I signed up my children for Blue Santa because they were the only ones accepting 14 year olds. They…read moredid not deliver any gifts to my children and pretty much just said so sorry your kids are not getting any gifts from us. Did not care one bit and rude people!

On a whim, our family decided to sign up this year as delivery volunteers for Austin's annual…read moreOperation Blue Santa (OBS), a holiday charity effort organized by the Austin Police Department. My company was doing it as a group and I figured it was a good way for us to do some community service together as a family, as anyone of any age can participate. Plus, we have a big cargo space in our hybrid family vehicle, we can haul a bunch of stuff - why not put it to good use to help someone? Another bonus, the gig only lasts until around lunch time, so there'd be plenty of hours left in the day to take care of other responsibilities. Our call sheet for the Saturday-before-Christmas delivery morning asked us to show up at 7am to meet for breakfast with fellow employees and then get into the car line by 7:30am. I woke up, opened my eyes, and looked at my phone... 7:45am - oh crap!!! Guess we're on the naughty list now. Well, we figured since the event went through noon (or whenever they run out of boxes to deliver), we'd throw on our festive hats and hurry down to South Austin to see if they still had anything for tardy people to do. Even arriving at 8:30, there were still hundreds of cars in line around the block and plenty of boxes ready to go, so we didn't miss a thing. It was fun just hanging out in the line, listening to holiday music selected by the 8 year old (Minecraft Christmas songs, anyone? Okay, how about Trans-Siberian Orchestra?), and waving to all the happy fellow volunteers we saw. At different points along the line, various people directing the flow of traffic stopped us to chat and thank us for our service, handing out breakfast goodies & volunteer swag. Chief Acevedo even came out to shake hands with us and give the kids a badge sticker! There were lots of other smiling police officers, junior Explorer Program teens, & military members in uniform helping out, too. Another highlight was getting to take photos with Blue Santa and Mrs. Claus. We learned that OBS delivers presents and food to about 3,900 families in the Austin city limits each year. The effort goes on all year long, with donations and toys collected year round, then presents being wrapped, sorted, and boxed at the main operations center off Ben White, east of IH35, just south of 71. There are many different kinds of volunteer activities involved, so check out the website if you'd like to see what might work for your schedule. To apply to receive Blue Santa boxes, check the website in October for that year's eligibility and application information. After about an hour in the car line (thank goodness for porta-potties and hybrid engines!), it was finally our turn to load up. We were able to fit gift boxes & turkeys for 4 different families in our vehicle and we were off! The OBS planning for the delivery points was superb, as 3 of our families were within 5 blocks of each other, and the 4th was just a couple miles away. Bonus, all were back up in North Austin, so when we were done, we were already close to home. We skipped the post-event party, but if we'd gone back down south, we'd have had free BBQ, live music, and a big celebration with many of our city's first responders. This was a such an easy volunteer gig, and one that was a lot of fun for our whole family. We'll definitely go again in 2015.

This store has everything you could ever want as a Girl Scout, member, leader or parent! It was so…read moreexciting seeing all of the GS themed badges, accessories, toys, books with diverse characters, etc. The staff members were friendly and very helpful in explaining all the things we needed to know as first-timers. They even have a calendar of activities they host at this location. Fun store!

I love walking around the store and seeing all of the patches and Girl Scout items! The employees…read moreare super helpful when it comes to ordering uniforms. The store is always clean and well organized.

A wonderful group of individuals who care and work with special needs adults to perfect their art…read moretalent. My son has been attending the Arc of the Arts for four years and has loved every minute of it. They also worked with Facebook to help these individuals learn about computers, be careful when surfing the web and create pages to display their work. This is an awesome program which challenges my son each time he attends.

don't send your children here. incompetent teachers. They don't care about Children with…read moredisabilities. They give away stuff promised. They play favorites. Its really gone down hill.

We toured multiple daycares across Buda and Dripping Springs before our son started daycare at…read moreseven months old, and we never found one where we felt completely comfortable. Then we walked into UMC, and we immediately knew we had found exactly what we were looking for. Everywhere you turn, you can see just how genuinely loved the children are here. There is a warmth here that is hard to put into words until you experience it yourself. Instead of franchised mascots pasted on walls at other sites, UMC was filled with children's artwork, laughter, and hand made decorations Our son is in the Butterfly Room with Ms. Michelle, Ms. Kalie, and Ms. Santa, and we absolutely ADORE them! In just the month he has been there, they have truly started to feel like an extension of our family. They are incredibly engaged with the babies and put so much effort into creating an interactive, nurturing environment, but what means the most to me is simply how much they love and care for him. I know he is being held, played with, encouraged, comforted, and loved throughout his day like he would be at home. There really isn't anything more I could ask for. I think one of the best testaments to UMC is what happened when they recently asked families if we would consider leaving a review. It's heartwarming to see how many parents immediately jumped in wanting to share their experiences. That says everything about this place. There are so many families who genuinely love UMC and are grateful for the people who care for our children

I am so grateful I found Havenwood. I've been working here for a few years now, and I can honestly…read moresay there is no place like it. The owners and admin are incredible; they strive to ensure their staff feel happy and supported. They are constantly checking in and finding ways to make teachers feel good about their jobs. I love the kids and our families. Havenwood is a place for everyone.

We have been at Havenwood for a little over a year and absolutely love it! Our son has learned so…read moremuch and comes home dirty everyday from all their fun, outdoor activities! The teachers are all so welcoming and kind. They truly give their all into these kiddos and care so much. I would highly recommend Havenwood to anyone with young children!

Background Information: This organization offers housing for women and children who have…read moreexperienced homelessness. Some, not all, participants come from Domestic Violence situations, however, this is not a battered women's shelter. Their website boasts about how wonderful they are, but I am here to tell you it is all smoke and mirrors. I lived at one of the two properties they own so I have first-hand knowledge of how they run the program. The housing program gets housing subsidies from the City of Austin, is a Rental Housing Development Assistance Programs, and has some affiliation with HUD. It's worth noting, this organization had ZERO policies in place for anyone with a disability, which is required by law for an apartment complex. They knew my son was disabled because it was on my application for housing and not once did they ask about what he might need accommodations for. My son and I moved into Saint Louise House's Program April of 2020, right at the peak of COVID. At the time I moved in, we had been homeless for a year, so I was excited to have my own place again. I was quickly disappointed when I found out it had an extremely bad infestation with German Cockroaches that they failed to tell me about until after I moved in. I was told that it was treated recently, but additional treatments could not be provided until businesses started to open up and I understood this. However, I would have preferred to postpone my move instead of dealing with the disgusting roaches for what lasted approximately 8 months. When everything started opening up, management finally got pest control to come in and spray, however, it was just a general spray, not the proper one you need for treating German Cockroaches. For quite some time, I continued to email management letting them know the general sprays were not working and provided numerous pictures of all the roaches. It was at that time I got an email from the then program director stating that Robin Kampermann, the operations director, wanted me to submit a video of the current roach situation because pest control "had just sprayed my unit." By this time, I had sent numerous emails documenting the issue and told her I was under no circumstances going to provide a video. The infestation was so bad, I ended up having to repack my kitchen because the roaches were in my cabinets, refrigerator and in our food. Roaches carry many diseases as well as feces as they travel so roach feces were on my countertops and cabinets, inside the cabinets, my baseboards, floors and wall. This created not only a major health hazard, but a major inconvenience to me and my son, but management still dragged their feet for getting the proper treatments and did not care about the health hazard this caused us. As a result, my son and I ended up having to eat out for EVERY meal which exhausted all my savings of $1000.00. Management did not care one bit and made no resolution to refund my money, despite having all my receipts. I continued to send numerous emails complaining about the roaches and nothing was done about it. I even contacted the chairwoman at the time, of the board of directors for the program, Molly Trexler, to complain and she told me the board did not get involved in such issues. My son, who is disabled, was traumatized by the rampant roaches crawling everywhere, including the walls and floors in our dining room and throughout our kitchen. I called the Austin Tenants Council to see what could be done and was told that it was a reasonable request to move to another unit due to my son's disability. I requested numerous times to move to another unit and was turned down. Management expected me to live in a unit that was a health hazard. Laura Ward, the Executive Director of the program told me it was against their policy to allow tenants to move. She accidentally sent me an email intended for other management employees, and she attempted to recall her email, but was unsuccessful. In this email she stated that she would no longer be responding to my emails regarding this issue and that they should help me relocate somewhere else. Robin Kamperman, the Operations Manager, and bully of the organization essentially refused to provide treatment despite numerous photos of the roaches and feces and email requests I sent. I literally had to raise hell and get the city involved to get this issue resolved. Finally, they got the pest company to do proper treatments, although I was thankful, it was a big inconvenience. All my cabinets had to be wiped down with a particular solution before each treatment and because the treatment was toxic, I could not be in the apartment for 3 hours afterwards. See photos for the rest of the review.

Vincare does great work for our community and everyone here at Integrity Moving is honored to do…read morebusiness with this wonderful foundation! If you know any mothers that are struggling and trying to make it on their own, please call this organization!

Update: I volunteered at HHH for so long because we eventually transitioned into the foster/adopt…read moreprogram as foster parents. Much later, we adopted our kids with their unwavering help. There is no way to explain how hard that process can be, but Helping Hand was the best partner that we could have asked for in the journey. They do their absolute best to ensure you can support the kids that you invite into your house, which is no easy feat. And they hold your hand when it is beyond hard. I highly recommend checking out if they are a right fit for your fostering experience.

I have volunteered at HHH for 6 months now, and each week I go to read to the kids here, I…read moreappreciate the care and effort the entire staff gives to protect, and assist each child here, more and more. This is an incredible haven for children to get the care, therapy, and consistency they need, and I am so grateful to have gotten connected with this volunteer opportunity.

As my daughter's momma and Grandmother to TLE's recent graduate, Waverly my heart continues to be…read morewarmed by the love and care you've always shown us. The Learning Experience Buda stood by our family through the most devastating chapter of our lives--My daughter's heartbreaking brain cancer journey, which ended a year ago. My daughter's greatest concern was always her little Waverly. She was the BEST MOMMA! TLE wrapped Waverly in love, stability, and unwavering support, helping her feel safe, cherished, and encouraged every step of the way. I have never encountered a school community that radiates such deep compassion, professionalism, and wholehearted dedication to every single child. Waverly has truly flourished because of your nurturing care. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being there for our family. We will miss you as Waverly continues her journey in Kindergarten--confident, joyful, and well prepared for whatever comes next. With extreme Gratitude and Love to a special school TLE Buda.

Thanks to The Learning Experience Staff in Buda for providing excellent care…read more They were extremely warm, responsive, and welcoming us with an empathy They have a curriculum that is followed and emailed. You can check on your kid via phone application which comes super handy, and it is always great to see them smiling. Healthy breakfasts and healthy lunches are provided each day, along with snacks in between. They have a nice playground that the kids love playing on when it is nice outside. Along with the day-to-day activities, they are always doing special things like his first day was a reptile show :) Wednesdays are splash days. Pick-up/Drop-Off is extremely easy I never waited more than a minute. This is especially amazing when you compare it with public schools Pick-up/Drop-Off process We were sad to leave The Learning Experience Buda, but it will be always a great memory. As every parent will want the best for their kid, don't think twice. This is your spot. Tina, Leo, Ms Deleasha , Ms Paris, Ms Hilda, Ms Maddie , Ms Renee , and the names I could not remember;I sincerely thank you all.