1. Gun-toting nonprofit Lady Clay Shooters aims to create community in Houston
Barbara Garney knows her way around a handgun. The founder of Lady Clay Shooters, a recreational sporting club for women, men and couples in the Greater Houston area, said she grew up hunting. But Garney had no clue how to operate the shotgun that her husband gave her as a wedding present in the early 1990s, she said.
The nonprofit group is dedicated to teaching its members, who began as majority women, about gun safety and the sport of clay shooting.2. Student-run nonprofit Asha’s Food Bank provides pet food to animal shelters
Sisters Shefali and Maya Desai have long been active members of the Fort Bend County community, participating in school athletics and arts in Fort Bend ISD as well as volunteering.
A conversation with their mother, a veterinarian, opened their eyes to an opportunity to start their own initiative to bring pet food to the county’s overpopulated animal shelters. The nonprofit takes its namesake from their dog, Asha, a female chihuahua mix they adopted from Citizens for Animal Protection in 2020.
3. Imperial Soccer Club's president comes full circle at Sugar Land park
Nicolas Carvajal, president of Imperial Soccer Club in Sugar Land, grew up playing soccer at Lost Creek Park—the same park the nonprofit club manages today.
Creating this club and bringing soccer back to the park where he played as a kid is a full circle moment for him, he said. The club's programs include a recreational and a competitive league for boys and girls as well as strength and conditioning. It also has an academy program to act as a bridge for young soccer players between 5 to 9 years old to cross over from recreational to competitive.
- 3703 Lost Creek Blvd., Sugar Land
- www.imperialsc.org
Nonprofit Fort Bend Care Center grew from a group of local church members who wanted to help the community recover from Hurricane Harvey.
With help of more than 700 volunteers, the faith-based nonprofit provides the Fort Bend County community with literacy, health care, education, spiritual and wellness programs, President Mei Wong said.
- 7707 Hwy. 6 S., Missouri City
- www.fortbendcarecenter.org
What started as a way to connect with grandparents during the pandemic has grown into a nonprofit organization about to celebrate its fifth anniversary.
Raghav Singh said he founded Silver Heart Care in the fall of 2020 to bridge the gap between what seniors have and what they need. Singh said Silver Heart Care’s largest program is its Senior Services Program, offering different types of customized care to those who need it most.
