Austin Area Interreligious Ministries

www.aaimaustin.org

AAIM envisions a respectful, caring and inclusive community where people of diverse cultures and religions are actively involved in enhancing the quality of life in the Austin area. Their mission is to unite faith and cultural communities to foster respect, partnership and transformation in service of the common good.

Blue Dog Rescue

www.bluedogrescue.com

Blue Dog Rescue is a volunteer organization whose purpose is to end the needless killing of homeless dogs. In 2006, Austin killed over 12,000 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens at one area animal shelter alone. Blue Dog Rescue works to find permanent, loving homes for homeless dogs in the Central Texas area.

Caritas of Austin

www.caritasofaustin.org

Caritas provides a service continuum for those experiencing poverty, including the working poor, the unemployed, the homeless, the near homeless and documented refugees, that begins with a safety net and links them to resources to achieve self-sufficiency. This year, over 20,000 Travis County adults and children will benefit from Caritas’ programs.

Austin Sunshine Camps

www.sunshinecamps.org

Founded in 1928, the Camps seek to teach life skills, self confidence, trust and teamwork, all while providing outdoor fun through traditional activities like hiking, swimming, canoeing, and sports.

The Austin Sunshine Camps serve over 1,000 at-risk and disadvantaged children every summer, and their year-round leadership and mentoring programs serve many more. The Camps provide an overnight summer camp experience at NO CHARGE to the children’s families.

2008 U.S. Paralympic & Texas Stampede Wheelchair Rugby Teams

paralympics.usoc.org & www.FearTheSteer.com

Wheelchair Rugby was developed in Canada during the 1970s by athletes with quadriplegia. At the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games it was presented as a demonstration sport and it was officially included on the Paralympic Programme at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. In 2006, it is practiced by 22 countries. Wheelchair Rugby is an intense, physical team sport for male and female athletes with quadriplegia (tetraplegia). The sport can be very physical as athletes attempt to carry the ball over the opponent’s goal line.

Hospice Austin

www.hospiceaustin.org

Hospice Austin provides family-centered, quality end-of-life care that emphasizes compassion, dignity, independence and respect. Hospice Austin is committed to relieving physical, emotional and spiritual pain so that life can be experienced as fully and hopefully as possible.

SIMS Foundation

www.simsfoundation.org

The SIMS Foundation was founded in 1995 by the friends and family of Sims Ellison, a young Austin musician who died that summer from suicide after battling depression. Their aim was to provide low-cost counseling and other mental health services that would be tailored specifically to the needs of musicians and their families. Today SIMS continues to support the local music community by providing such services.

Austin Children’s Shelter

www.austinchildrenshelter.org

The Austin Children’s Shelter is an emergency shelter offering a safe haven for children who are removed from their homes due to life-threatening abuse or neglect. The children who come through our doors are traumatized, hurt, angry and despondent. For more than 20 years, ACS has provided the high quality care and critical services they need to begin the healing process including individual and group therapy, medical and dental care, and educational assistance. The individual attention given to the needs of each child helps them to feel safe while re-building their self-esteem. Our goal is to reduce the emotional trauma suffered by child victims of abuse and neglect and to lay a foundation of hope for a better future.

Center For Child Protection

www.centerforchildprotection.org

Founded in 1989, the Center for Child Protection is the first stop for children who are suspected victims of sexual and physical abuse and for children who have witnessed a violent crime. An accredited children’s advocacy center serving Travis County, children are referred to the Center exclusively by law enforcement, and each child is brought to the Center by a caregiver for a recorded interview, forensic medical exam, counseling, and crisis intervention. All services are provided at no charge and most are available in English and Spanish.