Austin Says “Thanks” Over 179,000 Times
With a record turnout of over 179,000 Thank You votes cast, the 2015 Say Thanks Austin campaign left nine RecognizeGood Legend Award Winners feeling very, very appreciated.
AUSTIN, Tex. — Amassing a record 179,000 Thank You votes pouring in from supporters around Greater Austin and the world, the RecognizeGood Legends Class of 2014 proved to be truly memorable. The results of this fifth edition of the annual Say Thanks, Austin campaign were announced in a ceremony at City Hall on Friday, February 20th along with the presentation of $17,000 in pay-it-forward donations made in the Legends’ names to the area nonprofits of their choice. Karen Faulkner of Student Charities in Leander took home the grand-prize $10,000 donation, receiving over 90,000 Thank You votes herself. Emceed by Bobby Jenkins and Earl Maxwell, and with a special message from Austin Mayor Steve Adler, the Say Thanks Austin Closing Ceremony proved what extraordinary selfless impacts can be made by those all around us.
Bobby Jenkins, of ABC Home & Commercial Services, exclaimed, “It’s amazing to me, the number of thank you’s that we received this year. It’s one thing to go up and up, but to go UP like this is absolutely phenomenal – and I think it’s a true testament to the quality of the Legends that we have this year.” Pay-it-forward donations were made to the following area nonprofits: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (from Allison Baker), Greenlights for Nonprofit Success (from Libby Malone), Therapy Pet Pals of Texas (from Kathryn Lashmit), the TownLake YMCA (from Ed Myers), Your Ride Is Here (from Melissa Duclos), Student Charities (from Karen Faulkner), The Austin Harmony Project (from Tressie Seegers), Brighter Days Food Pantry (from Terri Sue Bettis), and Keep Austin Fed (from Joseph de Leon).
The Council Chambers at Austin City Hall were “filled with goodness”, as Legend award winners and their support teams joined local business leaders, media partners and RecognizeGood fans to create an atmosphere of pure gratitude. “This is truly one of my favorite days of the year,” explained Earl Maxwell, CEO of the St. David’s Foundation. “Christmas Day would be the third. These are situations where the room is filled with goodness.”
Say Thanks, Austin is an annual event which presents the Austin area with a unique opportunity to say “thank you”. Each year, RecognizeGood selects nine Legend award recipients who become eligible to participate in the Say Thanks, Austin campaign. Over the course of January, the community is able to say Thank You to each participant by voting for one or all by means of a variety of voting methods. The participant with the most votes receives a pay-it-forward donation of $10,000 to the nonprofit organization of their choice. Most importantly, our community focuses attention on those who truly deserve it, and are inspired to find ways to contribute themselves.
