Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.
Credit: The Austin Center for Grief & Loss
The Austin Center for Grief & Loss was created in 2007 by founder Khris Ford. Ford’s mission was, and still is, to help Austinites navigate the overwhelming experience of grief. After the death of her own son, she was called to help others experience the transformative power of grief. [Read more…]
Credit: Minis and Friends
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…]
The main stage at Farmgrass Fest 2017, located at Simmons Family Farm in Lockhart, TX
(Credit: Jaclyn Hubersberger)
Organic farming is undoubtedly a labor of love and we’re lucky to live in a region where this love exists in abundance, in comparison to other parts of the country. Austinites have embraced the fact that local, organic fruits and vegetables, and grass-fed, pastured-raised meat, eggs, and dairy purchased from any of the city’s numerous farmers’ markets are superior to many of the products found on supermarket shelves.
Even so, of the 240,000 farms located in Texas, only 178 are certified organic. With the departure of a generation of retirement-age farmers and increasing barriers faced by a new generation, that number is unlikely to increase anytime soon. Economic challenges faced by organic farmers are greater than those faced by farmers of larger, conventional farms who receive government subsidies, and this often means going without access to adequate and affordable healthcare.
Farmgrass, a local Austin nonprofit organization, is raising funds to provide assistance to Central Texas organic farmers when they find their health, and the health of their farms, in a state of emergency. [Read more…]
Child in Burundi drinks clean water from a tap stand (Credit: Gazelle Foundation/Spencer Selvedge)
Gilbert Tuhabonye is Gazelle Foundation’s inspiration and strong, joyful leader
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.
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…]
Austin Music Foundation seeks to elevate and educate Austin’s music community (Credit: Mathis Kennington)
Even in the Live Music Capital of the World, it’s tough to make a living as a musician. From poor pay to middling tips to late hours, succeeding in the Austin music scene requires patience, persistence, and a little luck. Unfortunately, the music isn’t always enough.
Enter Austin Music Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to bolstering our creative community through artist-empowering programs, education, and economic opportunities. With the organization’s newest venture, the Artist Development Program, Austin Music Foundation aims to educate Austin artists on how to navigate the tricky world of the music industry. [Read more…]
Credit: Grounded in Music
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…]
A historically important park with strong connections to East Austin communities, Palm Park will be revitalized as a major entrance to the creek trail and a central gathering place. The redesigned park will host a variety of community programs including movie nights, open-air markets and outdoor exhibitions. (Rendering courtesy of Waller Creek Conservancy)
The city of Austin is home to more than 300 parks, but there’s always room for more, especially when we’re talking about accessible green space in the highly urbanized and rapidly growing downtown area. Waller Creek is a one and a half mile riparian ecosystem that begins at Waterloo Park and travels south along the eastern edge of downtown Austin to converge with Lady Bird Lake.
In partnership with the City of Austin and thanks to a $15 million grant from the Moody Foundation–the largest amount for parks and public open space ever gifted in the city of Austin–Waller Creek Conservancy will break ground on Phase 1 of its revitalization project later this year, beginning with Waterloo Park. [Read more…]
During Amplify Austin Day 2016 at the offices of I Live Here, I Give Here
On March 2 starting at 6 p.m., Amplify Austin Day will be in full swing with a goal of raising $9 million in 24 hours. Last year $8.5 million was raised, with 40 percent of donations attributed to first-time donors and 31 percent of site users being millennials.
Editor’s Note: Amplify Austin ended up raising over $9.8 million in 2017! This was their most successful fundraising event to date. There were more than 64,500 individual donations supporting about 700 nonprofits in Central Texas. Thank you to all of our neighbors who contributed!
The nonprofit organization I Live Here, I Give Here created Amplify Austin Day in 2012. Five years later, Amplify Austin has raised over $25 million for more than 600 local nonprofits. Austinites can now visit one place to support 700 mission-driven organizations of their choice that are providing real, tangible solutions within our community. [Read more…]
Welcome to Austin Toy Museum (Credit: Wright Sulek)
It seems appropriate that Austin would have a museum of toys, mostly due to how serious we are about playfulness. When it comes to fostering a playful spirit as a way of life, Austin Toy Museum has it down!
Imagination and nostalgia line the walls of Austin Toy Museum, which has over 40,000 rotating items for display. While visitors certainly get a glimpse into past childhood joy, Austin Toy Museum serves the community in surprising ways. [Read more…]
The new Lakeline Station Apartments (Credit: Foundation Communities)
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…]
