Austin, TX – October 10, 2005
With over 260 guests, Austin Child Guidance Center ’s First Annul Charting a Course of Hope Luncheon was a success with $122,295 raised in multi-year donations. Silicon Laboratories underwrote the costs of the luncheon held at the Austin Country Club on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
As Board Secretary David Zodikoff pointed out, “There are more than 42,000 children and adolescents with mental health challenges in Travis County . Austin Child Guidance Center can be doing so much more.” The purpose of the event was to raise multi-year funds to support the critical mental health services Austin Child Guidance Center provides in the community and to introduce the Navigator’s Society. This society is comprised of supporters who recognize the importance of long-term support for the Center by pledging yearly donations of $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000 for five years. These funds ensure the sustainability of the organization.
Guests were able to hear firsthand from clients the impact Austin Child Guidance Center has had on their lives. Beth Marsh, Board President and former consumer of ACGC, and Amy Donaldson, a parent who attended ACGC’s parenting classes, shared their personal stories of success. In addition, a 9-minute video featured more testimonials from four families. The stories shared included a young boy who witnessed his father attempt to murder his mother, a woman claiming Austin Child Guidance Center saved her life when she was a teen, a mother concerned about her son’s difficulty to make friends, plus a testimonial from an Austin favorite musician Alejandro Escovedo.
The program included a moment of silence led by The Honorable Phil Sanders, a presentation about Austin Child Guidance Center’s services and future vision by Executive Director Donald J. Zappone, and Board Secretary David Zodikoff outlining the current needs to provide for the mental health services to Austin children and families.
Austin Child Guidance Center is a nonprofit organization committed to improving the mental health of children through early intervention, diagnosis, and treatment. Since 1951, Austin Child Guidance Center has been helping families in the Austin community build emotionally healthy lives. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists provide mental health evaluation and treatment services, including individual, family and group counseling. In 2004, of those reporting income, 84% of the clients served were low-income families.
Since its inception, Austin Child Guidance Center has provided mental health services to more than 100,000 children up to age 17 and their family members in Travis County and surrounding areas. Austin Child Guidance Center has trained more than 500 mental health professionals pursuing master and doctorate degrees in the mental health field.
# # #
