| Upcoming Events!!! |
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4/22 6:30-8:30pm Member recruiting event at Grape Vine Market ... bring any friends who are interested in membership!
Mark your calendars:
6/10/08 Annual meeting at Dell Jewish Community Center 6 - 9 pm
6/12/08 Check presentation ceremony at City Hall
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| Grant Update
We've asked 32 organizations (out of 128 Letters of Inquiry) to apply for our grants:
Culture:
Arc of the Capital Area
Paramount & State Theatres
Salvage Vanguard Theater
Austin Shakespeare
Southwest Key Programs
Education:
Dress for Success
Huston-Tillotson University
Austin Academy
Breakthrough
Austin Area Interreligious Ministries
Classical Guitar Society
PeopleFund
Girlstart
Environment:
Colorado River Foundation
Ecology Action of Texas
Austin Parks Foundation
Keep Austin Beautiful
Family:
FamilyConnections
Volunteer Legal Services
Capital IDEA
Wonders & Worries
Foundation Communities
The First Tee
Catholic Charities
Goodwill Industries
Health & wellness:
SafePlace
Caritas
Ride on Center for Kids (ROCK)
Planned Parenthood
Austin Groups for the Elderly
Easter Seals
Any Baby Can
Applications were due at the end of February and our Focus Area Committees (FACs) will be narrowing down these lists to those who will go on to the next phase, site visits. |
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Invite a Friend! |
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| Please bring a friend to our next member recruiting event. Sip wine and enjoy appetizers while hearing the story of Impact Austin.
Tuesday, April 22nd
6:30 - 8:30pm
Grape Vine Market
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All for the Children ... |
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 Who would have guessed that a site visit by Impact Austin in 2007 would drastically change the life of Adrianna? Impact Austin committee members heard a heartfelt plea from her to find a family who would adopt her. She is just one of more than 500 children in the Texas foster care program waiting for a family to love, guide and cherish her.
"Adrianna was a 17-year-old runaway. We kept just telling her to believe -- that there was a family out there for her," said Tracy Eilers, executive director of the Adoption Coalition of Texas.
Utilizing the $104,000 grant from Impact Austin, Eilers was able to generate additional programs and visibility for her program which aids nonprofit child placing agencies and Child Protective Services. "We wanted to serve more children -- especially older children -- and get their information out there so families would know these children exist," said Eilers.
The grant money was used to expand the core program which includes, among other things, the Heart Gallery project, a traveling art exhibit of photographs of children waiting for adoption and Forever Families, a news segment airing every Sunday on News 8 Austin. Eilers was able to hire additional staff to support her efforts along with fund raising and an ambassador program.
"The Impact Austin grant has had a tremendous, positive impact over the past year," said Eilers. "It's allowed us to expand our initiatives, spend time getting to know the children better, spend more time with families exploring adoption and do more networking in the community. And, most of all, we've increased the number of adoptions and are moving children into families more quickly."
And now for the happy ending: on February 27th, shortly before her 18th birthday, Adrianna was asked by a judge if she wanted to stay forever with her adoptive family. Her answer, an enthusiastic "Yep!" She credits the Heart Gallery with helping her find her family. And, to commemorate her adoption she's taken the name Grace - meaning blessed.
Note: above photo by Mariza Brussolo from The Heart Gallery of Central Texas. |
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What an Eye-opener!!!
Discovery Day 2008
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Linda Roudebush and Debbie Dupin, Impact Austin members, join Lorene Phillips and Andrea Bryant from the Town Lakes Chapter of The Links.
From subjects as diverse as the state of Austin's environment, to the state of our area's education system, Discovery Day was an illuminating event. More than 100 women (and a handful of men) showed up on February 16th to hear expert speakers address issues tied to Impact Austin's key grant categories. Brigid Shea, environmental and public policy consultant and ex-City Council member, addressed pressing concerns affecting Austin's environmental health. Factors affecting the local economy were presented by Jon Hockenyos, Managing Director, Texas Perspectives Inc. along with Andy Martinez, President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who provided insights into issues facing the Hispanic community and Hispanic business owners. Health and wellness issues were discussed by Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Director of the Institute for Health Policy at UT, and Vincent Kitch, provided an overview of the "CreateAustin" Cultural Program recently unveiled by the City of Austin. Susan Dawson, Executive Director of E3 Alliance, wrapped up by enlightening us on the state of education, here and around the country. The speakers were not only exceptional but also highly qualified.
Almost three quarters of the attendees that morning completed a feedback survey. They unanimously said the presentations were informative and relevant and that Discovery Day should continue to be an annual event. One of the morning's attendees had the following to say " The speakers were absolutely outstanding ... their talks were informative and provided a good overview of the many opportunities available to our organization to make a positive difference in our community." Another woman said,
"Bringing in thought leaders in each of our five focus areas is great." Yet another attendee commented, "This seminar was hugely informative and really raised my awareness of the issues."
Discovery Day is one aspect of Impact Austin's many efforts to inform and educate its members on areas of need in our community. Be sure to join us next year for this top notch learning experience! |
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We're so Honored! |
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Sherry Ellis, Assistance
League of Austin, with Rebecca Powers
On January 29th, Impact Austin gratefully accepted the Outstanding 2007 Philanthropy Organization of the Year award from the Austin Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. We are thrilled to receive this recognition. Join us in taking a bow for our wonderful group of women! |
 Ask a friend to join Impact Austin!
For more information, please contact Dawn Skinner at dskinner@impact-austin.org or visit our website at www.impact-austin.org | |
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