Featured Donors:
The following people give thoughtfully and repeatedly to Austinites in need

I Live Here, I Give Here

Craig Hester

Since 2005, Craig Hester has been a generous donor to the Long Center for the Performing Arts. He volunteered as the Long Center's Corporate Council Chair, where he successfully engaged corporate support. Mr. Hester donates his time and talent by offering pro-bono investment advisory services for how to best invest endowment funds. As Chair of our Board of Trustees, he helped develop a strategic planning process that led to refined mission statement and a re-energized spirit of collaboration with other arts groups. He’s been a vocal advocate and he’s always willing to help, whether it’s giving a speech to party guests or taking a visiting artist hunting on his ranch.

Every month, I Live Here, I Give Here will select a philanthropist from the Austin area and entitle them: I LIVE HERE, I GIVE HERE’S FEATURED DONOR! Bum-bum-bum! (we figured this idea was so big that it needed its own theme music, no?) We will then carefully paste a photographic representation of the Featured Donor’s glorious face on the homepage of our website (and up above), and then dote on how wonderful they are for an entire month! At the end of said month of doting and face-pasting, we will carefully place their profile, face and all, into our Hall of Fame, so that generations to come can, at any time they choose, look back on those that have made this amazing city a little better and its future a lot brighter.

To find out how you can improve your own personal philianthropy, please take a look at our programs below. A good place to start is our Community Spotlight Conversation that we host monthly, where community leaders and experts lead thoughtful discussion about the issues effecting Austin. If you feel ready to jump in right now and start giving, hop straight to over to our find your Nonprofit widget, and start giving!

Previous Featured Donors:

Ann Palmer

For the past 10 years, Ann Palmer has worked with energy and enthusiasm helping Trinity Child Development Center writing grants, sharing the cause, helping out at the annual fundraiser and collecting items for the children. Ann is a driving force in keeping the doors to the organization open. Her undying belief in, and passion for the work Trinity Child Development Center does has been a steadfast, positive force.

Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor is an advocate for the Austin State Hospital Volunteer Service Council's mission to enrich the lives of children and adults receiving treatment for mental illness. He has brought much needed attention to the challenges and triumphs of people who suffer from a mental illness and he has helped erase the negative stigma that surrounds mental illness. Jim’s commitment to the organization has had an incredible impact. His personal level of involvement spans from board membership to solicitation of sponsorships, volunteering and beyond!

Eileen Van Den Berg

Helping Hand Home for Children created an award especially inspired by Ms. Eileen. It's called the Eileen Van Den Berg Volunteer of the Year Award and will annually recognize one volunteer or group who embodies the spirit of commitment and generosity she has brought to the Helping Hand Home community. She has truly dedicated her life to helping children, healing one heart at a time.

Hal Meyer

Upon retiring, Hal gave his time and talents to Any Baby Can as a Board President, where he was instrumental in helping Any Baby Can form a partnership with the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Program. Hal also helped the organization form the Angel Society, a multi-year pledge program in which donors make financial commitments from $1,200 to $25,000 per year. As one of ABC's first Angel Society members, Hal has helped increase the agency's ability to serve our community's youngest, sickest and poorest children and their families.

Steve Fenoglio

Steve Fenoglio has been championing The Arc of the Capital Area for 24 years! He is a tireless advocate for people with disabilities and he provides The Arc with countless hours of expertise. He supports the agency with money, with time, with treasure and with a commitment that is so inspiring to everyone at The Arc. Steve became a volunteer at The Arc in 1987, as a financial advocate for one of their adult clients in the Citizen Advocacy Program. He then joined the Program Advisory Committee, then the Board of Directors, where he served for 10 years, three as Board Chair. He also serves on The Arc's Bingo Management Team.

Jenny Eversole

From Hospice Austin: Jenny puts her money where her heart is! She is a great example of how, with the right amount of cultivation, an organization can help transform someone from an office volunteer to a direct-patient volunteer, to an event attendee, to a major donor, to a planned giver, to an advocate in the community, and to a board member! Jenny also gives to CASA, Big Brothers Big Sisters and People's Community Clinic.

Marcia Levy

Community involvement is at the core of who I am. I am passionate about sharing my time, talents and treasures. In Hebrew this is called “Tikun Olam,” meaning to "repair the world." One of the greatest rewards is to see first-hand that the local organizations I support continue to make this city a better and safer place to live. I support Austin Council of the Anti-Defamation League, genAustin, Temple Beth Shalom, JCAA, Planned Parenthood, Concordia University, Ballet Austin, Seton Breast Cancer Center and others... join me and give where we all live!

Priscilla & John-Michael Cortez

We give because we are passionate...passionate about making a difference in the community we will leave to our daughter. We give because it’s important...we must collectively support our community institutions, or those institutions will not be there to support us. We give because it’s fun...it’s fun to give with others who share our belief that our community will only be as beautiful and just as we are all willing to make it. We support FuturoFund Austin, Hispanic Scholarship Consortium, Ballet Austin, KLRU, Austin Community College Foundation, Austin History Center Association, LiveableCity, and many others...and we hope you will too.

Kyle Parks

For over twenty years, our family has been blessed with many great opportunities in Austin, Texas. This place we call HOME has provided the location for our educational backgrounds, our careers, and most importantly, it is the place where we raise our family. As gratitude, we are pleased to support various local organizations, including the Ronald McDonald House, the Junior League, Leadership Austin, Animal Trustees, and Good Shepherd Episcopal School, so that others may have a chance to benefit from the same opportunities we have been blessed with.

Our Programs

Give Back Jack — Inspiring Men to Give to Charities and Nonprofit Organizations in Austin, TX.

Visit with Austin’s most influential men, and enjoy an evening out while you learn how you too can make a difference in your community.

See Jane Give — Inspiring Women to Give Charities and Nonprofit Organizations in Austin, TX.

Get motivated by our highly accomplished and inspiring women speakers! Network and mingle with like-minded women who love being involved in the community.

Community Spotlight — Spotlighting Charities and Nonprofit Organizations in Austin, TX.

Every month we highlight a specific problem in Austin. Learn in-depth insights from area experts by viewing our videos and reading our monthly issue paper.

The BIG Give — Recognizing Charities and Nonprofit Organizations in Austin, TX.

The ultimate celebration for Austin’s most deserving Nonprofits! Join our annual party that celebrates the act of giving and receiving.

Amplify Austin — Our Big Day of Giving in Austin

Austin is a great place to live, but we want to make it the best place that gives. Join us for our annual day of giving and help raise $1 million in 24-hours!

If you’ve wanted to give back to Austin but you didn’t think you had enough time or money, or you didn’t know where to start, now you can. Join Austin Involved!

Our Sponsors

Why We’re Here

How You Can Help Right Now

How Are We Doing?