At KGBTexas Communications, our mission is to put ideas into action that create positive change in our community. This mission is reflected in the clients we serve, including VIA Metropolitan Transit, which connects our San Antonio community to opportunity, and Endeavors, which delivers veteran support, disaster relief, and community services. Working with impactful clients allows us to bring our mission to life, but we also live it out through individual contributions and community involvement. Here are a few examples:

1) LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND BOARD SERVICE

Taking on leadership roles in community organizations and serving on boards are two ways our team makes a positive impact. “Serving on nonprofit boards of directors is a great way for employees to support the community by following the issues they are passionate about,” notes KGBTexas CEO Katie Harvey. “Just as importantly, board service and community involvement are great opportunities for personal and professional development.”

Leadership Development

At KGBTexas, there are two leadership development programs our team members consistently participate in to deepen our community engagement.

Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program (ABLDP)

This program, through the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, provides networking and learning opportunities with existing and emerging civic and corporate leaders in the San Antonio area, as well as promoting leadership on boards and commissions. Named for retired city manager Alexander Briseño, the initiative promotes his philosophy of “Gerencia Con Corazón,” meaning “management with heart.”

The San Antonio Report noted ABLDP achieves this noble goal through hands-on training – participants are placed on teams and tasked with “conceptualizing impact projects related to local issues in San Antonio,” from innovating public transit in San Antonio to creating curriculum to encourage students to vote.

Leadership San Antonio (LSA)

LSA fosters community leadership and a deep understanding of the promise and challenges that face our community. Participants learn from peers and community leaders and gain deep insights on local issues in San Antonio, such as homelessness, education, biomedical research, cybersecurity, heritage and culture, travel and tourism, and more.

“Leadership San Antonio was my primary entry to my adopted hometown of San Antonio,” Jeff Arndt, president and CEO, VIA Metropolitan Transit recently told the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. “I learned much about the wonderful offerings and the workings of the community. But even more importantly, I built a network of friends and colleagues that I believe will continue forever.”
Board Service

KGB team members also serve our community through serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations, including those focused on economic development and medical research.

Our CEO, Katie Harvey, is chairperson of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the largest and most influential pro-business organization in the region. The Chamber drives economic development initiatives for San Antonio and is a strong advocate for our business community.

Jessica Serna, KGBTexas partner, serves on the board of directors for BioMedSA. This member-driven hub for the life science industry in San Antonio has the mission to accelerate the growth within healthcare and bioscience industries, create regional economic benefits, and contribute to the overall health of our region.

In addition, Jonathan Gurwitz, another KGTexas partner, has served on the board of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County for six years and became the board chair in July 2023.

2.) VOLUNTEERING

KGBCares is our agency’s philanthropic initiative that allows us to support and engage with the communities we serve. Every year, we dedicate ourselves to an important initiative.

This year’s focus is on hunger. Food insecurity can affect anyone, as food-bank operators can readily attest. Inflation and a recent reduction in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits has put working families at risk. “They’re leaving the grocery store with less food in the cart than ever before,” San Antonio Food Bank CEO Eric Cooper told KENS5. “These kinds of cuts – it’s not anything we can make up.”

To help address this problem, we’ve worked together to help plant food gardens, pack and load food for distribution, deliver Thanksgiving meals to the underserved and volunteer in community kitchens to feed those in need, from preparing and serving food to cleaning up the dishes.

We use the phrase “Give as good as we get” to brand these types of efforts (it’s also on the branded KGBCares shirts we wear when we volunteer). All these activities are tracked on a community-involvement dashboard, which helps us measure participation and highlights how we give back.

3) DONATIONS

Our agency has an annual drive to raise money for the local United Way chapter via automatic payroll deduction. Participation is near 100 percent.

United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County raises more than $45 million yearly to “prepare young children for life, help students succeed, foster self-sufficiency for individuals and families, and support people in crisis.” For their service, the San Antonio Business Journal has named United Way the 2022 Nonprofit of the Year.

KGBTexas supports United Way’s mission to unite the community to identify and solve our most critical issues and its vision to live in a diverse and thriving community where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Are you interested in learning how KGBTexas can help you get more positively involved in our community? Please contact us today.