BACK ROW FROM LEFT: David Ross, BEC foundation Board Member; Bill Beedle; Kelly Beedle; Janette Springer; Meredith Vis; Christian Vis, Ben Bis of the Hill Country Samaritans; and Toba Wright, BEC Foundation Board Member. FRONT ROW: Youngest volunteers Bristol and Madeline Vis.
The hill country samaritans distributed more than 600 backpacks filled with school supplies during their Back-to-School Bash in early August at the Lakehills Civic Center, thanks in part to a BEC Foundation grant of $2,500.
The event was held to provide underprivileged students of Bandera County with free school supplies, haircuts, physicals, eye and dental exams, educational materials for back-to-school, food, fun and family-friendly activities.
The event was sponsored and endorsed by the Bandera Independent School District, which provided free transportation to the event from the Bandera Middle School campus to the Civic Center in Lakehills, making it accessible to more low-income families. The event was made possible by many local businesses, volunteers and donors. One anonymous donor provided 700 backpacks for the event alone.
The nonprofit was formed in 2018 specifically to help fundraise and facilitate the Back-to-School Bash. The organization is focused on local support, involvement, and the bonding and betterment that can result from working together.
To learn more about the organization, please visit
www.HillCountrySamaritans.org or find them on Facebook.
The bandera youth soccer organization recently received a BEC Foundation grant of $3,280 just in time for the fall soccer season. The grant will allow the organization to purchase and install player benches on opposite sides of four soccer fields located in the Bandera Sports Complex.
There are more than 400 players and 84 volunteer coaches who use the fields each year between two seasons.
The new benches will provide seats for players to rest between play. The benches will help during the rainy season when fields become muddy, reduce allergic reactions from sitting in the grass for extended periods of time and minimize encounters with ants and other insects.
BYSO’s mission is to encourage, promote and facilitate skills, game ethics and a growing knowledge of soccer among Bandera County youth. To learn more about the organization and their volunteer opportunities and youth soccer, please visit
www.BanderaYouthSoccer.org or find them on Facebook.
For grant information, eligibility and requirements, please visit our website at
BanderaElectric.com/Foundation.