On a sunny morning at Morgan’s Wonderland (the groundbreaking theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind) Dr. George and Kym Rapier presented founder Gordon Hartman with a check for $1 million.
Then they took it back. Sort of.
With TV cameras rolling, Kym Rapier took a permanent marker and crossed out the $1 million figure on the ceremonial check that Hartman held, and to the amazement of everyone in attendance, wrote in the new figure of $2 million.
That event on March 25 was the second time in less than 14 hours that the Rapiers made a historic donation to a worthy San Antonio cause. The night before, they presented officials at Boysville of Texas – a foster home facility for children in crisis – with a $2 million check.
Within the next three weeks, the Rapiers would hand over checks totaling $4.9 million to other good causes in San Antonio and fund a college scholarship program they launched last year called Kym’s Kids to the tune of $10 million.
Each gift announced to date has been the largest personal donation ever received by the respective charities. Other Rapier Trust donations announced to date are:
• SAMMinistries: $2.2 million to San Antonio’s largest homeless ministry, including $200,000 to Furniture for a Cause, the thrift store that takes gently used furniture and sells it as an additional revenue source for the nonprofit.
• Communities in Schools of San Antonio: $1.5 million to South Texas’ largest organization dedicated to stay-in-school initiatives. The gift saved many programs proven to improve attendance and drive graduation rates among at-risk students. These programs were threatened with serious budget cuts due to shortfalls in state and federal funding.
• City Year San Antonio: $1 million to this program, which serves high-need, low-income students who are at risk for academic failure, and provides the critically needed services of tutors and mentors. City Year corps members also make a positive impact in communities throughout the city by completing transformational neighborhood improvement projects that transform communities.
• 100 Club of San Antonio: $200,000 to this organization, which provides support for families of peace officers and firefighters in Bexar County who are killed in the line of duty. This includes, but is not limited to federal peace officers (FBI, ATF), state troopers and local law enforcement and firefighters. The donation was made in honor of Stephanie Brown, a San Antonio police officer and mother who was tragically killed earlier this year by a suspected drunk driver.
The gifts come at a critical time for many nonprofits that are facing reduced support thanks to a struggling economy. And the Rapiers are not finished. They plan to donate another $10 million from the Blake, Kymberly and George Rapier Charitable Trust before the end of the year.
George Rapier is founder, chairman and CEO of WellMed Medical Management, Inc., the largest primary care provider for seniors in Texas. Kym Rapier is founder and president of Silver Life Fitness, a WellMed subsidiary that offers no-cost fitness classes to older adults in several Texas communities.
In 2006, the husband-and-wife philanthropists founded the Blake, Kymberly and George Rapier Charitable Trust with the intention of supporting causes close to their hearts. Every year since then, the Rapier Charitable Trust has donated more than $1 million annually to various causes, including stay-in-school and youth initiatives, animals in need, seniors and children’s health programs.
This year, however, the couple ramped up their giving significantly in ways that have quickly put them among the most active philanthropists in Texas.
“It’s been incredible to see the generosity of George and Kym,” said San Antonio businessman Harvey Najim, who is recognized as one of the nation’s top philanthropists through the creation of the Najim Family Foundation. “Their gifts will change lives for generations to come.”
The Rapiers decided to make a bigger splash with their donations in the hope of inspiring others to give to good causes. They also are encouraging people to give of their time and energy to support charities that desperately need help.
“Kym and I know that you don’t have to give money to make an impact,” George Rapier said. “We are big advocates of volunteerism. We created a volunteer program at WellMed in recent years to provide our more than 1,600 employees with opportunities to help each other make a difference in the communities we serve.”
Recently, the Rapiers announced the creation of the Rapier Educational Fund, which is available to students who live in a county served by WellMed Medical Management. Students must be planning to attend a two- or four-year accredited college, university or vocational/technical school in the United States, and must have a minimum 2.5 GPA.
Financial need will be considered, but it is not the sole determining factor. Scholarships are renewable for three years (they will support the same student for four years) as long as eligibility criteria are maintained, which includes maintaining a 2.5 GPA and completing 12 college credit hours per semester.
The deadline to apply through the San Antonio Area Foundation (www.saafdn.org) was May 6, but it’s expected that another round of applications will open up later this year.
Dr. George and Kym Rapier founded the Blake, Kymberly and George Rapier Charitable Trust in 2006. Since then, the Rapier Charitable Trust has donated more than $1 million annually to various causes, including stay-in-school and youth initiatives, animals in need, seniors and children’s health programs.
This year, the Rapier Charitable Trust already has pledged more than $18 million to San Antonio-area nonprofits. To learn more about the Rapier Trust’s signature program, Kym’s Kids, visit www.kymskids.org.
