AroundAustin.Com

Aston Martin hosts a Quantum of Solace preview party to benefit Lifeworks

LifeWorks, along with Aston Martin and the Stephen F. Austin InterContinental Hotel, are holding a preview party for the new James Bond filmQuantum of Solace on Thursday, November 13th starting at 6:00p.m. 

Be among the first to see Quantum of Solace in the U.S. and view a collection of beautitul Aston Martins. So come experience a high-octane evening while supporting a great local cause. Tickets range from $125 to $200 per person.  All proceeds will benefit LifeWorks.

LifeWorks provides a comprehensive network of services for youth and families in Austin.   LifeWorks’ services to runaway and homeless youth.

Their youth development training opportunities prepare youth to become healthy, successful adults. One of their coolest projects is the operation of the Ben and Jerry PartnerShop icecream store on 6th street (across from Whole Foods).  Truly a worthy charity and a great evening.

CampLIFE! A camp for Gold Star Families

CampLife! is a charity whose mission is to help families that have lost a parent to the Iraq war.  Today we are interviewing John Gillis, Jr..  He is the the founder and president of CampLIFE!

John, How did charity start?

I enjoyed attending summer camp as a child, and believes that these activities contribute to self-confidence, relationship skills and overall health.  I founded CampLIFE! to provide the camping experience to those who would not normally have that opportunity.

More than 10 million children attend camp annually, from recreational opportunities to the more complex theme camps that serve various groups of children with special needs.  Any child can benefit from the summer camp experience, with children who share some profound loss benefiting even more.  Unfortunately, with fees beginning at $200-$400/week, residential camps are unaffordable for many of the children that could benefit the most.

Jennifer Repass, Austin Sunshine Camps Interview

Today we are interviewing Jennifer Repass, Executive Director of Austin Sunshine Camps. 

Jennifer, can you tell me how did Austin Sunshine Camps start? 

The Young Men’s Business League was founded in 1913 and in 1928, the Austin YMBL Sunshine Camps was founded to aid in the battle against tuberculosis and continued to serve at-risk and economically disadvantaged youths after the epidemic passed. 

Caroline Boudreaux - Founder of Miracle Foundation

Today we are interviewing Caroline Boudreaux.  Caroline is the founder of Miracle Foundation a charity that servers orphans in India. 

Caroline, how did the Miracle Foundation start?

In 1999, my close friend Chris Monheim and I took a pleasure trip around the world together. One of the places we wanted to visit was a remote village in India where Chris had been sponsoring an orphan named Manus through the Christian Children’s Fund (CCF). Chris and I wanted to find out if Manus really existed and had been receiving Chris’ financial support for the past five years.

We landed in India in the midst of a 108 degrees heat wave. After a ceremonial village welcome, we were introduced to little Manus, who had, indeed, received every letter and picture Chris had sent him. She was thrilled to find out her money was helping this child with food, clothing, shelter, and an education. However, poverty was everywhere. Manus’ family of five lived in a two-room, mud hut about the size of an average American bathroom. Everyone seemed grateful that organizations like CCF were providing assistance, but Manus’ family was one of the lucky ones.

Later that evening, a little girl named Sheebani slid up to me and put her head on my knee. I took the orphan into my arms; the little girl was so tired that she pushed her body into mine. I sang Sheebani a lullaby and rocked her to sleep. When I took Sheebani upstairs to find her crib, I was horrified to see a room with 30 wooden beds, much like picnic tables. There were no pillows, mattresses, or blankets. The overwhelming stench of urine and feces could make a grown man collapse. The scene was like that from a concentration camp…chilling and incomprehensible. When I laid Sheebani down on her bed, I heard the child’s bones rattle against the wood. I was simply heart-broken, and that’s when I knew that I had to do something about this tragedy. In our world of Starbuck’s, the stock market, and Neiman Marcus, there was no reason why a little child in India had to live in such squalor. When I returned from my trip, I put all of my life savings together and created the Miracle Foundation. Our vision is to empower children to reach their full potential, one orphan, like Sheebani, at a time.

Interview with Susan Rankin, Executive Director of Town Lake Trail Foundation

In December, AroundAustin is focusing on the many charities that make Austin great.  To get more information about charities and how you can help them we are interviewing the people most involved with their charities.  First up, Susan Rankin, Executive Director of the Town Lake Trail Foundation.

Listen to Interview with Susan Rankin,

Listen to an interview with Susan Rankin, Executive Director of the Town Lake Trail Foundation