WORLD WEARY: By today’s standards, the Gordian knot seems like just another
clove hitch. Midway through the 1990s, we’re snarled into such a paralytic
tangle that nobody can even find a loose thread, let alone an end to pull.
Everywhere, the news is pure apocalypse: conquest, slaughter, famine, and
death. Those thundering hooves in the distance sure don’t sound like the Lone
Ranger.
That’s why it’s doubly heartening to see someone wade in and wack off a little
piece of the mess to solve. In this case, it’s a group called RESULTS,
which bills itself as one of the country’s most effective grassroots
organizations. Based in D.C., its staff works with volunteer partner teams
around the nation to fight two bottom- line
villains: hunger and poverty. Over the past decade, they’ve helped pry loose
almost $3 billion in federal aid for American kids who plain don’t have enough
to eat.
If you want to know more, RESULTS staff will be in Austin next week to round
up a local team (Thursday, June 15, 7pm, at St. Austin’s Hecker Hall, across
from Dobie Mall). Might be time to drop the excuses – and the remote – and get
down to business.
MIX IT UP: Meanwhile, in another part of the
forest, Austin celebrates its 38th annual Race Unity Day (Sunday, June
11, 1- 6pm
at Waterloo Park, 12th & Red River). This year’s cultural swirl includes
Raymond Zapata’s Ballet Folklorico, Csardas, Hill Country Highland Dancers,
Persia Espana, and The Balkan Singers, plus Indian dancers, African
storytellers and, yes, a by- god
drill team. Offstage, look for international foods and crafts and a large kids’
carnival area. Admission is free; the treat budget is up to you.
THE RED STUFF: Don’t forget to pump a pint
Saturday down at the Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces). That’s the new site of the
annual Hearts for the Arts Blood Drive, which stocks a blood fund for
Austin musicians and their immediate families.
Singing for their red cells will be Monte Warden, Kris McKay, Alejandro
Escovedo, Ponty Bone, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, and others. The drive runs all
day, Saturday, June 10, 9am- 5pm;
donors walk away with a free T and a chance for two roundtrip tickets from
Southwest Airlines.
TINY LITTLE HEADS: Artz Rib House hosts a
Bluegrass Benefit this Sunday (June 11, 1- 5pm,
at 2330 S. Lamar). Your five-buck admission will help buy bike helmets for low- income
Zilker Elementary kids. The do is sponsored by the Mary Lee Foundation
Rehabilitation Center, which provides services for brain- injured
adults… and which would dearly love to see itself out of business in the next
generation.
THEY LIVE TO SERVE: AIDS Services of
Austin throws its Sportsfest Volleyball Tournament this weekend
(June 10- 11,
9am- 6pm,
at Bailey Park, off Lamar behind Seton Hospital). Competition teams are already
booked, but you might still wangle your way onto a rec squad, and of course,
cheerleaders are always in demand. Admission’s free, but try to bring a can of
something for ASA’s food pantry.
NOT JUST THE COLOR OF MONEY: Green
entrepreneurs should have already reserved for the next “Another Business
for Barton Springs” Luncheon (Tuesday, June 13, 11:30am- 1:30pm,
Shoreline Grill). Topping the agenda are Danielle Milam and Gene
Dawson, Jr., co- chairs
of San Antonio’s Water Quality Task Force, with a talk called The San
Antonio Edwards: The Fight for Clean Water. Also on tap: the debut of
an Austin Eco- location
Map, plus drawings for a new Tahiti kayak and a Barton Springs swim pass.
Tickets are $15 a head; if you’re going, RSVP now to the Hill
Country Foundation at 478- 5743.
SEASONAL SHIFT: The mercury’s climbing, so
are the tempers – and so is the need for volunteers at the Family Violence
Task Force. If you’re looking to gain experience in social service,
criminal justice or child development, you won’t find a better way. Details?
Call Karen Dempsey at 708- 4423.
This article appears in June 9 • 1995 and June 9 • 1995 (Cover).