GALVESTON, TX – May 1, 2020 – First responders in Galveston have the necessary personal protective equipment to maintain health and safety for themselves and the public thanks to generous donations from the Moody Foundation and the Moody Endowment.
The Moody Foundation and the Moody Endowment graciously donated $250,000 to the City of Galveston for both the purchase of personal protective equipment for first responders, including police and fire, and necessary technology upgrades to police patrol cars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are extremely appreciative of this generous donation from the Moody Foundation and the Moody Endowment," City Manager Brian Maxwell said. "Galveston is a better place to live and work because of the many civic-minded contributions these foundations have made."
This month, the Moody Foundation contributed $150,000 and the Moody Endowment contributed $100,000 to the City of Galveston to meet the city’s need for its COVID-19 response.
“We’re experiencing unprecedented times as COVID-19 has impacted our entire economy,” said Frances Moody-Dahlberg, chairman and executive director of the Moody Foundation and chairman and director of the Moody Endowment. “As we’re all sitting in uncertainty of what the future holds, we want to assure you the Moody Foundation trustees are here for Texans as we navigate through this pandemic.”
With the grant funding, the City of Galveston is able to purchase personal protective equipment, including masks, gloves, and other personal protection equipment, to establish a 30-day inventory of this equipment, which is in high demand and difficult to buy. This equipment is vital to our operations because it protects both the first responders and the public they serve.
Additionally, one of the issues the police department has faced is the sharing of technology equipment by the patrol officers. Each patrol vehicle is equipped with a Mobile Computer Terminal from which officers receive call data, criminal history information, and prepare reports. To eliminate the shared use the City and concerns about spread of the virus, the City has $150,000 of the grants to purchase computers and vehicle routers across the patrol fleet.
“The effects from COVID-19 are far-reaching and will have long-term impacts beyond what we can even imagine,” said Ross Moody, trustee of the Moody Foundation and director of the Moody Endowment. “Now, more than ever, is the time to step up. The Moody Foundation will continue working with our local partners as we move towards rebuilding our community together.”
Over the years, the Moody Foundation has pledged and awarded more than $1.7 billion in grants throughout the state to organizations that have educated, healed, nurtured, and inspired generations of Texans.
The Moody Foundation has had a role in building many fine universities, hospitals, museums and libraries.
The Foundation created Moody Gardens to help sustain the economic well-being of Galveston, and Shearn Moody Plaza for fellow non-profit organizations. The Moody Foundation founded the Transitional Learning Center as a way to promote research, foster understanding, teach life skills, and offer dignity to those living with the devastating effects of brain injury, among many other contributions.