

Focused on helping low income women and female victims of domestic violence, The Ladder Alliance annually teaches between 300-400 women a variety of computer skills to help them secure employment. The organization also provides resources for appropriate clothing through their Success Store by which participants can earn points through attendance, involvement and punctuality to “buy” professional outfits. Danielle Marshall, Marketing Specialist at Weaver emphasizes that “in 2016, computer literacy is the foundation of many of today’s jobs. The Ladder Alliance is giving women the professional skills they need to be gainfully employed and live independently and confidently. The organization’s computer skills training courses also help transform students emotionally. They provide a strong network of support in a safe environment and many of the students build unbreakable bonds with other students.”