Every holiday season, United Way’s Navigation Center helps local families access free or low-cost meals and holiday events across the Greater Austin area. To make it easy for community members to find these seasonal events, we’ve compiled a calendar of meals and celebrations happening throughout the month of December. From drive-thru light trails and gift giveaways for kids, to holiday festivities with Santa Claus, each event is open to the public. Check it out below! Know someone looking for assistance with food, transportation, housing, or other resources? Tell them to give us a call at 2-1-1 to get connected to help in our community. 2-1-1 is free and available 24/7.
Read MoreWho Was César Chávez?
Photo by: Wikimedia Commons From east César Chávez Street to the César Chávez neighborhood, Chávez’s presence is obvious in our city. So who was César Chávez? César Chávez was one of the best-known Latino American civil rights activists who fought for social justice. He was born on March 31, 1927 outside of Yuma, Arizona. According to CesarChavezHoliday.org, from the young age of 10, César became a migrant farm worker; he was forced to drop out of school after completing the eighth grade in order to help his family out. As a farm worker, César was exposed to the hardships and injustices of the farm worker life. In the early 1960’s he founded the United Farm Workers Association, the nations first successful and largest farm workers union. Chávez lead the organization as president and was able to win the first union contracts for agriculture workers in the grape fields – from here millions followed his lead on his journey for equality and unity and won enormous achievements for farm workers for civil rights, political representation for minorities and environmental justice. The impact César Chávez made has positively influenced and inspired millions of people from all over the country. He had a motto ,“Si se puede!” (Yes, it can be done!), which was coined in the early 1970’s and perfectly exemplifies his legacy. In honor of César, various schools, parks, streets and other public facilities have been named after him. César Chávez Day is observed in the United States on March 31st, […]
Read MoreLocal Companies Sponsor Families For the Holidays
The holiday season is a favorite time of the year for many of us. It’s not the presents or bright lights or parties that make the season, but rather the warm feeling we get from remembering what is most important in life: gratitude, friendship, family, community, fellowship and feeling cared for. During the holiday season United Way for Greater Austin receives an outpouring of generosity from the community through volunteer efforts, donations and overall holiday joy. We too like to take part in that joy by partnering with companies to sponsor and thank the families who are featured in our marketing materials throughout the year. Thanks to the generosity of both NXP (formerly known as Freescale) and Atlassian, ten families were “adopted” this year for the holidays. Employees from NXP and Atlassian contributed their own personal dollars to purchase and wrap gifts for each family member. Gifts included toys from personal wish lists, clothing, shoes and household items, including TVs and iPads. Many of the families asked for simple necessities, such as baking dishes and coats for the kids. “At NXP, giving back is part of our DNA. We are proud to partner with the United Way to support making the holidays special for nine families in the greater Austin area. Our employees have really stepped up this year to support more families and try to make a difference in Austin.” –Rick Morales, NXP In addition, KPMG gave each family a holiday meal kit so that families could share a warm and […]
Read MoreUWATX Hosts 2nd Annual Community Tree Lighting
We held our 2nd Annual Community Tree Lighting event for the St. John’s community on Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2015. Webb Middle School students and their families, as well as other community members, were invited to attend the free holiday party. The kids loved visiting with the bunnies, hedgehogs, ducklings and more that the Tiny Tails To You traveling petting zoo brought. Other activities included a cookies and cocoa station, card and ornament making, a balloon artist and face painters. One of our Webb Middle School volunteer project leader students had the idea to set up a reading corner and read holiday books to some of the younger children at the event. As the sun set, Principal “Santa” Sanchez spoke of the importance and positive impact that he has seen through United Way’s support of the Webb campus. 54% of students at Webb received at least one service coordinated through UWATX last year, including behavioral health, mentoring, tutoring and afterschool programs. Webb’s musical groups performed holiday classics and the audience counted down from five until the tree was lit up with blue and gold–Webb’s school colors. Young Leaders Society members passed out donated toys and books to the children who attended. Thank you to Capital Metro who once again sponsored the 15 foot tree that lit up the St. John’s neighborhood this year! Thank you also to ABC Home & Commercial for decorating the tree, DoubleTree Hotels who provided volunteers and cookies, H-E-B for donating the hot cocoa, Petsmart for […]
Read MoreVeterans Day 2015: Businesses Honoring Our Heroes
Veterans Day is an important day to reflect and honor the courage displayed by our nation’s military. These are the brave men and women who have made sacrifices and risked their lives to protect our liberties. America is a country of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and this would not be possible without these selfless military personnel. In honor of this significant day, below is a list of companies who are giving special recognition to our veterans by providing a free meal or special discounts: Starbucks All active duty service members, veterans and military spouses will receive a free tall (12 fl oz) hot brewed coffee from Starbucks. Lowe’s Lowe’s is honoring retired veterans, active military personnel and their immediate family, with a 10% discount. MOD Pizza All veterans and active duty military can stop by MOD pizza today to munch on a free pizza or salad! Ikea Ikea is offering a free entrée to active, reserve or retired service members. Entrée includes a sandwich, hot dish or entrée salad. Carl’s Jr When you purchase an Ultimate Care Package meal, 100% of the proceeds go towards the Call of Duty Endowment. The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit organization that helps service members transition to high quality civilian careers after their military service. JC Penney’s Current and former military personnel and family members get an extra 5% off discount — this offer can be combined with other coupons and special offers. Olive Garden Olive Garden invites veterans and active duty […]
Read More7 Ways to Spend Memorial Day in Austin
Happy Memorial Day! Whether you are taking a mini-vacation or just excited to lounge around the house for an extra day, we’ve compiled a wide array of Memorial Day events taking place around Austin for you to check out. 1. Head north to Round Rock to spend Memorial Day the American way–watching baseball of course! The AAA Round Rock Express will face the El Paso Chihuahuas at 7 p.m. on Monday. The highest price you’ll pay for a GA ticket is $15, and you can even grab lawn seats for only $7 each. 2. Give back while enjoying jazz music at the Austin Jazz Festival on May 24th at Austin 360 Amphitheater at the Circuit of the Americas. This is an all day event beginning at 10 a.m. Local, regional and national acts will play and the event benefits the East Austin Music Academy, an afterschool program focused on intensive music instruction for school-age children. 3. “Carry the Load” on May 24th at the Austin Memorial March. This is a 20.15 mile walk at Reveille Peak Ranch in Burnet, TX, and provides an opportunity to share in remembrance of those who gave their lives in service to our country. Registration is free. 4. Spend the day at Lake Travis. Bring a picnic or rent a house with family and friends and enjoy one of Austin’s most beautiful areas. Remember, personal motorized watercrafts are banned this weekend. 5. There are many great concerts taking place this weekend. On Satuday, catch Purity […]
Read MoreHow to Choose Toys for Young Children This Holiday Season
With the holidays just around the corner, we asked Success By 6 Family Services Coordinator, Laura Olson, to share ideas and information about selecting safe and appropriate toys for young children, as informed by the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). Let’s start with “safety first,” as they say! Safe toys for young children are: well-made (with no shared parts or splinters, and do not pinch) painted with nontoxic, lead-free paint shatter-proof easily cleaned Electric toys should be “UL Approved.” Be sure to check the label, which should indicate that the toy has been approved by Underwriters Laboratories. In addition, when choosing toys for children under age 3, make sure there are no small parts or pieces that could become lodged in a child’s throat and cause choking or suffocation. It is important to remember that typical wear and tear can result in a once-safe toy becoming hazardous. Adults should check toys frequently to make sure they are in good shape. Good Toys and Activities for Young Children In addition to being safe, toys for young children need to match their stages of development and emerging abilities. Toys that encourage interaction with an adult can be beneficial to both parent and child. Children not only benefit from ample independent play, but also from meaningful one-on-one attention and play with a loving adult. Books, cooking supplies, art activities and items used for nature play can be especially supportive of relationship-based learning and play. A limit to electronic or media-themed toys […]
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