Last week , we participated in the Vivir Unidos volunteer fair for Hispanics produced by the overworked and underpaid folks from United Way and Hands on Central Texas. Between all the amazing food, the music, the socializing, the dancing… seriously, weren’t we supposed to have been there to “improve Hispanic engagement?” Blah blah blah, this was a party.

There were at least 30 nonprofits represented, and every time I strolled by them I heard some genuine conversations going on. Sebastian Puente, who also helped plan the event and was there last night, and I estimated that there we at least 400 people there. It was a packed house. And everyone seemed to get the message of the night: Dig in and get involved. Si se puede.

Congratulations to everyone who helped plan and support the event! Below are some links to coverage from news outlets. Are there more?

Statesman: United Way Reaches Out to Area Hispanics with Vivir Unidos

Ahora Si: Buscan a latinos con ganas de ayudar a su comunidad

Ahora Si: Photos from the event

P.S. We’ll have tons of photos of the Vivir Unidos event in our next issue. Don’t forget to sign up for a free subscription!

Yesterday, I posted about Rio Grande’s Philanthropy Week, during which they’re donating 10% of bar sales during happy hour to a different nonprofit each day. You can see the details here.

Lots of local businesses contribute a portion of their sales to a local nonprofit from time to time. Why? Is there anything in it for them besides the potential for profit?

The fact is, it takes lots of planning and coordination with a local nonprofit – and probably an accountant – to make the whole thing work. So it can’t all just be about attracting customers. Plus, if you do use it to attract customers, the fact is you’re only going to attract a certain kind of customer – the kind that has a conscience. Most other restaurants don’t care if their customers have consciences or not; they kinda just want your business.

So it is special when a restaurant hosts a “philanthropy week,” like Rio Grande is doing this week. The thing is, restaurant owners are people, too. Duh. When they feel compelled to give back, they usually do so through their business, creating a win-win for the community: You get a nice drink, they get a little money, and a local charity gets a little money. Why not?

Here’s a real live restaurant owner – a person! – talking about why his restaurant, Rio Grande, is giving back.

It seems like there are opportunities to support local charities in just about everything you do. Here’s another example.

Anyone like tequila? From May 4-8, Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant on San Jacinto is donating a percentage of the day’s bar profits to five selected charities (one each night).

Monday, May 4: A Legacy of Giving, 5-7:30pm
Tuesday, May 5: Austin Sunshine Camps, 5-7:30pm
Wednesday, May 6: Lance Armstrong Foundation, 5-7:30pm
Thursday, May 7: The Austin Theatre Alliance, 5-7:30pm
Friday, May 8: Red Cross of Central Texas, 5-7:30pm

Wow. Great cross-section of local charities there. So let me get this straight:

Q. Is this the first time Rio Grande’s done someting like this?
A. Yes, this is the first annual Rio Grande Philanthropy Week.

Q. It’s a nice mix – kids, health, basic needs… how were the charities selected?
A. Rio Grande wanted support a mix of organizations that do so much for the Austin community.

Q. How much does Rio Grande hope to raise in total for all charities this week?
A. The amount they raise will really depend on how many people come out each night to support the charities. Groups like the Austin Theatre Alliance are pushing out to their members of more than 20,000. So it goes without saying, the more visibility we raise for this event, the more Rio Grande will be able to contribute.

You heard ‘em, folks. It’s reason enough for me to make Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant Mother’s Day Date Night Headquarters. And I GUESS I’ll have to have A DRINK or two. It’s for a good cause, right?

Received this from David Rice, who’s been a part of Cine Las Americas International Film Festival for years. If you don’t know what Cine Las Americas is – and if you know or care anything about film – this is a great discovery.

The festival screens narrative and documentary feature and short films, as well as experimental, animation and youth films in competitive and non-competitive sections. This event is complemented with repertoire and special screenings, currently bringing an average of 100 films and 35 filmmakers from Texas, the United States, Latin America and the rest of the world to 3,500 attendees in Austin.

And the event below is a fundraiser for Cine. Beautiful, creative people attend this event. So, you know, you have to be there.

Hello my dear beloved friends!

As you all know, I’m on the board of Cine Las Americas and we are having our annual fundraiser on March 29th, from 6 to 9pm at the Gibson Showroom in South Austin!

Tickets are $30 bucks a person and there will be food, booze, Music by Charanga Cake Walk (with Michael Ramos and Brian Ramos…and no, they are not brothers) and DJ  Trey Lopez at the spinning wheel.

This year Cine Las Ameicas is focusing on movies from Chile! Viva Chile! Over twenty films from Chile.

We will have some great auction items as well as crazy conversations, dancing, and lots of smiles!

So many of you have attended in the past and I always enjoy your company. I hope you can make it.

Yours,

david rice

A Class Apart KLRU Screening

My father just turned 68. He grew up in San Antonio around the northwest part of town. When he was in school, he told me, he had to drink from a separate water fountain from whites. He couldn’t even think of dating a white girl. He was welcome on the football team, but any other “privileges” beyond that he was encouraged to just forget about.

This blows my mind, of course. It’s not like he’s 98 or 128 years old. And in San Antonio, of all places, where Hispanics make up most of the population now.

So this documentary, “A Class Apart,” really intrigues me. It’s about a landmark case in 1954 argues by a team of Hispanic lawyers in front of the Supreme Court. KLRU is holding a special screening of the documentary next Wednesday, and I hope you’ll all consider yourselves invited (I’m on the host committee.)

And just when you were hoping it was no longer relevant to talk about discrimination and race, check out the time-warp, backlash, hateful comments to the Statesman’s story that the City of Austin would be launching a Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative. (I think they must have removed some of the more hateful comments, actually.)

What good will it do to watch a documentary on racism?

1. Well, first there’s the good old-fashioned story-telling aspect. The director is a renowned filmmaker, famous and honored for a previous documentary, “Farmingville.”

2. Next there’s the fascinating history lesson. Supreme Court cases can be really dramatic, especially when it involves an underdog team of lawyers fighting for what we all know is right.

3. And then there’s the benefit of arming yourself with information so that the next time you hear someone talk about what rights “other” people have –  “other” people being immigrants and anyone who looks the slightest bit different from the person talking — you can intelligently tell them that, thanks to a landmark case in 1954, we can now officially think of racist, bigoted, and/or otherwise prejudiced people as complete assholes.  According to the Supreme Court.

We had a photo and video shoot earlier this week for a feature we’re working on for the next issue. Torquil’s posted a few photos on his blog. I think he really likes them. Thanks to Owen Laracuente for the photos and Randy Hinesfor the videography, and to Chris Jones for conducting the interview.

I’m excited about this story. Here’s where the idea came from. A few weeks ago, Mando Rayo told me about the East Austin Economic Summit, an annual meeting of stakeholders for East Austin during which they discuss economic opportunities and concerns. While there, he interviewed Jeff Clark, owner of the Studio East Barbershop on East 12th Street in Austin. Jeff’s a small-businessman, a father and husband, and an East Austin resident, and I’m not sure he’s impressed with the progress occurring in East Austin. I think he summed up his point of view by saying, “We need more walk,” that is, as opposed to talk. You can watch Mando’s video here.

So the story of East Austin intrigues me, mostly because it seems like we’re not hearing enough from East Austin residents.

About the same time, I discovered Michael Lofton and the African American Men and Boys Conference on Docubloggers. Michael is a social entrepreneur who created the conference in response to what he wanted for his own teenage sons. The success of the first conference was phenomenal, so much so that AISD asked him to create a similar program for its students. This man has so much data in his head, and he’s tied it all together to create a stirring message about what’s going on in African American Austin.

Then I remembered Gator and The Cipher. I don’t get out a lot, so I hadn’t really heard of this organization before I saw them at last year’s MLK Day of Caring. When I saw them, I immediately filed them under the “Who Knew This Was Austin?” category. Wow. Gator has a compelling story of his own, leading up to his co-founding this nonprofit organization. It’s a testament to the power of creativity and culture, and how introducing these concepts to young people can set them on a positive path.

The Cipher uses hip-hop to help young people express themselves, but there are other forms of music with a much longer history in Austin that black Austin helped create. I’m not talking about all the alt-country junk promoted to within an inch of its life by our visitors bureau, I’m talking about Jazz and Blues, and there’s one man who’s made it his life’s work to tell people more about the rich history of these music forms – Harold McMillan of the nonprofit, DiverseArts. Harold lives in Clarksville but has lived in Austin more than two decades since when he came here for his master’s degree. Think he doesn’t have anything to say about East Austin?

So I prayed to the scheduling gods, and they created a slot during which Michael, Gator, Harold, Owen, Randy, and Torquil could all meet. Then Torquil called The Driskill Hotel, which graciously let us create this content in their Jim Hogg room. We got Chris to pose the qusetions, and then we just let Michael, Gator, and Harold tell us everything they could about the election, East Austin, gentrification, high school drop-outs and more. And we recorded, shot, and videotaped the whole interview, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything.

What they told us in no way tells the whole story about black Austin. That’s way too complicated for just three men to explain. But I learned a lot. I’m not sure what I can do personally to help East Austin beyond supporting the residents and their efforts to maintain their community and culture.  Mostly we wanted to offer another opportunity for their story to be told.

I hope you’ll take a look at the story, photos, and video when it comes out next month.

Please feel free to send this link to a friend of colleague. Also, thanks for adding us to your media list – we’d love to hear more about your organization and cause.

To download your copy, just click on the cover or on the link below. Please let us know what you think. Feel free to send me any feedback or post a comment below.

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I love it when organizations break out of how things are supposed to be done and just do it however they want. It can be a hard sell at the board meeting when this kind of thing comes up. You sit there with a group of people, brainstorming ideas for an event, when all of a sudden someone pipes up and says, “Hey, and we can charge, like, $88 and $108, and $288 for tickets. Get it? Eight? Like Catalyst 8?”

Dead silence.

But someone on the Catalyst 8 event planning commitee must have done a great job selling this one. Good for them!

Join Catalyst 8 as they celebrate their 3rd Anniversary at the …
Catalyst 8 BASH 08
8:00PM
Long Center for the Performing Arts.
Individual tickets for Catalyst 8 members are $88.00, $108.00 for nonmembers and $288.00 for Host Committee Members which includes 2 tickets and the VIP reception.
Live dance music by Sauce!

Get more information and buy tickets on the Long Center’s website.

Have you ever tried giving yourself a hand massage? It’s kind of like tickling yourself – it’s just not the same as when somebody else does it.

Once again, Theatre Action Project has come up with an inspired fundraising event. Its Community Wellness Day on Sunday, May 4, will offer a variety of services, refreshments, and classes – from hand massage to pilates and something called Feldenkrais – all free, but it sure would be great if you could support TAP with a donation.

This event is a great way to explore some new health techniques and services that could better your body and mind while showing your support for a true Austin treasure, TAP, which has been helping children and adults learn more about self expression for more than 10 years.

The benefit runs from 1 to 5 pm at Casa de Luz, Austin’s home for the vegan, macrobiotic, and organic goodness lifestyle, at the end of the street behind Chuy’s on Barton Springs Rd.

Find out more about TAP, Community Wellness Day and maybe Feldenkrais here.

Community Wellness Day
Sunday, May 4
1 to 5 PM
Casa de Luz
1701 Toomey Rd.
Free health and wellness classes and services
Donations welcome
All benefitting Theatre Action Project

I have never been to a bachelor auction, but I may go to this one for… ahem… research.

That’s my reason. Your reason is to support two important – and dare I say, cool – organizations in Austin: First, the Austin Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, a nonprofit, professional organization created to support and encourage women in these fields and further their impact on the community. The second organization is Latinitas, a nonprofit, bilingual Web zine made for and by Latina youth, and founded in Austin by students from UT.

If that’s not enough reason, please let me introduce you to one of the bachelors and his prize package.

David Rice is a writer, but more than that he’s an outspoken community leader driven by a calling much bigger than his own work. Here’s a quote from an interview with him published in the Austin Chronicle a few years ago:

“…what I have written is nothing compared to what has not been written by these folks down in the Valley. And in South Texas, and in Laredo, and in El Paso. There’s a wealth of stories in those areas that have to be told. Writing is history. All literature is history. So you must write. My stories go way beyond the author, they’re about culture and heritage. And therefore I have a responsibility to show them.”

I’ve met David before and spoken to him several times, so I feel I can say that he is not the least bit shy. Still, to be put up for auction, evaluated and bid upon by women who put a dollar amount on your worth … that’s beyond what most of us and our egos could bear. So I asked him a few questions:

1. Is this at all embarrassing?
It’s more embarrassing to do nothing for your community.

2. Tell us about your package … the one you’re offering for the auction … the one that includes gift cards, etc. Geez!
My package includes: A plane ride around Austin. Z’Tejas Dinner. Charbay Vodka. Haircut from Bird’s Barbershop. A Bike Tune up. Two Cine Las Americas all access film pass. Castle Hills Fitness workout. Book People Books. A round of golf for two. A family Portrait, photograph.

3. How much do you think you’ll fetch?
My package is valued around $945.00. How much will I fetch, I have no idea.

4. Do you have to strut around or what?
I don’t strut, but I do walk with a purpose.

5. And for the lady who wins… what will she get, exactly?
Whoever wins me gets my package, and if she can keep up, maybe a little bar hoping: Starlite, Sullivans, Whiskey Bar, Besty Bar, Side Bar, Creek Side Saloon, Texas Chili Parlor, and Rio Rita. But it depends on the night.

A date with me will tick off your father, but your mother will understand and even envy you. Sure, I’ve got Peter Pan syndrome and my friends are all bar tenders, but at least I don’t go home with them. ADHD you ask? You bet. I can’t sit still, and I get bored easily, so you gotta keep up and keep me guessing or you can move on to the guy in the khaki pants and baseball cap.

Yeah, I can dance and know lots of jokes and I don’t quote movies. I read lots and I write, but you won’t see me doing either cause when you’re around, you’re my focus and I love to talk between kisses. I never shut up, unless you’re dumb. I like smart women and smart ass women, even more.

So, I dare you. Bid on me.

You heard the man. Now go get ‘em.

Sweetheart Bachelor Auction
Benefiting American Women in Radio and Television and Latinitas of Austin
Wednesday, Feb 13
Vicci Nightclub, 404 Colorado
$10 in advance
$15 at the door
Silent auction, drink specials, and more

For more information visit the AWRT page or contact Lisa King at lisa.king@twcable.com

To see photos of all the bachelors, including David Rice, click here.