Real progress! East Austin doing something about drop-outs

Imagine having no middle school for your child. That’s the situation for many East Austin families. A new middle school not only fills that void, it creates an innovative learning environment that prepares these kids for college – not just high school but college.
Tomorrow night (November 5), Southwest Key will host an open house for the East Austin [...]

JULY 31-AUG 1: World’s First Nonprofit Film Fest -in Austin!

Have you ever been moved by a public service announcement? Have you watched a video on YouTube that inspired you to reach out to the community and do something?
We’ve all seen those little videos on YouTube, another website, or even television, and usually we’re alone in front of the screen. But there’s something powerful about [...]

My sister is overwhelmed

My sister’s the introspective type. She’s also the type who just puts down her purse and gets things done, which is part of what I love about her. She doesn’t work but she keeps herself busy with a number of projects, and right now, she’s rescuing dogs.
My sister lives in San Antonio with her husband, [...]

Austin author releases new book about the orphans of India

For three years, Shelley Seale would travel to the orphanages of India, bags loaded with treats and toys to share with the children who had made such an enormous impact on her. After all, these were the same children who inspired the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Each time she got to know the children’s stories a little [...]

We’re lucky to think of this as an adventure

A friend of mine sent me an email this morning.
He’s trying to get his PhD while working full-time, one of his sons might be gay, and his wife just had her job at the local high school elminated. ”They decided to use the stimulus money for slip ‘n slides at the middle school,” he said.  
“That’s the digest from [...]

Announcing our YouTube channel…

I’m such a follower. But we have a few videos related to the next issue, and uploading to the ‘Tube is so much easier than uploading to WordPress. Plus, I need the self-gratification that comes with mastering a Web application and gaining new “friends” and “subscribers.” (I wish I were joking.) Please check out the [...]

Remarkable Austinites who just happen to your need help getting food

Sarah Andrews of Meals on Wheels and More wrote me last week with lots of great news about this longstanding organization. First the biggest news was that it is going to be the recipient of the money raised by next year’s Capital 10K race, which last year raised more than $180,000 for University Medical Center [...]

What the MS 150 looks like from the power chair

In our first issue, Elizabeth Eckstein wrote about her participation in the MS 150 and what the ride means to her. She’s done three at this point, and she tends to be the star, with random people handing her presents, slapping her high-fives and cheering her on.
She’s not a rider, though. She’s an observer from [...]

Meeting Nicki today to talk about her breast cancer

You might have heard that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You might have also heard the statistics – the ones that scare the bejeesus out of you: “The National Cancer Institute, a component of the National Institutes of Health, estimates that, based on current rates, 12.7 percent of women born today will be diagnosed [...]

BLOG ACTION DAY: Mando’s videos bring new voices to the conversation about poverty

There are people who talk about poverty every day in Central Texas, and there are people who live in poverty every day in Central Texas, and for the most part they are not the same people. They don’t even look like the same people.
All that is to say what I think lots of people don’t [...]