Author: Aviva Pinchas

Proper funding of HB 130 requires an investment of at least $200 million. That level of financial support means that about 57,000 of the most at-risk children in our state would be given the opportunity to experience high-quality full-day pre-k. From our friends at TECEC: Because of your hard work, HB 130, relating to full-day high-quality pre-k, was voted favorably out of the House Committee on Public Education last night. There is still a tremendous amount of work to do, however, and little time to do it. Now that we have moved HB 130 out of committee, we must ensure that it is funded properly. Major decisions will be made TODAY and this weekend related to the House budget. This a critical moment in the legislative process and it is important that early education advocates get the message out that high-quality full-day pre-k deserves adequate funding. Please take a moment to email key decision makers to let them know that you support adequate funding for HB 130. Click here to take action.

Good news–we just received confirmation that Carole Keeton Strayhorn will be attending our Spring Day of Caring as one of our keynote speakers. She will also be staying after the kickoff to participate in one of the volunteering projects. If you haven’t signed up for a project yet, you’d better hurry–they are filling up fast! Click here to sign up. Mayoral Candidates Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Lee Leffingwelland Brewster McCracken will be discussing the importance of volunteerism in our community.

We’re getting ready for our first class of our Natural Leaders training. Brandi Clark & I are leading the training but we know all the ideas, passion & ganas will come from the participants. I developed the idea last year knowing that many Austinites care so much about poverty & environmental issues. So why not marry them both! Natural Leaders focuses on building the skills of Volunteer Leaders while addressing environmental and yes, poverty issues. When you look at it, all these issues are connected.So early congratulations to our first class, some 40+ Volunteer Leaders but the reward will come after they organize their own projects out in the community. Many thanks to Austin Eco-Network for collaborating with us on this project! Good luck para todos! Mando

After nearly two years of successfully serving Central Texas non-profits with quality donated goods, the United Way Capital Area Gifts In Kind Resource Center located at 310 Comal St. in Austin will be closing on April 30, 2009. Through the Resource Center, United Way Capital Area’s Gifts In Kind program distributed more than $1 million in non-cash donations of new and gently used items such as digital projectors, office supplies, equipment, furniture, toys and books. We appreciate your support of the Resource Center over the last 2 years. United Way’s Gifts In Kind Program is not ending and will continue to operate and provide members: Free “Pass through” donated goods (new or used) with direct referral to the donor – last year nearly $150,000 worth of goods were distributed to members through this program; Managed “Wish List” posting needed items for direct referrals; Inclusion in Gifts In Kind special events, such as seasonal donation drives; Access to Gifts In Kind International, which includes the Retail Donation Partner Program where non-profits can be matched with a local business for available goods along with a Special Pricing Program.

The “2008 2-1-1 Texas Community Needs and Trends Report” is now published. Click on the preview below to view online, or download a copy of it here. Open publication – Free publishing

We recently published the following article in our monthly e-newsletter, Community Matters. To subscribe, click here. In an effort to highlight other nonprofit voices and viewpoints, we are honored to present this Q&A we had with David, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. United Way Capital Area collaborates often with his organization in a variety of ways, including providing hundreds of volunteers and advocating around hunger and poverty in Central Texas. A little about David: he joined the Food Bank in March 2008 as President & CEO. David was born in Baltimore, Maryland and moved with his family to the Houston area in 1974. David went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University where he currently serves as a member of the Former Students Advisory Board for the Department of Political Science. In 2004, David became the Executive Director of End Hunger Network-then a small food rescue organization. Since 2004, End Hunger Network has received national acclaim as one of the most effective and innovative organizations of its type in the United States. Growing from seven employees in 2004 to thirty six in 2007, End Hunger Network serves as a national model for food rescue and human service serving the most vulnerable members of the greater Houston community. I. Your organization intentionally chose the word “nourish” over “feed.” How do your food distribution and hunger ending strategies ensure that people are not simply fed, but are nourished? And, how does nourishing someone […]

Financial Coaching is a free program of Foundation Communities that provides a structured environment in which you will receive the tools and support needed to take control of your finances. Location: All Financial Coaching sessions take place at the Community Tax Center at 3036 South 1 st Street, between Ben White and Olforf. Cap Metro Route 10. No appointments necessary. Walk-ins welcome. Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. To learn more, go to: http://www.foundationcommunities.com/Saving.htm

Tomorrow’s forum is from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. David’s Episcopal Church, which will bring together candidates for the upcoming Austin city council and mayoral elections to discuss their views on a variety of issues. This is an Advocacy Opportunity you will not want to miss! Here are the details, courtesy of our friends at Envision Central Texas: The Austin Super ForumCelebrating Urban, the heart and soul of Austin & Central Texas. Council and Mayoral Candidates ForumSt David’s Episcopal Church304 E 7th StreetSaturday, April 4th10am – 1:30pm 10 organizations joined forces and interests for this super forum, because a lot of things must mix well – great parks, neighborhoods, streets for people, commercial, retail, arts, transit, music, restaurants, and more – for a vibrant urban Austin. Meet the people that bring the best of URBAN to Austin. Stay to hear council and mayoral candidates discuss their positions on urban issues. Join your neighbors and the media in the One-on-One room to ask your burning questions or to just cheer on your favorite candidate(s). Come by to celebrate, discuss and learn about the best of Austin. Sponsoring Partners:Alliance for Public TransportationAustinist.comAustin Metro Trails and GreenwaysAustin Parks FoundationCongress for New Urbanism, AustinDowntown Austin AllianceDowntown Austin Neighborhood AssociationOriginal Austin Neighborhood AssociationRail4Real6ixth Street Austin Association Patrons:Perry LorenzMeg MerrittEl Sol y La LunaTexas Picnic Company

It’s easy enough at an abstract level to grasp why United Way’s new focus on Health is so important: In order to improve the overall well-being of Central Texans, United Way is targeting at-risk populations with limited resources who experience the greatest health disparities. Our efforts will fill those gaps in care where the most significant impact can be made. But, this article really drives home why there is such a need to look for more effective solutions for how we deliver health services to at-risk populations: Nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in Central Texas during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients – eight from Austin and one from Luling – went to emergency rooms 2,678 times between 2003 and 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of hospitals and other health care providers that treat low-income and uninsured patients in Central Texas. Think of the impact we could make if we increased the number of effective, preventative health solutions in our community! Read the rest of the article here.