Rainbow exceeds scholarship funding goal by $60k at its 2016 Annual Awards Banquet
Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation (Rainbow), a nonprofit organization that provides service-enriched housing programs for residents of rental housing communities throughout the country, recently hosted its 2016 Awards Banquet at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix, raising more than $354,000 for its national program and scholarship campaign combined. The annual event serves to honor individuals who continue to make strides in affordable housing solutions as well as raise funds for future programming and educational opportunities for residents of the communities served by Rainbow.
“Our 2016 Awards Banquet allows us to not only honor the outstanding leaders who pave the way for solutions in affordable housing, but it also provides a forum to reflect on the common cause that brings us together,” said Flynann Janisse, executive director of Rainbow. “The funds raised at this event will provide opportunities to our residents to access education, job readiness and youth development programs.”
Through sponsorships from the banquet, in addition to the preceding ninth annual “Play It Forward” golf tournament, Rainbow raised more than $193,500 for its national program. The organization also raised more than $160,700 for Rainbow Scholars, its national scholarship campaign, surpassing its 2016 goal of $120,000. The banquet featured a keynote address by Lynda Coates from Communication Across Barriers, an organization dedicated to broadening and improving opportunities for people who live in poverty through a variety of programs, discussing the impact of housing on breaking poverty barriers.
“It is an honor to show support for Rainbow and the positive impact the organization has on the lives of residents throughout the nation,” said Coates. “Stable housing is truly the catalyst behind breaking the cycle of poverty. Through my own experience, I can say with certainty that Rainbow’s success is a result of not only their commitment to preserve quality, affordable housing, but their focus on investing in the well-being of residents through service-enriched housing programs.”
In addition to community leaders, a number of youth and adult residents from communities Rainbow serves were in attendance, sharing their stories with other attendees during the networking hour and the banquet. Each of these residents spoke about the positive influence that Rainbow had on their life, either through being awarded scholarship funds from Rainbow or graduated from one of Rainbow’s programs, such as Move Men to Employment (MM2E), Return on Ingenuity for Females (ROIf) or Tie Me a Future.
Rainbow honored community leaders with a variety of awards, highlighting their dedication to the organization and the preservation of sustainable, affordable housing throughout the nation. The awardees included:
- Affordable Advocate of the Year: Raynold Richardson, former HUD director, Fort Worth Asset Management Division
- Affordable Community/Project of the Year: CHC Castle Park LLC for Castle Park Apartments, managed by Monroe Group
- Community Partner of the Year: Linda Easley Stroman, director of financial education at Capital Area Asset Builders and Reggie McGill, owner at Xtreme Speed Training Company
Key sponsors of the event included: J. Allen Management, title sponsor; The Reliant Group, co-sponsor; CohnReznick Capital Markets, networking hour sponsor; FPI Management, banquet event sponsor; and R4 Capital and Pillar Properties, events package sponsors.
About Rainbow
Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation (Rainbow) is a nonprofit organization that provides service-enriched housing programs for residents of rental housing communities throughout the country. With award-winning services available throughout the United States, Rainbow seeks to create and preserve quality, affordable housing for families and individuals of diverse ethnic, social and economic backgrounds.
