It’s been almost a year since UWATX joined with Creative Suitcase to paint the Butter Half mural – a large-scale work that reflects our mission to bring people together. Since then, the Butter Half mural has (pardon the pun) spread throughout Greater Austin. It’s been pinned, tweeted and blogged. It’s even made it’s way into a scavenger hunt, an editorial, a cutest couple content , on nail art and onto Austin’s most comprehensive to do list. But more than anything, the mural has been the background for couple photo shoots. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we asked the photographers and subjects of such pictures why the mural spoke to them: Jin + Vincent Ferrer: We love seeing this quirky mural outside our living room window! Truly a visual perk of living on the East Side and, also, a nice daily reminder to keep the wedded bliss fun and unpredictable. Jodi Bart Holzband: My fiance, now husband, found the mural as he was searching the web for murals in Austin. We really love street art and had a handful of other murals picked out as backdrops, but when we saw the ‘You’re My Butter Half’ mural, we were so excited, because we hadn’t seen anyone else use it as a backdrop, and because it seemed pretty appropriate for two food-lovers. Sabrina Consolascio-Garcia of Sabrina{bean}photography: My poor honey was feeling pretty icky that day and he still allowed me to drag him out of the house for a little adventure. I actually read […]
Read MorePartner Profile: AVANCE
Name: AVANCE Partner for: 6 years Partner for: Success By 6 Our relationship: Expanding services that work UWATX funding supports AVANCE’s dual generation program – a holistic program for low-income, primarily Latino families with a focus on enhancing parenting skills, promoting long-term success for children, and family support. Over the years, our funding has more than doubled and UWATX has leveraged other grants to increase our support for this effective and successful program. Thanks to these efforts, AVANCE has been able to expand services in the Dove Springs and St. John’s neighborhoods and begin helping families in Manor as well. Sharing best practices and improving care AVANCE takes advantage of UWATX’s Family Support Network – a group that encompasses every agency that serves families with young children outside of formal child care in Greater Austin. UWATX brings providers together to coordinate services and share information, provide professional development and aggregate data. Thanks to this coalition, families in Greater Austin receive better care and agencies use resources more efficiently. Advocating for young children Thanks to recent advocacy work from UWATX and our partners, nearly $500K of City funding was restored to services for young children. Sofia Casini, AVANCE’s Executive Director, helped reach out to City staff and the community to give voice to this important issue. As UWATX continues to improve the landscape of care for young children, AVANCE plays a critical role in planning for Austin’s growing Latino population. Together, UWATX and AVANCE continue to work together to educate […]
Read MoreLocal resources for FREE tax prep
Did you know that you can make up to $57,000 annually and still qualify for free tax preparation services? At United Way for Greater Austin, we’re dedicated to helping individuals and families overcome barriers to economic opportunity, so this tax season we want to make sure Austinites take advantage of local FREE tax preparation services that will help them get all the tax credits they’re eligible for. If you are someone that makes less than $57,000, check out these three free options: Call 2-1-1 and receive information about the free tax prep location closest to you. 2-1-1 is free, 24/7, confidential and multilingual. In 2011, the UWATX Navigation Center, which runs the local 2-1-1 program, received more than 5,000 calls from callers looking for free tax preparation assistance. Visit MyFreeTaxes.org/uwatx to file your taxes online for free! MyFreeTaxes provides free tax preparation and filing assistance for individuals or families with a combined income under $57,000. Since 2009, MyFreeTaxes has helped 4.5 million families claim nearly $6 billion in tax credits and refunds! Visit one of Foundation Communities’ Community Tax Centers in the Austin area. They provide free tax preparation at seven convenient locations by their IRS-certified volunteer preparers for Austin area residents who make up to $50,000 per year. Walk-ins are always welcome, you can make an appointment starting February 15 or you can even drop off your tax documents so you don’t have to wait. These local, free resources can also help working individuals and families receive important federal tax credits they may […]
Read More14th Annual MLK Blvd. Clean Up honors Martin Luther King, Jr.
This past Saturday State Rep. Dawnna Dukes held the 14th Annual MLK Blvd. Clean Up to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Each year, this service project brings together hundreds of volunteers who dedicate time to beautifying the Austin street bearing King’s name. “MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service, a holiday that calls for all of us to work together to strengthen our community,” said Dukes. “I’m so grateful to see all of these empowered volunteers here today, dedicating their time and energy to honor Dr. King’s vision – a ‘Beloved Community.’” This year’s day of service was solely dedicated to the beatification of MLK Blvd. United Way for Greater Austin (UWATX) supported the family-friendly event by recruiting 400+ volunteers through its volunteer program, Hands On Central Texas. Total volunteer hours for the day were 1,260! That’s equivalent to $27,606.60 in volunteer time given back to the community! “Our vision is for Greater Austin to be a resilient, innovative, philanthropic, creative and thriving community for all,” said UWATX President Debbie Bresette. “What is happening here today supports this vision. I think Dr. King would be proud of Austin and the direction we’re headed.” Volunteers gathered at J.J. Seabrook Park at 9 am for registration, supplies distribution and an official kickoff led by Rep. Dukes, Mayor Leffingwell and Huston-Tillotson President Dr. Larry Earvin. After the kick-off, volunteers dispersed along MLK Blvd. to pick up trash and […]
Read MoreUWATX named major beneficiary of new Austin international music festival!
We’re so excited to announce that UWATX was named the major beneficiary of a new world music festival that will take place April 6 and 7, 2013 at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) in downtown Austin! The festival, called WobeonFest, will feature internationally acclaimed musicians, including Angelique Kidjo and Collie Buddz, as well as local artists. An outdoor main stage will feature acts, flanked by a grassy lawn and international food and beverage vendors. A global bazaar will spread across the expansive Zocalo area of the MACC and will feature a marketplace of merchandise, artists and cultural organizations that reflect the global nature of the festival. UWATX is teaming up with WobeonFest to assist in organizing and hosting the first-time festival AND we will receive a portion of the proceeds from the music festival! UWATX was chosen as a festival partner because of our dedication to ensuring Austin continues to thrive, which aligns with WobeonFest’s vibe – a diverse and culturally dynamic event. “We are delighted to be working with WobeonFest,” said Debbie Bresette, President of UWATX. “The festival provides an excellent vehicle to bring greater awareness of the issues faced by our diverse community, and to raise additional resources to help us serve its needs.” Stay tuned for information about tickets and volunteer opportunities! A limited number of on-site vendor and sponsorship opportunities are available. Up-to-date festival information and artist lineup can be found a www.wobeonfest.com. For more details, please contact christa.berry@uwatx.org.
Read MoreQ&A: Jennifer Poppe on early childhood education and the WLC
Jennifer Poppe is a partner at Vinson & Elkins and a member of our Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) Executive Committee. In December 2012, her firm gave a $10,000 grant to Success By 6 to support young children. We spoke with her about why early childhood is important to her and why she’s chosen to be involved with UWATX. What inspires you to help young children? Over the last few years, I’ve realized how much early childhood education and development matters. I’ve seen it with people close to me – both children and adults in my family – and have also seen its impact on our community more broadly. In one case, I know someone who started school behind because he moved here when he was young from another country. Because of that difficult beginning – starting just a little behind the curve because of a language barrier – he struggled with confidence in his academic skills and wasn’t sure he could catch up through high school and into college. Those beginning years really lay the foundation for your school career and not starting on the right foot can be a serious challenge. Given this importance, I want to do what I can to help make a difference. What’s your most memorable experience giving back through Success By 6? I attended the Success By 6 Summit last year and learned a lot about how important the program is to our local community. The keynote speaker focused on statistics – that early […]
Read MoreThank you! #GivingTuesday
This past Thursday, I sat down with three generations of my family – our kids and our grandkids, and with our extended family of friends that come over to fill our house with laughter, love and of course delicious food. As we passed the sweet potatoes and enjoyed salads from our garden, we went around the table thanking one another, sharing our appreciation for friends and neighbors. I thought about the community we were describing, a collection of individuals who had given something to someone – a cup of sugar, an understanding shoulder – and in doing so, created a ripple effect that we were sharing around the table. Four days after Thanksgiving, today is the first annual Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to celebrating and inspiring the act of giving. Giving Tuesday is a national initiative that follows on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – days when those of us with much are able to buy gifts for friends and family. Giving Tuesday is a day that celebrates what I am truly thankful for: the philanthropists I interact with every day, who understand the importance of giving back. Philanthropy is a very important word to me; it literally means the love of humanity. To some folks, it means writing a large check – but to me, it’s about giving back in any way that you can. Those who give their time, their talents or, of course, their dollars are participating in an act that binds us […]
Read MoreLocal Holiday Assistance Programs: How you can help
Each year around the holidays, nonprofits, faith-based communities and community partners come together to contribute to holiday joy for the most needy in our community. Programs range from holiday meals (like yesterday’s Feast of Sharing, put on by H-E-B) and food boxes to holiday gifts for children. And whether you’re in need of these resources or you’d like to contribute, you can just call 2-1-1, a service of our Navigation Center, to connect to up-to-date information about these holiday assistance programs. In Travis County, holiday gift programs are provided by The Salvation Army Social Service Center, Operation Blue Santa, which is operated by the Austin Police Department, and Brown Santa, run by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The programs match individuals and families in need with organizations and individual sponsors who provide holiday meals, toys and gifts. For many area children, these are the only toys they will receive all year. In addition to providing holiday assistance information through 2-1-1, the United Way Navigation Center publishes calendars each year that include free or low-cost Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in Central Texas. The calendars are used by area nonprofits, like the Capital Area Food Bank. 2-1-1 also provides information on holiday volunteer opportunities each year. Just last week, 2-1-1 received a call from a woman who had received assistance from the Christmas Bureau in the past and said that because she is in a better place in her life this year, she wanted information on how to volunteer to help others in […]
Read MoreWLC Tours Northeast Austin Play To Learn session
Play To Learn: An 8-week parent education course that teaches parents how to help their children become school ready and incorporates tablet technology. On a cool November morning, Women’s Leadership Council members met in Northeast Austin to take an exclusive look at Play To Learn, a project of the UWATX Success By 6 program that works to reach vulnerable young children. Thirteen eager toddlers sang, danced, and played as their mothers and fathers looked on with pride. At Play To Learn, parents join in the fun as skilled facilitators guide them with helpful tips and child development information. “As part of the evaluation model, families are interviewed three times: before the program, at the end of the 8 week course and 3 months after the program,” said Kaley Horton, Success By 6 Project Coordinator. “Our first Play To Learn cohort just passed the three month mark and received their tablets. We’ve really been able to see what a valuable family tool the tablet is for vulnerable families.” WLC members left the tour with an even greater understanding of and appreciation for SB6’s work in the community: “I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about this unique program that is clearly impacting the lives of the families that are a part of it. Seeing it in person had a great impact- the parents were very engaged with their children and with the learning activities today.” – Judy Donigan, Sales Manager at 3M “It was wonderful to finally get to see the […]
Read More[VIDEO] How we make Austin greater
![[VIDEO] How we make Austin greater](https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Nov2012_BobbyJ_video-1.png)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h66EK3NeaIA&feature=g-upl[/youtube] At UWATX, our mission is to help Austin thrive by inspiring, leading and uniting an eclectic community of philanthropists to overcome barriers to economic opportunities. This video focuses on how our strategic programs – Success By 6, Target Graduation, Financial Opportunity and the Navigation Center – are making a difference in Greater Austin. Special thanks to Sneaky Giants for making this happen!
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