Category Archives: Non-Profit

Livestock Show ‘In Blood’ Of New GM

Luis Saldana grew up in Mercedes as a student participant in the RGV Livestock Show and now leads the organization.

Luis Saldana was coming to the end of a three decades-long career with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service when a job offer came along involving the leadership of a historic organization in his hometown. Saldana’s fellow board members of the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show approached him in early 2023 with the possibility of the general manager leadership post. Saldana grew up the son of an agricultural education instructor…

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Art On Pipes Gives McAllen New Look

The roughly 300 irrigation pipes found by roadsides and canals throughout McAllen predate the city’s rapid growth and industrialization of recent decades. McAllen’s founding (like the rest of the Rio Grande Valley) has its roots in agriculture. The network of pipes played a key role in controlling and directing the flow of river water to area farmland. Much of the latter are no longer there but the pipes remain. They…

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Methodist Healthcare Ministries Awards VIDA $60K

VIDA/Methodist Healthcare Ministries

Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement has received a $60,000 grant from Methodist Healthcare Ministries. This contribution will allow VIDA to expand its impact and continue its essential efforts in advancing career training opportunities for allied health professionals.   The grant acknowledges the pivotal role of community organizations in driving positive transformation, addressing influential factors impacting health such as socio-economic challenges, and fostering avenues for economic advancement.  “We are immensely grateful…

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VIDA Changes Setbacks to Comebacks

Samuel Arguelles

Samuel Arguelles had excellent role models and grew up witnessing the importance of higher education. Unfortunately, that provides no guarantee. “I am a second-generation college student; however, I lost my parents at a very young age and have been trying so hard to make them proud,” Arguellas said. His parents passed away from different forms of cancer, his dad while working on a PhD and his mom while working on…

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Welding Together a New Life with VIDA

Diego Medina

Normally a 10 year old would be considered a child; however, at the age of 10, Diego Medina saw himself as a young man when his parents divorced. He began working in the fields and mowing lawns on the weekends to assist his mother with their household bills.  Over the years, Medina had countless setbacks, and he found it more and more difficult to get ahead. In his early 30s,…

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Student’s VIDA Journey Goes International

Rhonda Diaz

Every month, VBR publishes a story about a current Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement participant or one who has already earned a certificate or degree, altering the trajectory of his or her life. This month, we feature Rhonda Diaz, who will graduate from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in December with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.  “Before VIDA, I was attending college part time; with VIDA’s…

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Reaching A Greater Goal With VIDA

Victoria Rivera

In fourth grade, Victoria Rivera moved in with her grandparents. Despite financial struggles, they provided their granddaughter with a home, stability and love.  In 2017, Rivera graduated from Brownsville Early College High School. She took advantage of the opportunity to take college courses while in high school, graduating with a high-school diploma and dual-enrollment credit from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.  Unlike many high-school graduates today, Rivera did…

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Salvation Army Receives $5K Donation

The Security Service Charitable Foundation presents $5,000 to The Salvation Army McAllen Corps of McAllen

The Security Service Charitable Foundation has donated $5,000 to The Salvation Army McAllen Corps of McAllen. This donation will go to supporting two programs that provide food for the community. “Being able to lend our community a helping hand when they need it most is such a great feeling,” said Maggie Pena, business operations administrator for The Salvation Army McAllen Corps. “Without donations like this to help us provide programs…

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Two VIDA Boosts Help Further Nurse’s Career

Donna Jo Pena

When Donna Jo Pena applied to Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement in late 2021, it wasn’t déjà vu that came over her. Rather, she experienced actual memories from 2004-2005 when VIDA played a significant role in helping her become a licensed vocational nurse. VIDA, a nonprofit organization serving the Rio Grande Valley for over 25 years, provides financial assistance and support services, removing the barriers that often prevent Valley…

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San Juan Resident Designing His Dream

Carlos Pena

“I Have a Dream” is, of course, the iconic 1963 speech of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. For San Juan resident Carlos Pena, this phrase also expressed why he enrolled at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Pena, whose major is mechanical engineering, has a dream of working at Tesla as part of its design team. Tesla knows how to capture potential employees’ attention, even on its website: “Using…

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