Dear APIE Community,

During this season of gratitude, I remain mindful of the good I see and hear about every day as we work with our amazing students, their dedicated teachers, our remarkable staff and our awesome volunteers.  Yes, we knew this school year would be “different” and that the challenges would be many, yet there is so much that gives us the hope we all need to persevere.

With your support, APIE has risen to the challenge of providing virtual support for students participating in our College Readiness, GEAR UP, Math Classroom Coaching, and Mentoring programs. Our 300+ virtual volunteers and our APIE staff show up weekly via Zoom and have provided thousands of hours of mentoring and tutoring to hundreds of AISD students.

We are prepared to continue with a virtual approach as long as necessary, and in alignment with Austin ISD and CDC guidelines.  For the latest information from the school district, visit their Open for Learning website.

As the fall semester wraps up in December, our team is looking forward to and planning for the new year ahead as we continue to show up for students.  We could not do this important work without your help. Thank you for supporting us in converting challenges into opportunities for innovation, courage, and change.

Sincerely,

Cathy Jones, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Virtual Volunteer Q&A

For the first time in APIE’s history, we have several volunteers from outside of the Austin area—one of the unexpected benefits of virtual volunteering! Check out our blog for a Q&A with Jim Harris of Houston and Uyen Pham of Lincoln, Nebraska. Learn what it’s like to virtually volunteer with our Math Classroom Coaching program and how it makes a difference for Austin ISD students. APIE’s volunteer programs will continue in a virtual format in the spring. If you aren’t already a volunteer, you can learn more and sign up at www.austinpartners.org.

Join Our Austin Marathon Fundraising Team

APIE is once again an official charity of the Austin Marathon and our team page is live! Joining our fundraising team is a great way to support APIE within your circle of friends and family. If you sign up to run, your registration will be good for any of the next three years should the live event not be held, although you do not have to be a runner to be on the team. The first $10,000 raised will be generously matched by the Moody Foundation. Every donation counts! Learn more and sign up on our fundraising page.

Help Us Continue to Show Up Virtually for Students

Since the pandemic began, Austin Partners in Education has continued to support students. We quickly adjusted our College Readiness and GEAR UP programs to a virtual format last March; and since the fall semester began, we’ve provided over 1,700 hours of academic support to 1,200 Austin ISD students at seven high schools. Our volunteer-based Math Classroom Coaching and Mentoring programs also went virtual this fall. Your donation, whether large or small, will help us continue to show up regularly for students, giving them the care and encouragement they need to succeed!

Support APIE Through Target Circle

Now through December 31, vote for us whenever you shop at Target through the Target Circle program, which you can learn more about here. We’re asking our supporters to help us make the most of this incredible opportunity where Target is supporting select Austin nonprofits based on customer votes. Every vote counts to help us receive a portion of the available Target funds as we continue to support Austin ISD students. Don’t forget, as you earn more votes, you can keep voting multiple times during the campaign!

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