Group has donated more than $3 million since 2002
Published in the November 11-24, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Morgan Hill Life file photo
Army veteran Gregg Williams takes Liberty for ride at the One Step Closer facility in Morgan Hill. Founder Landa Kierstead holds a rope.
One Step Closer Therapeutic Riding received a $6,000 grant from Intero Foundation on Sept. 17 that will be used for its School Readiness Program. And the Edward Boss Prado Foundation received a grant of $4,000 to build more storage at its Cecelia’s Closet site in north Morgan Hill to hold the clothing it gives local families in need.
These are just two of many examples showing how the generous donations from the Intero Foundation over the past dozen years have helped nonprofit organizations in the South Valley region as well as the rest of Santa Clara County.
Each financial quarter, the foundation presents grants to various non-profits in Gilroy, Hollister, Morgan Hill and the Silver Creek area of San Jose. For this year’s fourth quarter grants, a total of $64,000 was distributed, according to the foundation’s press release.
The money received by One Step Closer goes to children with special needs who have challenges that impede learning and success in school, said Mark Kierstead, a co-founder of the Morgan Hill-based nonprofit. These challenges include attention deficit, speech and communication delays, difficulty following instruction, difficulty with social interaction and inappropriate behavior.
“These challenges can be compounded by stress, anxiety and low self-esteem,” he said. “The One Step Closer adaptive riding program includes a curriculum, created by One Step Closer, which integrates games and tasks on horseback designed to address these challenges to improve their school readiness and learning performance. The funds will be used for this school readiness program for children ages 4 to 8 years old.”
The first office for Intero was in Morgan Hill and so the community will always have a special place within the Intero organization, said Pamala Meador, an Intero agent and ambassador of the Intero Foundation.
Photo courtesy Edward Boss Prado Foundation
Residents gather clothing during the Oktoberfest giveaway at Cecelia’s Closet held Oct. 17.
“When Intero Real Estate Services was founded, its founders set out to create a company that was different,” Meador said. “That difference would be based on values. One of those is commitment. The Intero Foundation is our vehicle for expressing a meaningful and sustained commitment to our community.”
The Intero Foundation is a non–profit organization founded in 2002 that has raised more than $3 million to benefit children living in local communities, she said.
To date, the Intero Foundation has lent its support to more than 130 local charities — organizations that range in size and mission, Meador said. All of them work to positively impact the growth and well-being of children by enhancing their education and personal development.
“We have become a large organization, but not too large to remember that we are part of something still larger: a community to which we must give in order to receive,” she said.
Spearheaded by Cathy Jackson, past president, Intero agents donated $12,000 to the Marc Klass Foundation to further the search for Sierra LaMar. Jackson will be honored for her contribution to the Intero Foundation at the Morgan Hill Community Foundation’s 10th Annual Philanthropy Night on Nov. 13.
“Cathy’s passion and love for all the good work that the foundation has done has really been an inspiration to those around her to get involved, participate and make a difference,” Meador said.
Organizations such as One Step Closer can enhance the quality of life for families thanks to the generosity of the grants, Kierstead said.
“Intero Foundation grants provide substantial funding which makes a significant and lasting impact upon our program and those we serve,” he said.
The Edward Boss Prado Foundation Cecelia’s Closet clothing inventory is growing rapidly with donations from the community, and it had an urgent need for a unit to store the items, said volunteer Connie Murray.
“We require easy access to the clothing when re-stocking, and we are grateful that with the grant we received, we will now be able to fulfill that requirement,” she said.
As the new ambassador to the Intero Foundation, Meador said she wants to encourage local nonprofit organizations to apply for the 2016 grant cycle by visiting www.interofoundation.org
“We are looking for wonderful organizations, with wonderful people doing wonderful things in our community,” she said.
Intero Foundation
Website: www.interofoundation.org
