Our freshly re-launched group, the Young Leaders Society hosted our first official happy hour [PICTS!] this month at East Austin’s newest bistro, Mettle. (Mettle was gracious enough to lend their space for their first-ever special event – Thanks Mettle!)
About 60 young professionals from numerous employers in the Austin area were represented and talked philanthropy with the YLS Founding Committee. The YLS signature cocktail (Habanero infused Tito’s, cherry bitters and Topo Chico), wonderfully concocted by Mettle’s mixologists took the edge off when discussing the embarrassing years as a middle school kid.
Here’s what my fellow Founding Committee members had to say about the evening:
- “I was really happy to see that THAT many people shared the same enthusiasm for helping our community as the YLS committee does, not to mention the food was delicious!” –Juan Wah
- “The zeal in the room at our official re-launch happy hour only reaffirms my decision to be involved with YLS. I am confident this will NOT be just another “young professionals” group, but rather a gathering of personalities who will volunteer their time, ideas and passions to foster a positive difference in the greater Austin area.”—Marcus Everett
- “Over 60 people from 28 different leading Austin companies and organizations….great networking, food and drinks…great time!”—Rich Cleary
All of us from the Founding Committee were excited to share information about our efforts and engage potential recruits around supporting UWATX’s Target Graduation, which aims to helping middle school students stay on the path towards graduation. While some of us may have had a traditional middle school experience, (braces, crushes, acne, bad haircuts) YLS focuses on youth of different ethnic backgrounds and income brackets in schools where achievement gaps continue to widen.
With YLS, we’re emphasizing the importance of giving of one’s time—how valuable it is for a student to model a young professional and glean from their experiences. Of course, financial giving is critical as well – Target Graduation is more impactful when adequately resourced and YLS members commit to giving and or raising $1,000 annually to support UWATX. Changing lives not just with dollars but with time, too, has become a motto for our group.
Join YLS today and learn how you can make middle school a better experience for youth in Austin.
Special plug for delicious treats: The buttermilk fried chicken skewers, steak tacos and beet profiteroles (cream puffs) satisfied everyone’s pallet, too. Needless to say, everyone indulged.