I'll probably be packing and moving myself that day, but if anyone else is available give Caitlin a call!


"Community Partnership's next development will be six units of affordable housing for homeless, single parent families that are coming out of SafePlace. The construction has begun, but the furniture for the units has not been purchased. The Ronald McDonald House is moving locations and is generously donating their old furniture to us. The catch is that we need to pick it up and get it over to our storage unit! For this we need your muscles and hopefully pickup trucks. We will provide lunch if you provide strength!

We are scheduled to move the furniture out of the Ronald McDonald House on
January 18th (Friday) at 10am until 3pm.
If you are interested in volunteering for this project, please contact me and I will provide further details. If we get enough muscles and trucks, I am guessing that it will not take the full 5 hours to move the furniture over to our storage space. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

As always, thank you for your commitment and interest in helping Community Partnership!"

Caitlin Uzzell

Program & Outreach Coordinator
Community Partnership for the Homeless
1503 South IH-35

www.austinhomeless.org
phone: 512.469.9130

Thanks to silona post about Ten Things that Will Change Your Future", I've now become a peer to peer lender for a group of women in Peru! Be sure to bookmark this great site - Kiva, which lets folks connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world..

And since I've been meaning to support Heifer International for years (thanks to dearly missed Anita Roddick), I've bought a gift of a flock of chicks! Or should I say, me and my dad since I'm using some of my Christmas money that he gave me. :)

I was surprised and touched to receive the following email after posting a comment on WanderingVet's blog. I'm sharing this response to provide a snapshot view of life for a homeless veteran ( Read more... )

I find it difficult to describe my journey through life without mentioning two influential people. Certainly my father was the first. Despite living in the very urban setting of Houston, he made certain our family experienced nature firsthand. We took summer vacations to settings such as Colorado, Arkansas, and Tennessee. I remember waiting impatiently on the size of a freezing mountain road, while my father followed an elk down a snow-covered slope. When he returned half an hour later, he was wet and out of breath, yet energized by his experience. Unfortunately, I was too young at the the time to understand why he was so thrilled.

Once we nearly lost our travel trailer off a steep incline high in the Ozarks. The grade was too much for our old truck to handle the weight, and we were stuck in a precarious spot. Luckily, some strangers came to our rescue. We made it to the top safely and saw one of the most incredible views of our lives. I also still remember the serenity of driving through a different mountain range early one morning, the dawn bringing just enough light to understand why these were called the Smoky Mountains.

My father also instilled in me the value of charity and the importance of volunteerism. As a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, he would often prepare care packages and deliver Christmas trees and presents to less fortunate families in our parish. the highlight of the year was our church bazaar when he would create and set up a game booth. I considered it a great privilege (and a lot of fun) to work the booth with him.

As I floundered through my twenties, briefly attending Texas A & M to study journalism, teaching in preschools, and waiting tables, my father was always there for me. He supported my decision to move to Austin. I had visited Austin and loved the green space. At the same time, I thought it would be great to finish college at the University of Texas.