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Meet Principal Alejandro Góngora

“On Time, On Task and On a Mission.” These are the words that are displayed in the Decker Middle School hallway and echoed through the leadership practices of Principal Alejandro Góngora. Decker Middle School is located in the Manor area in Austin, Far East on 290. This campus is considered low-SES and more than 80 percent of Decker students receive free or reduced lunch Góngora, originally from Flushing Queens, New York, has worked in education for 15 years. He earned his undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and is currently part of the cooperative superintendent program there. Principal Góngora previously taught at Oak Meadows Elementary, which feeds into Decker Middle School. Coincidentally, he has had dozens of the same students for many years. “I’ve known some of these kids since they were in kindergarten, so they know I’m invested. I do feel that the majority of my students understand that I do care about them and love them.” When asked about his leadership style, Góngora said, “I make [emotional] deposits with my students… I talk to them. I work with them. When tough moments arise, I help. When they are ready, we talk. I’ve known some of these kids since they were in kindergarten, so they know I’m invested. I do feel that the majority of my students understand that I do care about them and love them.” Principal Góngora is a native Spanish speaker and is able to effectively communicate with many ESL students and parents. […]

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The Best Of SXSW Interactive 2015

It’s that time of year again–happy SXSW everyone! Whether you fully immerse yourself in the madness, or purposely plan your vacation during the weeklong event each year, there’s no escaping the excitement and innovation that overflows from downtown Austin onto social media. We attended SXSW Interactive this year in hopes of learning better ways to share our mission, finding new supporters and thank existing ones, and learning about the latest tools to better engage the community. Here are some of our favorite things we saw at this year’s event: 1. DoSomething.org As part of our mission, we believe everyone can be a philanthropist and aim to create opportunities for locals to do so. DoSomething.org shares this mission, and offers extremely innovative ways to give back where you are, whether you are 8 or 80 years old. Check out DoSomething.org for easy ways to get inspired, whether it’s creating 5 minute shower playlists for your friends to encourage saving water or hosting a clothing recycling party. 2. The Social Good Hub The Social Good Hub, hosted by United Nations, was our favorite place to relax and mingle with nonprofit representatives from all over the world. We spoke to staff from Libraries Without Boarders about IdeaBox, portable multi-media educational kits to bring fun and learning to refugee and other vulnerable populations. Each box unfolds into a library, complete with its own power sources, internet, 15 tablets and 4 laptops, 5 HD cameras, 200 films and a projector, and more than 5,000 books. 3. The Global Happy Party […]

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Saatchi & Saatchi Donates to UWATX During SXSW Panel

Saatchi & Saatchi don’t just talk the talk. They hosted a SXSW panel on Sunday titled “Do Good. Feel Good: The Science of Altruistic Acts,” and showed the audience firsthand exactly how doing good can make you feel good–by ending the panel with a check presentation of $1,000 to UWATX! Saatchi & Saatchi is an international global communications and advertising agency network with 140 offices in 76 countries. S&S’s global chief creative officer, Kathy Delaney, sat on the panel along with Devon Eyer of Johnson & Johnson, Michael Norton of Harvard Business School and Sebastian Buck of Enso. UWATX development officer and Young Leaders Society manager, Keith Richardson, accepted the check on behalf of United Way. The $1,000 will be put toward the YLS $180K Challenge to provide full-time service coordinators at three local middle schools. Keith’s perspective of the panel: “When first hearing the title of the panel, “Do Good. Feel Good: The Science of Altruistic Acts,” I knew I would be impacted by the content. As the manager for YLS, I’m always looking for ways to engage our donors more with our work, so linking volunteerism to positive physical effects hit home. The panel discussion began when moderator Kathy Delaney welcomed everyone in attendance by introducing the topic as a “different kind of wellness.” Kathy’s opening statement, “If you want to be happier and healthier, giving back or doing good is essential,” truly set the tone for the panel. The first part of the panel focused on examples […]

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Farmers Insurance Group Promotes Literacy in Dove Springs

Recent studies reveal that approximately 53 percent of fourth graders report reading recreationally almost every day – but that figure drops down to 20 percent by eighth grade. At United Way for Greater Austin, we invest in Middle School Matters through our Target Graduation program because we know that middle school is a critical tipping point for student success and that literacy development, supported by self-directed reading, is one of the cornerstones of academic achievement. Because the promotion of literacy is paramount to our mission, we’re thrilled to announce that Farmers Insurance Group generously funded a reading nook in the Mendez Middle School library! In partnership with UWATX, Farmers donated more than 100 high-interest book titles to the library collection and added beanbag chairs, festive rugs and pillows and other décor to make the space more inviting. Farmers volunteers also held an on-site competition to create posters highlighting the new books. On Thursday, March 12, Farmers volunteers spent the afternoon cataloguing the new books, arranging furniture, hanging posters and decorating the reading nook. The space was officially unveiled on Friday, March 13 at the Dove Springs Community Alliance meeting. Located in Dove Springs, a low-income neighborhood in southeast Austin, Mendez Middle School serves as a key community resource for local families. More than eighty five percent of students in this area are economically disadvantaged, which poses barriers to opportunity and academic success for many of them. By partnering with companies like Farmers Insurance Group, UWATX works to provide support for target campuses to move toward closing the […]

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UWATX Selected to Assess Feasibility of Pay for Success

United Way for Greater Austin, in partnership with the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Dept. and Veterans Service, Central Health and Greenlights, has been elected as part of a national competition to assess the feasibility of implementing a “Pay for Success” initiative. The goal of the initiative is to reduce teen pregnancies among Hispanic youth and to improve birth outcomes among African Americans. Pay for Success (PFS) is an innovative funding model that enables communities to access greater resources in order to tackle complex social problems by tapping private investments for the upfront costs of the programs. If the programs are successful in delivering services that measurably improve the lives of people it is meant to serve, then the government repays those who made the original investment. This ensures that taxpayer dollars are being spent only on social programs that actually deliver measurable results.   Austin/Travis County was chosen among six other U.S. cities who submitted applications to Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc., the organization conducting the contest. Awardees will receive federally-funded technical assistance throughout 2015 for their various early childhood and youth development projects. The Austin/Travis County nonprofits and government entities involved were selected for their demonstrated commitment to funding high-quality, effective social interventions that produce real outcomes in the area of early childhood and youth development.  The Austin/Travis County feasibility study will result in an assessment of two initiatives—Maternal Infant Outreach Program (MIOP) and Peer-to-Peer Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Empowerment Program (P2P)—to determine if Pay for Success should be implemented […]

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March Face 2 Face Recap with P. Terry

The Austin Business Journal led-series, Face 2 Face, didn’t disappoint this month. Colin Pope sat down with Patrick Terry, co-founder of our beloved local hamburger stand, P. Terry’s, to talk about his business practices. According to Terry, “The idea of P. Terry’s is very simple because I’m very simple, honestly. The idea of making a milkshake and handing it to someone makes me really happy. “ The philosophy behind that simple idea has grown into more than nine P. Terry’s locations with four more planned in 2015, all in the Austin area. Patrick and his wife, Kathy, are proud of the quality of product they are able to offer for a value price. They charge below three dollars for an all-natural Angus beef hamburger, complete with a specialty bun baked fresh by Mrs. Baird’s. If you add a side of fries, you can dine with confidence, knowing that they use all-natural Idaho potatoes. P. Terry’s also offers a vegetarian-friendly burger and has a vegan burger in the works. When asked if it is a sound financial move to charge so little for premium ingredients, Terry said, “You should work really hard to make good food and people shouldn’t be penalized…If you want a business to sustain through thick and thin they’ve got to love you. Give people a value where they feel good about what they just did.” “If you want a business to sustain through thick and thin, they’ve got to love you. Give people a value where they […]

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CLS Partners Amplify St. John’s

We love when our business partners get creative with their campaigns. CLS Partners organized their spring campaign around “amplifying St. John’s” in order to help us further promote our participating in Amplify Austin. CLS Partners kicked off their second UWATX employee campaign last week during Amplify Austin Day on March 5th. They made a corporate gift of $1,500 during Amplify, and employees spent the latter part of the 24-hour give-a-thon volunteering at Pickle Elementary in the St. John’s neighborhood. Some volunteers worked outside in Pickle Elementary’s numerous gardens, weeding, laying mulch and replanting. Others worked in the library, categorizing and shelving new books and reading to more than 40 children. They also fixed bulletin boards throughout the school and created a healthy eating information area in the cafeteria. CLS Partners accumulated 42 hours of volunteer service on Amplify Austin Day, equaling $982 of value added to the St. John’s community. CEO and President Clint Scott said CLS Partners gives to United Way for Greater Austin because our mission aligns with the company’s core values. “Creating a great work environment and encouraging employee engagement is an integral strategy of our CLS Partners ‘People Philosophy,’” Scott said. “That’s why we choose to partner with United Way to offer our employees the opportunity to give back by giving time and resources. CLS Partners contributed 1.5% of our annual revenue to charity in 2014, and we’re committed to continuing that tradition this year.”     Last year, CLS Partners donated nearly $16,000 to UWATX through employee […]

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Amplify Austin “Power Hour”

Amplify Austin is only two days away! What sets this online give-a-thon apart from others is the chance to win incentive prizes from sponsors.    Hourly prizes: Awarded to nonprofits that raised the most dollars or had the most donors in a single hour on Amplify Austin Day: $1,000 awarded to nonprofit with the most unique donors every hour during Amplify Austin Day $1,000 awarded to the nonprofit that raises the most dollars every hour during Amplify Austin Day   Grand prizes: Awarded to a nonprofit on Amplify Austin Day: $5,000 to nonprofit with most dollars raised in first six hours (6 p.m., March 5 – Midnight, March 6) $5,000 to nonprofit with most donations from unique donors $5,000 to nonprofit with most total dollars raised $5,000 to nonprofit with most individual fundraisers   In attempt to maximize UWATX’s chance to win some of these prizes, we are designating 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 5 as the Amplify St. John’s Power Hour! Because St. John’s neighborhood is in the 78752 zip code, we felt this was an appropriate time to raise the most money possible during Amplify Austin. Unfortunately, if you are scheduling your donation in advance, you cannot select a specific time you would like your donation to go through. However, if you have a spare 5 minutes on March 5 from 7-8, we highly recommend making your donation during this time–and your donation could be AMPLIFIED! This blog entry is part of our “Amplify St. John’s” series leading up to […]

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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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