Resolution Revolution

New LTEF Director Applications Open

You know you are thinking about it.  That nagging New Years Resolution.  What's it going to be this time...lose weight, clean out the garage so you can actually put the car in it?  Stop worrying - we've got you covered.  Join the LTEF Board of Directors and impact the lives of 8700 Lake Travis children in 2015.  

Ok - so what do you have to do?  Fill out the application (the link is on the right or click here) and then join us at the New Director Open House on January 14, 2015 at the Madrone Apartments Clubhouse on 620 S. to meet us in person, ask questions, and see if it's a right fit for you.

Make 2015 one to remember - terms begin June 1 and by this time next year, you may not have lost a pound and that garage may still be a disaster, but you will have impacted thousands of kids in our community.  Now THAT's a resolution you can be proud of.

Green Gifts!

You may remember the story of Zach Peckover - LT graduate who has come home and is giving back to the organization which gave him a scholarship years ago.  Well he and The Hills Country Club have done amazing things in just a few months!  Waiving their initiation fee in exchange for a donation to the Lake Travis Education Foundation, we received an early holiday gift of $11,500! What a way to start off the season.  Thank you to all of the members who joined, and of course to The Hills and to Zach - the mastermind behind the program.

Hashtag to Give

Black Friday...lines conquered.  Small Business Saturday...boutiques shopped.  Sleeping Sunday...still wishing.  Cyber Monday...fingers exhausted.  All of this was really just a prep class of sorts for the best day of all - #GivingTuesday.  A few years ago some pretty forward thinking folks decided that the antidote to the consumerism that has enveloped us for the past 4 days, and will likely be the focus for the next few weeks, is a day to give.  Genius I think.

Why give to the Lake Travis Education Foundation?  Simple - you live here.  Your kids, your neighbors kids, your co-workers kids all go to school here.  Regardless of the side of the fence you prefer when it comes to school finance and the Texas State Legislature, the fact is all of our children deserve a great education.  All of our teachers need the supplies and programs to keep our children on the cutting edge of education and learning so they are prepared for the new world that waits for them.

How should you give?  Any way you want.  Buy tickets to our Gala in March, become a Friend of the Foundation and make a monetary gift, purchase a Visual Bliss art book to give this holiday season.  No matter how you choose to give, know that your contribution will go directly to the Lake Travis Independent School District to help fund programs and projects that might otherwise never happen.

#GivingTuesday - guaranteed to make your heart smile without fatiguing your feet, making your eyes red or dealing with only three lanes open in a store with 24 registers and lines to the back of the store. Thank you, and happy giving!

Gala Registration is OPEN!

This time of year finds the calendar front and center as we are overwhelmed with work and social obligations.  Just this week I double booked myself.  Twice. I'm not going to let the same thing happen to you!  At least not for March 7, 2015.  Why you ask?  It's time for Bowties and Butterflies - the Lake Travis Education Foundation's Annual Gala .  Presented by Rough Hollow Lakeway, this year will mark the 30th anniversary of LTEF.  30 years of giving with the focus on ensuring our kids have the best educational experience possible.  You won't want to miss this event!  What's happening that night?  Just a giant celebration, 300 silent auction items, a live auction, entertainment, made possible by Lexus of Austin, will be the Matt Wilson band (he used to play with Billy Joel!) and special guest Rick Trevino.  Not to mention the gourmet meal, gift and a night to remember!  There are only 700 seats available and when they are gone, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get the Renaissance to renovate to fit another table in.  So register RIGHT NOW!  Make the plan, committ to the education of the children in our community, gather your friends and get a table.  Talk to that person at your place of business who controls the purse strings and tell them that this IS THE PLACE to get your message out to Lakeway.  Don't wait.  Put it on your calendar today.  Because when an LTEF board member calls you, he isn't going to buy the whole "double booked" excuse.  Click below to join us!

Hole In One!

Birdies By the Lake Fore the Kids Photos!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a beautiful day of golf on Monday!  Golfers and partners were all over the course, having a great time and raising money for our kids and community.  A BIG thank you to our partners who helped to make the day possible:

Lexus of Austin

University Federal Credit Union Mortgage Services

Impression Edge

Mosak

Haddon & Cowan Architects Collaborative

Powell, Ebert & Smolick

Watkins Insurance

First American Title

Lakeway Orthodontics

Robert Pittenger CPA

Bolton Real Estate

American Bank of Texas

American Campus Communities

Triton Austin

A+ Federal Credit Union

Lakeway A/C and Heating

Chick-fil-A

Sundancer Grill 

Fore

Check out all of the great photos on our Facebook page!  Thanks to David Douglas who spent his day behind the lens to capture some of these great moments.

Please support our partners and make a plan to join us next year for another great day out at the links!

Feeling Fall Fore the Kids

I'm no meterologist (although sometimes I think we all believe that we could be one!) but according to the latest on the Weather Channel, today may be the last we see of the 90s for a while!  You know what that means, right?   Fall might actually be here.  Dust off the clubs and get ready because it's time to spend your weekends on the course.  Need an excuse to make it a three-day golf weekend?  Here it is!

October 27th, at The Hills Country Club in Lakeway two flights of golfers will tee it up to benefit the Lake Travis Education Foundation and the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce.  Tee-shirts, chill towels, Chick-Fil-A, a chance to win a car and way more!  Don't miss out on your chance to enjoy a 76 degree morning or an 82 degree afternoon losing your golf balls in the woods.  :)  Just kidding.  We know you are all just one round away from making the cut.  

Are you ready?  Don't wait because spots are running out!!  Click here to register today and forward it onto your friends.  Bring a jacket - it just might be cool out.

Where Do They Go?

The Foundation is fortunate enough to award monetary scholarships to deserving LTHS seniors every year.  This incredibly talented and gifted group graduates soon after - and then they are off.  Off to persue thier dreams, find new ones, and make the most of the incredible opportunities they have been given.  We love it when they check in with us from time to time and let us know what they are up to and where they have gone.

Last week we got a short note from the mother of one of our recipients - Anneka DeCaro.  Anneka received the Rachel Ann Mauer scholarship in 2014 and is now at the University of Pennsylvania making her mark.  A gifted artist (that's her drawing on the cover of A Visual Bliss over there on the right!), she is now creating a comic strip that is published in the University's paper - The Daily Pennsylvanian.  While we may not get the humor because we are not Penn students, we certainly can appreciate the talent.  Thank your for your donations so we can continue to support students like Anneka.

Closing the Deal

It doesn't matter where you drive in Lakeway and Bee Cave, there is construction.  New homes, new businesses, just lots of new.  Someone has to broker all of those deals, and one of those real estate agents is Kellie Noaks.  She's not only selling property, she's giving back too!  Everytime she closes a deal, she's committing $250 toward LTEF.  What a deal!  To learn more about Kellie and how she's giving back to our kids and our community, visit her web site here:  http://kellienoaks.com/

Thanks Kellie!

Playing it Forward

I love surprises.  Especially when they are really good ones!  This afternoon I was working away when LTHS graduate and LTEF scholarship recipient Zach walked in.  And he brought donations!  Zach is a Membership Director at the Hills Country Club and is running a promotion where new members at the Lakeway level donate $500 to LTEF in lieu of an initiation fee.  This morning, prior to Zach's surprise appearance, the total was $3,000.  By the time he left our total was $6,500!

Want to Play it Forward?  Find out more about the Hills program here!

Time to Tee Off!

I know what you are doing right now.  Answering emails and returning phone calls from last week that you didn't get to.  Setting up some project for this week and all the while thinking...I could be out there today playing golf.  Sigh.  It's going to be ok - because the Lake Travis Education Foundation has joined forces with the Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce to bring you Birdies By the Lake Fore the Kids!  Set for Monday, October 27th at the Hills Country Club, you won't want to miss this!! Two flights, forecaddys, food and fun....all on a MONDAY!!  Totally beats checking email.  Your excuse for getting out of the office?  Easy.  This tournament benefits LTISD schools and our local businesses.  Truly the easiest decision you will make today is clicking on this link and registering your team to play and business to sponsor the event.  All the details are on the web site - but call us if you have questions!  Suzanne with LTEF 512-533-5968 or Laura with LTCC 512-263-5833.

Click here to Register Now!

The Day After

The sun rose this morning and it was official.  We made it through another "First Day of School".  The drama of what to wear, what to pack for lunch, what time to leave to account for traffic is behind us.  Our kids came back with stories of who they sat with at lunch, what kid they don't like in their class and who their favorite teacher is going to be.  This morning things were a little calmer, still feeling the early school year stress, but somehow we have made it and we likely have all breathed at least a small sigh of relief.

Scott and Tamra Villarreal are breathing a little easier this morning as well.  Their big family is out the door this morning and off to school.  Long time supporters of LTEF, the Villarreal's know how important supporting the Foundation is to the teachers and students of LTISD.  This year we are honored to have them serve as the Honorary Chairs of our Annual Giving Campaign.

Our teachers are ready, thier classrooms full of projects and plans to engage our children and prepare them for thier next step.  No matter what that may be.  Join us today in supporting the teachers and staff of LTISD so they can continue to help build the dreams of our children.

The BIG Picture

What a week!  Like many of you, we are anxiously anticipating the beginning of a new school year.  With that comes quite a bit to accomplish.  This year, LTEF has reached out to the teachers and staff at LTISD in our annual employee giving campaign. We are overwhelmed with the response!  Last year, 1.9% of LTISD staff were donors, contributing about $3,800 to the Foundation.  This year, staff came together and championed our cause.  The result - as I type this 48% of the staff are now Friends of the Foundation and have pledged monthly gifts or made one-time gifts totalling $18,782.  AMAZING!!!  This group of 1000 plus employees is extraordinary.  They are invested in our kids in so many ways and committed to giving our youth the brightest future possible.  We hope you will join them and look over the right side of this page and click the DONATE button.  Your kids, our kids, deserve it!  Thank you LTISD staff!

Working Weekends

It doesn't really matter what day of the week your "weekend" actually is, no one wants to be working on that day.  But sometimes it's just what has to be done.  What began as just a day to catch up - turned into a something more - an unexpected donation!  Pedernales Electric Cooperative has made a contribution of $1,000 to LTEF through their Partners in Learning program.  Thank you so very much!  Not only is PEC providing some of our families the power to light their homes, they are providing our children with power to ignite their minds.  If every working weekend started out this way, I might just find myself in the office on a few more Saturdays.

Playing for Donations!

It is a measure of a schools' success when its alumni return to the area and then look for ways to give back.  That's exactly what has happened with Zach - a Membership Director at The Hills in Lakeway.  A past recipient of an LTEF scholarship and former football player, he developed a great way to give back.  From now through the end of October when you contact Zach and sign up for The Hills in Lakeway Golf Membership they will waive your initiation fee if you make a $500 donation to the Lake Travis Education Foundation!   And guess what??  We are already celebrating the first member!  Contact Zach for more info - and be sure to ask to see his State Championship ring!

Sneak Peak!

Look what you have done!

Everyday you are asked to make choices.  Everything from creamer flavors to what kind of oil to put in your car.  You have so many options, for so many things, and I have to say that when it comes to giving, over 500 local businesses and families chose LTEF this past school year.  The impact of your dollars will be felt not only in the coming year, but for years, and even lifetimes to come.  Our Annual Report is headed to print and soon you may find one in your mailbox at home, at work, or in your email inbox.  I hope you will take a minute to see just what you have done, because it's really impressive.  Here's a quick glimpse of just what's inside.  Thank you!!

Funding Futures

2013 Scholarship Recipient Says Thanks!

I got a call a little while ago from Erin Quigley.  She was awarded the Shelley Stillman Memorial Scholarship in 2013 for $1,000.  LTEF is honored to be able to administer scholarships like this one.  Erin just finished her freshman year at  the University of Texas where she majors in Biomedical Engineering.  I don't think that was a even a major when I went to college.  She's talking about concentrating her studies toward tissue engineering.  Wow. Whatever that it is, it certainly sounds impressive and is most definitely something the Stillman family can be proud of.  In-state tuition for UT is about $5,000 per semester.  Her scholarship most certainly made an impact.  Thank you to all who made that possible and thank you Erin, for honoring Shelley's memory with your hard work.

Your Dollars Growing Education

Growing Minds

My mother always said that time flies faster the older you get.  But I remember hearing her say that in my head as I sat in my 4th grade class, staring out the window wishing for summer and feeling like it would never actually arrive.  I bet your parent said the same thing.  So it's summer now suddenly and I am trying to catch up on things.  While working through my inbox I came across this amazing article that reminds me again why I come to work every day and why our Directors work so hard to raise money!  This is an AMAZING garden Lake Travis Elementary School built in their courtyard.  Guess how they funded it??  Your donations to LTEF!!  Staring out the window as a 4th grader never looked so good. Check out the article and the photo of LTEF Directors presenting the check to LTE this year in the garden :  http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/ltes-celebrates-courtyard-culture/nfzj7/

New Year, New Site

New Web Site Up and Flying

When you are on a long hike and your feet are hurting and your pack seems heavier than ever, someone inevitably asks, "How much further do you think it is?".  The answer is always, "About a mile, mile and half". Even if the destination is miles away.  Our journey on the path of creating a new web site was kind of like that.  But today I get to say, "We made it!".  We have reached our destination and we are so very proud to present our new page.  From here you can see where all of your donations have gone, check out photos of events past and register for those coming up.  Most importantly though, you can give!  How far until we reach our goal for 2014-2015?  About a mile, mile and half.  Give generously - our kids are worth it!

Our New Site!

LTEF President Swims With Sharks!

We all do a lot of crazy things for the causes we believe in...but LTEF President Troy Mechura may have just set the bar incredibly high!  This past Saturday he swam the cold and shark infested waters from Alcatraz back to shore!  At our annual Gala in March, Troy said if donations got high enough he would make this epic swim - and true to his word he did it!  So my question now is...what's next Troy??