Mobile Loaves & Fishes to go on 3rd IKE relief trip this weekend

Wow. For the past two weekends, Alan Graham has taken a team of volunteers and TONS of food down to the coast to help victims of Hurricane Ike, and they’ll be at it again this weekend. Here’s more from the Alangram:
Alan here. I just got back from the 2nd trip down to the Texas Gulf [...]

Progress report on I Live Here, I Give Here

This article will appear in the first issue of GivingCity Austin magazine. Watch the blog for information about the free download.
Is Austin Getting the Message?
It’s been almost a year since the Campaign for Philanthropy was launched with its goal of “boosting local philanthropy.” So how’s it doing? Folks behind the campaign, otherwise known as [...]

Letter from Editor: How do we go from a city that cares to a city that gives?

This is the first letter from the editor in the first issue of GivingCity Austin magazine. Watch the blog for the free download of this new magazine about philanthropy and volunteering in Central Texas.
I believe in Austin. In the 10 years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen people who genuinely care about each other and [...]

SAT 9/27: Electronics recycling event perfect time to dump that old CRT TV

So you got one of them fancy, widescreen, flat panel “displays” (what we used to call in my day a TV set). And now you’ve got a perfectly good – if hideous – TV hosting spiders in your garage. Don’t wait for bit-item pick-up day. Take them to the Norwood Park Goodwill this Saturday from [...]

Four Austin women who want to help cure cancer

You don’t take the decision to serve on a board lightly. You’ve gotta be committed. That’s why it’s exciting when a person comes on board – it can be tough to fill that role.
So it’s especially exciting for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Austin affiliate, which recently added four new board members, each of [...]

United Way Cap Area’s new video reveals some scary data about Central Texas

Yes, some of the data about Central Texas is scary. But Austin has some of the best nonprofit agencies around with lots of dedicated and talented people working behind the scenes to make things better. This new video introduces you to some of them, as well as highlights some of the programs UWCA supports this [...]

Oct 24: The costume planning begins now

The best part about having kids? I’m not going to lie to you. It’s Halloween.
Halloween is the one holiday I actually enjoyed as a kid – way less stress than Christmas and way more fun than Easter with its fancy clothes, Valentine’s with its mushy stuff, or Thanksgiving with its somber meal eaten at the [...]

How you can help people on the Texas Gulf Coast now

Please see this below from Mobile Loaves & Fishes – best instructions I’ve seen for how to help victims of Hurrican Ike on the Texas Gulf Coast:
Dear Friend,
Mobile Loaves & Fishes is planning a relief trip into the Hurricane Ike impact area of the Texas Gulf Coast.  We are leaving Monday morning September 15 at 9:00 AM [...]

Today: Volunteers flock to help man the 2-1-1 helpline

Just received an e-mail from Mando Rayo of Hands on Central Texas:
We were just informed that the 2-1-1 Texas call center needs to stay open 24 hours this weekend! So we’re going to need lots of help! The biggest needs are the 9:00pm – 12:00am and 12:00am – 7:00am shifts. Please help if you can!
For [...]

Free caregivers’ conference offers resources and support Sat., Sept 27

I was lucky to have had a third parent in my mother’s mother, who lived with my family my whole life until she died just after I graduated from college. In the beginning, she took care of us four kids and my parents. Toward the end, we mostly took care of her.
She had severe arthritis [...]