How long have you called Austin (or Central Texas) home, and what’s kept you here? Austin has been our home for the past 42 years. Over those decades, we have watched Austin grow and evolve from a relatively small city into a vibrant, diverse, and dynamic community. Yet, what has […]
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Doing Good Together: Light A Lamp – One More Child at the Table
By Prashant Sheth On November 8, we will light the lamps of Diwali. In the weeks that follow, tables across Central Texas will fill with the foods and traditions we love. Sweets will pass from home to home. Gurdwaras will welcome neighbors to langar on Guru Nanak Jayanti. Families will […]
Read MoreDoing Good Together: The Native American Tradition of Wampum
By Ray Brimble When my kids were little, we loved to gather the colorful beans of the mountain laurel and the Mexican buckeye and giving them away for fun, not knowing until years later that we were participating the Native American custom of “Wampum”. In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day […]
Read MoreiACT for Refugees: Refugee Resilience
By Chad Pevateaux I dream of a world where the kind of resilience that our refugee clients exhibit every day–which is astounding–isn’t necessary. A world where people don’t have to flee for their lives because they face persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a […]
Read MoreVolunteer Spotlight: Stan Adelman
Where are you from? I was born in November 1942 in Libertyville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I have a B.S. in History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a M.S. in history and an Ed.D. in Secondary Education, both from Northern Illinois University. I spent 6 years teaching […]
Read MoreHands on Housing: Barbara McDonald
Pictured on the right of this photo, Mrs. Barbara McDonald lives in her lovely home with her daughter (middle) and son-in-law (left) along with her granddaughter. Mrs. McDonald is a savvy woman who is working hard to make her home as safe and beautiful as possible to pass down to […]
Read MoreIntern Spotlight: Kendall Gawlik
Where are you from? I’m from all over! I grew up in a military family, and we were lucky enough to be able to live overseas most of my life, but I recently moved from NC after living there for 9 years! How long have you been in Austin? I’ve […]
Read MoreDoing Good Together: Dr. Charles A. Moody Jr.
Your Hustle Is Not Your Grind Somewhere between our first cup of coffee and our last unanswered email, a lot of us in Austin have quietly stopped living and started performing. We call it the grind. We wear it like a badge. But I want to gently suggest, from the […]
Read MoreiACT for Refugees: Refugee Youth Mentorship
Driving the mentees home after our most recent youth mentorship iBelong gathering, I asked how they thought it had gone. One of them quickly said, “That was the best one yet!” “What made it so good?” I asked. She answered, “There were just so many people there who wanted to […]
Read MoreHands on Housing: The Pena Family
Pictured here is the beautiful Pena family! Dr. Rosa Pena, Soila Salinas, Tomasa Pena, and Dr. Pena’s daughter have worked for many years to make Tomasa’s home safe for her and her sister. Dr. Pena’s family have always lived near Mrs. Pena in order to provide support. Now, her home […]
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