Newsroom

What a fantastic evening at the Carver! We had a great turn out and the film was amazing. We began the evening with cookies and hot cider (much needed with the cold weather outside!) and then all gathered in the theater for the screening of “Every Mother’s Son”. This POV film depicted the story of 3 mothers from diverse backgrounds dealing with the aftermath of their sons’ murders at the hands of New York Police. Following the film, Jeremy Solomons led our panel consisting of Police Chief Art Acevedo; Police Monitor, Cliff Brown; Austin NAACP President, Nelson Linder; Cheryl Lee, community member representing the mothers out there; and Sheriff Greg Hamilton. It seemed like we could have gone on for hours as the questions and answers got more in-depth and exciting. The conversation definitely does not have to end. Post your comments- we love to hear your thoughts about the difficult topic, the controversial discussion, and how you felt about it all. I know I had more questions and here’s one to start us off… While Police Chief Acevedo and Police Monitor Cliff Brown told us a myriad of ways for us to get involved (including attending this series and others to learn more about the issues we face in Austin and around the country), I left wondering how the average citizen knows about these ways. Where do we read up on how to get involved? Aside from voting, how do we make sure that our voices are heard and […]

Here’s another way we’re engaging the community to learn about critical community issues and open spaces for meaningful discussions. As part of our MLK activities, we’re kicking off the 2008 Echoes of Color Film Series tonight with Every Mother’s Son. This film tells the story of three victims of police brutality that made headlines around the country: Amadou Diallo, the young West African man whose killing sparked intense public protest; Anthony Baez, killed in an illegal choke-hold; and Gary (Gidone) Busch, a Hasidic Jew shot and killed outside his Brooklyn home. “Every Mother’s Son” tells of the victims’ three mothers who came together to demand justice and accountability. After the screening of the film, Jeremy Solomons will lead a discussion with attendees and panelists including Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton, Nelson Linder, President of the Austin branch of the NAACP and Cheryl Lee, mother and community volunteer. I’m excited about the second part of the screening! I hope we can stimulate meaningful discussion and proactively find solutions to issues we’re dealing with right here in Austin. ECHOES OF COLOR FILM SERIES presentsEvery Mother’s Son6:30 – 8:30pmGeorge Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center1165 Angelina St.Austin, TX 78702 MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texashttp://www.handsoncentraltexas.org/

So we’re getting ready for the MLK Peace Bench Project as part of this weekend’s MLK Day of Service. We started with the prep last weekend and came up with a couple of prototypes. Muchisimas gracias to our super volunteer leaders, Tom and Eddie! They’ll be helping the volunteers put these benches together. And a big thank you to the City of Austin for supporting this new project. The “Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Bench Project” is one of the most exciting projects taking place as part of the MLK Day of Service! Over the course of 2008, volunteers will construct 100 “peace benches” for placement at community centers in East Austin. The peace benches feature images, quotes and inspirational words related to Dr. King and his legacy. The benches will be places for people at community centers to sit, discuss, learn, inspire, and reflect on the teachings of Dr. King. MLK Peace Bench Prototypes Help us live the dream and sign up for this and many other MLK projects! MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texashttp://www.handsoncentraltexas.org/

Do you have the “ganas” (will) to change the world? Are you an innovative person? Do you have ideas to make our Central Texas community a better place to live? If you answered yes or are intrigued by these questions…keep reading. As part of our Community Engagement strategies, we are hosting the Public Innovators Lab with nationally recognized thought leader, Rich Harwood from the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. This is a national training that brings civic leaders together to address root cause issues and is intended for people that want to accelerate change and create authentic hope in their communities. Learn what it takes to re-orient yourself in public life, discover new frameworks for working on current challenges, and network with a growing body of public innovators. We only have 12 spaces (out of 50) left and they are filling up fast! We already gave away 20 scholarships too! Public Innovators LabHosted by United Way Capital Area, Hands On Central Texas and the Harwood Institute for Public InnovationFebruary 6-8, 20078:00-5:30pmCost: $995.00Sign up today for the Public Innovator Lab!“If change can happen anywhere in America, it can happen in Central Texas”-Rich Harwood In this video, Rich Harwood talks about his impressions of the Central Texas community and our ability to create change and make hope real… Any Public Innovators out there? Tell us how you want to “create change and make hope real!” MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texasarmando.rayo@unitedwayaustin.org512-225-0360

We will be frequently profiling one of our newly funded programs. This week, we look at Hospital Visitation to the Parents of Newborns, under our Education (Early Childhood) focus area. Our friends at Family Connections have provided us with some great Parent Educator stories about the work they are doing. The Parents of Newborns Project provides parenting education and resources to families within 48 hours after childbirth to help ensure optimal mental and physical health of parents and infants and to encourage positive parent-infant interactions. Parent educators follow up with families to provide further resources and support. Parent Educators with the Parents of Newborns Project are staff, contractors and volunteers who work with families to provide support during the newborn period. Parent Educators come from diverse background and go through extensive training on varied topics that are essential in supporting new families such as: Child development Positive Parenting Health and Safety (car seats, safe sleep guidelines, etc) Infant Feeding Breastfeeding Postpartum Adjustment and Depression Community Resources Hospital Procedures Perhaps the most important skill Parent Educators have is active listening and providing peer support. Parent Educators literally provide a shoulder to cry on and a heart to listen to new parents who are adjusting to life with a new baby. Comments from ParentsFrom a Dad: “I call your notebook of information, the manual, the Baby Manual.” One mom told us that our book had the most useful information she had, that she had 10 other reference books that she had gotten […]

First, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our inaugural fall fundraising drive—your generous contributions will help make an enormous difference as we work to Build a Better Central Texas in 2008. The lucky winner of the iPhone giveaway isShizad Jawani, of Dell. Shizad was extremely pleased to receive the Christmas gift that was on everyone’s wish list this year.Shelly Priebe, President of McElroy Translation (R), and Debbie Bresette, Executive Vice President of United Way Capital Area (L), were on hand to present the iPhone to Shizad. Our inaugural online fundraiser was extremely successful, during the two weeks that it ran. We are grateful to McElroy Translation for their generous sponsorship of the iPhone and docking station. Stay posted! We will be running a similar fundraiser/contest in the spring. Subscribe to our newsletter to be among the first to know about it.

In a recent issue of The Economist, an informative article takes a look at social entrepreneurship–the new trend in philanthropy–and asks if social entrepreneurship lives up to its hype. The key, of course, is to know which organizations can and will make the most impact with philanthropy dollars. “Six keys to success” are identified in the article, that help a potential philanthropist measure the effectiveness of a given non-profit. United Way Capital Area, with its new Community Impact Model and ongoing mission seeks to put these six keys to success in practice–as we build relationships with the Central Texas community, be they government, non-profit, or corporate sector relationships. We know that with all of these groups combined we can make Central Texas a better place to live. It can’t just be up to one person or one group to create a thriving community. So, what are the Economist’s six keys to success? Advocate and serve. Delivering a good service is not enough; they need to campaign for political action if they really want to drive massive social change. We see this reflected in our Community Agenda Project and in our voluntary state organization, United Ways of Texas. The great non-profits do not rely on traditional giving; they work with market forces, generating income where possible. Our work in the area of Financial Stability is designed to help individuals and families maximize and increase their current income, build savings, and gain and keep assets like a home. Inspire evangelists. Volunteers are […]

For more than 80 years, United Way Capital Area has been investing community dollars in worthy causes: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, helping people make it to their next paycheck, etc. We’re proud of that work. One of the top concerns expressed by many Central Texans in response to the announcement of United Way Capital Area’s new funding decisions is that we are no longer supporting “agencies that provide very basic needs services.” This is a valid concern, and it merits a more detailed explanation of how our funding model has changed, how much is still going towards basic needs and the other ways that we will continue to support those agencies. From the ever expanding traffic to the tall cranes building all those shiny new downtown condos, our region is changing and growing rapidly. The data (the US Census or Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project, 2006 Biennial Data Report are great places to start) are showing that the number of homeless grows, more and more kids drop out of school, the poverty rate has increased 35% since 1999, fewer children enter school prepared to succeed, and so on. To think that addressing these same problems—problems that are getting worse, not better—with the same approach is somehow going to make those problems disappear permanently…well, that’s a popular definition of insanity. United Way Capital Area is not simply adjusting to “a hip, return-on-investment, individualistic culture,” but to the needs and goals of the Central Texas community itself. You, the community, […]

Gifts in Kind International headlines the amazing work of our Hands On Central Texas Gifts-in-Kind team, Diana Santos and Iris Graebner, in its latest newsletter. Because of our team’s hard work and commitment, we’ve met our two major goals for the year: $1 Million in in-kind goods and recruiting 100 nonprofit members! Three months ahead of schedule Hands On Central Texas (United Way Capital Area)—a Gifts In Kind International affiliate—announced in September that they had reached their 2007 goal of collecting $1 million worth of products for local nonprofit organizations. The local Gifts In Kind® program was launched earlier this year in Austin, Texas. Read the entire article here.