FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dan Leal, Executive Director
(512) 323-6371 (phone)
dan@seedlingmentors.org
A Decade of Honoring Austin’s Heroes: Seedling Hosts 10th Annual Gala in support of Children who have an Incarcerated Parent
Austin, TX: Seedling invites the Austin community to our 10th Annual Austin’s Fab Five Gala on the evening of Friday April 29th, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Austin. Join us to celebrate five local heroes who have made a significant impact in the lives of Central Texas children. This prestigious Central Texas event benefits Seedling by raising vital funds to create opportunities for thousands of children affected by parental incarceration in Central Texas. This year’s honorees are: Bobby Jenkins, Owner of ABC Home & Commercial Services; Dr. Daina Ramey Berry, Chair of the History Department and Oliver H. Radkey Regents Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin; Derrick Chubbs, CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank; Leticia Mendoza, Director of Marketing and Communications at Texas Disposal Systems, and Miguel Romano, Ascension Health’s President of Foundations for Texas.
Choosing the honorees is a rigorous and competitive process. Seedling chooses candidates who are leaders in the Austin community and whose work greatly impacts Central Texas children. Fab Five honorees are champions for underserved children as well as education. The Fab Five event highlights the work and leadership of the honorees while raising much needed funds to support school-based mentoring for children impacted by parental incarceration.
Over the past 2 years, Seedling has mentored and led the nonprofit community by hosting not one, but two, galas during the pandemic. In April 2020, Seedling had one month’s notice to completely revamp what was planned to be an in-person gala to a fully virtual one. In April 2021, Seedling hosted a hybrid gala for the first time. These were both completely new challenges for Seedling, but the nonprofit was still able to raise over $400,000 from the events. This year, Seedling is ready to once again provide an in-person experience for donors and supporters.
“This is our tenth year hosting the Fab Five Gala, and every year we continue to increase and accomplish our fundraising goals, so more and more children can be served,” said Linda Thompson, Director of Development. “As we reflect on our event the last decade, we look to our community to help continue the Fab Five Gala for many years to come.”
Proceeds from the event support Seedling’s mentor program, which provides mentors as role models and sources of support and encouragement to children whose parents are absent from the home serving a jail or prison sentence. Since March of 2020, Seedling’s program has also had to pivot from virtual to fully remote, and back to in-person again. Seedling is proud of its students and mentors for their resilience over the course of the pandemic and will utilize funds from the Fab Five event to grow the number of match relationships and expand opportunities for students. For information on the event or Seedling’s impact in the lives of children in our community, please visit bit.ly/FabFive2022 or contact Emily Slater at Emily@seedlingmentors.org or 512-323-6371.
About Seedling: Seedling has provided school-based mentoring for children impacted by parental incarceration since 2006. During the 2020-2021 school year, Seedling provided mentoring for school-aged children in Austin ISD, Del Valle ISD, Pflugerville ISD, KIPP Public Schools, and Hays CISD. Each year, Seedling also awards scholarships to 8th grade students to use toward their post-secondary education. Throughout the past year, Seedling has also expanded our programming to include summer mentoring for current Seedling mentees, additional scholarship opportunities, and extra support for high school mentees. Seedling is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization, Tax ID #74-2841791. Donations are tax deductible. To learn more about Seedling or to become a mentor visit Seedling’s website at seedlingmentors.org or call (512) 323-6371.