by Leslie Ford – Although the weather was chilly, the women of Seeds of Strength were not deterred. They braved the wind to celebrate another successful year of lending a hand to a variety of nonprofits serving the Georgetown community. The Second Annual Harvest Fest was held at Celebrino Event Center, a lovely venue with plenty of space to accommodate the crowd of approximately 200 members, guests, and our grant recipients. Staff members from each nonprofit were available throughout the evening to talk with members. For me, learning more about each organization was the highlight of the evening. So, in this blog, I am sharing some of the interesting things I learned about how our 2019...

by Jan Spence – On a recent crisp and sunny day, a cadre of Seeds of Strength dog lovers were greeted by team Rocco, a big black and white Pyrenees/Aussie mix and his human owner/handler Shelly Moreno, and by team Remi, a petite Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and her owner/handler Wendy Moosavi. Rocco and Remi appreciated our petting and responded with nuzzles and lots of tail wagging – but NO barking or jumping. They were so well-behaved because they have been through the Bow Wow Therapy Training at The Dog Alliance, a remarkable facility on New Hope Road in Cedar Park. We were also received by the Executive Director of The Dog Alliance, Debi Krakar, a small but mighty force of n...

by Babs Cape – What a greeting the eight Seeds of Strength members received on August 3rd when we visited Austin Sunshine Camp: Thank you for helping me go to camp. Austin Sunshine Camp is the best camp. If it was not for you, I would not be at the best camp ever. I want to thank you for helping me get in this awesome camp! Noah could not contain his appreciation. And he was not the only kid to thank us that day. You may remember Erica Blue on Voter Night describing her life-changing experience attending camp as a child. “It lifted me out of poverty,” she explained. Now as CEO of Austin Sunshine Camp, she wants that same experience for over 1,000 children each summer. And ...

by Haley Waggoner – For a few brief moments on July 24, all was quiet in the Georgetown Family YMCA building at 3010 Williams Drive. As visiting Seeds of Strength members filed in, we were greeted by the program’s director, Cathleen “Cat.” She explained that they were awaiting the arrival of kids participating in the Y Teen Time summer camp group, headed back from their outing, which included playing “Nerf Wars” at a local gym. Mr. Gattis pizza was already set out for their lunch. We took a moment to explore the room. Cat and the staff (Nancy, Jacquelin and Jessie) have made an impressive use of the space. The word CREATE is hung at one end of the room, where tables, craf...