El Paso
2012 Director’s Community Leadership Awards
| El Paso | Ginger Francis |
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The El Paso Division is pleased to honor Ginger Francis, a community philanthropist, as a recipient of the 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award. For almost 30 years, Ms. Francis has dedicated herself to supporting the city and people of El Paso through her many volunteer efforts. In 1988, Ms. Francis encouraged local youth to participate in High-Q, a program in which high school students compete on a local up to national level by answering questions in categories ranging from anthropology to zoology. But it is through her involvement with the Junior League of El Paso that Ms. Francis has had the most impact on her community. Ms. Francis brought the Junior League together with the West Texas Food Bank and other organizations to launch Food 4 Kids. During the 2010-2011 school year, the program provided more than 100 families with healthy snacks on weekends. Additionally, she collaborated with the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department and the El Paso Police Department to launch Midnight Basketball. On Friday and Saturday nights, you can often spot Ms. Francis at area gyms watching youth play basketball in a safe environment. The initiative has been credited with decreasing youth crime by 33 percent. |