The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Univest presents annual Caring for Community award
Kisses for Kyle Foundation offers services for families facing childhood cancer
SOUDERTON >> A Montgomery County-based nonprofit is the recipient of Univest Financial’s eighth annual Caring for Community Giveaway, which awards $5,000 to an area nonprofit.
The Kisses for Kyle Foundation, which provides services for families in the Delaware Valley facing childhood cancer, was the recipient of this year’s award from Univest.
The agency was randomly selected from more than 8,100 nominations from the public — representing more than 200 area nonprofit organizations — nominated during December on Univest’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. It was a record number of nominations for the giveaway, according to Nicole Heverly, vice president and director of communications for Univest. She said about 500 more nominations were received in 2019, on behalf of about 50 more nonprofits.
In 2019, Univest donated more than $2 million to nonprofits, while employees donated more than 23,300 hours of volunteer time, Heverly added.
“The Caring for Community Giveaway is a way to turn the tables and ask the community members which nonprofit deserves financial support rather than having us here at Univest decide who deserves the donation,” Heverly said. “The Giveaway is a fun way to engage with the community, learn about the organizations truly making an impact and provide financial assistance to a randomly selected nonprofit.”
Sharon Snyder, executive director of the Kisses for Kyle Foundation, said winning the annual Univest giveaway was a “huge surprise.”
“I was not expecting it,” she said.
Kisses for Kyle is based in Willow Grove and serves families across the Delaware Valley as they deal with childhood cancer by offering a variety of programs, services and special family events. The foundation’s mission is to minimize stress in the hopes that each family’s focus can remain on what is most important: caring for their children.
While winning the money was a surprise, Snyder said she quickly determined how the organization would use the funds.
It will be used to support a scholarship program started by the foundation two years ago. The program awards financial assistance to students who battled childhood cancer and plan to pursue a degree in a field that will help other children with cancer.
“It can be as a researcher, an oncologist, or in nursing or social work; there are so many ways. It depends on their passion,” Snyder said. Applications for the 2020-2021 scholarship will be accepted in the spring.
Kisses for Kyle was started by Snyder in 2001, following the loss of her son Kyle, who passed away from leukemia when he wasn’t yet 3 years old. Following Kyle’s death, Snyder said she was volunteering and doing fundraising, but needed to do more.
“I was looking for ways to honor him,” she said.
She said the organization started by helping families financially with bills, so they weren’t stressed with the rent, mortgage and utilities.
“We helped a handful of families in 2001, and it has grown each year. Now we’re able to provide more than 20 programs, services and events, and work with more than 100 local partners,” she said. Kisses for Kyle currently assists more than 1,300 Delaware Valley families.
“We can’t do everything, but we want to do our part and do something positive through a difficult time,” Snyder added.
For more information about the Kisses for Kyle Foundation visit https://kissesforkyle.org/
To be eligible to win the $5,000 Caring for Community Giveaway, the nominated nonprofit groups had to be a registered 501 (c) (3) organization that operates within Univest’s
“We can’t do everything, but we want to do our part and do something positive through a difficult time.” — Sharon Snyder, executive director, the Kisses for Kyle Foundation