From the Director

WHEW. 2020 HAS BEEN QUITE THE EVENTFUL YEAR.

I’m sure we will all be able to recall this pandemic for the rest of our lives; the fear of going to the market and encountering another person (remember the toilet paper problem?), all of the news that flooded broadcast stations and social media, the loneliness we felt from having to keep away from loved ones for an extended period of time — it was rough.

However, one thing that came out of those first few months (in addition to an addiction to TikTok) was the outpouring of love and compassion people were sending to one another. Organizations began donating money and help to hospitals; people were lifting each other up virtually; companies shifted their regular production of materials to making masks and hand sanitizer — it was beautiful to see the Austin community come together for one another.

In this issue, we wanted to recognize a few organizations and humans going above and beyond, during COVID-19 and even before the pandemic. Austin Shift Meal came to the rescue when many restaurant workers lost their jobs, the Clean Trail Club has been working to keep Austin’s trails clean, two highschool students created a cookie delivery business when we needed comfort food most, a few local organizations and nonprofits give back through fitness, and more.

In one of our articles this month, Keeping Austin Trails Clean, I spoke with Jordan Whittle, co-founder of the Clean Trail Club, who describes her motivation behind beginning the organization. Her words to me were “it’s just such an easy way to give back and take care of the trail that has taken care of us” and she’s right. Our city gives us so much: beautiful trails to hike, lakes to swim in, awesome local businesses and restaurants, exciting nightlife, the best people...so it only makes sense to give back as much as it gives us.

As we begin wrapping up this eventful year (hello, Holiday Season!), I encourage you to continue to practice compassion and seek ways to give back within our community, just as the Austinites in this issue have. There are so many ways to give back, from racing to benefit a nonprofit to picking up litter in your neighborhood. #KeepAustinFit goes beyond keeping our bodies healthy and fit — we must make it a priority to keep our community healthy and fit as well.

Keep Austin Fit,

Emily Effren

Director of Content