Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/461140
photography courtesy of capital area food bank The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas helps the one in four children in Austin who are hungry. right from top: The food bank distributed 29 million pounds of food in 2014; the new facility will have double the space of its current warehouse. Charity register Opportunities to give. WONDERS & WORRIES UNMASKED More than 400 guests will enjoy an Italian-themed mas- querade ball, complete with opera singers, entertainers, music by DJ Hear No Evil, and a live auction and raffe. Proceeds will beneft children of parents with serious or life-threatening illnesses. Wonders & Worries is the only program to offer free professional Child-Life services and personalized coping support for children and their families. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $2,500. When: February 27 Where: JW Marriott Hotel, 110 E. Second St., 512-474-4777 Contact: Lindsey Boyd, lindsey@wondersandworries.org HUSTON-TILLOTSON PRESIDENT'S MASKED SCHOLARSHIP GALA The 12th annual gala will feature dinner, danc- ing, music by Grammy-winning blues sensation Gary Clark Jr., a silent auction, and the popular Grand Parade of Masks Competition. Hosted by local corporate sponsors, the event benefts students at Huston-Tillotson University with scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $150,000. When: March 7, 6 pm Where: JW Marriott Hotel, 110 E. Second St., 512-474-4777 Contact: Linda Jackson, 512-505-3073; events@htu.edu I AM WATERS SPRING SUPERMODEL LUNCHEON Join modeling legends Cheryl Tiegs, Jerry Hall, Kelly Emberg, and others as they honor Austinite Charmaine McGill during the I Am Waters Foundation's frst Austin luncheon. The Houston-based charity hopes to raise awareness and funds to enrich the lives of America's homeless by providing clean bottled water delivered with a daily message of hope, love, and a sense of belonging to a greater community. Tickets are $500; sponsorships range from $5,000 to $25,000. When: March 12, 11 am–2 pm Where: Four Seasons Hotel, 98 San Jacinto Blvd., 512-478-4500 Contact: Elena Davis, elena@iamwaters.com RIDE, DRIVE, GIVE AT COTA Ride with a professional driver around the Circuit of the Americas track, and support the Center for Child Protection. Packages (from $1,995 to $3,595) include one-on-one instruction from a pro, photos, and a swag bag. Proceeds will beneft abused children in Travis County. When: March 30 Where: Circuit of the Americas, 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd., 512-301-6600 Contact: Emma Hoyle, 512-472-1164; ehoyle@centerforchildprotection.org make a better life for myself and for Abigail, now 21, and my other daughter, Makenzie, now 17. "People would never guess I am one to have experienced poverty; they think they know who the hungry are. They think it's the person on the street corner holding a sign; in reality, many work- ing families are struggling to make ends meet without enough money to buy food. I often think about those in Dove Springs and other areas of Austin who don't have easy access to produce. I'll meet kids who don't even know what a sweet potato is because they've never seen one. "A lt hough Aust in often tops t he list as t he fastest-g row ing cit y, w it h unemploy ment rates at a n a ll-t ime low, t he gap bet ween t he wea lt hy a nd t he poor is w idening. This div ide could be t he dow nfa ll of our cit y; we're in a place of plent y, a nd hunger is absolutely unaccept able in a cit y like ours. I rea lize it's a loft y goa l to t r y to end a ll t he hunger in t he world, but ending hunger loca lly is absolutely possible. One in ever y four k ids in Aust in is hung r y, a nd t hat st at ist ic should bot her us. A big pa r t of my job is to educate t hose who a re unawa re of t his g row ing problem in our com munit y. "W hen t he food ba nk's facilit y wa s built 17 yea rs ago, nobody ever predicted we would out - g row t he space t hat is desig ned to hold 2 4 m illion pounds of food per yea r. La st yea r we dist r ib - uted 2 9 m illion pounds of food a nd were st ill 30 percent shor t of t he dema nd. We emba rked on a $2 0 m i l l ion capit a l ca mpa ig n to bu i ld a 13 5,0 0 0 - squa re -foot faci l it y t hat w i l l i nclude a com mercia l k it chen a nd double t he cu r rent wa rehouse space. T he Food Ba n k is t he la rgest hu nger -rel ief org a n i zat ion i n C ent ra l Texa s; w it h proper i n f ra st r uct u re, we ca n t u r n ever y donat ed dol la r i nt o $ 6 wor t h of food. "Overcom ing pover t y wa s cer t a inly a long road for me. My role w it h t he Food Ba nk is t he f irst job t hat a llows me to be tot a lly aut hent ic, in t he moment , a nd emot iona l. I've got ten hur t a lot of t imes in t his job, but t hat 's okay because it feels rea l a nd genuine." austinfoodbank.org AW "We're in a place of plenty, and hunger is absolutely unacceptable in a city like ours." — joanna linden 56  AUSTINWAY.com PeOPLe spirit of generosity