Help Us Meet Our 2015 Goal
What your gift provides
Each volunteer activity we organize costs an average of $300. Achieving this goal will allow us to continue providing year-round family volunteer opportunities and help us enhance our services with educational and leadership opportunities that keep our children engaged in community service from early childhood through their teen years. Thank you for your support!
Become a sustaining supporter
Support us through participation and recurring contributions. Check out our family sponsor options.
Thank you to our newest
Family Sponsors:
The Barker Family
The Berger Family
The Daines Family
The Fornes Family
The Garnes Family
The Haney Family
The Kilaen and Koeninger Family
The Nels Family
The Parker Family
The Purdy Family
The Scholtz Family
Supplies needed
View our Wish List for a list of supplies needed to support our volunteer activities. Gift cards are appreciated, too!
Support LHH as you shop!
When shopping on Amazon, go to amazonsmile.com instead. Select Little Helping Hands as the organization you would like to support and Amazon will donate a portion of what you buy to LHH… the prices are the same!
Do your shopping through our Give as you Get site and a portion of your purchase price will go to LHH! Find hundreds of retailers and do the shopping you would do anyway, but make a difference!
Recent Happenings
New Activity Guides!
We have re-vamped our Activity Guides to aid you and your children in talking about who you are helping and why. Check these out under What to Expect on the top menu bar of our website.
In the News
LHH was recently featured on KXAN’s Studio 512 to demonstrate our work. Check out the video clip!
Volunteer Recognition
Congratulations to our 88 Little Helpers 12 award winners from the 2014/15 volunteer year and the following Presidential Service Award winners who received recognition pins & letters from President Obama in September.
Avery Kinvig
Carol Cox
Jewel Kinvig
Kristopher Wollney
Lexie Bronson
Sarah Wollney
Zackary Bronson
Happy Birthday Boxes!
LHH is now a drop-off location for Happy Birthdays, an organization that delivers a birthday party in a box to homeless and foster children. Learn more about making a birthday box. You can deliver it to us at 8711 Burnet Rd., Suite B-33.
Teen Corner – Activities Just for Teens & Parents
In December, we will be offering a few activities strictly for teens, ages 13 and up, and their parents. Watch for these activities to show up when the December calendar is published so you can sign up with your teens!
Neill-Cochran House Museum Gingerbread House Team – Teens and parents will help children with gingerbread house creations at the Neill-Cochran House Museum. December 5th or December 6th, 12:30–3:00 p.m.
Foundation Communities Holiday Helpers – Help receive and process gift deliveries, label gifts, contact families to pick up gifts, and help deliver if needed (on-site) for Foundation Communities Holiday Assistance Program that serves families living in their affordable housing properties. December 12th, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Do you need group workspace?
The Little Helping Hands office space at 8711 Burnet Rd., Suite B-33 is now available for your next group meeting or gathering. Amenities include:
• Capacity for 30 people
• Large conference table that seats 16
• Two additional tables
• 30 chairs
• WiFi
• Parking available
• Food & drinks allowed
Pricing for use of the space varies depending on the day and time for which you need it. Special pricing options are available for our existing community partners. Learn more and contact Charli Krause at charli@littlehelpinghands.org to book your event!
Big Night Out 2015
At Big Night Out we raised $80,000 to support family volunteering! We appreciate all of the community support for our mission. Thanks again to our event sponsors below and to the many others who helped ensure a successful event!
Savrick, Schumann, Johnson, McGarr, Kaminski & Shirley, LLP
Experis Manpower Group
Henna Chevrolet
Thompson & Knight
Capital One Bank
Erick & Liz Bronson
Norton Rose Fulbright
Wells Fargo
Birds Barbershop
Margaret Connor, LLC
Retail Solutions
Jersey Mike’s Subs
Kuhn Hobbs, PLLC
NakedWines.com
Phil & Chanel Richbourg
The Townshend / Pena Family
Total Wine & More
If you missed Big Night Out, check out our pre-event video and key-note teen presenter.
Get Involved!
• Please contact Allie Townshend to explore a Board position with us.
• Contact Charli Krause to learn about managing and supervising our volunteer activities as an Activity Lead.
• Join our Fundraising Committee and help plan our annual fundraising events. Contact Marissa Vogel.
• Follow us on social media ~ Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
New Community Partners
Pavilion a Great Hills
St. Louise House
If you know a nonprofit that could use some help from Little Helping Hands, please contact Charli at charli@littlehelpinghands.org.
Posey Family Foundation
We are grateful to the Posey Family Foundation, Whole Foods Market, Topfer Family Foundation, and Henna Chevrolet for their sponsorships and for the ongoing in-kind support of Amy's Ice Creams.
Special thanks to Lee's Meat Market for supporting our Foundation Communities Supper Club and Caritas activities by providing meal items at a special rate.
If you are interested in becoming a business supporter, please contact Marissa at marissa@littlehelpinghands.org.
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Our Ambitions in 2016 and Beyond
A path for tomorrow's community leaders
Parents of a young child want to share with her the value of helping others and expose her to new situations. They discover LHH and begin to volunteer. She learns to enjoy volunteering and expects it to be a part of her family's routine.
When her brother is born, it's now the four of them, trying a variety of activities; working in community gardens, providing companionship to seniors, making meals for the homeless, helping to train service dogs. As life gets busy and the kids enter elementary school, extra-curricular activities tug at family time, but volunteering together is a perfect way to spend time together - to make sure they are still connecting on a regular basis in a positive way.
Over time, the parents and kids become very familiar with the organizations and community needs throughout the city of Austin. This ignites passions within each of them. The parents and children identify community organizations that they want to support financially through cash or in-kind donations, and the children now understand that despite their young age and size, they are very capable of making an impact. The daughter and son have these volunteer experiences that many of their peers do not have and they feel empowered to take on a leadership role.
They might join the LHH Teen Leadership program for a more challenging service experience leading groups of families at LHH activities and to learn more about non-profit management and fundraising. Or, they might take these experiences to other service programs available to them at school or church. It has helped shape who they are becoming as teens and will impact their decisions at college, in careers, and in their adult lives.
Our vision for families in our program
After operating for 6 years, we are now beginning to see the ultimate impact volunteering can have on children. Through a regular routine of service and exposure to a variety of community needs, they become inspired to make a difference and give back on their own.
"We believe that if we keep children engaged in community service from early childhood through adolescence, we will not only create lifelong volunteers, but generations of philanthropic, community-minded leaders." said LHH Executive Director, Marissa Vogel.
Vogel added, "In the coming years, we aim to provide a service pathway for our youth volunteers that incorporates age-appropriate educational opportunities that keep them involved in our community throughout their tween and teen years."
Volunteer Spotlight–Kassia Vaughan
Each family’s path to volunteer work and philanthropy follows a unique course. Kassia Vaughan and her four children found Little Helping Hands soon after a divorce from her husband four years ago. That was a tough time, but she and her kids, now 19, 17, 8, and 6, still enjoy the time together that volunteering provides and continue to volunteer with Little Helping Hands each month.
“At first, the kids didn't understand why we were volunteering,’” Kassia recalled. “But now they get it and just want to know which activity we are doing and when. It’s become a part of who they are!”
Volunteering has also been beneficial to Kassia individually. She first visited the Micah 6 food pantry with her children and LHH. She connected with that activity so much that she began volunteering there on her own. She volunteered so regularly that they began entrusting her to run the pantry while the pantry director was out of town. She eventually learned that there was a volunteer coordinator position that was unfilled. Kassia applied and today serves in the position, which she does in addition to her full time job at the State Bar of Texas.
“I love my job at the State Bar,” Kassia says. “But I so look forward to every Thursday and Saturday when we open the pantry. It is so rewarding to help these clients, a lot of whom don’t have the support system that we all enjoy. They know what it means to suffer.”
“I always wanted to volunteer, but didn’t know how. It took a significant life change and a connection made through LHH to send me in the right direction.”
Ways to Give Back during the Holidays
We reached out to our partner organizations to find out what help they will need during the holidays this year. Here are several opportunities for you and your family to give back this holiday season. May your holiday season be full of community giving!
Any Baby Can
Help make the holiday bright for local children by sponsoring a family through Any Baby Can’s Adopt-A-Family program. To learn more about adopting a family, or to help with Any Baby Can’s client holiday party, please contact annessa.lewis@anybabycan.org.
Austin Animal Center
Friends of Austin Animal Center has an amazon.com wishlist. Anyone who wishes to select donations to be delivered directly to the shelter animals can choose from this wishlist of most needed items.
Caritas of Austin
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 14th – 22nd and Caritas is holding a holiday food drive challenge. They are accepting donations of pantry items such as tomato sauce, canned beets, cooking oil, canned mixed fruit, canned pineapple, peanut butter, salt, deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner. Learn more here.
CASA of Travis County
CASA is seeking donations of $30 Target and Wal-Mart gift cards for their Holiday Toy Drive for children who have been abused or neglected. Gift cards allow CASA to purchase gifts for kids who enter the child welfare system and they are provided to teenagers they serve so that they can shop, which can be a rare experience for these teens. For more information, see www.casatravis.org/toydrive.
Easter Seals
Angels will be available for pick up from the Easter Seals Angel Tree on November 30th. The paper angel will include a child’s age, toy preferences, and clothing sizes. Gifts should not exceed the $20 limit and will be due back to Shalyn Bravens at Easter Seals by December 16th for distribution to families. Contact Shalyn Bravens at 512-615-6833 or sbravens@eastersealstx.org if you are interested.
Foundation Communities
Here are ways you can make a big difference this holiday season for Foundation Communities residents.
• Sponsor a Foundation Communities family for the holidays. Sponsor application deadline is Friday, December 4th. Deliveries accepted no later than December 14th.
• Donate to the Holiday Drive. The wish-list can be found on www.foundcom.org. All donations gratefully accepted by Thursday, December 10th.
• Host a Holiday Meal at one of the Foundation Communities efficiency properties for single adults. Provide a home-cooked meal or cater.
Contact Charlotte Bumbulis at charlotte.bumbulis@foundcom.org or 512-610-4008 with questions.
H.A.N.D. (Helping the Aged, Needy, and Disabled)
Donations of canned veggies, canned beans, canned soup, peanut butter, canned tuna, breakfast foods, pasta/rice, pasta sauce, and granola / Power Bars will be appreciated for the H.A.N.D. holiday food drive. All donations can be delivered to the H.A.N.D. office at 1640 B East 2nd Street, Suite 200, Austin.
H.A.N.D. would also appreciate homemade Christmas cards and desserts for their holiday party on December 10th. They have over 300 clients that receive these cards. Contact Claire Fallat at 512-477-3796 x224 or Claire.fallat@handcentraltx.org.
Meals on Wheels & More
Contact Linda Perez to find out more about the following opportunities at lperez@mealsonwheelsandmore.org.
• Thanksgiving / Christmas Day meal deliveries - Arrive by 10:30 at Meals on Wheels at 3227 E. 5th Street, Austin to check in and get a delivery route. All new volunteers need to attend training and complete a registration process prior to delivery day.
• Share the Love Event, December 19th – Volunteer assistance will be needed leading up to and on the day of the event. Work will include wrapping / bagging donations, sorting / routing items, and delivering items.
• Blanket drive – Collect new blankets to be delivered to Meals on Wheels clients.
• Donation drive – Collect items such as new socks, Ensure, shampoo, soap, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, and gift cards (HEB, Walmart, Target) to be delivered to clients.
Meals on Wheels PALS (Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors)
Every holiday season, PALS provides pet gift bags and stockings to clients and their pets to bring them some holiday cheer. You can contribute to the PALS Holiday Drive by donating store bought treats and new/gently used pet items (toys, beds, leashes, cat condos, litter boxes) to be used as gifts. Please deliver donations by Friday, December 4th to Meals on Wheels & More at 3227 E. 5th Street.
Mobile Loaves & Fishes
Mobiles Loaves & Fishes would appreciate support for collecting Christmas gifts for their Community First residents. Their virtual tree will be up on November 30th at mlf.org/blessingtree. They will be collecting wrapped gifts at the commissary at St. John Neumann, 903 S. Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin.
Partnerships for Children
The annual Holiday Wishes program provides gifts for children in the care of Child Protective Services. Sponsor a child by purchasing wish list items, donate general gifts for children not matched with donors, or make a donation and Partnerships for Children will shop for you. To become a donor/contributor, contact holidaywishes@partnershipsforchildren.org.
Refugee Services of Texas
For new refugees moving to Central Texas, Refugee Services will accept donations of jackets of all sizes, blankets, clothes, gifts (toys, puzzles, books, Legos), baby strollers/car seats, bicycles, sewing machines/ fabric, and cell phones. Refugee Services is located at 500 East St. Johns Ave., Suite 1.280, Austin.
SafePlace
SafePlace can use your support throughout the holiday season.
• SafePlace Fall Food Drive – Check out this link to see the most needed items for the food pantry. SafePlace serves clients with about 300 pounds a week in their Emergency Shelter.
• Holiday Giving Program – SafePlace needs donations for both their Shop for the Shelter and Sponsor a Family programs.
Saint Louise House
You can help the 34 mothers and their children experiencing homelessness and staying at Saint Louise House by participating in “Home for the Holidays” this holiday season. Home for the Holidays is a gift card drive so that the mothers at Saint Louise House can shop for their families. You can donate HEB or Target gift cards by December 12th. Contact Emily Hawarny at 512-302-0027 or ehawarny@saintlouisehouse.org for more details.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army teams up with the Junior League to provide shoes to kids participating in Coats for Kids. They are in need of new socks for kids for this initiative. If you are able to purchase and donate new socks, please take them to the Area Command Office at 10711 Burnet Rd., Ste. 231, Austin.
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