We are taking donations for those affected by the October 30th floods and tornadoes. Please donate at uwatx.org/floods to make a gift specifically for disaster relief. Additional important info for those affected by the floods and tornadoes: · The Red Cross is opening a shelter at Seguin Coliseum in Guadalupe County to support residents impacted by tornado in that area. · The Civic Center in Wimberly is opening as an evacuation shelter from flooding on Cypress Creek, evacuations taking place on Flight Acres Rd. and Fulton Ranch Rd. · Evacuation Shelter being set up at Lulling High School for potential flood impacts in Caldwell County. · Residents of South Austin & Onion Creek are urged to go to the Dittmar Recreation Center, located at 1009 W Dittmar Rd, Austin, TX 78745. Major flood wave is expected to flow down Onion Creek. *Info via Red Cross and KXAN* Stay safe, everyone!
Read MoreLights On Afterschool 2015
Today is Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide event to bring awareness to the importance and positive impact that afterschool and other out-of-school time (OST) programs have on students of all ages. Research shows students participating in high-quality afterschool programs are absent from class less, behave better, receive better grades and perform better on tests compared to non-participants. Additionally, afterschool programs have shown to reduce the math achievement gap between low and high-income students and students participating in these programs overall have a lower obesity rate than non-participants. Students at the three campuses we support through our Middle School Matters program–Decker, Mendez and Webb Middle Schools–have the chance to participate in our free afterschool and summer programs to further enrich what they learn during the school day. We asked students from each campus about their experience participating in our OST programs. What do you like best about afterschool? -Hanging out with my friends -Learning new soccer tricks -Cheerleading -I can get help with homework and have fun. -It helps you do things you’ve never done before – you help the community and feel grateful for what you’ve done. -It’s not boring – it’s fun! You can go outside and play. -It’s an opportunity for us to learn about something that’s not a school subject. How has being in afterschool changed you? -It has made me more outgoing. -I have made new friends! -It’s helped me learn more about education and the community while helping others. -It’s taught me how to be […]
Read MoreSeptember’s Face 2 Face Recap with Laura Roberts
Photo Credit: Austin Business Journal This month’s Austin Business Journal’s FACE 2 FACE speaker series brought in the co-founder and CEO of Pantheon Enterprises, Laura Roberts. Roberts formed Pantheon Enterprises to end the myth that green technologies are less effective and more expensive. The company’s mission continues to be to develop and commercialize products that help increase financial growth, while at the same time sustaining human health and safety. Prior to joining the company, Laura was a self-described “treehugger” and owned many “kill corporate America” t-shirts while working as an elementary school teacher in the ’90s. Her transition to Pantheon was circumstantial after her father passed away. Both parents owned a small chemical company, and in an effort to help her mother save her business, Roberts stepped in. She frequently stated during the interview that she recognized her own empathetic nature from a young age. Roberts aims to be an example for women entrepreneurs. She persevered after 300 investors said “no” to funding an elementary school teacher’s company. “Not having industry specific management” was the top reason for venture capitalists not to invest. She was pitching during the “dot-com era,” where there was much more of a focus for investors receiving liquidity in a 3-5 return. Since then, there has been a shift to the “impact” investor that is not so focused on the fast return, but the real change the company is trying to make. She advises young entrepreneurs to only take from shareholders who are purpose-aligned and mentioned […]
Read MoreFree or Low-Cost Afterschool Programs
Afterschool programs not only provide a safe and supervised space for adolescents, which can prevent them from engaging in risky behaviors, but also provide learning outside of the classroom. Studies show that students participating in high-quality afterschool programs display improved behavior and lower levels of absenteeism, earn higher grades, and perform better on tests compared to non-participating students. These types of programs can be expensive, but local nonprofit organizations (including many of our funded partners!) provide all types of extracurricular activities to students for free or a low cost. Breakthrough Austin Breakthrough provides afterschool and weekend programs, and provides programming for students all the way through high school. They work to meet all of the needs of each child by providing a case manager and extended learning times. Their programs encourage STEM learning, community service and college prep. Learn more on Breakthrough Austin’s website. Foundation Communities Foundation Communities hosts more than 700 children at their free afterschool and summer learning programs at seven Learning Centers around Austin. Their programs promote academic success as well as health and fitness education. Locate the Learning Center near you for more information. ACE-Austin Afterschool Programs ACE-Austin is Austin ISD’s network of 20 before and afterschool programs that are free of charge. These programs range from tutoring to filming to STEM education to character education. Learn more by speaking to your child’s counselor. Extend-a-Care EAC offers infant, toddler, pre-K and afterschool childcare for kids up to age 12 onsite at various school campuses. There are […]
Read MoreAugust’s Face 2 Face Recap with Joseph Kopser
This month’s Austin Business Journal‘s Face 2 Face event featured Joseph Kopser, CEO and Co-Founder of RideScout. Since the app launched in 2013, RideScout is now in more than 69 cities in the U.S. and Canada, earning the 2014 U.S. DOT Data Innovation Award as well as Joseph’s recognition as a White House Champion of Change as a Veteran in Clean Energy in part for his work with RideScout. Prior to RideScout, Joseph served in the army for 20 years. He earned the Combat Action Badge, Army Ranger Tab and Bronze Star. Joseph is a graduate of West Point with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and also received a masters from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2002. In his free time, he works closely with The Bunker Austin, an organization dedicated to supporting veteran entrepreneurs. In addition, he volunteers as Chairman of NSTXL, working to improve U.S. Energy Security policy. He lives in Austin with his wife and three daughters. During his time in D.C. working for the Pentagon, he began to notice how main highway lanes were always congested while the HOV lanes were always open. People in D.C. would combat this by informally doing a “rideshare.” Joseph personally witnessed this informal ridesharing at the Pentagon. He watched as people waited outside the Pentagon in a line. People would drive together if they were heading in the same direction. Joseph’s “aha moment” came one day when he noticed people waiting in line in the freezing rain and sleet for […]
Read More2-1-1 Austin app
Get help finding food, rent, clothing, childcare and more on the 2-1-1 Austin app. Download it from the iPhone or Android store by searching 2-1-1 Austin.
Read MoreFlood Relief Funds to Be Distributed
It’s been two months since the devastating Memorial Day floods swept through Central Texas—including Hays, Blanco, Bastrop, Caldwell, Travis and Williamson counties—and the outpouring of help from local community members has been nothing short of incredible. According to an Austin American-Statesman article released last week, more than 400 homes were destroyed in Central Texas and 3,491 residents have registered for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance. Many local efforts were organized immediately the Tuesday morning following the floods. Volunteer groups appeared ready with cleaning supplies, and individuals and companies were knocking at UWATX’s door with open checkbooks. In addition to the Disaster Recovery Fund we created, UWATX was the recipient of several benefits held around town to raise funds for flood victims, including ones held by Jonathan Adler Austin, ACL Live, the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Association and Indian Roller. To date, local community members and businesses have contributed an incredible $85,500 and counting to our flood relief and recovery efforts! This week, those funds will be distributed to 10 local organizations to support long-term recovery (LTR) efforts. By focusing on LTR, we will ensure these donated dollars help the people who need it most and that the funds are used most effectively. These local organizations include: 1. Austin Disaster Relief Network: Rebuilding efforts 2. Bastrop Long Term Recovery: Rebuilding efforts 3. Blanco Regional River Recovery Group: Case management for flood victims 4. Catholic Charities: Temporary housing for flood victims 5. Community Action (Hays County Head Start): Storage rentals […]
Read MoreTexas Mutual Donates Bikes to Middle School Students
As students and their families filled the Decker Middle School cafeteria last Thursday for an end-of-camp celebratory dinner, the camp’s English teacher welcomed families by giving a speech about the enduring memories of his summers spent at his Boy Scouts camp. The events that followed left our campers with their own bank of fond memories of a summer spent learning, building new skills and making new friends. Throughout the course of the night, students presented their summer work to their peers and families, showed younger siblings the collages they made and the personal stories they recorded, and stepped forward to receive awards and recognition for their hard work and leadership. Awards given to the students included the “Change Maker Award,” “Force for Good Award” and “Spirit of Service Award.” The final and most coveted award of the night carried much anticipation; students worked for weeks on creative projects for the chance to win a brand new bike. Texas Mutual Insurance Co. built 14 new bikes to give away to selected students at Decker, complete with encouraging cards, helmets and locks, all to support the summer learning initiatives of UWATX and the students who made the choice to return to school during the summer to continue their education. At Decker Middle School, camp staff saw the bike giveaway as an opportunity for the students to display their leadership and creativity by opting in to a bike contest. Students could either give an oral presentation, draw a picture or write an essay […]
Read MoreJuly’s Face 2 Face Recap with Ingrid Vanderveldt
July’s Face 2 Face speaker series, sponsored by the Austin Business Journal and Whole Foods, hosted Ingrid Vanderveldt. Vanderveldt is the founder of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020. EBW2020 is made up of three of Vanderveldt’s organizations: EBW2020, Ingrid Vanderveldt LLC and the EBW Foundation. The EBW Foundation was launched with a mentor-matching program during SXSW this past March. EBW aims to do just that–empower a billion women by 2020 by providing education, mentoring and policy programs for women to improve their businesses. According to Vanderveldt’s website, EBW works by “getting $1B of credit into the hands of women worldwide, enabling them to create leverage to buy up to $10B infrastructure they need to build and scale [and] creating $100B worth of overall global market impact.” Vanderveldt says the only way to reach this lofty goal of one billion women is through technology–“get a phone in a woman’s hands!” By partnering with Dell to launch this project, they reached 600 million women last year through the program. Ingrid previously worked for Dell as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence and says her personal goal is to be the female version of Michael Dell. Her advice for entrepreneurs is to not be afraid to fail. Her first business venture failed, but she continued to try and try again until she became successful. Vanderveldt said for women to succeed, they need three things: mentorship, financial literacy and technology, with a heavy emphasis on mentorship. She also emphasized that women are part of a “sisterhood,” and by building up each other […]
Read More8 Fun Ways to Spend Your Fourth of July
Fireworks, barbecue and patriotism are just a few things that come to mind when thinking about the Fourth of July. You might have plans to spend some time at the lake with family, have a potluck-style picnic with friends or you may still be on the search for ideas. We compiled a list of Fourth of July festivities taking place in Austin and surrounding areas: 4th of July Fireworks and Symphony at Auditorium Shores – Come out to Auditorium Shores and enjoy a variety of food, drinks and live music. The symphony performance begins at 7:30 p.m. and fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Best of all – it’s completely free. Hill Country Galleria Independence Day Festival – The Hill Country Galleria will celebrate the Fourth of July this year with more than 75 vendors, live music, family fun, barbecue and a fireworks show at 9:45 p.m. to end the night. Live music begins at 4:15 p.m. and will include Vallejo, Dawn & the Hawkes, T Bird & The Breaks and Uncle Lucius. Parking and admission is completely free. Attendees are also encouraged to bring their dogs! Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic – Austin legend Willie Nelson will play at the Circuit of America’s racetrack along with 20 other artists including Eric Church, Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel and more. There will be picnic tables where fans can eat, drink, celebrate and watch their favorite artists perform. Parking opens at 10:00 a.m., gates open at 11:00 a.m. and music starts at 11:15 a.m. Ticket prices range from $35 to $75. […]
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