Animas Foundation Announces Advisory Board Appointments

DALLAS - June 10, 2015 - PRLog -- The Animas Foundation today announced its incoming Advisory Board of Directors and the launch of its mission to shepherd micro-financing for small business start-ups or expansions to the North Texas community among those who may not have had funding opportunities through more traditional sources of financing.

Amir Morani CPA, Executive Director and founder of the Foundation said, “We are extremely pleased to have four seasoned business professionals join our Advisory Board of Directors who share a passion for returning service to the community and believe strongly in our Foundation’s mission.”

Animas, a Latin word for “soul”, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring economic growth opportunities to low-income families via a platform that will assist in micro-funding and mentoring small business entrepreneurial ventures.

The four individuals joining the Animas Advisory Board of Directors are:

Jillian Melton - Jill has worked for Sabre Holdings since 2010 and recently joined their enterprise portfolio management team.  She holds her MBA from Emory University.

Patrick Lee - Patrick is co-founder of Top Line Ventures, Inc., an independent entrepreneurial platform for revenue and business development projects. Previously, Patrick served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Pacesetter Capital group, a Dallas-based venture capital firm.

Tammy O’Connor - Tammy was co-founder and CEO of Red River Solutions, a successful IT consulting group providing full-range technology solutions to clients throughout the United States.  Tammy was a finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008.

Dale Turner - Serving as Director of Volunteers for the Animas Foundation, Dale has a 42 year career in the hospitality industry having recently held a senior operations director and limited partner position with Irving-based Pillar Hotels & Resorts.

The Foundation’s latest endeavor is to source entrepreneurs from low-income families and assist them with raising no-interest, crowd-sourced funding for capital to start-up a small business or expand an existing one, then mentor and coach them through the process of launching their business or growth strategy, gaining solvency and re-paying their interest free loan.

“It’s like grass-roots capitalism with a heart”, said Turner, who also serves as the Foundation Advisory Board Chairperson.  “We will select individuals or families to participate in this program who will be chosen based on their strength of character and standing in the community, not on their credit rating or lack of collateral.”

The income enhancement program is part of a larger mission of the Animas Foundation to bring economic independence to more people in the North Texas community through an outreach program that includes education in financial and money management to individuals, small businesses and elementary school children.

Last year, Animas launched the “Money Smart” program to local elementary schools, a program developed by the FDIC specially designed for children aged 5 to 8 years. The “Money Smart for Elementary School Students” helps young students identify ways to save money and introduces savings options students can use to attain their goals.

The Foundation’s latest mission is an off-shoot of these educational programs.  “Now, we will not only teach people how to better manage their money and save for the future, but will actually help them attain those goals if they have a dream to launch or expand their own business”, Morani said.

Animas is a 501(c)(3) corporation with a social mission to improve the economic lives of low-income families.  Individuals and families wishing more information or to apply for a Foundation supported venture can learn more by visiting www.animasfoundation.org.