A TAP-py Open House

You Are Invited To Join Us This Thursday, October 6!

Drop by after work or school, enjoy drinks and snacks with us, catch up with old friends, or get to know the TAP community a little better at our TAP-py Open House event! This is the perfect opportunity to get to know the amazing creative community that we have at TAP and to be inspired to work with us as a volunteer. Fantastic door prizes and volunteer appreciation gifts will be handed out, as well as delicious snacks from some of your favorite Austin grazing spots. The greatest gift of all, though? Building stronger relationships with our TAP-tastic staff!

A Paint-ful Volunteer!

By: Chelsea Gilman, Business and Development Associate
When I think about all of our volunteers, I am so thankful for their hard work and how much we are able to accomplish because of them.

Every week we have volunteers at the office, at school programs, and at events.  They create props, organize and input data, help with our Teaching Artists and so much more. They are helping us accomplish a higher capacity of projects with kids and families at a level we would otherwise not be able to reach.

This past Friday, May 13, several TAP employees, including myself, got the chance to participate in our own volunteer project. The Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas set up a spring service day benefiting Winn Elementary School. Over 200 volunteers, whom came from several organizations around Austin, worked on many projects that ranged from creating a mosaic in front of the school, landscaping around the school, and painting 3 murals inside the school.

Kelly (left) and I with one of the finished murals

Theatre Action Project was in charge of helping volunteers with the painting of the murals. We painted two in the gym and one in the hallway. The paintings were fully of color and active volunteers more than ready to help spruce up.

I had a wonderful time helping paint and listening to the comments kids would make as they walked by. The staff and kids at Winn were so excited for the new murals, many times throughout the day you would hear the kids say “thank you” or just “whoa!” The school is already full of fun murals, but I know we added much needed vibrancy to the gym and hallway.

It feels good to be a volunteer and makes you appreciate so much more about people that come and volunteer here. In addition, it feels good to get a yummy box lunch and Amy’s Ice Cream.

What a great Friday!  To top it all off, I headed back to the office to send off a grant application that afternoon.  Fingers crossed!

TAP at Convio Cares Sign Up Rally

What a terrific time we had at the Convio Cares Week Project Rally on Wednesday. Theatre Action Project was on hand, with several other area nonprofits, to sign up Convio employees who were searching for just the right project with which to contribute their time during Convio Cares Week in April. Kelly Schiller, Community Relations VISTA was proud of our table display at today’s Convio Cares Sign Up Rally. We had several Convio volunteers as well as other nonprofits coming by to check out our table.

It was easy to see why Convio was touted as one of the best places work in 2010 by the Austin Business Journal. Their employees were given time during the work day to visit with nonprofits at the rally to find just the right fit for their passion and interests Everyone was treated to special cups of Amy’s Ice Cream and a vast amount of opportunities with Austin nonprofits. Convio actively encourages their staff to volunteer in order to strengthen the nonprofit sector and improve the community in which they live.

TAP is looking forward to working with Convio volunteers in April. Thanks Convio!