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Making a Difference!

The Austin Eastside Story Foundation (AES) is a 501c3 agency, providing community access to emerging technologies and enhanced educational opportunities for children and their families living, working and attending school in East or Northeast Austin, Pflugerville and Round Rock. The Austin Eastside Story Foundation officially began its programming in the spring of 1996, though its initiative dates back to 1994 with a study that verified the disproportionately high rates of crime, poverty and low educational achievements levels in East Austin.

In 1994, the City of Austin entered into a collaborative effort with the university of Texas, both Texas us senate offices, the state of Texas, Stanford university, Austin independent school district, lower Colorado river authority, members of the technology community and neighborhood residents to assess the most effective way to provide economic development inclusive of the families living in a section of east Austin defined as the 11th and 12th street corridor. The collaborations evaluation revealed an outdated physical infrastructure, disproportionately high rates of crime, poverty, homelessness, vagrancy and below-average educational achievements

levels.

The results of these findings saw the creation of Austin eastside story foundation, to address the vacuum of services focused toward human and physical development issues in east Austin, AES immediately set out to address the challenges to families participating in the development process and discovered that the literacy and educational levels among families was key to other social challenges facing east Austin residents.

In an economic environment, rich in opportunities in the education and technology arenas, Austin eastside story foundation focused its initial efforts on facilitation readiness, among east Austin youth and their families, to take advantage of those opportunities. The Austin revitalization authority (ARA) was subsequently formed, by members of the initial collaboration, to address the “bricks and mortar” issues of redevelopment of East Austin. AES has evolved into an agent of change for community revitalization programs by providing educational enrichment, training, and technology, for east Austin families, to arm them with information, literacy, life skills training and strategies for self-advocacy.

Purpose

Austin eastside story foundation exists to create the means that lead to self-sufficiency and self-advocacy for families and their children living, working and attending schools in east Austin. AES accomplishes its purpose by serving as catalyst that combines people, resources that provide technology, training, employment, educational programs and referral services to families, while holistically addressing the revitalization of east and northeast Austin.

Vision

Austin eastside story foundation envisions homogeneous, urbanized and self empowered families thriving economically in a livable, sustainable and healthy community. AES after school program envisions children and families possessing the academic foundation necessary to increase their personal opportunities generate and sustain a healthy neighborhood and share fully in the opportunities available in the Austin community at large.

The eastside story after school program assists more than 1,500 students annually from the Austin, Pflugerville, Manor, Del Valle and Round Rock independent school districts, as well as charter and private schools in east and northeast Austin/Travis county. AES accomplishes this by providing certified classroom teachers and interactive programming to assist students with daily homework assignments, standardized tests tutorial and computer technology training, experiential educational activities for children from ages 5 through 13 years.

Mission

Austin eastside story’s missison is to serve as a catalyst for grown and development by bringing together people, money and resources to provide technology training and educational enhancement for children and their families, in short, to build the capacity of participant families to be more self sufficient. Austin eastside story targets people living in the 11th and 12th street corridor and people, who live, work and attend school in the east and northeast sectors of Austin/Travis County.

The Austin Eastside Story Foundation is just one of many organizations that are committed to helping the Large Gap of ethnic disadvantages commonly associated with people of color and low income.

On June 18th, 2004, the Austin East Side Story Foundation will Host a Congress Avenue Parade starting at 2:00 PM and at 7;00 PM the will host a Pre-Juneteenth Alvin Patterson Battle of the Bands and Drum line starting at 7:00 PM. For more information call 512-482-8548