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Join us today to LIVE UNITED with Hispanic communities and all communities! Today, we’re hosting VIVIR UNIDOS at the MACC at 6pm. It’s a great way to find out how you can make a difference in the community & connect with the Latino community. Here’s what we have in store… Free VIVIR UNIDOS t-shirts Feria de los Voluntarios – Nonprofit Volunteer Fair VIVIR UNIDOS photo booth A Taste of Latinoamerica – Food from Casa Colombia , Buenos Aries Café, Hecho en Mexico y mas! La Esquina de HEB – Loteria games, sandias (watermelon slices) & agua fresca St. Edward’s University Ballet Folklorico & Salsa Performance by Jason Lozada and Rita Catriotta Door Prizes donated by National Instruments, Catholic Charities, Bucca de Beppo y mas! Muy popular public figures: Univision TV’s Leslie Montoya, ACM Mike Martinez & Austin’s favorite Police Chief, Art Acevedo! All pact in 2 ½ hours of fun! See you today at 6pm at the MACC! Adelante! Mando Director, Hands On Central Texas United Way Capital Area armando.rayo@unitedwayaustin.org 512-785-0447

So what is this VIVIR UNIDOS event? Well, it’s part of our cultural engagement programming; it’s a volunteer fair for Latinos; it’s a way to connect with Hispanic communities; it’s a celebration! Need more details? Check it this fun preview video! Also, check out my interview with GivingCity which give you mas details! Adelante!Mando

On April 17th, Deloitte partnered with United Way Capital Area to host a volunteer day for prospective employees from the University of Texas at Austin. 140 students and employees worked on projects across Austin impacting community educational, financial stability, and health needs. Students saw firsthand Deloitte’s culture of sharing time and talent with the community and made a meaningful impact. United Way was proud to help manage this important effort in partnership with Deloitte. Walter Powell, a Partner in Deloitte’s Austin Audit group, kicks off the event. As part of United Way Capital Area’s Hands On Central Texas work, volunteer project management helps corporations leverage limited resources by working with United Way staff in the design, preparation, and implementation of large-scale volunteer projects. The outcomes speak for themselves: students and employees had a meaningful volunteer experience, Deloitte showcased its commitment to supporting employee volunteerism, and most of all, Central Texas was better off at the end of the day. Contact Lauren Paver, Director of Corporate Relations at United Way Capital Area at 225-0393 or lauren.paver@unitedwayaustin.org to learn more about how United Way can be a resource for your company through a managed volunteer project.

Interest in careers in community organizing is surging among college students and recent graduates, The New York Times reports. Educators and organizers say that while such jobs were once viewed as a low-paying destination for political radicals, they have now gained cachet as a vehicle to do good works, develop leadership skills, and emulate President Obama, who has written and spoken extensively about his community work. Hands On Central Texas is the community engagement arm of United Way Capital Area, and has recently enjoyed a surge in interest from folks wanting to organize and get involved in community solutions. Our Spring Day of Caring is on April 24, starting at 9am. It’s a great place to volunteer and help out in your community. We will start the day with United Way Days of Caring Kickoff (with guest speakers Mayoral candidates Brewster McCracken & Lee Leffingwell) where volunteers will learn about the impact they are making in the community and have an opportunity to eat some breakfast, meet other volunteers and guest speakers and check-in for their projects. United Way Days of Caring volunteers must check-in starting at 8:30 am for their projects at the Kickoff prior to volunteering at their projects. Find out how you can get involved, be a part of the solution.

In order to change community conditions, help each other out, help those that need a hand, we need to step forward & serve. That’s the message coming from Presidential Transition team & President Elect Barack Obama. And very appropriate as we honor the legacy of Dr. King next weekend. Check out the new PSAs from USAService.org & the Ad Council…. Step Forward & Serve: President-Elect Barack Obaman USAService.org – Michell Obama General Colin Powell Announces Renew America Together Initiative – Press Conference

2009 is finally here. It promises to be an exciting year for many reasons. All of us here at United Way Capital Area are ready to Live United. Ready to change community conditions so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We hope you are ready to show everyone how you Live United and join us. Our Live United invitation is to Give/Advocate/Volunteer. Here’s how you can get involved in 2009. GIVEYou can donate 24/7, 365 days of the year through our secure website. Any amount helps and your generous donation will stay right here in Central Texas, helping fund the 47 programs we support. Help us to create long-lasting change and opportunities for everyone to succeed. Donate today. ADVOCATEBe an advocate for important Central Texas causes. Stand up for what you believe in. Spread the word about United Way and the change we are trying to create. Sign up for our monthly Community Matters newsletters. We’re big fans of social networks, check out our Flickr photosets of our work in action and recruit your friends and coworkers with United Way on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or find us tweeting on Twitter. VOLUNTEERIn 2008 we provided over 10,000 volunteer opportunities, so there are tons of ways to get involved. Whether its improving a childcare center, helping a low-income working family files their taxes or helping at a local food bank, find your passion and get involved! It will be so much more rewarding than you can ever imagine. Volunteer now. We hope […]

I just ran into this fun video on the impact of volunteerism. Check it out and check us out at www.handsoncentraltexas.org. Be the Change. Volunteer.

Dear Hands On volunteers, I know you’re probably pretty busy right now, but with all the good work we accomplished this year I wanted to talk to you about it. This is really important, so I recorded a short video message. Check out my video… Thanks for all you do. Mando and the rest of the team

The NFL and United Way partnership is the most visible and longest-running charitable collaboration of its kind. For 35 years, this partnership has been a shining example of the tangible good that can be leveraged when two household icons are harnessed into a powerful vehicle for real change in communities. Click here to learn more about the NFL and United Way.

We’re still getting loads of calls from Hurricane Ike evacuees. People want to know if they can go home, how to access services and help. You can help them this week!We need volunteers at the 211 Texas Call Center all week. Shifts are from 9:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-5:00pm, 5:00-11:00pm & 12:00am-7:00am. To sign up for a shift, go to www.handsoncentraltexas.org. Thanks,MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texas