Austin Mayor Applauds Those Who've Helped Amid Pandemic

AUSTIN, TX — Amid scary times, Fred Rogers — better known to us all as Mr. Rogers of public television fame — offered up the comforting words his mother would tell him as a child: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ "

The point being that even in the face of horror and uncertainty, there are always people who rise to the occasion to help those in need. These people rare the manifestation of the human spirit, the ideal of hope taken on human form.

In that spirit, Austin Mayor Steve Adler highlighted the actions of Austin residents "...generously gifting their time and resources to better our community this holiday season," he wrote in a holiday message this weekend. "While we reach the end of an exhausting year, Austinites still continue to serve and give back to the community. In the spirit of the season, I commend all our essential workers and residents who made every-day, heroic actions."

Austin Mayor Steve Adler and his wife, Diane Land, pose for a photo as part of the former's holiday message to the community as they wear pandemic-appropriate face coverings. Photo provided by City of Austin.

Such altruism comes at a critical time as the region grapples with a growing reach of the coronavirus. As of Saturday, 528 people have died from the respiratory illness virus among the 47,000-plus who have been infected by it across the county since the pandemic began.

"This week, we entered Stage 5 of COVID-19 risk-based guidelines," Adler wrote. "It’s not easy being physically separated from those outside our home but, with numbers so high and climbing, the immediate job of protecting our next few weeks is before us now."

Stemming the illness tide is up to all of us, the mayor suggested — by adhering to physical distancing guidelines, wearing protective face covers, washing our hands often, staying home unless on essential errands. "We have the power to impact whether or not our hospital ICUs are overrun, and how many people face serious health outcomes or death. It’s up to us. It always has been."

The long-awaited Pfizer and Moderna vaccines arrived in the region, and many frontline workers already have received their first inoculation against the coronavirus. Like the vaccines, actions of many in the community — those ever-present helpers running to assist the downtrodden — have offered further signs of hope and inspiration.

The mayor highlighted some of the most exemplary acts of altruism across the city during these challenging times:

• The Austin LGBT Chamber hosted a toy drive benefiting area kids this month, as Patch reported on Dec. 1. With help from local nonprofits and city parks officials, the chamber collected new and unwrapped toys, shoes and clothing to disadvantaged children. Thanks to the campaign, children across the city who otherwise would have not gotten gifts were able to find special deliveries under the Christmas tree.
• Frost Bank and CultureMap teamed up this month to collect more than 700 pounds of nonperishable food items benefiting Central Texas Food Bank, which turned the goods into nearly 600 meals for needy families.
• Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott made an impact, donating $8 million to Meals on Wheels Central Texas and another $1 million to YWCA of Greater Austin. Meals on Wheels Central Texas CEO and President Adam Hauser called the donation “transformational,” saying the gift would help feed more hungry seniors across Central Texas and provide other services to them. For its part, the YWCA said Scott's donation will further the work of its Counseling & Referral Center, Care Coordination Program and Volunteer & Training Institute to “...serve underrepresented communities across Central Texas in the area of mental health and care coordination,” officials wrote in an advisory.
• One of the littlest helpers was a 6-year-old girl named Brooklyn, whose sadness over other kids not getting toys fueled the inspiration for a business called "Brooklyn's Colorful World." A fanatic of crayons (who among us wasn't at six?), she used her favored implements to make colorful shapes — cars, dinosaurs, unicorns and the like — as KXAN reported. Furthering her business plan, the precocious philanthropist created a Facebook page to take crayon orders. Sales proceeds have benefited such organizations as Salvation Army’s Angel Tree, Round Rock Police Department’s Operation Blue Santa and Toys For Tots.
• The Austin Police Department didn't let coronavirus play the role of the Grinch and leaving needy kids without a memorable Christmas. Instead, members of the department's "Amigos en Azul" (Friends in Blue) met with students from area elementary schools at the Southpark Meadows Target store in South Austin to dole out gift cards to the young beneficiaries. Typically, cops help the tots pick out their gifts by strolling down the aisles together, but the reach of coronavirus prompted the gift-card version this year. In the end, some 60 children were able to purchase gift at the store or online in the comfort of their homes.

"Through the increasing challenges of 2020, I saw Austinites rise up — protecting the vulnerable, giving generously to local businesses, and advocating for equity," Mayor Adler wrote in his holiday message. "We endured and overcame through our innovative, community-centered actions. It is an honor to lead such a wonderful city with such incredible people."