• We’ve Moved!

    So, it’s like this: We started out as a small group of folks from South Austin, so our name said it all – South Austin Cares. Then, our little group grew beyond South Austin. South Austin Cares was a work of renewal and restoration and it had become a work by Austinites for Austin, so we went with Restore Austin. Well, then that little group began to grow more and we started to ask, “what about restoring Hays county, or Round Rock, or Cedar Park?” Well, yes, the obvious answer is yes, so, as of March 1st, we have become Restore Communities. Simply stated, whether the community is in Austin or Hays county, whether it’s a community of homeless or environmentalist or anything in between, we want to be part of the restoration of all kinds of community! So, we are now Restore Communities, and you can find us at our new site: www.restorecommunties.org

  • Guest Post: Austin Angels

    This month’s guest blog is from Susan Brubaker from Austin Angels.  The Angels have become great friends of Restore Austin and amazing partners.   They do some amazing work here in the Austin area, and we thought it would be great to give them the platform of our monthly guest post to speak to you:

    Our mission: It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what your faith is, what your social economic class is, race, sex, color, age etc.. We welcome EVERYONE to volunteer with us! All we ask is that you have a generous heart and a desire to want to help people.

    We are an organization mostly known for serving the children of Austin.

    Below is a list of some of the service projects that we accomplished in 2010.

    • January & February- Made over 7 rooms at Hope Alliance a battered women and children’s shelter in Round Rock.
    • March- Extreme Make over on a family in Buda!
    • April- 56 summer bags for the orphans at St. Judes Children’s Home in New Braunfels
    • May- Charity Boot Camp- Buda
    • June- Day of Beauty for the girls at the Settlement Home in Austin.
    • July- Room Makeover at the Texas Baptist Childrens Home.
    • August- Raised 7,000 pieces of School Supplies for Perez Elementary School- Austin
    • September- (is our only international month of the year) we teamed up with Help End Local Poverty and Raised $3,000 to help build a home for the orphans in Haiti.
    • October- Threw a HUGE fall festival party for the girls at the Settlement Home in Austin.
    • November- donated a 100 turkeys and made thanksgiving baskets for 100 Military soldiers at the Food Care Center in Killen.
    • December- Threw a Christmas Party for 90 foster children with Texas Mentor and partnered with Restore Austin, Music for the City and HELP to raise awareness on human trafficking.

    Austin Angels makes it very easy to volunteer! Once a month (every month) we all come together and serve. It makes no difference to us how you choose to participate. Some of our volunteers give their time because they are limited in funds, some give money, some share our story and some pray for us. We welcome anything and everything that you can do to help our organization grow. To date we have 800 volunteers but we want that number to grow. Our goal is to have everyone in Austin -volunteering once a month- either with or without us!

    At the beginning of every month I will send out an email letting all the volunteers know about the mission for the month plus all the details to the service project.

    We understand that everyone’s schedule is not the same. Whatever your schedule permits for joining us is 100% fine! We know that not everyone will get to volunteer each month. If it works out that you can join us..Great! If not, we will see you at the next one!

    If you would like to become an ANGEL (volunteer) please email me (Susan.Brubaker@austinangels.net) your email address and I will add you to our distribution list.  Once you do this, you will start receiving all of our newsletters monthly!

    Can’t wait to see you on our next project!  Blessings!

    Susan

  • Guest Post: The Open Arms Shop

    In January, 2010, I took a trip to Uganda. I focused much of my time visiting orphanages in the area, feeling inspired by the work done there. By chance (but really, is anything by chance?), I also spent time with a group of refugee women from the Acholi tribe. These women had been abused by rebel forces resulting in 80% of them being HIV positive. I marveled at the resilience of their spirits as we sang and danced together. Their dignity in the face of trials moved me deeply. I left them knowing I wanted to do something to help refugee women. But how could I do it from the States?

    Upon returning to Austin, I was drawn to the rapidly growing yet largely invisible refugee population in my own community. I had completed a training program to help their families and began enrolling their children in school. As I got to know one refugee family in particular, their experience with fear and isolation convinced me the time to act was now and the place to help was Austin, Texas.

    I set up a meeting with the director of Refugee Services of Texas and asked the question, “What is the biggest need for the refugees living in our community?” Her answer kick-started this social enterprise. She said that most of the refugees end up in jobs where they are overworked and underpaid and get caught in a cycle of dependency and despair. What they need, she explained, are sustainable jobs that provide a livable wage. So, I set out to start a business that would employ refugee women at a wage that would allow them to provide for their families……a company with a conscience!

    I started asking some of my friends if they wanted to join the adventure of starting such a company and was pleased but not surprised at their positive responses. Lacey Strake was the first to say “yes”, which fit well with her heart and the fact we’d discussed doing something like this over 10 years ago. (We even referred to it as Open Arms in those long-ago conversations.) We were quickly joined by several other friends and seemingly overnight, we had a seven-woman team overflowing with passion and complementary talents. It was like watching the perfect puzzle pieces fall into place. Our team launched into the unique challenges of creating a business that offers a compelling product, pays a reasonable wage and matches the skills and experience of our refugee employees.


    The product……..
    As we wracked our brains about what to make and sell, we researched and spent time on product development for several ideas that ended up falling short. My husband, Robert, and I even got into a nightly ritual of “business brainstorming.” (I know…very romantic). One night, with our brains tired from going down too many rabbit trails, we asked the simple question: “What do people have a lot of…but don’t really need?” The answer came like a lightning bolt…T-SHIRTS! As our minds raced, we talked about how t-shirts and refugees share a similar story: created with hope, but often tossed aside. With Open Arms, refugees (and countless shirts) will get a new start, a new lease on life.

    From the start, we determined to do business differently. What if our company offered enrichment opportunities where the employees could participate in brown bag lunches with experts on relevant subjects? What if they had the option to attend an ESL class during the workday? What if we offered a childcare co-op for our mothers so they could bring their children to work since childcare is often cost-prohibitive? What if we offered job-share opportunities for those who need to get home to be with their kids? What if we instituted an early literacy program for pre-school age children of our employees, giving them a solid start as they enter school? What if we invited the community to join us for lunch once a month to talk about poverty issues and ways to help break the cycle of poverty? What if…….

    I’m convinced the passion and work ethic of our team (Alexia, Diane, Katherine, Lacey, Linda, and Trina…..not to mention the spouses who have been roped into countless hours of work on our behalf) and our growing network of friends and supporters will make Open Arms happen.

    Together, we can change the world.

  • Guest Post: Jason Kovacs of the Abba Fund

    This month’s guest post is from Jason Kovacs of the Abba Fund and Austin Stone, Jason is a great partner and friend with Restore Austin, and has helping use with many of our adoptions.  Jason’s passion for adoption is amazing, and his leadership in assisting others with God’s heart in the area of adoption is unprecedented:

    The Gospel Made Visible through God’s Provision

    Many people are being moved today with God’s heart for the orphan and are thinking about adoption. It can be overwhelming and for the majority, the financial cost of adoption feels like the greatest obstacle.

    It is important to remember that God does not ask us if we can afford to do it. He simply asks us if we are willing, and asks us to trust that He will provide. That may sound great to read, but when it becomes personal it is often much harder to believe and much scarier to do.

    I liken this to one of those high diving stuntmen that perform at State Fairs. They usually have those funny striped bathing suits and wow the crowd by diving 100 feet into a tiny pool of water. For many, the call and cost of adoption feels like you are standing 100’ up on the platform and all you see below is a tiny pool of water. The resources don’t look like much and it feels like it is an impossible feat.

    Through my work with ABBA Fund and Together for Adoption I have the joy of regularly hearing stories of how God makes seemingly impossible situations possible. That is what God is best at. He truly does provide – that includes funding what He favors. On my grandmothers fridge she has a magnet – “Where God guides, He provides.” That is our God. It is not often in our way or our timing but He does it. Not only that, but God delights to provide. And, because He is so passionate about the fatherless (Ps 68:5-6), I think He especially delights in providing for families adopting.

    One of the primary means that God provides for adoption is through other people. This happens through church adoption funds (like the one started at Austin New Church), family, friends, and a lot of times through those you never would have expected!

    Recently, a young pastor and his family decided to step out in faith to adopt. Their church has about 50 members and 100 folks attending. This past Sunday, the church called the pastor and his wife up to the front to give him a card and express their appreciation for pastor appreciation month. They went up, and one of the elders handed them a ard and told them to open it then. Inside was a little certificate that said:

    “Just as your adoption into the family of Christ has been fully paid, so also has the adoption of your daughter been fully paid.”

    And there was a big “$11,500.00″ written on it. The amount that covered the remaining costs of their adoption. After they read it, the whole church stood and started clapping!

    Our adoption and His provision is one of the greatest opportunities to make the gospel visible to the world. God get’s very passionate about that, and so should we.   If God is calling you to adopt, don’t worry about where you will get the money, God already has and He will provide in His timing and His way. Maybe the greatest encouragement is the fact that God knows the cost of adoption – it cost Him the death of His son to adopt you and I. Begin by praying and then talk to your church about an adoption fund, and talk to your friends and family. Invite them to join you in the story that God is writing for your family to make His gospel visible to a watching world!

    Jason Kovacs

  • Serving our City this Holiday Season

    We usually take this opportunity to let you hear from one of our non-profit partners.  However, we wanted to take this time to let you all know of several opportunities to serve our city this holiday season.

    November

    December

    There are a lot of needs in this city, and together we help remedy many of these and bring joy to the citizens of Austin!

  • Guest Post: SlaveFree Holiday

    This months Guest post is by the Restore the Innocent Network:

    We are entering the busiest time of the year. We call this time, the Holiday Season.  Between Thanksgiving and Valentines there will be products and more food consumed than the rest of the year combined.  The problem is the majority of all that we consume has been made by slaves, many being women and children forced into unimaginable conditions, so that we can enjoy our holidays!

    We are starting a campaign to promote a SlaveFree Holiday.  We are crazy enough to believe that if enough based their consumer decisions on the life of innocent women and children as opposed to the leading value of consuming the most stuff for at the lowest cost, we could make a difference.  If the history of a free market tells us anything, the consumer has the power.  In other words, we can make a difference with our pocketbooks.  We can let our major corporations know, that the welfare of women and children matter more to us than the our kids and appetites getting more than we need.  We wanted to share with you a short video by Epipheo Studios to show you how this works:

    We will be updating our page with more info, but we wanted to start with giving you a few links to help you make more educated decisions on what your purchase, or to put it bluntly in the words of Tim Costello, so after you eat your chocolate pies this holiday seasons, “you can go to bed without blood on your teeth.”

    Check out the following links:

    We would also recommend the following books:

    We believe together we can make this a SlaveFree Holiday.  Also, don’t forget to buy your tickets to the Restore the Innocent Event.

  • Guest Post: Restore the Innocent

    Restore Austin, HELP, Music for the City, and Austin Angels are teaming together to raise awareness and support on December 7th, to unify in the fight against sex-trafficking through this event called, Restore the Innocent.

    We will be showing the film, Call & Response at the Blanton Museum of Art.

    Immediately following the film, Music for the City will be hosting an after party in which you can learn about next steps to take in order to personally engage in the fight against modern slavery locally and globally (after party venue TBA).

    100% of all proceeds will go to fighting human trafficking! So, join us in raising awareness and engaging the fight!

    Tickets available at ShowClix.com

    Please make sure to hold on to your ticket, as it is your ticket into the After Party as well.

  • Guest Post: Jim Cannon from CapCity Kids

    September’s guest post is from Jim Cannon of Cap City Kids.  CapCityKids is a non-profit organization created to help children facing homelessness beat the odds and get a quality education. CapCityKids develops innovative programs and provides direct resources to help these students stay in school.  We met Jim about two years ago, and it has been exciting to see how this non-profit has blossomed into a force of hope of kids who seem to have deck stacked against them.   We’ll let Jim tell you more:

    Homelessness is a lack of permanent housing resulting from extreme poverty, or, in the case of unaccompanied youth, the lack of a safe and stable living environment. Over 1.35 million children and youth experience homelessness in a year. Families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population in the United States, accounting for approximately 40 percent of those in homeless situations. Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in family homelessness over the past 15–20 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty. There is an increasing gap between income and housing costs for low-income individuals. Children and youth in homeless situations often do not fit society’s stereotypical images. For example, many children who are homeless are very young; in fact, over 40 percent of children living in homeless shelters are under the age of five.

    Natural disasters and other unexpected tragic circumstances place children and their families in very traumatic situations. Simply being in a homeless situation  is often very traumatic. Trauma causes children and families to feel out of control. Their day-to-day existence becomes unpredictable and chaotic. They often feel that they are helpless to bring order and a semblance of “normalcy” into their own lives. It is of the utmost importance for them to feel a sense of safety, security, and community support.

    Research shows that it is often not the trauma itself, but rather what occurs in response to the trauma, that determines the amount of time and completeness of recovery. School personnel are in the unique position of being able to help children and families make choices that bring a sense of control, address feeling needs, and achieves some sense of normalcy and routine in their lives.

    Local homeless education liaisons are Local Educational Agency (LEA) staff responsible for ensuring the identification, school enrollment, attendance, and opportunities for academic success of students in homeless situations. Some of these activities may be performed by the local liaison himself or herself, while others are accomplished by coordinating the efforts of other staff. National evaluations have found that local liaisons are an important factor contributing to the success of a school district’s homeless education program; therefore, the McKinney-Vento Act now requires every LEA to appoint a local homeless education liaison and specifies his or her legal responsibilities. By linking students and their families to school and community services, local liaisons play a critical role in stabilizing students and promoting academic achievement at the individual, school, and district level.

    CapCityKids began their collaboration with local (LEA) staff as a way to work directly with Homeless Children and to Piggyback off the existing infrastructure of AISD.  CapCityKids develops innovative programs and provides direct resources in Central Texas to help these students stay in school. Administrative costs for our programs are absorbed by the Austin Independent School District. Thanks to this close partnership, 100% of donations go directly to the students. Donations not only provide basic school supplies, but also support campus based specialist for at-risk students, after-school tutoring at homeless shelters, and help connect kids with social services.

    Our short-term goal is to help serve these families in crisis. Our long-term goal is to develop a proven set of “best practices” for supporting these children in their pursuit  of an education.  Another unique and innovative methodology pioneered by CapCityKids is the use of AISD’s existing administration, personnel and facilities for our programs to the maximum extent feasible.   Partly as a result of this strategy, CapCityKids has no salaried staff or administrative overhead. Volunteer groups such as Austin New Church are critical to our continued success by provider a large donor base of volunteers for our Empowerment Academies and other events.

    First, thank you Jim for taking the time to write this post, we are humbled to have the opportunity to serve with you all.  If you have any desire to work with at-risk children, and help change the trajectory of their life, please email CapCityKids at: info@capcitykids.org.

  • Guest Post: Slave Free Austin, by Kevin Austin of Not For Sale

    This month’s guest blog is by a new friend to Restore Austin and Austin New Church, Kevin Austin.  Kevin is the director of the Abolitionist Faith Community, of Not for Sale Campaign.  Over the past two months Restore Austin and Austin New Church has spent a lot of time building a partnership with Not For Sale.  We are excited to see this relationship develop deeper as we work together for a Slave Free Austin and a Slave Free World!  Here is Kevin’s blog:

    There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history. Real slaves – unable to walk away – forced to work under the threat of violence or provide services without pay.  Slavery permeates everything from our cell phones, to our clothing, to our coffee, chocolate, and tires.  Slavery is not just an “over there” issue of poor Thai girls in forced prostitution or child soldiers in Uganda.  It exists in our backyards, in our own cities and suburbs.  The U.S. State Department, in their annual Trafficking In Persons Report, states that at least 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year.

    Slavery certainly exists in and around Austin.   What then is to be done?

    First, denial of slavery is unacceptable.  Equally unacceptable is the thought that we are powerless against it.  Slavery exists.  The horror of the situation should not leave us numb, shocked out of our senses, but should instead propel us into action.  We can do something about it.  The abolitionist movement of the 19th century, in one generation, challenged the enormous, entrenched business of slavery and abolished it.  We can do the same.  We can re-abolish slavery in our lifetime.

    Second, learning more and being fully aware is necessary. Visiting a website like the Not For Sale Campaign is a good beginning.  There are many good books and sources of information available.  Not everyone will want to study and learn everything there is to know, but we do need some who can speak with knowledge about the issues.

    Third, being a voice in the community is necessary. Chambers of Commerce, our faith communities, politicians, business leaders, friends, family, and our public schools should all be challenged to explore the issues and take concrete steps to protect the vulnerable, prosecute the perpetrators, create just laws, and unite our entire society against this evil.  It will take everyone working together to create new futures for the vulnerable.

    Fourth, moving beyond awareness and talk to action is imperative.  Talk will not change things.  Books will not change things.  Statistics are cold and lifeless.  Churches preaching and singing, soccer moms casting votes, politicians creating laws, neighbors changing their lifestyles, city counsels providing services – these things create change.  Slow but steady change is necessary.

    Fifth, meeting with those who are deeply concerned and ready to take action may be the first step of all the steps to take.   Faith Communities should be encouraged to create opportunities during the year to gather everyone together and strategize how best to make Austin slave free.  What does that look like?  How do you do it? When? Who are the major players?

    The issue of modern slavery affects us all.  Our businesses are deeply impacted, our families are at risk, and our morality is challenged.  Slavery is one of the highest money making criminal activities in the world.  We are, essentially at war.  Having this frame of thought and the actions that accompany it will help us all win the battle.  For the sake of our communities and families; for the sake of all God’s created ones everywhere, let us fix our mind and shape our actions.  Let us re-abolish slavery in our cities, counties, states, and nation and oppose the evil overseas as well.

    Let us be a community characterized by these words: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31: 8 & 9)

    For more see: www.notforsalecampaign.org and www.freedomsunday.org.  Also take a few seconds and download the Modern-Slavery.

    Kevin, thank you, thank you very much for this post and your time.  For those reading this please stay tuned for more opportunities by Austin New Church and Restore Austin!

  • Guest Post: Sam Beauchamp of ciee High School Program

    This month’s guest blog is by Sam Beauchamp, the regional director of CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange).  Our request for a guest blog came from a member of Restore Austin, Matthew Hansen.  Matthew and his wife Sarah are working with them to take in a foreign exchange student in August.  As they began to look more into this opportunity they were embarking on, they couldn’t help but feel this would be a great cultural opportunity for many people associated with Restore Austin.  From what we understand, not only does the student become part of your family for 10 months, but they are also going to be involved in some sort of service/volunteer opportunities while here in the states, and it gives you as a host family the opportunity to be more involved in the schools they will be attending.  Okay, we’re done talking, Sam, will you tell us more about CIEE?

    Okay, in a summary, CIEE is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to quality exchange and global learning opportunities. The CIEE USA High School Program is designated by the U.S. Department of State to sponsor our students on a J-1 visa to attend high school in America. More simply stated it is our hope to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.  The truth is, there are many benefits for students of the CIEE USA High School Program. Cultural immersion allows students to gain a personal understanding of the “American way of life.” Attending American high schools, participating in school and community-run clubs, and living with a host family give students unique firsthand access to American culture. Many students also come to the U.S. to improve their English skills. After hearing and using the language every day, many students attain fluency by the end of the program.

    Now, on a less technical and more personal note, what better city to get these young adults into than Austin?  Austin is one of the best areas in Texas for our students and there are not many challenges there with the schools as with other areas of Texas.  Austin truly offers these students the opportunity to experience a wide variety of American culture done right!  So, here is the deal, I could go on and on about what it means to partner with ciee, but I think it would be better to hear from the students themselves.  So, click HERE to read stories and watch videos from some past foreign exchange students. Also, if you would like to read more about the benefits in being a host family, click HERE, and to find us on facebook simply click HERE.

    Sam, thank you very much for taking the time and informing us about the great exchange program of ciee.  If anyone reading this article knows of anyone who would be interested in this type of cultural exchange, please email Matthew Hansen at matthewdhansen@me.com.

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