Project MEND
Keeping wheels in motion
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Each day we serve people living with disabilities and illness of all ages and all life situations. We serve the unemployed; underemployed; uninsured; and under-insured disability population and families of San Antonio, and throughout Texas. While there are hundreds of agencies serving the lack of financial stability, housing, and emotional needs of this population, there are limited resources for desperately needed medical equipment. Additionally, specialized fitted items such as prostheses, orthotics and diabetic shoes, that play key roles in the rehabilitation and recovery of individuals are generally not covered by insurance at all. We fill theses needs. Project MEND is the only agency of its kind in San Antonio and in Texas that offers the services we provide.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Medical Equipment Reuse
We collect donations of gently used medical equipment from individuals, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and through our community partners (such as Goodwill Industries) and professionally refurbish, repair, sanitize (to the state standards), and redistribute the equipment to individuals in need in our community.
Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology (AT) services - through this service we are able to provide AT to low-income persons with disabilities for the purchase of specialized or fitted devices, such as, diabetic shoes, orthotics or prostheses; etc. and other types of assistive technologies.
Project MEND KIDS
Project MEND is pleased to serve children of all ages: infants, toddlers, adolescents and teens up to the age of 18. Parents and/or caregivers of children who require medical equipment or more specialized Assistive Technology items for rehabilitation or daily living may qualify for our Project MEND KIDS program.
Project MEND Veterans
Project MEND is honored to serve those who served our country. We assist Texas veterans (any person discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States) and their family members, including surviving spouses (widows/widowers) and dependents (spouses and dependent children) with refurbished medical equipment and other assistive technology items.
*We do not require a service connected disability nor a disability rating issued by the VA.
Where we work
Awards
Visionary Award 2009
Pass It On Center - National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Partnership (NATTAP)
Pioneer Award 2009
Pass It On Center - National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Partnership (NATTAP)
Hero of the Year - Group Military Caregivers 2011
Military Officers Association of America
Member 2015
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)
Newman's Own Award Recipient 2016
Newman's Own Award
Quality of Life Award 2016
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
ImpactSA Grant Award 2017
Impact San Antonio
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children with a disability supported to live at home
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, People with disabilities
Related Program
Project MEND KIDS
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Project MEND provides professional refurbished and sanitized medical equipment and other assistive technology items to children (0-18) living with disabilities. Number is by Fiscal Year End Year.
Number of people provided assistive technology
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities, Veterans, Older adults, Seniors, Children and youth
Related Program
Assistive Technology
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Project MEND provides assistive technology items to individuals living with disabilities and life-altering illness. Number is by FY End.
Number of older adults being supported to live at home through home care, assistive technology, and/or personal support plans
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, People with disabilities, Veterans
Related Program
Medical Equipment Reuse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through refurbished medical equipment and other AT items, we are encouraging aging adults to live with safe mobility, increased independence and improved quality of life. Number is FYE.
Number of pieces of refurbished medical equipment distributed to clients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities, Adults, Children and youth, Veterans
Related Program
Medical Equipment Reuse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Project MEND provides professionally refurbished and sanitized to the State standard medical equipment to people living with disability and life-altering illness. Number is by FY End.
Number of pieces of assistive technology distributed to clients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities, Adults, Children and youth, Veterans
Related Program
Assistive Technology
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Project MEND provides assistive technology items to individuals living with disabilities and life-altering illness. Number is by FY End.
Number of people provided with refurbished medical equipment
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities, Adults, Children and youth, Veterans
Related Program
Medical Equipment Reuse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Project MEND provides professionally refurbished and sanitized to the State standard medical equipment to people living with disability and life-altering illness. Number is by FY End.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To develop a dynamic, effective board
To expand organizational structure
To expand services
To develop strong customer relationships
To diversify our revenue streams
To increase medical equipment resources
To have one state-of-the-art facility in San Antonio
To become THE statewide leader for medical equipment re-use
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Recruit a strong , strategic, full, active, tenured board
Add to leadership employees, volunteers; create a powerhouse of case management team members that effectively work towards the mission; add more operational staff with expertise
Recruit an Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist and case managers; focus on being a mobility management organization; have mobile case management services
Develop strong relationships with donors and clients; meet client expectations; continue outreach to potential clients, military, children, seniors, adults; develop deep partnerships; expand client and community support base
Increase fundraising; diversify funding from individuals and corporations; develop a fee for service (repairs); hold an annual FUN-raising event(s); social enterprise contribute to funding and serves a need; community impact metrics track value of DME or AT
Seek new in-kind DME donations; partner/network with hospitals, Shriners, to increase donations; increase types of DME items donated; establish partnerships that provide DME; focus on DME sources, types, clients
Have one location in SA; "mobility empowerment center in SA; expand warehouse with state-of-the-art technology; improve warehouse efficiency
Provide services statewide; establish other Project MEND chapters/satellites in TX; create the STANDARD for other DME reuse programs; establish a statewide distribution center
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Mobility and independence are basic and necessary human rights. People with disabilities have little choice but to depend on family, friends and the increasingly limited healthcare system when daily activities of life such as bathing, sleeping and eating become insurmountable chores. When the convergence of a disability and limited economic resources creates a dependent, isolated circumstance, Project MEND responds by helping individuals and families obtain the medical equipment and assistive technologies needed to adjust and recover from life-altering experiences.
There is no other agency in Texas that provides these services! The distribution of refurbished, sanitized equipment decreased the cost burden that is shifted to tax-supported institutions, and also keeps our landfills empty of these items.
With the rising need for our services, Project MEND must continue to grow and expand to be able to offer its services to as many Alamo Area residents as possible.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
To date, we have accomplished the following:
* updated our website, FaceBook page, and Twitter accounts to increase our social media presence
* added warehouse staff to better and more efficiently serve our clients
* continue to train and certify our case management, warehouse and administrative staff
* continue to increase and diversify our funding resources, community and business partnerships
* have begun the process of completing a pro forma to identify our current capabilities and our future needs for expansion
*we've begun our quiet phase of our capital campaign
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Project MEND
Board of directorsas of 02/09/2024
Mr. Carey Quackenbush
GDC Marketing and Ideation
Term: 2017 - 2024
Mr. William Phillips
University Health Systems
Term: 2019 - 2025
Carey Quackenbush
Chief Ideation Officer; GDC Marketing & Ideation
Paul Wobser
CPA; ADKF CPAs
Cathy Valdez
CEO, Project MEND; Ex-Officio Board Member
Jaime Fernandez
USAA
Alexine Friedman
Jackson Walker LLP
Bill Phillips
University Health System
Kyle Buckley
The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio
Kailyn Flosi
Paragon Healthcare
Shelia Brown
ConnectAbility
Eduardo Di Loreto
Parra & Co.
Krystal Nerio
Prosperitus Solutions
Ana Allegretti
UT Health San Antonio
Amanda Munoz
WellMed Medical Management, Inc.
Kenneth Houston
Health Trust (Methodist Specialty & Transplant Hospital)
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/09/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.