Austin, Texas: March 17-20, 2010
FREEB!RDS World Burrito, Sin City Social Club & St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store teamed up during Austin’s famous SXSW Music Festival and presented the first Annual “FREEB!RDS Stage.” The unofficial, free showcase provided a platform for 12 incredible acts including; SHURMAN, Uncle Lucius, Tim Easton, Ruby James, Austin Collins & the Rainbirds and many more talented rockers. Guests were invited to enter the SVDP parking lot on South Congress and enjoy burritos, shopping, and the opportunity to give back to the community by donating clothing and funds to the ultra cool thrift store.

Every FREEB!RDS restaurant in Austin volunteered their time at the event and contributed their talents to our high energy street team. Our crew drove around on our awesome VW Libby bus and spread the word about the coolest scene in town. “I can’t think of another place where people can support local artisans, eat delicious burritos, and pet a hot pink plastic flamingo”, said Shilah Morrow, President/Founder of Sin City Social Club. “The location of the stage was one of the most coveted in town and we are so fortunate to combine our efforts for such a great cause.”

The organization we focused on was our co-producer, St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. SVDP offers basic needs assistance to those in our community by providing goods and services, along with funding for other outreach programs. The store also works in conjunction with other agencies in the area to provide free clothing and affordable household items to those in need through a voucher program. This organization provides Austinites with a wonderful place to shop and be socially conscious. We love it!

For more information on how you can get involved with SVDP, visit their website at: www.svdpstoreaustin.org

Join Us: Our mission is to “change the world.” We know that is a bold statement but we are confident about every individual’s power to do so. Check out the volunteer opportunities in your neighborhood and get involved:

• Heroes & Handbags-April 16th
  Heroes for Children
  Houston, TX
  Ph: 832-681-9012
  
• Literacy Event-April 18th
  Literacy of Williamson County
  Georgetown, TX 78628
  Ph: 512-869-0497
  
• Live Green Expo-April 16th
  City of Plano
  Plano, TX 75074
  Ph: 972-769-4313
  
• Baked Good Needed-Fundraiser
  Smith-Welch Memorial Library
  College Station, TX
  Ph: 979-279-5191
  
• Bowling Assistants for the Blind
  SA Low Vision Resource Center
  San Antonio, TX 78209
  Ph: 210-829-4223
  

These volunteers from Chad, Africa are having fun in their new FREEB!RDS t-shirts and making a difference for their local tribe by contributing their organizational abilities, culinary talents, and social skills.

One of our crew members is taking a smile break for the camera! He spent the day sorting and folding clothing behind the scenes of ACO’s resale shop.

Sean Diss, GM of our Lubbock location, connected with a local coordinator of International outreach and set up a pen-pal program with a group of community leaders in Chad, Africa. The goal is to motivate each community (Lubbock Texas USA and Goz Beida Chad, Africa) to be active in World Works activity and establish a culture of giving. Sean began the relationship by shipping out t-shirts, koozies and stickers that he felt might be amusing. He quickly received a thank you letter from one of our new friends with some very powerful content that read:

“Please believe we are spiritually and emotionally united and in recognizing this, let me remind you that the blood that flows in our veins is the same blood that flows in yours.”

We look forward to learning, sharing and growing with our new World Works ambassadors.

The FREEB!RDS crew from the new Allen location volunteered at the treasured Allen Community Outreach. (ACO) With services such as meals-on-wheels, rent & utility assistance, job placement programs, food pantry and a re-sale shop, this organization exemplifies the resourcefulness needed to serve several communities.

Driven mostly by volunteers, this local favorite has made quite an impact in the lives of Allen, Fairview and Lucas citizens. Our group of 20 were thrilled to be a part of ACO’s day to day routine and realized that it takes just a few helping hands to make a world of difference!

For more information on ACO please visit their website at www.acocares.org