PAST LIGHTHOUSES

For 56 years, the Round Rock Woman’s Club has been enriching women’s lives and giving back to the Round Rock community. The Round Rock Woman’s Club was formed in 1966 in Round Rock, Texas. Initially, it was the brainstorm of member Marge Sheffield. She wanted to start a book club. Instead, the women who came to the first book club meeting in 1966 decided their small town could greatly benefit from a woman’s service organization. As a result, the ladies chartered Round Rock Woman’s Club. It became affiliated with the Federation of Women’s Clubs. The founding members wanted their club to be involved in community service as well as a social outlet for its members. Their first service project was providing brightly decorated trash cans on downtown street corners in Round Rock. At the time, Round Rock’s population was around only 2,000 people. Since then, both the city and the women’s club has

For the past nine years, the official Austin chapter of the Seattle Sea Hawkers Booster Club has raised over $100,000 and dedicated over 6,300 hours to make Austin a better place for children in the spirit of the “12th man.” Since 2014, the Austin Sea Hawkers Booster Club has raised approximately $108,000 for local kids in need. and donated 6,300 volunteer hours with a focus of giving back to kids in their community. The majority of their philanthropic support is dedicated to Partnerships for Children and making sure foster children have presents for the holidays, making their annual Christmas Shopping Event their biggest give-back event. As individuals, members of the Austin Sea Hawkers “adopt” 12 specific foster kids in honor of the Seahawks NFL team’s “12th man,” a popular term in football referring to the intangible energy and spirit generated by fans in the stands or at home. Those individuals

One group of all-volunteer inventors has been producing designs for inventions and machines free of charge and free of intellectual property constraints that help humanity all over the world. Public Invention is a group made up of more than 55 all-volunteer inventors across the USA and the world. Their goal is to help all people through invention while challenging the notion that inventions should be reserved for patents and profits. Instead, these volunteers invite fellow builders of the future to use their skills for humanitarian purposes. Those involved with Public Inventions want to make the future better for everyone. To do this they remove legal barriers to enable the free use of their inventions. All work done with Public Invention is free and open to all under share-alike public licenses. These inventors work without compensation and donate their designs to the public domain. Many of the volunteers start as students

For 30 years, the Austin Area Heritage Council has overseen and planned Austin’s annual Martin Luther King Day celebrations in a continued effort to promote understanding and respect among all people. The Heritage Council was formed in June of 1995 to officially oversee the planning of Austin’s annual Martin Luther King Day celebrations. The Heritage Council wanted to create a more inclusive and family atmosphere at the MLK Day celebration, so they reached out to non-African American-based organizations to participate and adopted the new title of “MLK Community Celebration.” The mission of the Austin Area Heritage Council is to encourage interest in all cultures represented in Austin and to celebrate the rich history of Austin. The Heritage Council promotes understanding and respect among all people by creating and supporting multicultural activities as well as highlighting the achievements and talents of all members of the community regardless of race or religion. Now on

The first of its kind, Austin Texas Musicians is an organization for musicians, run by musicians, that has moved mountains for the Central Texas arts community in just four years. They started organizing service efforts at the beginning of the pandemic at a rapid pace, when along with their partners in city leadership they were able to bring $5 million in aid to Austin music venues, $1.5 million in aid to Austin musicians, and $3 million in aid to Austin creative workers – and their good work hasn’t slowed! During the 2021 winter freeze, Austin Texas Musicians and Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison rallied 400 unemployed musicians, venue workers, and event workers to serve food and water to over 10,000 Central Texans in need. They are also building bridges and bringing people together with their outreach teams, including voter registration with ATXM VOTES, education through ATXM NEWS, preservation efforts with ATXM REACH, and

For the past 16 years, volunteers with the Austin branch of the Texas Ramp Project have given the gift of freedom back to people in need so they can leave their homes safely and independently thanks to the wheelchair ramps they build. Since 2006, The Austin Texas Ramp Project has built ramps for those who need a ramp but cannot afford to build one in the Austin area. During this time, they built 1700 ramps measuring a total of 43,171 feet. That’s over 8 miles of ramps! The Austin branch of the Texas Ramp Project is one of 40 total Texas Regions covered by the organization’s vision to ensure that no Texas residents go without access due to financial limitations. Each region is made up of all-volunteer labor and the Texas Ramp Project partners with local churches, civic organizations, businesses, military servicemen and women, students, youth groups, and many others, along with foundations and

Zoi Ora Filos- Serteen at Round Rock High School has been bringing girls together to volunteer and serve in their community daily for 33 years. ZOI Ora Filos Serteen is a group of young women who currently attend Round Rock High School. The group was originally organized in partnership with the Round Rock Sertoma in 1990. The ZOIs are interested in the world around them and are motivated to improve that world through service to mankind. ZOIs serve the Round Rock community by both raising funds for charitable community organizations and by helping those in need with direct volunteer efforts. Every year, this group of teens contributes over 3,000 hours of community service to the Round Rock Area. Since its inception, the Zoi Ora Filos– Sertoma at Round Rock High School has given about 96,000 volunteer hours over 33 years.  Every weekend, you can find the ZOIs at the Round

For 20 years, the volunteers of Heart of Texas Threads of Love have used their enjoyment of sewing and needlework to comfort Austin area families with children in the NICU. Heart of Texas Threads of Love is one of 75 chapters nationwide. The original Threads of Love organization started in 1993 in Louisiana with the purpose of providing burial gowns for babies who were too sick or tiny to survive. When our local chapter Heart of Texas Threads of Love started 20 years ago, like the national parent organization, they produced special bereavement gowns, wraps, and remembrance tokens. However, at the request of local hospitals, they expanded their production to include items for the care and nurturing of sick babies including scent cloths (presented in fabric drawstring bags); emesis cloths; swaddling blankets (small and large); sheets; and quilts. In addition, they provide knitted, crocheted, and quilted blankets that are presented by Peri-Natal Nurse

Since 2009, Seeds of Strength giving circle has donated over $1,800,000 and funded over 110 grants, all in service to the Georgetown community. “Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream.” This quote inspired 13 women in Georgetown to start a giving circle in 2009 with the aim of identifying and addressing needs in their community. Drawing from the quote, they named their group, to emphasize that it only takes a couple of small seeds to grow into something strong to benefit their surroundings. Since then, the group has grown to over 240 women from various backgrounds ranging in age from 20-something to 90-something. The Giving Circle provides the opportunity for members of the Georgetown community to pool their resources together and vote collectively to award local nonprofits with much needed funding. With a mission to “…connect with the Georgetown community, enrich

The first predominantly African American Lions Club in Texas and the United States has been giving back to the Austin community for 55 years. The Austin Capital City Lions Club has the distinction of being the first predominately African American club chartered in the State of Texas and the United States. They have helped more than 13 organizations over the years, with their focus on the Family Eldercare Fan Drive and Central Texas Food Bank in the last few years. Along with donating to the above organizations, they recently started working with Kealing Middle School. They have provided them with breakfast, worked with the students on their Service Days, and even helped them re-pot plants, trim trees, and help in their garden. Austin Capital City Lions Club also provides scholarships and volunteers with the Texas Lions Camp, a residential summer camp for children with physical disabilities, type 1 diabetes, and cancer. The Austin Capital City Lions Club is