Championing Safe, Happy and Healthy Kids in Austin

Written By Guest User

How To Give guest panel & student moderator.

By Piper Stege Nelson

Based on Amplify Austin Day giving, we know that there are certain issue areas that always get huge financial support - animal rescue, food banks, etc. But there are other issue areas that do not get the same level of attention or funding - and that includes the category of youth and children.

Because that didn’t sit right with us, on April 28, 2026, I Live Here I Give Here gathered some brilliant people to talk about the issues facing kiddos in Central Texas. There is an impressive network of nonprofits, school and city officials and private entities that are focusing on the safety, happiness and health of children in Austin. 

Some of these brilliant individuals joined us to talk about the challenges facing the happiness and health of kids in Austin:

Michelle Wallis, Executive Director of the Office of Innovation and Development at Austin Independent School District  (AISD), talked a great deal about how ~30% of middle school and high school kids in AISD do not feel like they have a trusted adult in their lives. During a phase of life when their brains and bodies are changing, not having an adult they can turn to can be devastating. 

Choquette Hamilton, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of The RISE Center for Liberation, spoke about the fact that race still has a huge impact on a student’s chance at academic success - that must change. 

Maria Rosas, Community Engagement Manager at E3 Alliance, gave some keen insights into the fear that so many families face right now due to immigration concerns. In connection with the changes to our immigration enforcement, she noted that the vast reductions and cuts in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) landscape have had an enormous impact on immigrating and young people.

Ingrid Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at United Way for Greater Austin spent some time educating the audience about the problem with constrained systems, in juxtaposition to more human centered and holistic ecosystem designs for schools and student support to ensure that every student and child get what they need.

But these panelists also came with concrete ideas for how individuals like you can stay involved in supporting kids across Central Texas. We added some ideas, too, and grounded them in the 5 T’s of giving back: time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimony.

Volunteering (time)

  • Amplifyatx.org can be used to find volunteer opportunities with one of nearly 100 child/youth serving nonprofits.  

  • You can find volunteer opportunities in local schools at http://austinisd.voly.org/

  • Join the AISD UpClose program to get in depth info about our public schools. 

 

Board Service (talent)

 

Donating (treasure)

  • Amplifyatx.org can be used year round to donate to nearly 100 youth or children serving nonprofits, or donate to them all! 

  • You can also donate to the Austin Ed Fund to support innovation in AISD.

 

Getting Your Company & Community Engaged (ties)

  • Set up a meeting with Jared Montes Slack to talk about all the ways that you can get your company to give back, and how I Live Here I Give Here can assist. 

  • Go to your neighborhood public school and say hello, check in and learn about what they need. If you’re interested in supporting a neighborhood public school, reach out or connect through a program to learn what their biggest needs are.

Tell Your Friends (testimony)

  • Once you find the child-focused issue or nonprofit that speaks to your heart, share their posts on social media or send emails to your friends about why this issue or nonprofit is important to you

  • Look at our nonprofit events calendar with hundreds of community events that allow you to give back by going out!  

  • VOTE and tell everyone else to vote - look what happens when our community came together to approve $75M a year for early childhood education in Travis County! 

And as Dr. Hamilton so aptly noted, please do not lose hope. Keeping hope and getting engaged will always make a difference!

Guest User
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