For almost 20 years, Animal Trustees of Austin has provided safe, compassionate and affordable treatment for animals in our community regardless of their owner’s income. We were so excited to donate $3,735.00 to ATA yesterday on behalf of Andrea (and her family).

Did you know that the Austin Community Foundation will match every $4 of your gift with an additional $1? If you are interested in more information check out this link:
http://www.austincommunityfoundation.org/?nd=nonprofit_endowment_initiative

For more information about Animal Trustees of Austin check them out here:
http://www.animaltrustees.org/

With these two donations, Give Realty reached a milestone of $150,000.00 donated since the company’s start in 2008. What a wonderful way to close out 2011!

LifeWorks supports youth and families to achieve self-sufficiency and make generational change. LifeWorks has identified four basic cornerstones necessary to this scale of success – Housing, Counseling, Education/Workforce, and Youth Development. They have developed a full continuum of services within each. LifeWorks believes there is no “one size fits all” and that every family has different needs and different goals. Youth, individuals and families may use any combination of services below to move their lives forward.

The b club is a grassroots, volunteer fundraising group that raises awareness and funds for the Breast Cancer Emergency Support Fund (BCESF) through a variety of fabulous events and fantastic parties. The b club is unique in that every dollar raised at a b club event or party goes directly to the BCESF. BCESF helps relieve financial obligations such as rent/mortgage payment, utilities, food, transportation, medications, and lymphedema supplies, so women can afford to complete treatment.

Beginning in middle school, Breakthrough addresses fundamental gaps in students’ skills and resources by providing academic enrichment, mentoring, family involvement, leadership and service, test preparation, and clear information on navigating school bureaucracy, financial aid, and the college admissions process.

More than 90% of Breakthrough’s first three classes of seniors graduated from high school in four years–far exceeding the average completion rate of low-income students in Austin ISD and Manor  ISD.

Breakthrough students’ collegeenrollment rate (75%) nearly doubles that of their Central Texas low-income peers (39%).

In cooperation with Alison Alter and Jeremi Suri Give Realty created a  Social Entrepreneurship Scholarship through Austin Community Foundation.  We are overjoyed about this oppotunity to continue to promote Social Entrepreneurship!  Our first scholarship will be to Leadership Austin for the 2013 Essentials Class.

The Austin Community Foundation is a community foundation, a non-profit organization that provides stewardship for over seven hundred individual charitable funds. With its specialized services, the Austin Community Foundation gives donors efficient charitable fund administration. Alison and Jeremi created this fund to help teach Natalie and Zachary the joy and value of philanthropy.

Food for the Hungry was founded in 1971 and is now helping communities transform themselves in more than 26 countries. They serve these communities by working to provide food security, access to clean water, education on health and nutrition and creating micro-enterprise.

The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders is a unique all-girls public school founded to educate young women and give them the confidence and skills necessary to succeed in college, in their careers, and in their communities. This donation will help fund a three week long educational and cultural immersion experience for a group of 20 students this summer.

Julie Johnson Gives the Gift of Support to Women

Julie Johnson strongly believes in the importance and power of improving the lives of women. “If you help a mother, you help their children.” This belief is the reason she chose to have her Give Realty facilitated donation to the Women Rising Project (WRP) and SAHELI.

Helping women is exactly what Julie’s move did, as it led to a contribution of $1430 to WRP, a collaborative project at AIDS Services of Austin providing services and programs to women with HIV and AIDS in a nurturing, peer-driven atmosphere. The education, connection and advocacy provided create healthier and happier lives for the women served by the organization. Julie’s gift will host a one-day retreat this fall for 25 to 35 HIV+ women.

Sylvia Lopez, co-founder of WRP, met Julie years ago when she generously volunteered her services as a massage therapist to treat the staff at AIDS Services of Austin. Sylvia would not have guessed that years later Julie would again be making a generous contribution in such a unique way.

“I was elated and deeply touched,” said Sylvia, “to once again see a woman from the community supporting women.”

Julie’s contributions to area women didn’t stop there. She also donated $1430 to SAHELI, an organization offering assistance to Asian and other immigrant families struggling with domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking. The unique non-profit integrates specific cultural and language needs into the services it provides and models itself after the six words represented in its name: Support, Advocate, Heal, Empower, Listen and Inform. The donation made on Julie’s behalf will result in emergency housing for several more families and a large contribution to their survivor assistance fund.

Julie believes the Give Realty business model is a lesson to be learned. “If Give Realty’s model was replicated, it would change the landscape of how well off the community is. Imagine the support the community would receive if all the realtors in Austin had the same model.”

 Three Ways to Help AIDS Services of Austin

 1. Volunteer. The Food Bank is in special need of volunteers. Contact the volunteer services coordinator Sandy Bartlett at 512-406-6163 or sandy.bartlett@asaustin.org for details.

2. Participate in Special Events. Retreats and AIDS Walk Austin require participants and volunteers to execute events.

3.  Provide office assistance. Help is needed for administrative duties, sending out mailings and providing back-up for front desk reception.

Three Ways to Help SAHELI

 1.  Respect your loved ones. SAHELI believes recognizing that love and respect take energy is one of the most important things we all can do.

2.  Volunteer. SAHELI is in need of interpreters, fundraisers, clerical support, graphic designers and board members who are committed and passionate about the cause of trafficking and domestic violence.

3.  Donate.  Clothing, toiletries and culturally specific food are needed.

Girlstart’s mission is to empower girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1997, Girlstart is one of the few community-based informal education programs in the nation specifically dedicated to empowering and equipping K–12 girls in STEM. This donation will help support Girlstart’s Annual Luncheon on October 12th 2011 that will spotlight “gaming”. For more information go to girlstart.org.