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Later this month, Austin Aspires will hold a special fundraiser celebrating its 10th anniversary. If you are interested in being a part of it, you are encouraged to visit: https://www.austinaspires.org/

In the meantime we encourage you to think about how important Austin Aspires is to the community of Austin and education of its youth. Born out of the Vision 2020 initiative, Austin Aspires is a hub-based center that utilizes data drawn from local sources along with resources that have a positive impact on its mission to support families and youth.

But perhaps it’s most important role as this hub is its ability to build on lasting partnerships to achieve this end.

This collective impact has been born on a foundation that requires no cost to the community, with funding from a mix of grants, government funding and donations.

Late last week, in a press release, Austin Aspires celebrated the following:

• 91% of Austin High School seniors enrolled in Austin Aspires programs graduated in 2023.

• Each year, Austin Aspires connects over 800 families to critical resources including childcare and basic needs.

• This summer, more than 25 youth were on a waiting list for the Boys of Tomorrow Club.

This work is highly foundational to what schools in Austin are already trying to do — prepare youth for the future by getting them the skills to follow through successfully.

And by acting at his hub, Austin Aspires is able to spread its vision across several areas within the community, linking organizations and resources that may not have been seen as an option before.

Taken one step further, it’s being utilized by Austin Public Schools, Pacelli Catholic Schools and all the way through Riverland Community College.

This partnership creates a chain throughout a child’s educational journey that’s further strengthened by programs such as the Austin Assurance Program.

That is why we not only should celebrate Austin Aspires and its 10 years of youth supporting work, it’s also why we should continue to support it in the future. With this kind of leverage, Austin can truly reach and exceed the center’s own vision of making Austin an educational leader worthy of being followed by other communities.