Newsroom

Zine Art to Hang in Austin City Hall as Part of The People’s Gallery 2015 Exhibition

United Way for Greater Austin is pleased to announce that a portion of the collection from STRUGGLE, The Other Faces of the Texas Economic Miracle will be on display at Austin City Hall as part of The People’s Gallery Exhibition. The exhibition opens on February 27, 2015 and will run until January 7, 2016.  The 11th annual People’s Gallery Exhibition features more than 100 artworks from Austin-area artists, galleries, museums, and arts organizations displayed throughout the first three floors of Austin City Hall, a highly-visible venue that hosts more than 200,000 visitors annually. “It is incredibly human to face challenges like living paycheck-to-paycheck, dealing with debt, or facing difficult choices with limited income.” STRUGGLE, The Other Faces of the Texas Economic Miracle, was selected from approximately 1,250 artwork entries from more than 300 applicants. The goal of this project is to show that struggle is not foreign–that it is incredibly human to face challenges like living paycheck to paycheck, dealing with debt, or facing difficult choices with limited income–and that we encounter people facing these challenges head-on in our everyday lives. This collection of custom portraiture was commissioned by UWATX in honor of our 90th anniversary. We worked with local photographer Matthew Rainwaters to capture some of the unexpected faces of poverty in Austin. “I wanted to illustrate the humanity in everyone without objectifying the working poor or holding them up as a spectacle,” Rainwaters said. Our hope is that these powerful portraits will start a dialogue in our community about […]

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Volunteers Make St. John’s Greater

UWATX will focus on the St. John’s neighborhood during this year’s 24-hour session of community-wide giving through Amplify Austin in hopes we can expand our work in this community, as well as our other target neighborhoods including Manor and Dove Springs. Take a look at some of the projects volunteers completed in the St. John’s community within the last year! Webb students who participate in our Volunteer Project Leaders class have been busy improving their own neighborhood. For Valentine’s Day, they created cards and banners to show their appreciation for teachers at their school. VPL students also participated in our annual MLK Day of Service by working with members of the Young Leaders Society to create giant jenga and other games for the Big Game – Super Bowl XLIX watch party. Funds generated from the watch party will go toward the YLS $180K Challenge, raising money for full-time coordinators at Webb, Decker and Mendez Middle Schools. Last December, the neighborhood came together for our Community Tree Lighting held at Webb Middle School. UWATX volunteers gathered more than 1,600 books to give out to kids of all ages who attended the event. Many of the kids walked away with more books than they could carry. Our valued business partners have also been busy making St. John’s greater in the last year. Texas Mutual spent the day at Webb Middle School volunteering as part of the Insurance Challenge. Some volunteers worked to beautify the grounds, while others decorated and put together welcome boxes to inspire students for […]

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Favor Delivery Is “Amplifying St. John’s!”

Local delivery service, Favor, has partnered with United Way for Greater Austin to help us “Amplify St. John’s!” Favor will donate $1 per every order received on March 5 to UWATX for Amplify Austin Day. You do not have to enter a special code or order from a specific restaurant to make your order count for us–ALL orders received on this day will benefit UWATX! Amplify Austin Day is an initiative run by I Live Here I Give Here to inspire Austinites to give back online for 24 hours. It takes place this year from March 5 at 6 p.m. to March 6 at 6 p.m. How does it work? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3: Download the Favor app on your mobile phone, or visit FavorDelivery.com to download. Order food from any restaurant or store anytime from 8 a.m. on March 5th until the service stops running at 3 a.m. on March 6th. You can see if you are within Favor’s delivery area here. You just made Austin greater by investing in the St. John’s community–now enjoy your delicious meal or goods! This offer applies to more than food–you can think of Favor as your personal assistant! They deliver meals, prescriptions, groceries, dry cleaning, or anything else you may need. If you have additional questions about Favor, check out their Frequently Asked Questions page. Want to support UWATX further during Amplify Austin? Learn more about our Amplify St. John’s campaign or schedule your donation in advance now.

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Volunteers Spread Love to Local Teachers for Valentine’s Day

According to the Greeting Card Association, 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. Due in part to United Way for Greater Austin’s first family-friendly Valentine’s Day volunteer event, community members will contribute nearly 1,000 cards to spread love to those giving back in the greater Austin community. On Saturday, February 7th, 25 volunteers created handmade Valentine’s Day cards to acknowledge the teachers and support staff who work every day in our target neighborhoods: Dove Springs, St. John’s and Manor. Volunteers wrote inspiring notes for preschool and middle school teachers, and thanked the businesses who run UWATX employee campaigns. Without the dedicated teachers, principals and staff who support Success By 6 and Target Graduation, programs aimed at improving school readiness and graduation rates, our work would not be possible.   [youtube id=pNu16XsTm4Q]   UWATX is investing in the future of greater Austin. In addition to the community volunteer event, our middle school Volunteer Project Leaders also created cards. These Volunteer Project Leaders are part of an afterschool program at Mendez, Webb and Decker Middle Schools that train middle school students to identify community needs and coordinate volunteer projects. More than 35 middle school students contributed to the massive Valentine’s Day card project by writing notes to their teachers and making appreciation banners to hang in the schools. Valentine’s Day is a day to recognize and appreciate all of the people in your life. We hope this volunteer project inspires you to tell those around you that you love them–whether it is […]

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Helping Families is the Greatest Gift

We are continuously humbled by the generosity and philanthropy that our Greater Austin community demonstrates throughout the year, especially during the holiday season. You may know the Maldonados, Salazars and Wynns from our blog and campaign materials. These families graciously allow us to tell their stories to personalize the issues surrounding affordability in Austin that many of our neighbors are struggling with. Thanks to the thoughtful efforts of companies that run United Way for Greater Austin Employee Giving Campaigns, our three UWATX feature families received a sleigh-full of goodies to trim their trees, which were donated by Target. Generous companies including Atlassian and Freescale purchased and wrapped gifts for members of each family, which included age-appropriate toys, household items and clothing. One anonymous donor even provided a $300 gift card to a local grocery store for each family. Donors provided gifts for the families that can go under the tree, and some that will continue to occur long after the lights and ornaments are packed away. Gatti’s Pizza has pledged monthly pizza and sides to each family for an entire year. Many working-poor families in the Greater Austin area are struggling just to make ends meet. The pressure of the holidays creates an even more complex situation for members of our community who have very little to spare. According to the most recent census data, poverty and low-income rates have steadily increased for children under 6 years of age in the Manor area where the Maldonados live. The number of renters is also […]

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Looking for a warm meal this holiday season?

Our Navigation Center often experiences an increase in call volume during the holiday season from individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. Many Greater Austin residents are looking for a meal during the colder months of the year that will warm their stomaches and spirits. We’ve compiled this calendar of resources that are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC to make it easier to find that warm meal! Click on the image above to see a larger version PDF. Do you know someone looking for assistance to secure things like food, housing, health care, counseling, child care, employment or government assistance? Tell them to give us a call at 2-1-1 to get connected to local resources in the community.

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Community Tree Lighting in St. John’s Makes Austin Brighter

United Way for Greater Austin was pleased to host the inaugural Community Tree Lighting in St. John’s on December 2, #Giving Tuesday.  We are so appreciative of the people and communities that make Austin greater and are overjoyed about the opportunity to provide a complimentary holiday event for families in this neighborhood.  Located on the Webb Middle School campus, the 15-foot tree, which was generously provided by Capital Metro, will serve as a joyous fixture that the people of St. John’s will be able to enjoy and revisit throughout the holiday season.  We chose Webb Middle School as our venue for this event because of our investment and strong ties to the community. Our Target Graduation program invested $300,000 in Webb Middle School students during the last academic year to coordinate student services including mentoring, tutoring and parent education.  You can see photos from the Community Tree Lighting here! Principal Sanchez, dressed as santa, flipped the switch on the 15-foot tree, casting a warm holiday glow on approximately 200 attendees. Following the tree lighting, Hands On Central Texas  distributed more than 1,500 books to adolescents and children in St. John’s. Seeing the expression on students’ faces as they were able to carry armloads of books away from the event was the most rewarding moment for staff at United Way and all those involved in the book drive. This free holiday event also offered families the opportunity to participate in card decorating, ornament making, face painting, interactions with mini-horses and balloon art, as well as cookies and cocoa. We […]

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Families Give Thanks, Volunteer Together

Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner, and with it comes time for individuals and families to reflect on what they hold near and dear. Family Volunteer Day, held nationally on the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year, is an opportunity for parents and children to give back to their community together. Started in 1992, this national day of philanthropy signals the beginning of the season of holiday giving and is an opportunity for families to give back as a unit. United Way for Greater Austin is a proud participant in Family Volunteer Day, and hosted a Holiday Cheer event this past weekend. Families created ornaments, made cards and decorated bookmarks to accompany children’s books donated from the book drive! More than 50 people attended this volunteer event, which compliments our upcoming Community Tree Lighting in St. John’s. The ornaments will be hung on the 15-foot tree, and the donated books will be distributed to underserved children at the Tree Lighting event. Family volunteerism supports the community by shaping the volunteers and philanthropists of the future. Children who volunteer with their families learn the importance of civic engagement and giving back through first-hand experience. Children also benefit from volunteering by building confidence and self-esteem. Interested in volunteer opportunities? We’ve complied a few options below!   Organize a drive to collect books or other materials for families in need Click here to learn more about UWATX-sponsored holiday drives Adopt a family. Local organizations such as Safeplace and Lifeworks have volunteer opportunities where individuals can adopt a family […]

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UWATX to Light Up St. John’s Community with Holiday Cheer!

United Way for Greater Austin is excited to host the first Community Tree Lighting at Webb Middle School in St. John’s on December 2, 2014 from 4:15 – 6:00 p.m. St. John’s, along with Manor and Dove Springs, is a community that UWATX has wrapped its arms around. We believe that this free holiday event will uplift the underserved community and solidify our presence and investment in the neighborhood. The Community Tree Lighting will feature a 15-foot tree, generously sponsored by Capital Metro, along with face painting, a balloon artist, cookies and cocoa, ornament making and a mini pony from Mini’s and Friends! Webb Middle School musical ensembles will also perform. Our Target Graduation program invested more than $300,000 in Webb Middle School students during the 2014 academic year. We served more than 75 percent of students and provided 1,219 interventions in areas including out-of-school time, mentoring, tutoring, case management, parent education and behavioral health. We are overjoyed to have the opportunity to light up St. John’s with holiday cheer and make the season a little more merry for students and families in the area, many of whom, like the Salazar family, struggle with the increasing demands of affordability in Austin. Please join us for what is sure to be an interactive and joyful family-friendly event!

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2014 Texas Conference for Women

This year’s Texas Conference for Women takes place on Thursday, November 13, and with more than 100 impressive speakers, you don’t want to miss out! The conference offers business networking and personal development opportunities. It is a nonprofit, non-partisan event with sessions on a variety of topics, including personal finance, health and wellness, and career advancement.     Becky Arreaga, a member of the Women’s Leadership Council and the UWATX board, will not only be attending but also hosting her own roundtable this year. Becky is agency president of Mercury Mambo, a Hispanic marketing agency in Austin she started with her two business partners in 1999. We sat down with Becky to get her top five “must-sees” of this year’s conference.   1. Diana Nyad “Nyad epitomizes perseverance. She is proof that a ‘can-do attitude’ is ageless. At 60 years of age, she completed a lifelong dream of swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida. Her message of ‘never stop working towards your dream’ really resonates with me at this stage in my life.”    2. Soledad O’Brien “An award-winning journalist, O’Brien sheds light on human and civil issues in her series ‘Back in America’ and ‘Hispanic in America.’ Her story is compelling as she is multiracial, being both Black and Hispanic. Her background provides a unique purview from which to view and report world events. Soledad represents the perfect role model for young girls in general, but especially for young Latinas, who lack visible role models.”   3. Shiza Shahid “She is the CEO […]

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