John Paul spoke at #SXSW2022 with his partner Dr. Deborah Brosnan about the new global trend emerging in how we conserve and manage our oceans. From coral reefs to the blue economy - technologists, investors, scientists, and communities are starting to do things differently and together. John Paul has personally invested in rebuilding coral reefs and protecting aquatic life so that the oceans can thrive. We need the oceans and the oceans need our help — we are in a global #VibeShift for our oceans. We've thought enough, we've talked enough - now, we must do enough. Follow @Vibeshift4oceans and get involved!
Austin Life Magazine
We are so pleased that the DeJorias are covering the December Philanthropy Edition of Austin Life Magazine! The article In the Glow of the DeJorias features so many causes we love and tells the story of their love so well. You can pick up a copy locally or find the whole December issue online.
PLH Apartment at Saint Louise House
Our team got together and set up an apartment for Saint Louise House here in Austin just in time to welcome a mom and her kids home for the holidays. From the shopping and decorating to assembling furniture, we had so much fun preparing a home for a family who will be able to live there for long enough to stabilize and move out on their own. Not gonna lie, the kitchen chairs made us consider giving up 😂, but we persevered and are so proud of the results.
Patriots' Hall of Dripping Springs Update
On a visit to see the almost-completed meeting room he sponsored at Patriots’ Hall Dripping Springs, John Paul was so pleased, he committed to sponsoring even more of the project. This 10 acre community center for veterans and their families has been envisioned by Kathryn Chandler. John Paul was so excited about the Wellness Clinic that will focus on holistic health, the gym that will provide a great place to stay healthy and engaged and the playscape to welcome kids’ and families that he agreed to sponsor them on the spot! We can’t wait for this space to be open and welcoming vets soon.
As a veteran himself, John Paul is committed to making sure veterans feel welcome and making sure they know that they have not been forgotten. Kathryn and the team making Patriots’ Hall possible are great partners in making this goal a physical reality.
Update on TOOF
The Other Ones Foundation hosted a groundbreaking last week for their new campus — a 200 unit transitional shelter complex. We were happy to be there and move some dirt, but we know their team and builders will be the ones hard at work these next few months to make dignified housing for the homeless a reality. Even in the midst of this building, they are continuing critical services. Since their founding, they have helped move 121 people into stable housing, helped clients earn $1,313,575 in income through their Workforce First program, provided 20,550 showers and removed 1,378,940 pounds of trash from green spaces in Austin,
PLH Village at TOOF
We recently announced a partnership with The Other Ones Foundation, an Austin-based nonprofit that offers extremely low-barrier work opportunities, case management, and humanitarian aid to people experiencing homelessness. We will be sponsoring a neighborhood of 50 homes in the new housing units about to be built on a former parking lot where many have been staying for the last couple of years. Stay tuned to see this neighborhood develop. There are already great people living there, just gotta build some homes and space around them to be able to offer dignified housing for our neighbors.
Eastwood Ranch
John Paul has been friends with Clint Eastwood since they met in 1990 in Los Angeles around the same time he met his wife Eloise. As longtime friends, they have remained active in supporting each other through business ventures and charity sponsorships. Clint’s daughter Alison is the founder of Eastwood Ranch — a non-profit Southern California based Animal Welfare and Rescue Organization. They rescue domestic animals from high kill shelters and support other vetted local rescues to provide care until a forever home is found. John Paul and Eloise recently attended their event full of their friends the Eastwoods and Paul Anka. Anka surprised John Paul and the audience by singing a new rendition of My Way about the animals and their supporters — even name checking John Paul! You can hear the song below! We are proud supporters of Eastwood Ranch and their work to protect animals.
John Paul on KVUE
John Paul was recently featured on KVUE Austin about his work with nonprofits benefitting unhoused people in Central Texas. You can watch the whole thing here!
Salvation Army Day of Giving
Our foundation committed $250,000 as a matching grant challenge to help kick start Salvation Army Austin’s Day of Giving in July 2021. Our central Texas community rallied together, and we are thrilled with what we accomplished together! In total, the Day of Giving raised more than $750,000 that will fund more than 18,700 nights of shelter for individuals and families. You can see more local coverage of the event and its impact on KVUE’s Austin Salvation Army to host Day of Giving Thursday and FOX 7’s Salvation Army of Austin's Day of Giving.
Grow Appalachia
One of the best things about having 10 years under our belt as a foundation is the ability to go back to projects and check in with people that we have known for 10 years now — to see how their lives have changed and gotten better throughout our partnership. We, of course, have changed and improved as we learn from our partners over the last decade. Our longest relationship, with Grow Appalachia, has shaped our investments and what we believe is possible in food security. John Paul actually created the program in partnership with Berea College eleven years ago, before the foundation started, with a phone call and a personal check, to help people in Appalachia grow their own food.
Last week our director, Constance Dykhuizen, went to Kentucky to visit with the Grow Appalachia team and honor the retirement of Grow Appalachia’s founding director, David Cooke. We are so grateful for David’s leadership, integrity, and dedication to this program. It is the only program of its kind in the U.S. that assists people in growing food and scaling up to be a commercial grow if they so chose. We visited Seth and Sheryl Long’s Southdown Farm in Letcher County — an impressive organic garden, CSA producer and maple syrup-harvesting operation that has long been a part of Grow Appalachia. We visited more backyard gardens, Cowan County Community Center’s programs and farmers’ market and Pine Mountain Settlement School. All of these community partners have been instrumental in providing support and creating a more sustainable food system in the region.
Grow Appalachia’s new director, Candace Mullins, is sticking to the core tenets of the program while also moving in some exciting directions. You can read about the program’s impact on the region below and see more about what they have in store in their three-year strategic plan.
Since 2010, Grow Appalachia has:
Partnered with 6000 families through 60 nonprofits across 6 states.
Harvested 4.4 million pounds of food worth an estimated $13.3 million.
Created and hosted programs for people in 60 counties of central Appalachia.
Installed 138 high tunnels to help produce more food while generating revenue.
Supported 146 farmers with business development.
