The Morris Foundation hosted an event on February 9 for beneficiaries and partners to recognize their impact in the fields of education, healthcare, and social services in Fort Worth.
The event was hosted at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, 95 nonprofit organizations were represented.
In addition to thanking nonprofits who make Fort Worth a better place to live and thrive, The Morris Foundation recognized four nonprofit leaders for their dedication to the community and their embodiment of the Foundation’s core values of responsibility, perseverance, compassion, and innovation.
Don Binnicker, CEO, CASA of Tarrant County:
Don leads with responsibility. He is a content expert who fulfills organizational performance goals. He engages in complex problem solving and displays moral courage to create positive system change. Don brings informed ethical judgements to guide all organizational decision making. Don is described as a resilient leader who holds the organization’s values and children’s needs above all else. He leads with duty and honor.
Kelly Allen Gray, Executive Director, AIDS Outreach Center:
Kelly Allen leads with compassion. She is a leader who exemplifies high ethical standards and a commitment to fairness that instills confidence from her employees and clients. Kelly Allen acts with compassion. When we asked her employees and friends to share the value that best describes their leader, “compassion” was consistently listed. Kelly’s care for her clients brings integrity and dignity to those who seek services from AIDS Outreach Center.
Daphne Barlow Stigliano, CEO & President, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County:
Daphne is a courageous leader committed to continuous innovation. When COVID hit, Daphne moved swiftly. She repurposed transportation vehicles and redeployed her staff to meet the new needs in her community. Daphne’s leadership recently received national and public recognition as a recipient of Ms. Mackenzie Scott’s generous philanthropic support. When her colleagues speak about Daphne’s leadership they say, “Daphne is an inspiration. She is calm in the face of controversy and persistent for the sake of our children. Daphne encourages brave innovation and constantly drives for not just being better – but delivering the best version of our mission.”
Loretta Burns, Founder and Executive Director, A B Christian Learning Center:
Loretta leads with perseverance. She does not slow down. She does not stop. She does not get discouraged. Rather, she persists. Whether is it summer programming, after school services, integrating effective literacy instruction, food distribution, childcare tax credit information, disaster relief resources, or community medical supports, Loretta leans in when there is a need in her neighborhood. Loretta holds a valued role on Read Fort Worth’s board, and she is a constant voice that we will not settle and better is always possible.
About The Morris Foundation:
Founded by 1986 by Jack B. and Linda C. Morris, The Morris Foundation is a private family foundation that makes investments that link the education, healthcare, and social service systems across Fort Worth. Jack was a man who practiced what he preached, and he believed that comprehensive support of others was a duty and a privilege that we must all undertake according to our means. Even in his early years as a father and businessman, Jack opened his home to another family experiencing hardship. Jack knew that the family was facing immeasurable difficulties and that without his help, they would be facing homelessness, food scarcity, and even worse outcomes. He gave them shelter, food, and a job as a truck driver at his mattress manufacturing company. Through these acts, he set the Foundation’s eventual path of understanding that comprehensive interventions and solutions are the only way to lasting change.
