by Elizabeth McGuire Rene Hernandez set out to change a park, but in the process changed a community. A year ago, Hernandez was walking his dog through Kendra Page Neighborhood Park, his southeast Austin park, and noticed an excessive amount of trash. Not just everyday wrappers and soda cans, but bags and bags of household trash dumped among the oaks, …
By Elizabeth McGuire When the ACL Music Festival opens its gates at Zilker Park in October and welcomes 75,000 visitors a day, two Austinites will be trusted with making those visitors feel at home. As leaders of the C3 Presents Guest Services Program, Farid Mosher and Emily Sorlie are the Hosts with the Most. But the way they tell it, …
By Elizabeth McGuire To be perfectly clear, Matt Luckie would rather not talk about himself. He would rather not pose for a photo or elaborate on all the ways he is contributing to the community. He loves Austin and a good cause, but truth be told, he would much rather shine the spotlight anywhere else besides himself. Fortunately for us, …
By Elizabeth McGuire When Elizabeth Krause moved to Austin three years ago, she and her family began their house hunting by visiting parks all over town. “Having young children, it was just a natural criteria for me,” she said. “A big part of why we settled in our current neighborhood was because of its proximity to green spaces, playgrounds and …
By Elizabeth McGuire Prince Pen, a 15-year-old high school freshman, is working to establish a community garden in his South Austin neighborhood. He got the idea after successfully bringing fresh vegetables to a nearby corner store that previously stocked only processed foods. And he got that idea after working on a presidential campaign during the 2016 election. That’s right: WHEN …
By Elizabeth McGuire In the mid 1990s, a flat, empty lot sat on the western edge of downtown Austin, virtually ignored by its neighboring law firms, beauty salons and other small businesses. Developers, too, had dismissed this spot near 9th St. and Lamar Blvd. because of its floodplain status. Besides the substantial shade trees, the property held nothing but a …
By Elizabeth McGuire For Micaela, Rex and their daughter Maliha, Saturdays are for volunteering. Not just some Saturdays, but every single one. It’s not a matter of if they are volunteering, but where. “I come home Friday night and I ask, what are we doing tomorrow?” said Rex. The answer is usually planting saplings, mulching trees or picking up trash …
By Elizabeth McGuire We’ve all heard this before: one person can make a difference. But really, how? One person can make a difference because one voice can amplify others. One person can inspire dozens. One effort can snowball into action and eventually lead to change. This is how our community improves. So goes the philosophy of Sally Baulch, who has …
By Elizabeth McGuire If you ask Anissa Castillo what she remembers about volunteering with her young family at the last It’s My Park Day, she will talk of quality time, life lessons and good citizenship. If you ask her kids what they remember, they will say, “digging in the mulch and jumping on rock piles!” Both answers are perfect. The …
By Elizabeth McGuire Jennifer Ramos got hooked on hiking when she realized that it nudged her out of her comfort zone and into places she might not otherwise experience. This growing passion led to trail clean-ups, park projects, and eventually a role as an APF Ambassador. To her surprise she found that volunteering mirrored hiking in at least one …
