On Wednesday, May 17, United Way for Greater Austin celebrated the contributions of students in UWATX’s Youth Engaged in Service (YES!) program at Webb Early College Prep Academy. The YES! program has been an opportunity for students to learn about philanthropy and volunteerism while exploring careers throughout the Austin community. Students have gone on field trips to local companies and non-profits and have completed tons of volunteer hours on projects after school. Our staff sat down with a few phenomenal Middle School volunteers to learn more about what volunteerism means to them. Jenny Dominguez (J-Dog), Jimmy Aguirre (Bigfoot) and Cristian Dominguez (C-Money) are Webb students who participated in the YES! program and were are excited to share their thoughts with you. What was the most fun volunteer experience so far for you? Jimmy | I liked last week when we planted plants and helped the environment. Cristian | Painting a giant Jenga set at the MLK Day of Service in 2015. Jenny | Visiting the Austin Humane Society to donate toys and play with a puppy. What is an issue that is important to you? Jimmy | World hunger, because if we go hungry, we won’t survive! Jenny | Getting a new phone, it freezes a lot and it’s slow. Cristian | So many issues! I want to government to not use bombs or start wars. What do you want to be when you grow up? Jenny | A basketball player for the Austin Spurs. Cristian | the President of the United States. Jimmy | […]
Read MoreVolunteer Spotlight: Peggy Wilson, Texas Mutual Insurance Company
It’s that time of year again. The heat. Buying school clothes; buying school supplies. Preparing for the school year gets expensive quick. To prepare students (and parents) for the 2016-17 school year, volunteers from all over Austin came together at Webb Early College Prep Academy on Aug. 18 to assemble school supply kits, reorganize the school library, aid teachers in preparing their classrooms and landscape the flower beds around campus. One of the sponsors of our Aug. 18 Back to School Readiness Event at Webb was Texas Mutual Insurance Company. Texas Mutual has a very large and active volunteer base, one of which is their IT Senior Manager, Peggy Wilson. Peggy has been volunteering with UWATX for just over a year and she loves it. She explains, “The reactions to volunteering at UWATX are very positive – we love it.” Read our brief Q and A below to get to know Peggy and her experiences volunteering at UWATX. 1. What inspires you to volunteer? People say volunteering is unselfish, but I actually think it feels good to help others. In a way, it’s self-serving, as corny as it sounds. You get away from your own problems for a while when you focus on others. It’s also nice to learn about other people – whether they’re those you’re helping or those you’re working with. 2. What do you like to do in your spare time? I’m pretty simple – I like to spend time with my husband, Chris and my dog, Otis. […]
Read MoreVolunteers Scaring for a Good Cause!
In celebration of the spookiest time of the year, UWATX’s Young Leaders Society (YLS) members volunteered at Decker Middle School’s Fright Night last week. Fright Night, one of Decker’s most popular student events, allows students to use their creativity while coordinating with YLS volunteers to transform the school into a “haunted house”. Volunteers helped set up, scared students as they moved through the haunted house and took photos of the students for souvenirs. Fright Night helps sponsor the AVID program at Decker Middle School, which gives students the opportunities to attend field trips to college campuses and provides in class activities around career and college readiness. We had the opportunity to talk with Julie Fisher, YLS Chair, about her volunteering experience the Fright Night event. What were some of the activities you were involved in during Fright Night? I was involved with set up, setting the kids in waves down the stairwell and cleanup/breakdown. Describe your favorite part of the night Watching the kids give each other pep talks before going into the Haunted House. The event itself is always a blast, but I love the set up and break down with the students. It is a great opportunity to interact with them and give them a chance to give us the orders on how to set up the different rooms and halls. It was encouraging to see how excited they were after they received such positive feedback from their peers on how “awesome” the experience was. What do you enjoy […]
Read MoreBack to School Savings Tips
School is right around the corner, and every year it seems like back to school shopping gets more expensive. From pencils to textbooks, there’s a lot to spend on in order to prepare your child adequately for the school year. In 2014, the National Retail Foundation reported that the average family with children in grades K-12 will spend $669.28 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics. That’s a huge cost – and one that not every family can afford. It is important that every student begins the school year with the resources they need to be successful. If you are looking to minimize costs, here are some tips and resources on how to do so: AISD Back to School Bash On August 15 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Austin ISD will be hosting the 10th Back to School Bash at the Palmer Events Center. There will be free backpacks for AISD students filled with school supplies (while supplies last), free vision exams and free vaccination opportunities. Be sure to bring your child’s shot record! AISD will also be providing free shuttles at various locations throughout Austin. Find out more information on the shuttles here. Shop at Local Thrift and Second Hand Stores Most people go straight to big name stores when they shop for back-to-school however, thrift stores can be some of the best places to find affordable gently-used clothing for the school year. Find a Goodwill Central Texas or Salvation Army to find some quality second-hand bargains which will help you save in […]
Read MoreFall Day of Caring: 800+ volunteers come together!
On Friday, September 23, United Way Capital Area closed its doors as employees joined over 800 volunteers to complete 35 projects throughout the community. In total, volunteers gave 2,982 hours of service for UWCA’s Fall Day of Caring. Individuals from 22 Austin-area companies came together in teams to build community gardens, support local organizations, mentor students in career skills and much more. The event also boasts a key record: 28 projects were led by UWCA-trained Volunteer Project Leaders– each of them participated in a 2-hour session to learn how to make meaningful and lasting change in their community. Over the past 6 years, UWCA has taught hundreds of volunteer leaders as part of this national training initiative. To say thank you to our dedicated volunteers, we put together a YouTube video featuring clips and photos from throughout the day. Random quotes of kindness: Austin Nature & Science Center– I was amazed at how everyone worked together to get the project done. The people from the Austin Statesman really did an awesome job. The place looks remarkable, more than I expected. I really like that we are able to be a part of the Days of Caring with United Way. We always get so much done on those volunteer days. Thank you so much! – Project Leader Mainspring Schools– I absolutely loved this event. Sometimes when I volunteer, I don’t get to see the full impact of what my time and energy is buying. In this instance, I was able to see the […]
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