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Join KLRU and United Way at the Alamo Drafthouse South for a community discussion on the global economic crisis and the impact on Austin. February 25th beginning at 7pm. Click here to RSVP for this event.

Thanks to everyone who attended the first Live United Film Series event on Jan. 28. Stay tuned for details about the February screening. If you attended the event, and would like to continue our conversation about the state of education in Central Texas, please comment below. (Professional photographs, courtesy of KLRU.) KLRU and United Way Capital Area teamed up to bring Central Texas the Live United Film Series. The first event on 1/28 focused on education. More than 150 people watched the documentary IT ALL ADS UP and Jason Sabo from United Ways of Texas moderated a discussion on whether the Central Texas community is investing enough in education. Panelists were:Clayton Christopher from Sweet Leaf Tea and a student he is mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas.Dr. Michael Marder from University of Texas UTeach project.Liliana Ary from Univision Radio

United Way’s 2010 Martin Luther King Day of Service on Saturday, January 16 was an incredible success! The theme “everybody can be great because anybody can serve” was definitely felt throughout the entire day. We are still in awe of the attendance at the morning kick-off and throughout the day. Approximately 700 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds carried out Dr. King’s legacy of service by painting the Dove Springs neighborhood recreation center, painting and organizing at the Austin Groups for the Elderly, planting 100 trees at different sites with Foundation Communities, beautifying numerous parks and schools and stuffing hundreds of bags in preparation for the 2010 Feria Para Aprender. Think about it– six hours of volunteer service translates to $87,360 in a single day that went back to our community!

MLK Day of Service 2010 Saturday, January 168:30am – 3:00pm Kickoff Location:Huston-Tillotson University900 Chicon StreetDavage-Durden Union Building Click here to register. Keynote speaker:Dr. Richard Reddick, graduate of Johnston HS, UT-Austinand Harvard, now professor at UT-AustinWith performances byThe Cipher – Austin’s Hip-Hop Project Sign up now for one of these HOT projects!1 Hour for Kids: Painting Dove Springs Recreation CenterClick here to register. Mainspring Schools: Community Garden and Classroom Clean-UpClick here to register. Garden work at Hospice AustinClick here to register. Click here to see all projects. >>

Over 60 volunteers made up of parents, children, grandparents and friends came together to volunteer their time at JJ Pickle Elementary/St. John’s Community Center on Saturday, November 21, 2009. Volunteers cleaned up a trail along Buttermilk Creek and outside the entire school yard picking up over 200 bags of trash. They also built four garden beds and cleaned and weeded an existing flower bed. Volunteers talked about how much fun they had volunteering as a family and the impact they had made in the St. John Community. After picking up trash a youth quoted: “I love picking up trash and I hope there is more to pick up next year!” The event kicked-off with a continental breakfast and a brief program. The speakers included Joel De La Garza, Principal of JJ Pickle Elementary, Allen Weeks, President of St. John’s Neighborhood Association and Debbie Bresette, Interim President of United Way Capital Area. Children enjoyed faced painting and arts and crafts projects. Thanks to all of the volunteers who participated to make “Family Day of Service” a success! Please share your volunteer experience by posting a comment! Thank You,Diana SantosCorporate and Volunteer Relations, Director

Our very own Hands On Central Texas Advisory Council member & super HEB community relations extraordinaire, Tamra Jones provides a great personal reflection on why the HEB Feast of Sharing Holiday Dinner is important to this community; not only on this blog but on Ahora Si, Austin American-Statesman’s newspaper en Español. But you don’t have to take my word for it, read for yourself in English or Spanish! Volunteering to help feed thousands of Central Texans Tamra Jones H-E-B Public Affairs, Central Texas RegionAs a 10-year volunteer of the annual Feast of Sharing celebration in Austin, and an H-E-B employee, I am truly looking forward to this year’s event. H-E-B will celebrate its 20th annual Feast of Sharing dinner in Austin on Tuesday, November 24 from 4 – 8 p.m. in the Palmer Events Center located at 900 Barton Springs Rd. Each year, hundreds of H-E-B and community volunteers in Austin work together to prepare and serve more than twelve thousand meals to the community while attendees enjoy live entertainment with performances by local schools, choirs and groups. We’re so grateful to our many community partners who work with us to make the event a success, especially United Way Capital Area & Hands on Central Texas, which help recruit & coordinate our volunteers. Feast of Sharing is part of H-E-B’s Helping Here commitment and supports the company’s continuous effort to serve our community and combat hunger. This special gathering gives us an opportunity to serve a healthy meal, share a […]

We’re getting ready for our Family Volunteer Day this Saturday, November 21. We’ll be helping the St. John’s Neighborhood and J.J. Pickle Elementary with some beautification projects, entertain the kiddos with Mr. Steve’s Silly Sing-a-long Extravaganza, kids arts and crafts and learn how the St. John’s community is creating change. It’s not too late to volunteer, you can still bring your kids and join us! Family Volunteer DaySaturday, November 219:00am – 1:00pmSt. John’s Neighborhood Center7500 Blessing AvenueAustin, TX 78752 To inspire you, we had one of our Hispanic Engagement Advisory Board members & GivingCity editor, Monica Williams write up a short piece on her experience with family volunteering. Read it here or you can also read it en Español on Ahora Si! Making a Child’s Happiness Last His Whole LifeMonica Maldonado WilliamsEditor, GivingCity Austin My five-year-old son, Samuel, loves to run. He’s been challenging me to races since he was able to walk, and some of his first words were “hurry” and “turbo.” So when he heard about Marathon Kids two years ago, the annual health and fitness program for school-aged children in Austin, he asked me to sign him up immediately. But Sam wasn’t in Kindergarten yet. He would have to wait until next year to participate. We were not deterred. I found out that the “final mile” event would be held at Burger Stadium near our house. So I asked Sam if he wanted to be a volunteer with me. “Does that mean I get to run?” “No, […]

We are very excited to premiere an new short video about 1 Hour for Kids with you: Please pass this along to friends and family that you believe might be interested in mentoring or tutoring a middle school student here in Central Texas. Thank you for being an advocate for youth!