Author: Angelica Velazquez

National Book Week

National Book Week 2016 is upon us – what better way to celebrate than to get your child involved by finding a good book to get hooked on? Reading allows a child to use their imagination and develop social, emotional, gross motor and fine motor skills that are important to their success in school and life. ReachoutandRead.org states that, “Children who fall seriously behind in the growth of critical early reading skills have fewer opportunities to practice reading. Evidence suggests that these lost practice opportunities make it extremely difficult for children who remain poor readers during the first three years of elementary school to ever acquire average levels of reading fluency.” So how do you get your child to love to read? Here are a few suggestions: Limit Media Time It’s easy to switch on the TV after a long day at work in order to quiet down your kiddos. However, best practices suggest to balance TV or media time with reading. Next time your child wants to watch their favorite TV show, suggest that they pick up a book instead or have to read for 30 minutes before being allowed to play their video games. Share Reading Experiences Reading together can be used to not only bond with your child, but is an important activity that allows you to discuss elements of a story with them. Once you have completed a book, open up a conversation discussing your favorite/least favorite part of the story, character development and common themes in the story. […]

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Get Tax Prep Help for FREE

It’s the beginning of that time of the year again — tax season. Filing your taxes is not always a fun, but no need to worry, there are tax prep and filling services for qualifying (if you make less than $50,000 a year) individuals and families, available at no cost. United Way for Greater Austin’s vision is to create a thriving community for all, so with the help of Foundation Communities, we have complied a list of FREE tax preparation and filing services around town that can help make filing your taxes less stressful: South Austin Community Financial Center – 2600 West Stassney Lane, Austin, TX 78745 (corner of Stassney and West Gate) – 1st floor. Services available January 14th through April 18th. IDEA Allan – 1701 Vargas Road, Austin, TX 78741. Services available January 26th through April 18th. East Austin Lifeworks East Office – 835 N. Pleasant Valley Rd., Austin, TX 78702 – 1st floor. Services available January 19th through April 18th. Round Rock Round Rock Public Library – 216 E. Main Street, Round Rock, TX 78664 – Computer Lab. Services available January 20th through April 18th. North Austin Community Financial Center – 5900 Airport Blvd., Austin, TX, 78752. Services available January 16th through April 18th. Asian American Resource Center – 8401 Cameron Road, Austin, TX, 78754. Services available January 27th through April 18th. How to schedule an appointment? You will soon be able to schedule an appointment for tax preparation – stay updated by visiting the Foundation Communities tax prep page. […]

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Volunteers Needed for MLK Day of Service

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is soon approaching, and we are inviting all community members to join us for our 17th Annual MLK Day of Service! United Way for Greater Austin is hosting this event alongside State Representative Dawnna Dukes and Keep Austin Beautiful on January 16, 2016 from 9 a.m. to noon. The MLK Day of Service projects bring together hundreds of volunteers to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service by beautifying the Austin street bearing his name (and our office!) – Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. There will also be additional indoor projects supported by other local nonprofits for those who may not be able to participate in the clean-up of the three-mile stretch.     United Way for Greater Austin’s volunteer program, Hands On Central Texas, is currently recruiting volunteers for MLK Day of Service. This event is open to all ages and is a great opportunity to get your youth group, family and kids involved. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our Hands On Central Texas page to learn more and sign up for projects. This is also  National Day of Service occurring all over the country – so come out, volunteer and start off the new year on a positive note as a philanthropist with thousands of others across the nation! This event will begin with a kick-off breakfast at 9 a.m. at United Way for Greater Austin (2000 E. MLK JR. BLVD, 78702). Parking is available in our attached lot or on nearby streets. We […]

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Divine Canines Aid 2-1-1 Call Specialists

Austin – a city where you can find dog-friendly restaurants, hotels and even a dog bar! Another special thing about Austin is that there are a variety of non-profit organizations that focus on animal care and services. Divine Canines is a non-profit organization that encourages smiles and promotes physical and emotional wellness by providing therapy dog services to various populations in Central Texas. This summer, Divine Canines volunteers and their therapy dogs began visiting the UWATX Navigation Center on a monthly basis.The call specialists who work in the 2-1-1 Navigation Center connect Central Texans in need to vital resources, such as rent assistance, food assistance and affordable childcare, and even suicide prevention. Their jobs can often be demanding, emotionally taxing and stressful. The monthly visits provided by Divine Canines has made a profound impact on our call center employees. Sometimes all it takes is a furry friend to brighten up your day! We spoke with Karen Laurenzi, a Divine Canines volunteer who frequently visits the UWATX Navigation Center with her dog, Ranger, and her involvement with the organization: Can you tell us about yourself and how you began volunteering with Divine Canines? When Ranger was nine months old, I started taking him to obedience school. This led to him earning his Canine Good Citizenship certification when he was a little over one year old. During this time, one of the trainers mentioned that Ranger would make a good therapy dog. I wanted a volunteer opportunity and began researching my options. A few weeks later, my […]

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Free December Holiday Meals in Austin

Each year, our Navigation Center sees a spike of calls during the holiday season – people looking to help by donating food, toys, gifts or their time and also calls from people looking for a warm meal for the holidays. We’ve compiled this calendar of resources that are offering FREE warm meals and holiday events to the public:   Click on the image above to see a larger version.   Know someone looking for assistance? Tell them to give us a call at 2-1-1 to get connected to resources in our community.

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Teaching Children to Give During the Holidays

It’s that time of the year again, a time when stores are filled with shoppers prepping for various holiday festivities. The holidays are typically a time when children are used to receiving gifts from friends and loved ones. What tends to slip our minds during this time of the year is the importance of teaching children to give back as they receive. Encouraging your children to volunteer and give back helps foster a sense of philanthropy and generosity at a young age. Combining efforts as a family to help others means you are making a difference! Volunteering as a family is a special experience that gives your young ones the opportunity to think beyond themselves. If your child is old enough to have developed interests, it can also be a good idea to involve them in the decision-making process of what organizations and activities the family chooses to spend time doing. This allows your child to develop a deeper connection to what they are doing and makes them feel appreciated. On November 21st, UWATX celebrated National Family Volunteer Day by hosting our own Family Volunteer Day event. Forty-nine people (adults, children and teens) came together to decorate ornaments, drop off books for a book drive and write holiday cards to local teachers.   We spoke to Crystal Cotti, UWATX Campaign Co-Chair, who attended the event with her two daughters: What made you sign your group up to volunteer today? “I’m always looking for ways to teach my girls the holidays are about giving, not getting.” What was your favorite […]

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Free November Holiday Meals in Austin

Each year, our Navigation Center sees a spike of calls during the holiday season – people looking to help by donating food, toys, gifts or their time and also calls from people looking for a warm meal for the holidays. We’ve compiled this calendar of resources that are FREE and open to the public on a walk-in basis: Click on the image above to see a larger version. Know someone looking for assistance? Tell them to give us a call at 2-1-1 to get connected to resources in our community.

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Veterans Day 2015: Businesses Honoring Our Heroes

Veterans Day is an important day to reflect and honor the courage displayed by our nation’s military. These are the brave men and women who have made sacrifices and risked their lives to protect our liberties. America is a country of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and this would not be possible without these selfless military personnel. In honor of this significant day, below is a list of companies who are giving special recognition to our veterans by providing a free meal or special discounts:   Starbucks All active duty service members, veterans and military spouses will receive a free tall (12 fl oz) hot brewed coffee from Starbucks. Lowe’s Lowe’s is honoring retired veterans, active military personnel and their immediate family, with a 10% discount. MOD Pizza All veterans and active duty military can stop by MOD pizza today to munch on a free pizza or salad! Ikea Ikea is offering a free entrée to active, reserve or retired service members. Entrée includes a sandwich, hot dish or entrée salad. Carl’s Jr When you purchase an Ultimate Care Package meal, 100% of the proceeds go towards the Call of Duty Endowment. The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit organization that helps service members transition to high quality civilian careers after their military service. JC Penney’s Current and former military personnel and family members get an extra 5% off discount — this offer can be combined with other coupons and special offers. Olive Garden Olive Garden invites veterans and active duty […]

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How to Save Money During the Holidays

The holiday season brings many costly events — from having to heat your home to preparing a Thanksgiving meal, money can get tight fast. When you do not have sufficient funds to spend on your loved ones during this time of the year, it is easy to get stressed out. Fortunately, there are ways to save during one of the most expensive times of the year. Here are a few tips we have compiled that will help you cut back on expenditures this holiday season: Free Thanksgiving Meal to Cook At Home Looking for a warm Thanksgiving meal or know someone that is? One great resource is offered by El Buen Samaritano, a partner who contracts services with the UWATX Navigation Center. This event serves around 1,000 families each year by providing a turkey and ingredients to prepare a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at home. Families who meet eligibility criteria must register at El Buen Samaritano. Click here for information on registration times and dates. The 26th Annual H-E-B Feast of Sharing will also be providing thanksgiving dinners to over 14,000 Central Texans on Tuesday, November 24th at the Palmer Events Center. We will soon be posting a detailed calendar on free holiday meals in the community — be sure to keep an eye out! Reduce Heat Loss From Your Fireplace Fireplaces are handy resources to utilize when the nights get extremely cold (or at least what feels extreme to us Texans!). In order to keep warm air from going up the chimney, make […]

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Volunteers Scaring for a Good Cause!

In celebration of the spookiest time of the year, UWATX’s Young Leaders Society (YLS) members volunteered at Decker Middle School’s Fright Night last week. Fright Night, one of Decker’s most popular student events, allows students to use their creativity while coordinating with YLS volunteers to transform the school into a “haunted house”. Volunteers helped set up, scared students as they moved through the haunted house and took photos of the students for souvenirs. Fright Night helps sponsor the AVID program at Decker Middle School, which gives students the opportunities to attend field trips to college campuses and provides in class activities around career and college readiness. We had the opportunity to talk with Julie Fisher, YLS Chair, about her volunteering experience the Fright Night event. What were some of the activities you were involved in during Fright Night? I was involved with set up, setting the kids in waves down the stairwell and cleanup/breakdown. Describe your favorite part of the night Watching the kids give each other pep talks before going into the Haunted House. The event itself is always a blast, but I love the set up and break down with the students. It is a great opportunity to interact with them and give them a chance to give us the orders on how to set up the different rooms and halls. It was encouraging to see how excited they were after they received such positive feedback from their peers on how “awesome” the experience was. What do you enjoy […]

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