April is Physical Activity Month

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April is Physical Activity Month and April 6 is National Walking Day! American Heart Association wants you to start moving now. Perhaps ditch the elevator and the escalator, walk to work, ride your bike, exercise an extra class per week. Check out the North Austin Influencers™ calendar for some additional choices in the area that have been added to the community calendar. The benefits are countless.  Make sure you are tracking the steps you take this National Walking Day to keep your healthy lifestyle on track. Start by aiming to take 10,000 steps on National Walking Day and continue on for the rest of the year.

You and your colleagues can join the National Walking Day festivities by downloading our toolkit:

Click Here to Download Free Toolkit

Walk Austin Texas

 

Staying active is one of the most important things a person can do to help curb obesity, lower your chances of heart disease and live healthy. The American Heart Association is working to help kids, families and communities live heart-healthy lives. Use this physical activity information to help you get active and stay active, for life here.

Keep Austin Beautiful three month beautification project at Quail Creek Park

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Half dozen University of Texas Black business students, North Austin Civic Association members, and another half dozen Keep Austin Beautiful volunteers gathered at Quail Creek Park to kick off  the creek cleanup three months beautification project in February and the efforts continue in April.  Quail Creek Park is recognized by its large grove of hack-berry trees.  This park boasts a playground and picnic tables in 16 acres in north Austin.  Few Austin parks boast such wonderful shade.  Keep Austin Beautiful empowers citizens to take personal responsibility for enhancing the community’s environment by hosting these types of projects.

April 16th and 30th the efforts will continue, “we will engage the community around the park in litter abatement, creek restoration, native landscape installation, and park beautification,” and “future projects will include restoration work such as invasive removal, bank stabilization, and planting of natives plants, as well as mulching of park trees and possible public art installation”, announced Keep Austin Beautiful. View more details on how to get involved:  http://keepaustinbeautiful.org/calendar

Picture source: texashiking.com
Picture source: texashiking.com

 


Expo Mujer 2016

Category : Blog

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Expo Mujer is a premier women’s expo in Texas in Spanish. The event is a day full of surprises with cooking workshops, personal enrichment seminars, fashion shows, beauty products, and other themes woman would be interested in learning about. TX Women’s Expo is back for the second time in the city of Austin, and comes with many more surprises and more opportunities for  attendees and exhibitors!  Organizers of this annual event are inviting interested exhibitors to participate in Expo Mujer TX 2016 and be part of this great experience!
This year there will be more than 100 companies looking to target this audience, with priority registration as an exhibitor to readers of this message.

For businesses interested in marketing their product/services  into the increasing Latina audience, contact Diana Sanchez and Melania Hernández at [email protected]

Whether wanting to participate as an exhibitor or attendee, save the date of June 12th, 2016.

Expo Mujer 2016


Meet Stuart Wallace, founder of North Austin Creatives and visual artist in North Austin

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Stuart Wallace grew up in Texas to a British mother and a Canadian father whose family emigrated from England and Scotland. Growing up, Stuart felt as though he was living in a British enclave. Feeling out of place drove him to move abroad after university. He studied abroad in Spain, and then moved to rural Nagasaki, urban China, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Tokyo, Panama, and Turkey. His 7 years abroad were transformative and his art expresses foreignness, identity, and place.

After Turkey, Stuart taught bilingual 5th grade in Austin Independent School District (AISD). That experience prompted him to pursue his art full-time at his home studio. Becoming a full-time artist in North Austin frustrated him due to a lack of consolidated information and opportunities. To serve his community and improve these conditions, he worked with Love North Austin to transform that organization into North Austin Creatives.

North Austin Creatives works to strengthen the arts in North Austin. They hold monthly formal and informal meetings which are fiscally sponsored by Austin Creative Alliance for easy tax-free donations, and are planning a pop-up event this year to highlight local talent. They started with 30 members and now count in the hundreds. Sharing information, making connections, partnering with local businesses and organizations, and developing an open-source Google Map of North Austin creative resources are just some of the activities they engage in to make North Austin a destination for the arts.

In November, Stuart became a father of a little girl. He is a stay-at-home dad and wants her to grow up in cool Austin without having to drive to East Austin or Downtown.

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North Austin Creatives


Influence Your Body, Influence Others: Body Language for Leaders

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By Kali Jennifer Patrick with A Journey into Health

I had the pleasure of speaking with members of the North Austin Influencers Group about body language. It’s been awhile since I’ve presented to a more corporate / entrepreneurial audience so truth is I was a bit nervous. Which was actually FANTASTIC, because it gave me a perfect opportunity to practice what I was preaching: a completely different way of exploring body language that was mostly rooted in yogic philosophy and my training as a (therapeutic) yoga instructor!

My audience was interactive, open, and willing to try something new. I received several complements after the talk, which was very nice to hear since I had put a lot of work into doing something different yet accessible on the topic. In the preliminary exercise I had attendees write down a word to describe the last person they spoke to and what it was about their body language communicated that this–the man I had been talking to wrote “confident”, because my “back was straight/chest out w/ smile”. :-)

For those of you who missed it or are just curious, click on the link for the the talk, here. 

Get a Refreshing Night’s Sleep

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Journey into Health ‘s next workshop is Get a Refreshing Night’s Sleep:  Heal Your Insomnia on March 19th.

  • Do you have trouble falling sleep, either because your body or your mind (or both) are restless?
  • Do you fall asleep fine, but wake during the night, unable to return to a restful state?
  • Even if you fall asleep and stay asleep, do you wake feeling refreshed? Do you have energy “dips” during the day? How is your mood?

For more details and to register, click here. 

About A Journey into Health:

In 1998 Kali added power yoga into her fitness routine to increase her flexibility, and started exploring meditation to offset the stress of her high-tech corporate job. It wasn’t until many years later–after several significant challenges and deep internal work–that she started to see more clearly what it meant to be healthy.

In 2012 Kali took the full leap into mind-body wellness, forming A Journey Into Health. She became a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, found energy healing and holistic nutrition: she’s also an Usui Reiki Master and an Eating Psychology Coach. Kali also achieved the “experienced” yoga teaching designation along with her 500-hour certification in Yoga Therapy. She teaches group classes, offers private yoga, coaching, and Reiki sessions, as well as gives workshops in and around the Austin area.


North Austin Creatives Spring Extravaganza

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North Austin Creatives is proud to announce their inaugural Spring Extravaganza on March 26th, from 1 – 5pm at  a big empty piece of commercial real estate at The Linc on 6406 N IH35 Austin Suite 2850A, TX  78752. The event will feature artisans, musicians, and food vendors highlighting local talent from the North Austin area.  North Austin Creatives is a network of several hundred creatives and their supporters whose mission is to strengthen the arts in North Austin. North Austin Creatives include many dynamic fields such as visual art, live music, photography, and more. The group connects local businesses, community organizations, and schools with the arts for the economic and cultural gain of North Austin. Their monthly formal meetings and happy hours build relationships and help spread the word about North Austin’s emerging arts scene. North Austin Creatives is a fiscally sponsored project by Austin Creative Alliance under the umbrella of Love North Austin.

North Austin Creatives is a fiscally sponsored project of Austin Creative Alliance with a Community Initiatives grant of $3,000 from the City of Austin to put on this event, but more help from wonderful North Austin businesses and individuals are needed.  Generous donations from local businesses ensure the success and strengthen the culture and creative economy of North Austin. Donors will have their business name and logo on the donor board displayed at the event.  Tax-deductible donations can be completed online at Austin Creative Alliance’s donation page. Gift cards and/or prizes for our raffle, along with other cash or in-kind donations are greatly appreciated!

Long term goals for North Austin Creatives include:

  • North Austin Creatives to feel community where they live.
  • Support creatives by building connections in our area.
  • Business districts where people can walk and enjoy arts.
  • Local artists’ work and musicians in local businesses.
  • North Austin economy to blossom artistically.
  • Studio, rehearsal, and exhibition space.
  • North Austin Studio Tour.
  • More murals and public art.
  • North Austin to become more beautiful and prosperous through the local development of artists, musicians, writers, dancers, actors, and anyone who wants more art in North Austin.

Attendance is FREE for the March 26th event. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at $5 donation per ticket.  Please come out and support the arts in North Austin!

If you are interested in a booth at this event, please fill out the form at the link, here. If interested in sponsorship opportunity, contact Stuart Wallace at [email protected] .

the linc

 

North Austin Creatives

 

 

 

 

North Austin Creatives Board Members

Chair: Stuart Wallace | Vice-Chair: Angel Austin

Secretary: Tomas Fierro |Treasurer: Claire Simmons

Business Outreach & Marketing Chair: J Jolie Tan

Social Media Chair: Clarissa Cochran

Newsletter Chair: E.M. Adriana

Technology Chair: Amy Young


SCORE offers Small Business Workshops at Round Rock Public Library

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The Round Rock Public Library and the SCORE Austin chapter is resuming Biz.ability business workshops for small business owners (or those who are interested in starting their own business) this fall. SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.

Biz.ability business workshops will be from 12:30  to 3:30 p.m. at the Round Rock Public Library, 216 E. Main Street, Round Rock, Texas and will include topics and speakers:

7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success—March 4, 2016

You started your business because you love doing what you do…and because there are people who truly need your product or service. Not only do they need what you offer, but they are willing to pay a premium for your unique approach to meeting their need. But how do you connect with this “target market” in a way that builds “know, like, and trust” so that they will buy, buy more, and refer you to family and friends? You need a Marketing system!

Presented by Jeff Stec, Principal at Tylerica Systems, LLC, Certified Duct Tape Marketing Consultant, Duct Tape Marketing Total Online PresenceTM Expert and Contributing Author to “Renewable Referrals: How to Cultivate More Profits.”(Workshop attendees will receive a complimentary copy.)

Financial Forecasts and Reporting—March 18, 2016

In this workshop you will learn the basics needed to manage your small business financials. You will see how to forecast sales and expenses; see true start-up costs; discuss profit and loss and pricing; and how to set and use financial benchmarks. This workshop will be led by SCORE volunteer Carleton Smith who has extensive experience as a corporate executive and small business mentor and trainer.

Alternatives for Funding Your Start-up or Growing Your Business—March 25, 2016

In this workshop you will be exposed to options for financing your small business, including start-up and expansion. In addition, you will learn what is needed to qualify for various types of financing. The workshop will address traditional bank lending, SBA lending sources and alternative funding such as micro-lending.

A panel of experts including local banker Rene Flores of  First Texas State Bank, and representatives of alternative funding organizations Marco Melendez of People Fund, Arie Muniz of Lift Fund and Darin Thompson of Able Lending, will lead this engaging and informative workshop.

For more details, full list of workshops, and to register, visit here.

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North Austin Influencers February’s Mixer

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Thank-you to everyone that came out to our February North Austin Influencers mixer.This month’s highlight, former Mrs Williamson County, Eleanor Cheng Butler spoke about the platform she was given to promote a cause dear to heart as founder of The Heart of Cancer. It is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, spiritual and practical support to cancer patients and families through an array of healing therapies and activities. Special thank-you to Pacific Rim Sushi & Yakitori Lounge for hosting us.

To see more pictures from the event, please visit here.
February mixer

 

 

feb mixer 2

 

Feb mixer

 


Amplify Austin Day : Annual community-wide day of online giving

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Amplify Austin Day is our city’s annual community-wide day of online giving. The 24- hour period provides an easy and fun way for our entire community to give together while helping local nonprofits. Over the past three years, Amplify Austin has raised over $16.2M for hundreds of local organizations. In 2015, 41 percent of the 44,700 Amplify Austin donations were first time gifts to nonprofit organizations. Together the community raised over $7.7M for over 500 Central Texas nonprofits.

Last year, over 500 nonprofits participated in Amplify Austin Day.  On March 8-9, 2016, Amplify Austin’s goal is to raise over $9M for more than 600 nonprofits.  All of these organizations play an important role in making Central Texas a better place to live. Amplify Austin Day raises much-needed funds for nonprofits of all sizes, in all areas of service, and participating donors choosing the nonprofit to benefit from their contributions while connecting with one or more of nonprofit partners to give back to Central Texas! Get ready to amp up the giving on March 8-9, 2016!

Search by nonprofit or keyword to select your organization of choice, here .

amplify austin


Austin Partners in Education

Category : Blog

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Focusing on Austin ISD’s schools located in under-resourced communities and serving predominantly economically disadvantaged students, Austin Partners in Education (APIE) delivers innovative, volunteer-driven academic and mentoring programs in reading and math designed to improve student academic performance. APIE’s 1,800 volunteers work with students at pivotal junctures in their education, providing a vital extension of academic and social/emotional support to students. Through the flagship Classroom Coaching program, students benefit from small group (3:1 or below) instruction from volunteers drawn from more than 200 Austin area government agencies, businesses and community organizations.

 In the 2014-15 school year, APIE served 3,300 students through the following programs:

  • Elementary Reading Classroom Coaching and Compañeros en Lectura: Volunteers in the classroom work weekly with students developing reading skills in either English or Spanish.
  • Middle School Math Classroom Coaching: Volunteers in the classroom work weekly with students to build a strong foundation in middle school math, putting them on track to succeed in high school algebra.
  • College Readiness (9th-12th grade) and Case Management: Advocates offer information, advising and tutoring to students “in the bubble” between being qualified to graduate and being college ready.
  • Mentoring (all grades): Volunteers work one-on-one with students during the school day to help students improve their social and study skills, strengthen their communication skills, and build self-confidence.
Quick Bites of APIE: Benefits of Being a Volunteer
  • Increases self-confidence – volunteering can create a significant boost to your self-esteem and overall life satisfaction.
  • Brings fulfillment – volunteer work can be energizing, inspiring, and give you an escape from the everyday work flow.
  • Helps develop new skills – it’s an opportunity to enhance your current skill set and carry those skills to advance your career.
  • A healthier body – research shows those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression compared to those who do not volunteer.
  • Increases happiness – researchers studied the relationship between volunteering and measures of happiness and found the more you volunteer the happier you are.

Find out how to get involved, here.

Austin Partners In Education

 


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