Soldiers’ Angels takes home the win in our CultureMap Charity Challenge

Meet Our Charity Partner

In mid-December, we launched our first-ever CultureMap San Antonio Charity Challenge in order to shine a light on our city’s much-needed nonprofits. Highlighting six local organizations and their impact on San Antonio, we released a series of mini-profiles to help you, our readers, decide which of them deserved to be our 2016 charity partner.

The poll has been tallied, and the organization that came out on top is Soldiers’ Angels with over 70 percent of the vote. By winning the 2016 Charity Challenge, Soldiers’ Angels will receive a CultureMap advertising package worth $10,000.

Soldiers' Angels works to support our nation’s veterans, wounded warriors, deployed service members, and their families. The nonprofit has supplied injured vets with more than 25,000 of its first-response backpacks at combat support hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other programs, including Days for the Brave and Soldiers' Angels Adopt-a-Family, ensure the support of military families across the nation. With the help of donations, Soldiers' Angels has provided voice-controlled/adaptive laptops to more than 6,000 severely wounded service members.

Soldiers' Angels goes beyond the call of duty to give soldiers the assistance and care they deserve. We at CultureMap look forward to this Charity Challenge partnership and helping to further the nonprofit’s important work in our community.

For more information on Soldiers’ Angels and how you can get involved, visit the website.

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Photo courtesy of TeletonUSA Foundation

San Antonio-based TeletonUSA provides critical care to children who need it most

Charity Profile

Editor's note: CultureMap is committed to shining a light on San Antonio-area nonprofits and their impact on our community. So, we're launching the CultureMap San Antonio Charity Challenge, highlighting deserving local organizations — one of which will become our charity partner for 2016 based on readers' votes. To help you decide, get to know one of our six selected finalists, TeletonUSA Foundation.

When TeletonUSA Foundation was able to build its first rehabilitation center in San Antonio, the outpouring of funds and donations from Latino families was so great that its initial slogan was, "Hispanic families united to help our children."

The Children's Rehabilitation Institute TeletonUSA (CRIT) is a vibrant, colorful medical building that may feel more like a clubhouse for the children with disabilities receiving treatment there. With state-of-the-art facilities, such as a rehabilitation pool and the "Lokomat," a robot that helps teach children to walk, TeletonUSA provides cutting-edge treatment for children with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders.

TeletonUSA helps children develop coordination and balance so that they can walk. Dark rooms use light and sound to help strengthen the senses. A kitchen is available to provide a place to teach alternative ways to perform tasks around the home that many of us take for granted.

Donations from the community have helped TeletonUSA improve the lives of children for over 14 years, making critical care accessible or free to those who need it most.

Vote now for TeletonUSA — or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge running through December 30. A winner will be announced January 5, 2016, and will receive a CultureMap advertising package worth $10,000.

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Soldiers' Angels/Facebook

San Antonio-based Soldiers' Angels gives back to troops with lots of love

Charity Profile

The motivation behind Soldiers' Angels is simple: No soldier should go unloved. Since its start, Soldiers' Angels has worked tirelessly to support our nation’s veterans, wounded warriors, deployed service members, and their families. In addition, the nonprofit has supplied injured vets with more than 25,000 of its first-response backpacks at the combat support hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers' Angels goes above and beyond the call of duty to give each soldier the support and care they deserve.

Vote now for Soldiers' Angels — or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge running through December 30. A winner will be announced January 5, 2016, and will receive a CultureMap advertising package worth $10,000.

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Musical Bridges Around the World/Facebook

San Antonio nonprofit builds musical bridges around the world

Charity Profile

The power of music is such that it can make you feel like you're traveling the globe. Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW) works with international talent to enrich the already vibrant cultural center of San Antonio. For 16 years, MBAW has helped to define San Antonio's urban landscape with cosmopolitan events and educational outreach.

With many events free and open to the public, MBAW makes it easy for San Antonio music lovers to connect and enjoy global rhythms without ever leaving town. The International Music Festival, in its third year, will bring together talent from Russia, India, Iran, and beyond for five nights in February 2016. Sunday evenings, MBAW presents Musical Evenings at the San Fernando Cathedral, a night of diverse music offerings with an opportunity to meet the artists over dessert following the show.

MBAW looks to the future as well, with the amazing Kids to Concerts series, which reaches 50,000 children annually through interactive multicultural performances. The first of its kind in the area, the program blends core concepts from science and math curriculum with a lively musical experience that children won't soon forget.

Vote now for Musical Bridges Around the World — or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge running through December 30. A winner will be announced January 5, 2016, and will receive a CultureMap advertising package worth $10,000.

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San Antonio Humane Society/Facebook

San Antonio Humane Society finds forever homes for furry friends in need

Charity Profile

Being man's best friend looks like a pretty easy job with warmth, love, and all the belly rubs you could hope for. But for some pets, life is no picnic. Many animals suffer abuse and injuries, while others are surrendered or abandoned to shelters. The San Antonio Humane Society (SAHS) has served the area for over 60 years. A no-kill shelter, SAHS provides medical care and shelter for furry friends until they find their forever homes.

Despite popular belief, the San Antonio Humane Society is not funded by the larger Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), so local donations and volunteer work greatly impact the day-to-day operations. Every year, SAHS is able to help more than 4,000 animals in the Bexar County area.

HSUS reports that a staggering 3 to 4 million animals die every year in shelters. The San Antonio Humane Society's mission is to improve and save the lives of animals by providing care, shelter, and community education. SAHS plans to expand with a shelter medicine hospital in the future.

SAHS helps to make sure even the animals have happy holidays and great new years. For a pick-me-up, check out their success stories.

Vote now for the San Antonio Humane Society — or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge running through December 30. A winner will be announced January 5, 2016, and will receive a CultureMap advertising package worth $10,000.

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The Children's Shelter/Facebook

The Children's Shelter gives San Antonio kids a safe haven and fresh start

Charity Profile

No child should ever be subjected to abuse. The Children’s Shelter is a nationally accredited nonprofit committed to ending the cycle of abuse by saving one child at a time. Since 1901, The Children’s Shelter has served as a safe haven for child survivors of abuse, neglect, and abandonment in San Antonio and Bexar County.

The organization’s mission of restoring innocence and strengthening families rings true in every aspect of its work. The Children’s Shelter is a trauma-informed care certified organization that offers emergency shelter and residential treatment for children in crisis. Additionally, the organization helps children find permanent homes through foster care and adoption, ensuring that each child’s innocence is truly restored.

When children seek help from The Children’s Shelter, they become a part of a family of services and true commitment to a better life.

Vote now for The Children’s Shelter — or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge running through December 30. A winner will be announced January 5, 2016, and will receive a CultureMap advertising package worth $10,000.

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Soul songstress Patti LaBelle makes solo stop in San Antonio on her Texas tour with Gladys Knight

Midnight Train

It may be hard to nail down what gives someone “soul,” but two iconic performers are taking that je ne sais quoi on tour. Gladys Knight (“Midnight Train To Georgia”) and Patti LaBelle (“Lady Marmalade”) are joining forces for a summer tour that San Antonians can catch if they want to take a drive to Austin.

LaBelle will breeze through San Antonio’s Majestic Theater on June 17 for a solo show. She will meet Knight at Austin's Bass Concert Hall on Monday, June 19.

Both singers came up as frontwomen of groups — Knight with her family as Gladys Knight & the Pips, and LaBelle with girl group Labelle. Knight stayed more in the realm of soul and R&B, while LaBelle crossed over to a more rock sphere. Both have won numerous awards and are considered pioneers in the genre.

Knight and LaBelle are the same age, but after decades of friendship spanning the majority of their lives, the former calls the latter her “little sister.” The pair famously first appeared together in the 1986 HBO special Sisters in the Name of Love, and have been seen as a pair many times since, including when LaBelle bestowed Knight with her Kennedy Center honors in 2022 and even facing off in a Verzuz battle (a webcast stream in which the two artists chatted and took turns singing karaoke to their own tracks).

The duo will be hard to catch elsewhere, as both are on separate tours that only sometimes converge. LaBelle's only solo Texas stop is the Majestic Theater stop. Knight's independent tour schedule does not show any Texas date. The two will come together before their Austin show in Grand Prairie, Texas, at the Texas Trust CU Theatre on June 18.

Tickets for LaBelle's San Antonio performance are available at majesticempire.com via Ticketmaster. Tickets for the Austin performance will go on sale on March 31 at 10 am at texasperformingarts.org. Presale tickets are available to Texas Inner Circle members as of March 28.

Shiner Beer crafts new barbecue joint at iconic Texas brewery

Lewis and Clark, Sonny and Cher, SpongeBob and Patrick. Duos float in and out of pop culture at hummingbird speed. But few have quite as much staying power as beer and barbecue. So, it’s only natural that one of Texas’ most iconic breweries would want to break out the smoker.

According to a release, Shiner Beer is untapping a new market with the April 1 grand opening of K. Spoetzl BBQ Co. Housed at the newly expanded Spoetzl Brewery, the eatery will welcome carnivores seven days a week.

Pitmaster Tommy Schuette, the former proprietor of the Shiner Barbeque Co., will lead the charge with the state’s holy trinity of smoked meats, including brisket, sausage, and ribs. Other favorites like pulled pork and chicken will be served alongside a meaty assortment of salads, loaded potatoes, and sandwiches.

Of course, no Texas barbecue joint can get away with skimping on the sides. Potato salad and pinto beans are served throughout the week, but weekend guests get a little extra. Diners can also opt for green beans, coleslaw, creamed corn, and giblet rice from Thursday through Saturday.

In celebration of K. Spoetzl BBQ’s debut, samples will be passed out between 10:30 am-6 pm on April 1. QR codes will also be scattered across the grounds giving visitors a chance to win gift cards, shirts, hats, and more. Diners will also be given a free beer token for every $25 spent at the restaurant that day.

In addition, budding influencers can post a picture of Schuette to social media to get a coupon for 10 percent off. (As a rule, pitmasters do not need a yassify filter.)

After the grand opening celebration, K. Spoetzl BBQ will be open daily. Hours are 10 am-4 pm, so plan accordingly.

Texas rises through the ranks of most innovative states, says new report

MOVING ON UP

The Lone Star State has again taken a step up on an annual report that ranks the most and least innovative states in the country — this time cracking the top 15.

Texas ranked No. 15 in personal finance site WalletHub's 2023’s Most and Least Innovative States ranking. It's a steady improvement for the state, which ranked No. 16 in 2022 and No. 17 in 2021.

The report analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia and how each performed across 22 key metrics, including population of STEM professionals, venture capital investment activity, number of technology companies, patents per capita, and more. The data was pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Science Foundation, National Center for Education Statistics, United States Patent and Trademark Office, and other records.

Here's how Texas performed at a glance:

No. 18 – for share of STEM professionals
No. 16 – for projected STEM job demand by 2030
No. 25 – for eighth grade math and science performance
No. 21 – for share of science and engineering graduates aged 25 or older
No. 13 – for share of technology companies
No. 31 – for R&D spending per capita
No. 18 – venture capital funding per capita

For the 11th year, Texas won Site Selection Magazine's Governor's Cup, the governor's office announced earlier this year. The award, which Texas has won 19 times since its inception in 1978, recognizes the nation’s top-performing state for job-creating business relocations and expansions.

"Texas truly is America’s economic engine, and we stand apart as a model for the nation. When choosing where to relocate or expand their businesses, more and more innovative industry leaders find themselves at home in our state," Governor Greg Abbott says in a news release about the award.

"I congratulate the exceptional economic development teams at the local, regional, and state level who have worked so diligently to attract and retain these growing businesses and the jobs they create in diverse communities across this great state," he continues.

The most innovative states included the District of Columbia, which ranked at No. 1, followed by Massachusetts, Washington, Maryland, and California, respectively. The least innovative state was identified as Mississippi, followed by Louisiana, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Arkansas, respectively.

Source: WalletHub

Access to quality education is a significant contributor to each state's innovation economy, the experts say in the report.

"Investing in education, particularly K-12 but also at the University level, it is no accident that innovative ecosystems develop in states with strong education systems and research universities," says David L. Deeds, professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. "These institutions build strong capable modern workforces that attract capital, and jobs and create innovations. The benefits do not happen overnight, in fact, they take years if not decades, but consider what The UC’s or the University of Texas at Austin have meant for the development of premier innovative ecosystems."

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