The Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) Pantex Community Investment Fund granted
$150,000 to 16 nonprofits across the Texas Panhandle during a check presentation ceremony,
Wednesday afternoon at the Amarillo Area Foundation (AAF) office.
Over the past eight years, the CNS fund has awarded a total $1.22 million to area nonprofits as a
part of the 52 grants awarded.
“This is about more than just the money. … This year, we gave over $150,000 and 16 grants, and
I say it’s more than just the money because we are trying to make an impact in the community, so
it’s not just about writing checks and telling people we spent a bunch of money. It’s really about
what are the things we can do to make a difference in the community, and for us that is where
AAF comes in, and all the nonprofits they help us connect to. By us supporting them, they are
able to use their connections and make an even bigger impact, and I think we saw that today,”
Jason Bohne, senior director of communications for CNS, said.
CNS Pantex awards 16 area nonprofits with grants ranging up to $10,000, donating a total of $150,000
during their Wednesday afternoon grant presentation at the Amarillo Area Foundation office. Breanna
Maestas / Amarillo Globe-News
The grants are determined by the Pantex Community Investment committee, where community
members, serving a two-year term on the team, assess applications and determine the amount of
investment funds for each organization. The ongoing collaboration is a partnership between AAF
and CNS, the managing and operating contractor of the Pantex plant.
“This is by all calculations one of the two most giving regions in the Untied States. Year after
year, this region gives back more than almost any other place in the country, and it’s because of
great partners like CNS Pantex who put their money where their mouth is. Everyone talks about
giving, but great partners like CNS Pantex put together a program, they fund the program and
they give to nonprofits to help make the world a better place. They are a great example of how
this region really supports our nonprofit community,” Clay Stribling, president and CEO of AAF,
said.
During the event, nonprofits such as the High Plains Food Bank, Downtown Women’s Shelter,
Texas Ramp Project, Texas 4-H, Panhandle Orphan Care Network, Maverick Boys and Girls Cub
of Amarillo, Hope Lives Here, High Plains Helping Hand Inc., Family Support Services, Leaders
Readers Network, Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage, Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle,
Another Chance House, Amarillo Wesley Community Center, Eastridge Mission Center and
Tralee Crisis Center for Women each received grants up to $10,000 to benefit specific programs
and projects within their nonprofit.
Eveline Rivers-McCoy, founder and executive director of Eveline’s Sunshine Cottage, spoke
about receiving the donation of $10,000 from the fund and how it helps her organization to
further the lives of local women as they regain stability and attend college, preparing them with
the knowledge and ability to support themselves and their children.
“We classify the Sunshine House as the last boat that you are going to get to before you enter the
real world, so our objective is to get these women stable on their feet, learn how to constantly be
with their children and how to balance all the things in life: time, energy, money, how to take
care of their food, car, children – all of the things play a role in our daily lives. … We are a project
that our motto is nothing changes if nothing changes, and our change is not a band-aid. It’s a
permanent solution, and that is the way we look at what we do,” Rivers-McCoy said.
The nonprofit stated that with the grant from CNS Pantex, they are able to further their mission
and benefit those in need within the community, with support and funds from a business that
represents and plays a large role in the Amarillo community.
“To have the support of a nationally recognized organization like CNS Pantex really shows that
they care about the communities that they live and serve. They care about causes like education,
homelessness, women in shelter, youth development, and it shows that they want to make a
difference that will last a lifetime,” Chris McGilvery, executive director of the Leaders Readers
Network, said.
Brianna Maestas, Amarillo Globe-News, Published: September 29, 2023