My wife and I spent a few hours here on Sunday. I thought the Palmer Event center was well…read moredecorated and the vendor layout was organized and welcoming. We bought a variety of things, fun ice cube trays at Roks, candy apples (although this vendor seemed quite disengaged and was not welcoming -- but the candied apples were great!), and a few clothing items. My wife thought the jewelry selection and leather goods need an upgrade, but otherwise enjoyed our visit. I thought most of the vendors were appropriately committed to the Christmas/Holiday theme.

This event kicks off a the holiday shopping season with vendors from near and far. Most of the…read moreplaces are geared towards women, home or food - not a lot of stuff for men. They are a mix of home goods, holiday items, clothing, jewelry and food. Giant Christmas tree in the center where everyone stops for a picture. Food and drinks are available if you get munchies or thirsty while you shop. This event is a big fundraiser for the Junior League of Austin so that it helps them support the community.

I am so glad a friend referred me to Alexa. I knew I had solid work experience under my belt, but…read moreafter months of looking for a new gig, I knew it was time to shake up my approach. Alexa was meticulous in digging through my current resume and helping me find ways to make it stronger. She also provided great pointers and an outline for a stronger cover letter. Plus, a big part of her approach is setting up informational interviews with people in companies, industries and roles you're interested in and she graciously provided introductions to people in her own network. With my new resume I was able to land an interview at my next dream job, and once I finally landed an offer, I scheduled additional time with her to gather pointers on how to negotiate. I've been at my new job for almost two months now and could not be happier that I had Alexa's help to get me here. She's smart, fast and thorough, but also just fun to work with; I always felt like I was just brainstorming and strategizing with a friend.

Alexa was very helpful and easy to work with. She gave me the inspiration I needed to believe there…read morewould be a better fit out there for me, and helped me evaluate my interests and preferences to narrow down what really mattered to me. When a job opportunity came along that fit those preferences, I knew it was the right move to take it. Also, I will never have to redo my resume again -- it is in an awesome template that will be easy to refresh. It is always hard to say where a job will come from, and when, or how you got there, but Alexa provided the tools I needed to dive into the job search and find a good fit.

Our 4th grader had a fantastic time during his week of summer day camp with ATX Kids Club and we…read morecan't wait for the next opportunity for a field trip with Tammy's wonderful crew. What's so great? 1) Small groups with a low child-to-teacher ratio. During our week, there were approximately 8-10 kids and almost always 2 or more counselors at each outing. The curriculum has an educational/health & fitness focus, and the well-trained counselors are managed by a certified teacher (Tammy) who is often present during the week. 2) Exercise & being outdoors. The kids are moving most of the day, walking around town to see the sights, playing on splash pads & playscapes, or taking a hike. ATX Kids like to move it, move it! 3) Being a tourist in your own city. The kids (ages 4 - 12) learn to use public transportation and recognize city landmarks while exploring many of the cool destinations available in their hometown. During our week in Summer 2016, our child toured several art museums and historical sites, visited a few parks and walked urban trails. A highlight at the end of the week was visiting the Governor's Mansion and having snack time with the First Dog of Texas, Pancake. 4) Supporting a community-based, local nonprofit. ATX Kids Club offers discounts for children whose families might otherwise be unable to afford this kind of summer camp. They also serve as a CCMS provider through the Texas Workforce Commission. 5) Having a "normal workday" schedule for a reasonable fee. Summer camp hours are 9a-5p ($275/wk), and you can add extended care for 8a-6p for an additional fee ($65/wk). This is such a relief compared to other summer camps that require parents to juggle work hours for drop-off and pickup. I do recommend the extended care unless you work very close to the drop point. Downtown rush hour traffic is horrific! It was fun for us to see the play-by-play pictures of the kids in action on the ATX Kids Club FB page each day, confirming that our child was enjoying camp and making new friends. We're looking forward to signing up for Summer 2017, as well as trying out some of the school holiday and Saturday adventures later this year.

Did two days over spring break for our 6.5yo boy and he loved it. We were lucky enough to get Ms…read moreMiller herself, the program director/founder, as the spring break sessions are smaller than the summer ones. (That's also why we were able to enroll for individual days.) She's selective in hiring guides, and extremely creative in finding things to do around the city, many accessed via public transportation. Kid came home tired and happy each day, with stories to tell about the "main" activities and the "bonus" activities which they keep in their back pocket depending on how the day goes. Will be back!

Austin Pets alive saves the lives of 12,000 pets per year, who come through the Austin shelter --…read moreand countless more with their outreach to animals and organizations throughout Texas and the country. APA!'s mission is to promote and provide the resources, education, and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. Their vision is that every shelter animal, in Central Texas and beyond, gets a true chance at the life they deserve. Austin Pets Alive! is not an average animal shelter. They pioneer comprehensive, innovative programs designed to save the animals most at risk for euthanasia. They have a 95% animal save rate...the highest in the country. I volunteer as a dog walker every day. The dogs are well cared for, and they ensure that each dog gets walked 3 times a day. In addition, they participate in play year activities to make sure they get proper exercise and socialization. The kennels are always kept clean and hosed down after pet accidents. They have matchmaker services to make sure an adopted pet is compatible with their new owners. And they offer a lifetime of behavioral support, by dog behavior experts, for adopted dogs. Austin Pets Alive values their volunteers and hold appreciation meetings twice a year. The most recent one as at AGBG, with free pizza for everyone. They were voted best nonprofit for several years.

I dropped off my 10 week old kitten to get neutered at 8am. They told me to pick up later between 5…read more-5:45 pm. When I got there to pick up they told me that they hadn't even started the procedure yet. They finally finished up around 6:15. ***So they left a tiny kitten in a box with no food or water for 10 hours! The team there seemed overworked and not trained well. I found incompetence across the board at APA. Will never go back.

The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is a collaborative funding and planning…read morenonprofit that is fiercely committed to ending homelessness in Austin, TX. I volunteered with them several Januarys in a row now, helping them take census of how many members of our community are experiencing homelessness. Since resources are only doled out to communities as they can prove need, this is VERY IMPORTANT to get the funding needed to help people in vulnerable situations. I also find every year, it helps me reshape my thinking about underserved populations. As a public health professional, it is valuable experience, marching through the ice, looking for people sleeping in the below freezing temps, discovering them, and finding out the circumstances that brought them there. I've even heard why they prefer to sleep in the ice than a shelter. It is a humbling experience that I would recommend to anyone- and an opportunity to really make a difference in your community in a matter of hours! If there are not enough volunteers, swathes of the city are not counted, people are ignored.

This review is for the Creative Action after school program including the pre K portion and the…read morefull afternoon with children from pre K to 5th grade. This was a huge disappointment. There are 2 teachers for 14 pre K children and maybe 3 teachers for all the total program. With too many kids, my child experienced bullying by both pre K students and older students. There will hitting, name calling and pushing that happened. The staff didn't do anything about it, write up a report or inform me this was going on. My kid told me everyday that boys were hitting him and calling him names :( The expectation is the children sit and color or sit and do a project for most of the afternoon. This is fine if a child is older but very hard for younger kids. Instead of thinking of creative ways to work with the younger children, they just kept telling my child to "sit" and that "my child should listen to them". The staff all have art backgrounds, no necessarily childcare backgrounds. They are teaching the pre K kids about "imagination". My child now tell me that "I don't like imagination". Between there being too many kids, the bullying, and the sitting, my child kept escaping. The teachers weren't paying attention and had trouble finding him and another kid. They had both either hid in the bathroom or left the building. This happened 3 times in 3 weeks (that I was told about) and probably more. Needless to say after a month we have pulled our child from the program. I would not recommend this program for younger kids. Wait until they are older, show interest in art and can defend themselves.

I took my 5 month old to his first baby music class at creative action today, and we both loved it…read more Miss Carrie is a great teacher: lots of energy and musical talent. She sang about eight songs using a range of instruments (ukelele, drums, jingle Bells, maraccas) and her CD player. This is a high quality, donation-based class for newborns to five year olds, offered most Saturday mornings during the year. I'm so glad it's in my neighbourhood. Highly recommended! There's also a movement class for toddlers (2 to 5 year olds).

*This review is about Greater Austin YMCA Administrative Office*…read more The Austin YMCA Adminstrative Team is inaccessible to their stakeholders. I needed to talk to the Membership Coordinator. Tried to call... was offered an opportunity to leave a message in the General Mailbox. Guess what? "This mailbox is full". I tried their company directory, carefully spelling out the person's first name. I was routed to a woman who leads after school activites in Leander. Ok then, let's try the last name. Same. Routed to someone who was a site leader. Didn't talk to either person and opted not to leave a voice mail. Ok, so I had an email address for the Membership person. Let's try that. I sent two emails and recieved no response. How about Facebook messaging? Maybe they are all about Social Media. Sent two messages. Crickets. I am dumbfounded. This is not a reflection on the branch staff. They are great people who understand the importance of customer service.

My disabled son was hurt at YMCA summer camp, beat up by 5 kids in one day. The YMCA has no…read moregrievance process for campers who face discrimination and abuse, no accountability whatsoever. The higher administration and board members are not accessible. Be careful with your kids: whether bullied, passive witness or being a bully, it does all children harm to not be properly supervised & guided to respect one another. The YMCA has a long track record of discriminatory practices and have failed to be better of their own accord. If you've faced discrimination, you can file a complaint with the department of justice, civil rights division.