SAN ANTONIO • Gene Edwards, senior vice president of Valero Energy Co., has been named chairman of the newly formed Board of Trustees at Father Flanagan’s Girls and Boys Town of San Antonio. Edwards will chair the seven-member board that was created as a result of the local site’s recent 501c(3) designation, making it an independent affiliate of the child care organization founded by Father Edward Flanagan in 1917.
    The organization, headquartered in Omaha, Neb., operates 19 sites around the country.
    Other newly appointed officers are vice chair Bill Kanyusik of Capitol Group/American Funds and secretary Dr. James Donnell, a 1960 graduate of Father Flanagan’s in Nebraska.
    Board members are Linda Kohnen and Garry W. Kirker.
    Girls and Boys Town of San Antonio representatives on the board are chief executive officer Wade P. Rascoe and chief financial officer James A. Reeves.

    The San Antonio site, established in 1989, offers long-term residential treatment and short-term emergency shelter to at-risk children, plus in-home crisis counseling services to families.
    The formation of the board marks the transition of the San Antonio site to an independent status ready to support the needs of the community.
    “We are excited about the opportunity for Girls and Boys Town of San Antonio to play a bigger role in meeting the needs of children and families in South Texas,” Rascoe said.
    Last year, the staff provided direct care and treatment to 660 girls and 120 families.
    An additional 80,000 Texas children and families were directly assisted through the Girls and Boys Town National Hotline (1-800-448-3000) a toll-free crisis line for children and parents, and through outreach and training programs.
    Nationally, Girls and Boys Town provided direct care and treatment to more than 40,000 girls and boys last year, through Girls and Boys Town of San Antonio and 18 other affiliate sites.
    An additional 450,000 children and families were helped through the Girls and Boys Town National Hotline.