At 4:53 in the afternoon local time, on January 12th of 2010 an earthquake of seismic proportions devastated the nation of Haiti. The city of Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, lies in shambles and death toll continues to climb to an estimated 150,00o (CNN).

How can you help Haiti? The best form of aid at this stage is money. Monetary donations are what will help Haiti with the multifaceted infrastructure development that is needed to rebuild the nation. 

The University of Texas will hold a solidarity rally and moment of silence on Thursday, January 21, 2010 from 11:30-1:30 pm on the West Mall to raise money and awareness for Haitian victims of the deadly earthquake.

If you are unable to attend the rally but would still like to contribute visit charity navagator.org (a CNN recommended site) to make your charitable donation today.

Community Organization

Big Picture

BiGAUSTIN is a non-profit, micro-enterprise development organization. It was a city-funded organization, founded in 1992 as a means to break down barriers and foster small business growth. Over the past 17 years, BiGAUSTIN has expanded both in scope and reach. It obtains funding from a variety of sources, both public and private, enabling them to have a greater community impact.  BiG provides entrepreneurs, particularly those of underserved communities, with comprehensive business education, tailored business counseling and flexible loans.

Housed within BiGAUSTIN is the Women’s Business Center (WBC) of the Small Business Administration (SBA).  The center, with the help of BiG, provides the tools necessary to help women entrepreneurs grow and succeed. [Read more →]

Program Description

The Student Consulting Initiative (SCI) is a student group founded to strengthen the Austin community through free consulting services while providing opportunities for students to apply their business education to real-life situations.

Through the Consultant Development Program, students have the opportunity to network with top consulting firms and prepare for interviews through case workshops, and mentorship. Within the program is the SCI Consulting Challenge which is a semester long competition in which small groups of students compete against each other for the most successful and impactful consulting campaign for a small business or non-profit. [Read more →]

Community Organization

Program Description

PeopleFund is a non-profit dedicated to creating economic opportunity and financial security for all Central Texans through small business loans, affordable housing initiatives and community outreach.

There are three primary programs that work to achieve this:

• Small Business Loan Fund. PeopleFund provides financing to support economic growth, job creation and affordable housing in Central Texas.
• Affordable Housing Program. PeopleTrust is a community land trust working to create stable communities through permanently affordable homeownership.
• Community Outreach and Education. PeopleFund serves as a hub for information and ideas on community development in underserved communities by hosting events such as the Conference on Economic Opportunity (formerly the East Austin Economic Summit) and the PeopleTalk Speaker Series. PeopleFund also provides assistance and training for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to become more independent. [Read more →]

Community Organization

Program Description

Austin Urban Market (AUM) is a monthly community market designed to encourage community members to ‘buy local’ while allowing local entrepreneurs, especially those without a storefront, to showcase their goods. AUM is welcoming of all persons and cultures especially those of historically under-served communities. The idea is to help those who do not fall under the guise of traditional business models. [Read more →]

Community Organization

Program Description

Third Coast Workers Cooperative (TCWC) is an new cooperative development center in Austin that works with low-income communities to help them produce their own environmentally friendly, worker-owned businesses.

TCWC houses the Co-operative Business Institute (CBI), which is a comprehensive, 16-week, training program. The program is designed to teach prospective co-ops the worker cooperative model, the green economy, and the legal, organizational and business aspects specific to cooperatives. The following eight months consists of technical support to help launch the new cooperative business. [Read more →]

Community Organization

The Big Picture

LifeWorks mission is to transition youth and families from crisis to safety and success. The non-profit organization provides a continuum of services in the areas of  housing, counseling, and education to help individuals create positive change in their lives. LifeWorks is the product of four agencies (Child and Family Service, Pathways Community Counseling, Teenage Parent Council, and Youth Options) that merged in 1998 when the agencies realized they were referring the same clients to each other.

The three main goals of LifeWorks are to:

• Help homeless youth become more self-sufficient and avoid long-term dependency on social services;
• Provide at-risk children and youth with support and skills to help them be successful;
• Support and strenghten families in crisis. [Read more →]

Professor Stephen Trejo is a labor economist and Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Trejo has studied the economic effects of overtime pay regulation; the impact of labor unions on compensation, employment, and work schedules; immigrant labor market experiences.

His current research encompasses the relative economic status and intergenerational progress of Mexican Americans and other immigrant groups. Dr. Trejo uses census material to gauge changes in education and earnings  in Mexican families to answer questions of assimilation. [Read more →]

Dr. Emilio Zamora is a Professor in the Department of History and is associated with the Center of Mexican American Studies and the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He specializes in Mexican American history, Texas history, U.S. working class history. [Read more →]

Program Description

Capital IDEA is a non-profit organization created through the efforts of Austin Interfaith and the Central Texas business community to address the issues of generational poverty and a demand for highly skilled labor. The idea was to lift working families out of poverty by sponsoring educational services that lead to life-long financial stability. Capital IDEA funds participants’ tuition, books and childcare so that they may fully concentrate on their education. They also counsel participants so that they may find employment with a good salary, benefits and career growth opportunities. Capital IDEA maintains partnerships within the workforce so as to identify new career-driven curriculum to ensure the next generation of workers are properly prepared and educated. [Read more →]