A little over a month ago, I stumbled upon what might be the cutest nonprofit in Austin. Minis and Friends Austin is a group that loves miniature horses and wants to share their love with the Austin community.

Founded in 2007, the organization brings trained miniature horses, no taller than 32 inches, to visit facilities like children’s hospitals, retirement communities, and centers for at-risk youth or individuals in transition.

I’m excited to share a little about Minis and Friends because its volunteers are doing great work. Besides, who doesn’t want to see photos of adorable mini horses at work? [Read more…]

Water, air, food, shelter, clothing. These are basic needs all humans have. Austin-based Gazelle Foundation has a singular goal: provide clean water to people in Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Our city’s link to Burundi is a remarkable survivor, and proponent of joy and helping others, Gilbert Tuhabonye.

An Inspired Life

Gilbert Tuhabonye has survived horrors most of us cannot imagine. As a young child, he escaped a brutal attack by Hutu tribesman at his school, where the marauders beat the Tutsi children with machetes and set them on fire. Tuhabonye managed to escape through a window and literally run to freedom, despite being on fire. Today he exudes hope, and practices forgiveness and faith. He now works to save his people through Gazelle Foundation. [Read more…]

Want to hear a sad song? Over the past decade, schools in the U.S., including Texas, have seen a decline in arts education. It’s getting harder to compete for funding in an era of shrinking budgets, test-based curriculum and growth in STEM fields.

To add an even sadder note, the problem is even worse in low-income schools. If an affluent school has its arts budget slashed, the students still have opportunities to be creative outside of the classroom. There are private lessons, after-school programs, and more.

That is not the case for low-income students. If we believe the arts are valuable to individuals and our society, then stripping art education from low-income kids should be unacceptable. [Read more…]

It may seem like every beautiful apartment complex in Austin is financially out of reach. With rent continuing to soar, how do we keep some sense of balance in our city? Even though working toward affordable housing solutions in Austin may feel impossibly weighty, Foundation Communities has been tackling this issue with unwavering persistence. [Read more…]

In 1992, a Latina baby girl had less than a one percent chance of acquiring a college education. It was a grim statistic, one Austin Latinas and fellow women took to heart. It was a statistic they set out to change. The result was Con Mi MADRE.

What began as a mother-daughter program in 1992 has become a thriving nonprofit that serves more than 600 young Latinas and their mothers in the greater Austin area. For the past 24 years, Con Mi MADRE has worked to change the expectations and stigmas for young Latina women.

Today, the organization works to open doors for members, exposing them to opportunities they never thought possible. [Read more…]