The Story Of ATX Villages: Vision Statement
Our goal for this organization is to be a Hands Up charity, not a Hands Out charity. We will strive to get schools with more resources to partner with schools with few resources on numerous projects that the students will submit for approval. The skills they will utilize will help them in their future endeavors. It will hopefully benefit all parties involved.
On October 6, 2019, the Austin American Statesman published an article, “The Football Gap – Why high-poverty schools lose more football games.” (The Football Gap) Since I always read the Sports page first, thanks to my athletic Dad, a 30+ year teacher and middle school/high school coach, and being a college athlete myself, I was immediately drawn to the article. Two different worlds in Austin were highlighted. I was disappointed and concerned from a safety perspective that Travis HS football players were having to use helmets that were ten years old. Using hazardous equipment should not be happening this day and age. A few days later, an anonymous donor from Westlake gave the athletic department a check to buy $5,000 worth of new helmets. From then on, I could not get the article out of my head.
I decided that if there was a way to develop a Hands Up Program, I was going to find one. Then, the pandemic hit, and my intentions were put on the back burner. In the fall of 2020, I scheduled a Zoom meeting with Travis HS Principal Hantgin. Consequently, my relationship with this disadvantaged school with few resources began.
My vision for this non-profit organization is to help disadvantaged schools in Austin with few resources gain support from local businesses in the community as well as resourceful neighborhoods. This will allow teachers, club sponsors and coaches to offer more opportunities to their students. To start, we will begin with athletics to make sure every student is safe when they go out and participate in a sport. We want every student, no matter what their circumstances are, to realize that they have the same potential to succeed in life. Some students may just need a Hand Up to conquer these obstacles and there are other villages willing to help.
Greta L. Irvin