This week is the 16th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, from May 14 – 19, 2012.  Austin Families with Food Allergies (AFFA) has shared a few ways you can get involved:

Monday, May 14:

• Children’s Art Contest on display at Sunflower Market (William Cannon and Manchaca) through Saturday. Drop in to see the art and stories submitted by AFFA children and their friends.
• Challenge your friends or family to “subtract” an allergen from their diet for a week!

Tuesday, May 15:

• The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, in cooperation with the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (GSCNC), offers the Be a PAL Patch Program. Girl Scouts from any council can earn the patch. Information located on FAAN’s website.
• Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) Twitter Party! RSVP here.

Wednesday, May 16:

• Food Allergy Awareness Day at Natural Grocers (May 16-17, all day).Visit the activity table and mention Austin Families with Food Allergies to receive a prize. 3901 Guadalupe location only.
• Food Allergy Awareness Day at Sunflower Market at Manchaca and William Cannon from 4-5 p.m. Heather Martinson will be teaching a cooking class on how to prepare a meal free of the top 8 allergens, gluten free and vegan.
  The menu includes:
  Sautéed Kale with bacon & shallots, Pork Tenderloin with apples, onions & a hot mustard sauce, Vegan Baked Rangoon, with Vegan Cookies.
  Please RSVP for the class at affapr@gmail.com.

Thursday, May 17:

• Food Allergy Awareness Day at Natural Grocers (May 16-17, all day). Visit the activity table and mention Austin Families with Food Allergies to receive a prize. 3901 Guadalupe location only.

Friday, May 18:

• Contact your legislators. You can help to get important legislation passed by simply contacting your representatives and asking for their support. Visit www.foodallergy.org for all the information you’ll need to easily do this.
• Read a food allergy story at your local library, go into your child’s classroom, do a social media blitz to your friends, family, co-workers.  Visit www.foodallergy.org for video links, story ideas, coloring pages & more.

Saturday, May 19:

• 10:30 a.m. – Food-free Family Story time at the Round Rock Library (216 East Main Street, Round Rock, Texas 78664). This interactive program includes a variety of activities such as books, fingerplay, music, movies, and puppets.
• “Healthy Gluten-Free Living” Seminar and Health Fair at Natural Grocers (3901 Guadalupe Street). Seminar from 1-2 p.m. and Tasting Fair from 2-5 p.m. Trevida Trevino will be teaching basics for the healthiest approach to gluten/allergen free living with meal planning and shopping tips. Door prizes and free samples!
• Last chance to catch the Art Contest art on display at Sunflower Market.

For more information on Food Allergy Awareness Week, visit the Facebook page here.   

Austin Families with Food Allergies is a support group of parents located throughout the Austin-metro area raising children with food allergies.  The Austin Walk for Food Allergy is organized by Austin Families with Food Allergies in conjunction with The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).

FAAN is a non-profit organization that provides services services nationwide, funds research of food allergies and has been at the forefront of progress in food allergy awareness, advocacy, education, and research.  Findings from FAAN-sponsored studies have been used to change laws here in Texas, improve school policies, raise public awareness, and provide education for patients, caregivers and health professionals.  Funds from programs like the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy support FAAN’s efforts to achieve these feats.

Imagine you were visited by a genie just before you were born.

The genie would grant you the power to set the rules of the society you would be born into – economic, political, social. You would decide who has the advantages in this society and who does not. And these rules would hold true for you, your children and your grandchildren.

The only thing you can’t decide is what type of person you would be. You might be born a homosexual, Hispanic male. You might be born a heterosexual, affluent white woman. It’s a crapshoot.

How would that determine the society you would create?

You’ve probably heard this story before, and it’s been told a hundred different ways. But the point is to make you think about how the privilege you were born with affects your success in life.

But more than that, it should make you realize that you do have some say in rules of society. You do have some say in how the world you live in turns out, for yourself and your children. And that you shouldn’t squander it.

How do seven kids get from South Austin to Ames, Iowa? With creative problem solving, a movie, and your support!

They won first place at the Central Texas Regional competition.

They won first place at the Texas State competition.

They will represent their school, their community, Austin, and Texas at the 33rd annual Odyssey of the Mind: World Finals Competition this May 23^rd-26^th in Ames, IA.

This team of 4th and 5th graders from Barton Hills Elementary is the second Austin area team to ever qualify for Odyssey of the Mind: World Finals!

They call themselves the OMGs!

Help the OMGs Get to Iowa by Going to the Movies!

In partnership with the OMGs, Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar will screen The Muppet Movie (1979) on Wednesday, May 16^, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be $10 and proceeds support the OMGs. In the spirit of Odyssey of the Mind, everyone is invited to dress up or create their own sock puppet! Creativity and hand-made materials are encouraged. More about the event here.

OMGs Movie Night@ Alamo Drafthouse South
1120 S Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78704
May 16, 2012
6:30 p.m.

Iowa or Bust

In order to be able to go to World Finals the team has less than a month to raise the funds to get there. It will cost $14,000 for registration costs and transportation for the kids, props and coaches. Working in partnership with the BHE PTA the OMGs have already raised $4000 in donations.

It’s a lot of money to raise in one short month. The OMGs are reaching out to the Austin Community to help them get to Iowa.

Can’t attend the movie on May 16? That’s okay! Donate NOW online here. Donations are tax deductible thanks to the BHE PTA.

What is Odyssey of the Mind?

Odyssey of the Mind (OotM) is a competition in creative thinking for kids from elementary school to college. Teams are judged on how well they meet challenges, on creativity, and on teamwork. The best part of OotM is that the adults must be hands off. The kids are in charge!

(Editor’s note: I was a volunteer team manager for a similar program, “Destination Imagination” last year, and it’s amazing how much kids can grow and learn from project-focused teamwork that puts them in charge of the final outcome. My shy Sam loved it.)

The Creative Challenge

OotM publishes 5 challenges each year. The Barton Hills team chose to tackle “Odyssey Angels.” To demonstrate their solution, the kids created a play complete with kid-built sets, costumes, and props. The play features the border between the land of the “sprites” and “marshmallows” where misunderstandings and disrespect are the norm. The “Angels” help these communities see the light! See more about the OMGs on Facebook.

Thanks for Salvador Castillo for sending the release!

Brynn Biddle does community development for the Austin Microsoft Store, and she’s hit the ground running. “Our team did an ‘all-hands’ service project on April 12^, with Urban Roots,” she says. “We harvested sustainable food, lots of which was going directly to Meals on Wheels!”

The Microsoft Store itself is positioned to compete directly with the Apple store across the street at the Domain. In fact, all the Microsoft Stores are built within yards of Apple stores. That’s the point. And if you look inside the story, you’ll see it’s a little warmer, a little friendlier. (Not that the “geniuses) weren’t friendly, right?)

In fact, what Microsoft thinks distinguishes its company from the company of geniuses is its commitment to community service.

“Giving back to the community is a huge part of the Microsoft Store culture,” says Biddle. “I will be scheduling two community service events for our staff every month.”

Biddle was most recently a development associate at Family Eldercare, handling marketing, fundraising and events. So she knows the support volunteers can offer local nonprofits. Stop by the store this weekend to say hello to Brynn and find out all the other ways Microsoft plans to be a part of Austin’s philanthropy community.

One of the warmest, most heartfelt thanks came from Jane Rose, volunteer services coordinator at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin.

“I created something of a ‘love letter’ to all volunteers, not just ours but those for other groups, too,” says Rose. Each month more than 350 volunteers prepare meals, clean rooms, support office staff and more. Regular volunteer groups include Little Helping Hands, GENAustin, National Charity League and others, along with individuals and families. There also hundreds of volunteers who pitch on for special events, too.

Here’s an excerpt from her blog post:

We can’t do what we do to help the families who need us without our wonderfully awesome, fantastic, talented, caring volunteers. I hope all of you reading this who volunteer for RMHC Austin know how much you are not just appreciated, but loved very much, for all that you do.  Was that short, sweet and mushy enough for you?

If you’ve ever volunteered at Ronald McDonald House Charities, the Capital Area Food Bank, a race, a blood drive, a park clean-up…. this blog post is for you. Check it out here.

I’ve spoken to a lot of people who want to nominate someone for our New Philanthropists cover story, coming in our July 10 issue. They WANT to nominate someone but they haven’t yet.

Please remember, the last day to nominate someone is April 30. That’s in one week.

If you’re on the fence about nominating someone, here are 9 Reasons Why You Should Nominate a New Philanthropist:

1. “New Philanthropist” isn’t an award. It’s a way to push someone to the front of the stage.

2. The person doesn’t have to have a long list of accomplishments. GivingCity gives points for effort and creativity.

3. The people are important, but their ideas are even more important. Even if they haven’t quite solved it yet, the solution they’re working toward needs to be encouraged.

4. This isn’t about an age. Great ideas are not the province of the young.

5. There are people out there who are motivated by recognition. And there are people who shy away from recognition. But you have to give them the opportunity to say no. Once you nominate them, we will ask them if they’d like to participate. Let them say no to me.

6. At the same time, the nominee doesn’t have to know who nominated them. Just don’t complete that part of the form.

7. GivingCity is about creating a community of people who want to push local philanthropy forward. New Philanthropists will get to connect and bond in a situation that’s totally unique.

8. If you’ve ever thought, “More people should know about his/her/my work,” this is your chance.

9. Nominate yourself. No one can write a better nomination about your work than you.

Take a few minutes to complete this simple and fast nomination form now. Remember, you only have until April 30. Thanks!

NEW PHILANTHROPIST NOMINATION FORM

“Our board accepts Jeff’s decision to leave his full-time role at ACF with genuine appreciation for his service,” Steve Shook, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Austin Community Foundation, said.  “Our staff and search plans in place promise a smooth transition,” Shook added, noting Garvey remains CEO until May 15.

“ACF’s 34 year-long history is about being a trusted philanthropic partner by helping generous people give wisely where they wish,” Shook said, “and we accept change, knowing from our long history that change often goes hand-in-hand with our region’s dynamic growth.”

With current assets of more than $100 million, the Austin Community Foundation helps Central Texans connect donors to causes they care about.  ACF manages assets and provides a variety of services for more than 900 donor-advised funds for individuals, families, corporations and non-profit organizations.

McMillan’s work in the nonprofit sector includes service and management positions in higher education, art and culture, social work, and low-income housing programs. DiverseArts Production Group promotes and expands the arts in Austin with a focus on traditional music and culture of African-Americans. For the last 20 years, the group has been at the forefront of innovative cultural programming and arts advocacy; its current projects include East End Fourth Fridays, East End Summer Music Series, and the Blues Family Tree Archival Project.

He cares deeply about preserving Austin history and fostering its long-standing African-American arts culture. And if you’ve ever met him, you would describe him as soft spoken, passionate, peaceful and powerful at the same time.

McMillan himself is African American. Here’s why that might be relevant.

On April 5, McMillan went to Houston’s Herman Memorial Hospital to pick up the belongings of his brother, who’d died there two weeks before. He’d attended his funeral, spent time with his family and then stopped into the hospital on his way back to Austin.

In this blog post, he describes what happened to him at the hospital (we excerpt):

Next thing I know the office door opens up and the big tall HPD guy is in the hall with me. He says, “we need to talk to you back here.” I ask, why do you need to talk to me back there? He simply repeats. We do this a couple of times. I tell him I prefer to be in the hallway in front of these cameras if you can’t tell me why you want to talk to me “back there.” I’ve done nothing wrong. Why do you need to talk to me back there in the office?

After I ask again “why do you need to talk to me back there, rather than here in the hallway in front of these cameras”……he is quickly behind me, has my arms to my back and I’m off the floor and being lifted to the door.

You can read the entire post by McMillan here.

In our second issue (link here, open a PDF), we interviewed three East Austin leaders about the state of African-American Austin. McMillan was one of those leaders. He expressed regret, anger and fear, but he also expressed hope. He’s made it his life’s work to make a difference for the African-American community.

I don’t know what happened in Houston last week, but I know that McMillan’s contributions to Austin are not reflective of a person who should be treated with brutality.

NOTE: There is a petition on Change.org for “Justice for McMillan” to the mayor of Houston.

Art makes a city.

Think of world’s most amazing cities. Each of them has a strong arts community that supports local artists and places art among its civic virtues.

This weekend the Austin Art Alliance offers you one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to support local fine arts with Art City Austin, April 14-15.

It’s a block party and a festival, all devoted to promoting, selling and inspiring art. You’ll see jewelry from Sun Chan, paintings from John Booth, ceramics from Daniel Bennett, sculpture from Yoshi Aoki and more. More than 190 artists were selected from almost 1,000 applicants to be part of Art City Austin, so look for some incredible work.

Kids are invited to make their own art at the Kid’s Block on Cesar Chavez and the 1st Street bridge. About 10 local nonprofits sponsor these booths, so the philanthropy community is wonderfully represented.

In fact, most of Austin’s arts organizations, performing and fine arts, are nonprofits. So enjoying Art City Austin is a great way to have fun, get inspired and give back all at the same time. See you there.  

Inside the April 5 issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

This just came in today … and it’s freaky. I’m trying to be more articulate, but I seem to revert to an 11 year old when I see a photo of myself.

A lot of what I do is try to get organizations and people (Austin Community Foundation) in print media and, on the flip side, put organizations and people in print media (GivingCity Austin). So it’s freaky to see a story about myself and ACF and GivingCity in print media. It’s another dimension. Worlds collide.

There are a million personal reasons why this story in the Chronicle of Philanthropy is so thrilling. But it also means this, I think: That stories in philanthropy have the power to move people.

As a marketing tool, stories can drive an action and help people understand an issue. As content, they can inspire people and stir emotions.

All together, curated into one little magazine every quarter, these stories paint a picture of a city with a great, big heart.