Austin Nonprofit

In fact, one of the most fulfilling aspects of owning and operating an Austin-based website is getting the opportunity of directly giving back to the community that the site celebrates in the first place.

This site began in earnest in the spring of 2009. In September 2009, I committed to making a nominal (and modest) contribution each month to a different Austin nonprofit organization (trust me, we're not talking about major corporate underwriting here).

But I do believe in giving back and contributing when possible to those organizations that make your world, and in this case, my own community, a better place.

I also decided to share the list of organizations this site has supported in order to encourage others - whether you operate a commercial website or not - to do something similar.

Again, the amounts I contribute aren't going to get my name engraved on anything anytime soon, but if everyone contributed their own nominal and modest amounts, they won't have to.

So I challenge you to create your own list of worthy organizations whose values you share and whose work you can commit to supporting.

Real Austin Texas Donations - 2009-2010

December 2009 - Children's Art Project (M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) - The Children's Art Project is one of my favorite nonprofit fundraising programs. The program sells Christmas cards, gifts, and other artwork created by pediatric cancer patients at M.D. Anderson in Houston. The money is used to fund various patient programs including: educational programs, scholarships, week long camping trips, ski trips, writing and music therapy, and several others.

Christmas cards are typically available seasonally in Austin at HEB, Central Market, and Randalls grocery stores as well as CVS pharmacies. You can also view the entire (and extensive) product line at the link above or view/request the free catalog.

November 2009 - The Fisher House (@ Fort Hood, Texas) - Most of the time, it's fun to give. This month's contribution, however, is in response to a terrible tragedy - the mass shooting on November 5th at nearby Fort Hood that left 13 dead.

From the Darnell Army Medical Center website: The Fisher House is a "home away from home" for military personnel (both active and retired) and their families during a medical crisis. The house has a warm, compassionate environment where families and caring friends can nurture one another in times of need. It offers families a clean, safe, low-cost respite from the stress of worrying about loved ones. The house was a gift to the Fort Hood community from Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher of New York.

October 2009 - Room to Read - Room to Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls. The Real Austin Texas contribution to the Room to Read's Austin Chapter was done in a sort of back door manner via participation in the very cool Austin Makes a Book Project coordinated by Austin's Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists.

September 2009 - KOOP Radio - KOOP radio (pronounced "co-op") is a community radio station, operated and broadcast entirely by volunteers. The mission of KOOP (per its Mission Statement) is "to provide high quality, innovative, and diverse community-oriented programming to Austin with an emphasis on those communities that are ignored or underserved by mainstream media..."