The Matias De Llano Charitable Trust, which is administered by International Bank of Commerce (IBC Bank), donated a total of $482,000 to 14 Laredo organizations as part of its mission to do more for the communities it serves.
During the formal presentation, IBC Bank Trust Committee representatives announced grants to the following Laredo organizations: Bethany House of Laredo; Boy Scouts of America, South Texas Council; Casa de Misericordia; Gateway Community Health Center Inc.; Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas; Junior Achievement of Laredo; Make a Wish Central and South Texas; Mary Help of Christians School; Mercy Ministries of Laredo; Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center; Sacred Heart Children’s Home; Special Olympics Texas; Texas A&M International University; and University of Incarnate Word Medical and Education Campus at Laredo.
The Matias De Llano Charitable Trust was established April 1, 2003, under the Last Will and Testament of Matias De Llano Jr., by which he appointed IBC Bank as sole trustee. Since 2004, the Trust has donated approximately $8 million to local organizations and schools.
Matias De Llano Jr. was born in Laredo in 1918, one of eight children. He attended Laredo schools and New Mexico Military Academy. He was a veteran of World War II.
His father, Matias De Llano Sr., was the founder of the Texas Hat Company, formerly one of the largest manufacturers of straw hats in the country. De Llano Jr. was employed there for many years.
De Llano, Jr. had a zest for life and for helping the disadvantaged. He contributed to many causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Sacred Heart Children’s Home, and other charitable organizations. Laredo’s Matias De Llano Elementary School was built and named in his honor.
De Llano, Jr. directed that the Trust continue his philanthropic legacy by helping the community that he lived in and loved. He was especially focused on assisting children and the less fortunate.
The intention of the Trust is to maintain the corpus while distributing the annual income to charitable organizations in Laredo for many years to come. Donations from the Matias De Llano Charitable Trust benefit each organization in their efforts to support the economically disadvantaged residents of Laredo. This year’s grant recipients provide programs that benefit the entire community with much-needed help in medical services and food and nutritional benefits for adults and children.
