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I grew up in a family with a single mother and three siblings. My father died young and, from an early age, my brother exhibited signs of mental illness. So I learned early on that it takes a community to raise a child – I was a child that a community raised. As we come close to Mother’s Day – a yearly celebration of moms and all the gifts they give us – I am thinking about what being a mother truly means, and how it’s so much more than biology. In my own experience raising my four children and now helping raise my grandchildren, motherhood gives you this whole range of feelings. It’s deep and abiding love, endless patience, tremendous pride and also frustration, fear and a strong sense of responsibility. Motherhood is about a stretching of oneself – growing to be more than you thought you could be when you woke up that day. And while being a mother is about love and trust, it’s also about guidance, boundaries and sometimes telling the hard truths. We think of mothers as caregivers, but more than giving care, mothers help give us structure. I hope this is something that I’ve passed along to my children – that you can wrap your arms around any child that needs it and bring them into your family and that it makes you richer. With this definition, it becomes pretty clear that mothers aren’t just the women who brought us into this world, but […]

Every day, teachers in our community touch the lives of students and parents in significant ways. They work to ensure our children receive high-quality education and they encourage, support and prepare students for their future. At United Way for Greater Austin, we all have memories of teachers who connected with us when were students. As parents, we all know teachers who know how to reach our kids, and who inspire them to succeed. As an organization that works in early child care and supports middle schoolers, we have the opportunity to work with and support educators every day who are committed to creating positive learning environments for all students. Through our Target Graduation program, which provides support to youth during those tough middle school years, UWATX works to positively impact the culture of learning in schools – making is easier for teachers to focus on their work while assuring students get the additional services they need. “United Way’s Middle School Matters (a Target Graduation initiative) has been a great resource for our school,” said one Webb Middle School teacher. “Teachers and students lives have been changed for the better based on the services provided. I don’t think our school would have been as strong as it is in terms of students support if United Way was not here.” Join us this week as we say “Thank you!” to teachers in the Central Texas community! There are a number of ways you can thank a teacher this week: Leave a special treat on a […]

Today, we’re kicking off Amplify Austin, a new giving event to increase philanthropy. Over 300 Central Texas nonprofits have joined together in this effort to raise $1 million in 24 hours. It’s an ambitious goal and I’m grateful that United Way for Greater Austin is participating in this initiative to help Austinites experience the reward of philanthropy. Amplify Austin is an opportunity to introduce a lot of new individuals to giving that hadn’t previously considered themselves philanthropists. Since 1924, UWATX has been providing our community with this opportunity everyday. We do this because we believe that everyone has the capacity to give and we know it’s going to take every one of us together to make Austin greater and help families break the cycle of poverty. We believe Austin can be greater and we know it will take a lot. So we ask for your hands, your hearts, and your dollars. An issue like poverty takes a system of support. At UWATX, while we as staff members don’t always get the satisfaction of holding a child while she holds her first book or shaking the hand of someone who just got the healthcare they need, we do get the satisfaction of knowing that we’re creating a system where a friend, family member, service provider or neighbor gets to do just that. And not just one neighbor, but thousands of them. This work takes UWATX and the community working together as a united front. It also takes a lot of passion, […]