Foundation president and CEO Wynn Rosser recently published an essay on the FSG blog. Click on the image above (or on this link) to read more about why philanthropy should invest in rural people and rural places.
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Grant to Angelina College to Increase Capacity for Small Business Development Center in North Lufkin
The T. L. L. Temple Foundation recently approved a grant to Angelina College in the amount of $445,960 to expand staff capacity of the college’s Small Business Development Center to focus on North Lufkin. The grant, to be implemented over a three-year period, will fund start-up expenses, operating costs, as well as salaries and benefits for two new advisors. The advisors will office in the foundation’s North Lufkin resource building. Jobs and economic development were identified as priorities in the appreciative inquiry study of North Lufkin by Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Social Work Center for Rural Work Research and Development.
Dr. Rosser, president and CEO of the foundation, explains, “We quickly recognized that improved support for small businesses aligns with the ‘do it ourselves’ values among North Lufkin residents.” Rosser continues, “Therefore this grant became one of our top priorities to improve the quality of life for our community. We believe small businesses are an important component of Lufkin’s future, and we want residents of Wards 1 and 2 to have the supports and resources necessary to participate in that economic future.”
The Angelina College Small Business Development Center (AC SBDC) has a record of success. For example, since October 2017, the AC SBDC has assisted in creating 54 new jobs, helped launch 6 new businesses, worked with 41 new clients, and helped obtain $9.8 million in start-up capital.
Small businesses are the engine of inclusive economic growth. Access to new education, support, and financing uniquely tailored to local small business needs will help create economic opportunity, quality jobs, and community-driven development. Although Small Business Administration loan volume nationally rose approximately 25% between 2009-2013, loans to African-American business owners declined 47%.
The start-up timeframe of this grant began earlier this year. Angelina College hopes to have the two new advisors in place before August 2018.
T. L. L. Temple Foundation Welcomes Dr. Sylvia Leal
Lufkin, TX (January 4, 2018): Wynn Rosser, Ph.D., President and CEO of the T. L. L. Temple Foundation, is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Sylvia Leal to the foundation’s team in the position of Senior Program Officer for Education and Economic Development. Dr. Leal joined the foundation on January 2.
Dr. Rosser explains, “Education is a strategic priority for the foundation, and Dr. Leal is perfect to lead the foundation’s education and economic development work. With more than 30 years of experience and deep expertise in education, Dr. Leal brings an understanding of PreK-12 and higher education.” Rosser continues, “At Education Service Center Region 1, she worked with large school districts and small, rural districts. As a university vice president, Dr. Leal worked to ensure more first generation college students succeeded and entered the workforce.”
Dr. Leal arrives to the T.L.L. Temple Foundation following her tenure as Associate Vice President of Student Educational Outreach at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where she supervised various P-16 pre-college initiatives, federal grants, testing and other student support services. Previously, Dr. Leal served as Vice President for Enrollment Services at the University of Texas at Brownsville. She began her education career as a bilingual elementary teacher.
She holds a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston and has more than 30 years of educational experience. In her role at the foundation, Dr. Leal will continue her lifetime work to seek and develop innovative initiatives that support college access and success of first generation minority students combined with a focus on jobs and economic development.
The T. L. L. Temple Foundation was established in 1962 by Georgie Temple Munz with an initial gift of 1,000 shares of Southern Pine Lumber Company stock worth $56,000. The foundation is named in memory and honor of her father, Thomas Lewis Latané Temple, who formed Southern Pine Lumber Company (later Temple Inland Inc.) in 1893. Since its founding, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation has invested more than $440 million, primarily to strengthen families and communities in Deep East Texas and to alleviate poverty, creating access and opportunities for all.
For more information about the T. L. L. Temple Foundation, visit www.tlltemple.foundation