CASA of Collin County's executive director, Tricia Clifton, burst into tears at the sight of the Reliant employees carrying a $100,000 check, but it wasn't just because of the five zeros or the impact it would make for abused and neglected children in Collin County. It was because the mission of CASA is personal for Clifton.
As a young child she was placed in foster care, so she knows all too well how important it is for foster children to have someone advocating for their best interest. Court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, are trained volunteers that give children placed in foster care a voice as they move through a complicated legal system.
Clifton also knows that companies like Reliant are crucial to helping local nonprofits across Texas continue to thrive and support those in need. For CASA of Collin County, $100,000 means that every child in the county who enters the foster care system this year will have an advocate. This is especially crucial, as the number of children currently in the system has almost doubled since last year — all within the first five months of 2018.
Reliant employees join together twice a year to host Reliant Gives, a program that supports deserving causes and communities across Texas. Through nominations by Reliant employees and votes from the public, nonprofits have the chance to receive a $100,000 donation, with runners-up receiving $20,000 and $10,000 donations.
For this year's first round of Reliant Gives, CASA of Collin County received the top donation, with Houston nonprofits The Rose and SIRE securing the runner-up donations through public voting.
Hands and feet in the community
Through the Reliant Gives program, established in 2016, $720,000 has now been donated to 18 deserving nonprofits across Texas. In addition to this program, Reliant supports local communities through volunteerism, charitable giving, and strategic long-term partnerships. In 2017 alone, they provided more than $4 million in financial and in-kind donations to various organizations across the state, and Reliant employees supported over 100 nonprofits with nearly 8,000 volunteer hours.
Giving is in Reliant's DNA, exemplified by programs like Reliant Gives and positiveNRG. The Reliant Gives donations were timed to coincide with positiveNRG Week, which is a week dedicated to volunteerism across the country by Reliant’s parent company, NRG.
In May, Reliant employees throughout Dallas rolled up their sleeves to be the hands and feet at an array of organizations, including:
Whether it's organizing food drives, planting trees, walking for a cause, or fundraising on behalf of nonprofits, Reliant is committed to giving to the communities where its employees live and work. For more information on Reliant Gives, visit reliant.com/reliantgives.
CASA of Collin Country was this year's big winner.
Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog. Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas