San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
BLUE CARES
PRESENTED BY
For the most part, our community’s police officers are only called out to deal with the symptoms of underdeveloped neighborhoods and impoverished families without being able to address the root of the problem. But, for almost 50 years the San Antonio Police Officers Association (SAPOA) has been changing that dynamic with its nonprofit arm, Blue Cares.
Blue Cares achieves its mission through three primary programs: the Patricia Calderon Scholarship, Project CJ, and the Blue Santa program. Together, these three
programs bring nourishment, happiness, and hope to children and families facing difficult times. Children who do not have the physical nourishment and loving support they need to grow face a much harder time at reaching happiness and success. By giving families a helping hand, Blue Cares can empower people to achieve more for themselves and their communities.
Leading Blue Cares is executive director Amanda Gonzalez, a native of San Antonio who is also completing a Ph.D. in educational leadership at
Texas Tech University. Amanda is living proof of this program’s impact. Being a first-generation college student, her family did not have the resources to send her to college. But, in 2007 she was the chosen candidate for the scholarship provided by the very organization that she now leads.
After empowering herself through higher education, she returned to help the community that helped her achieve what would have otherwise been impossible. She was appointed as the executive director in July of this year and is excited to continue to advance the mission and promote community outreach and engagement for this great association.
Blue Cares was founded in 1976 by police officers with a mission to provide year-round services and assistance to underprivileged, low-income, and at-risk children and families. Police officers regularly see families in need and struggling without basic necessities, so they started this program to not only serve and protect but to also be leaders in making positive change. Since its founding, the program has battled through many of the socio-economic changes in San Antonio over the decades and continued to achieve its mission.
Over the last two years, the issues they see have been exacerbated by the pandemic and subsequent economic issues. Because of this, the SAPOA is working harder than ever to support the community through its Blue Cares programs.
The Patricia Calderon Scholarship helps youth in our community achieve their full potential by lowering financial barriers to higher education. The scholarship is named after officer Patricia Calderon, who was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 27, 1988. Each year this program identifies and assists local high schoolers so they can achieve their full potential and further support our community, just like Gonzalez has done.