AYLA Community Service Days 2021-2022

AUSTIN YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATION

The Austin Young Lawyers Association Community Service Days Committee kicked off the 2021-22 year volunteering their time at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the Green Corn Project, and We Are Blood.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

On Aug. 28, 2021, AYLA volunteers showed up to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Founded in part by Lady Bird Johnson in 1982, the center promotes its mission to inspire the conservation of native plants through its internationally recognized sustainable gardens, education, outreach programs, and research projects. Volunteers showed up bright and early to beat the summer heat to help clear out weeds and spread mulch in the family garden area. Not only did AYLA members volunteer their time, they also got to learn about native plants, bugs, and the different areas of the Wildflower Center.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center AYLA volunteers: Callie Haley, Jenna Malsbary, Amy Befield, Blair Leake, and Emily Morris

Green Corn Project

On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Community Service Days Committee was happy to volunteer with the Green Corn Project for one of their dig-in volunteer opportunities.

The Green Corn Project’s purpose is to educate and assist Central Texans in building organic food gardens so that they can have access to nutritious, affordable food. For this dig-in, volunteers helped clean the garden at Rosewood Elementary School and prepare the soil for the students to plant vegetables this fall.

Green Corn Project community volunteers and AYLA volunteers Meghan Kempf, Allison Fink, Wendy Rodriguez, and Jenna and Ryan Malsbary

We Are Blood

The October Community Service Days event supported the local blood bank, We Are Blood, on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The We Are Blood Bus parked in front of Hilgers House for donors to hop on, donate, and go enjoy the rest of their Saturday. AYLA and Austin Bar members, friends, and family who were eligible signed up to donate blood and help save lives. We Are Blood not only provides blood to Central Texans, but also helps when there are natural disasters or emergencies nationwide and donations are needed. AYLA hopes to have the We Are Blood mobile bus back at Hilgers in January 2022 as part of the Twelfth Annual MLK Day of Service.

The We Are Blood truck arrives, ready for AYLA volunteers to donate much-needed blood.

We Are Blood AYLA volunteers: (from left) Blair Leake and Ryan Malsbary

If you would like to join the Community Service Days Committee, help plan and coordinate for the 2022 MLK Day of Service, or have ideas for one of the monthly service volunteer events, please email Debbie Kelly at debbie@austinbar.org. AL