The AJF Teddy Bear Program provides small Teddy Bears and Dalmatians for local public safety agencies to give to children involved in traumatic events. The stuffed animals provide comfort and often aid in the investigations when children must suffer the further ordeal of being questioned. AJF began the Teddy Bear Program in the 1980s. It has grown from a community picnic event where donations of stuffed animals were accepted to fundraisers such as a 4K walk and later a celebrity bear silent auction.  In 2008, AJF held its first annual Bikerz Bearz & Dogz Motorcycle Ride, which raised funds to support this program. The Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, Travis County Sheriff's Office, and Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services have relied on AJF for these stuffed animals. Over the past few years more than 5,000 children have been involved in crisis situations and the numbers continue to rise with the growth of our city. AJF alone provides this service and the need has yet to be fully met.

For more information on current Teddy Bear Program events, please see our Teddy Bear Progam page.

Learn about the history of AJF's Community Service Projects 

Any Baby Can / Candlelighters
Any Baby Can's Candlelighters program is the only program in Austin offering a broad spectrum of outpatient services to families dealing with childhood cancer. The Candlelighters Program works closely with the ‘Specially for Children Clinic at the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas to identify new pediatric cancer diagnoses. Candlelighters masters level social workers trained in pediatric oncology provide families with specialized advocacy, medical case management, crisis intervention, support groups, family and individual counseling and bereavement services. Each year, Any Baby Can serves approximately 100 families of children with cancer. This year AJF is participating in the “Sib Shop” activity nights for the siblings of children with cancer.

Austin Groups for the Elderly / Elderhaven
At AGE, Elderhaven Adult Day Health Care centers (Austin and Round Rock) provide engaging activities for seniors and individuals with disabilities, preventing premature nursing home placement and allowing caregivers respite during the day. AJF members help throw birthday parties, serve as dance partners, make art with seniors, play games and support the staff as AGE creates a fun and active place for vulnerable seniors. Other opportunities include joining on field trips, helping with respite during caregiver seminar series and helping in the garden. Past field trips have included the UT History Museum, the Caswell House, Halloween Pumpkin Patch, and VFW Valentine's Dance.

Austin Children's Shelter
The Austin Children's Shelter provides emergency shelter and longer term residential care and hope for the future to the abandoned, abused and neglected children of our community. ACS offers the high quality care and critical services children needed to begin the healing process including individual and group therapy, medical and dental care, and educational assistance. The new and expanding ACS campus provides care in a home-like environment with housing for up to 78 children at a time. To support ACS's enrichment goals, AJF members participate in a variety of activity nights. AJF ladies host nail painting parties for teen girls. Members also play games with the children and partake in craft parties throughout the year.

Austin Child Guidance Center
Since 1951, Austin Child Guidance Center has been dedicated to improving the mental health of children and their families. A multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors provides individual, family, and group therapy; psychiatric and psychological services; parent education; community presentations and consultations; and training to current and future mental health professionals. AJF members do gardening work to help transform the center’s outdoor space into the Children’s Healing Garden. The garden provides a space for relaxation and therapeutic healing for children and families that are often experiencing grief, trauma, abuse, neglect, phobias, and parent-child relationship issues.

Austin Habitat for Humanity
Austin Habitat for Humanity builds homes in partnership with families and engages our community to end the cycle of poverty housing. In 24 years of building homes in partnership with low-income families, Austin Habitat volunteers have created over 200 affordable new houses for people in need. Habitat projects include new house construction, A Brush with Kindness home repair, deconstruction demolition & recycling projects, ReStore construction supply store, and home owner assistance programs. AJF members assist with Habitat’s varied building programs painting, caulking, repairing gutters, and fences and tree trimming, landscaping, etc.

BookSpring
BookSpring champions early literacy to empower children with a lifelong love of reading. AJF members support the Elementary Books for Ownership program, assist with literary events, and help distribute books to students. "Due to their low socio-economic levels, many of the participating students do not have books in their homes. When they receive the books provided by this program, their faces light up with excitement. They simply love books! If you only knew what joy these books bring, you would know how important this program is to them. Please continue to add this ray of sunshine into their lives." BookSpring is a new service project this upcoming year, and AJF looks forward to a year of good books and true tales.

Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) provides food and grocery products to more than 350 Partner Agencies in 21 Central Texas counties. Food and grocery products provided by CAFB go to partnering human and social service agencies. These Partner Agencies provide hot meals served on-site or groceries to Central Texans in need. CAFB has seen a 60% increase in need over the past year and serves an average 45,000 people on a weekly basis. In 2009, CAFB provided more than 23 million pounds of food throughout the community. AJF members sort donations at the CAFB warehouse and inspect, clean, sort, box and make donations ready for distribution to CAFB's Partner Agencies and their clients.

Caritas
Caritas provides a service continuum for those experiencing poverty that begins with a safety net and links them to resources to achieve self-sufficiency. Over the past 45 years, Caritas has added programs and enhanced existing services to meet Austin's changing needs as it continues to serve the homeless, working poor and documented refugees. Caritas now serves over 20,000 men, women and children per year. Caritas is a new service organization for AJF this year.  AJF members assist with meal service in the Community Kitchen and assemble hygiene and food kits for distribution through the Caritas food pantry and other outreach programs. In 2008, Caritas served weekday lunches to over 95,500 hungry families, women, children and men through the Community Kitchen and provided groceries to over 5,000 client households from its Food Pantry.

Girlstart
Girlstart provides hands-on learning in math, science, technology and engineering concepts to a diverse group of girls and their parents. Since 1997, Girlstart has since served over 16,000 girls, families, and teachers with after-school clubs, free Saturday camps, science nights, family math nights, summer camps, teacher training sessions, and more. Possible volunteer activities include the spring work day, Saturday workshops, and the Starry Science Extravaganza. Girlstart is a new organization to AJF, and we look forward to supporting its goals.

Heart House
Heart House is an after school program whose mission is to provide a safe haven and academic support to low income children and to encourage children to become good citizens. AJF hosts three parties for this group providing games, crafts, and snacks.

Hospice Austin / Christopher House
Hospice Austin provides family-centered, quality end of life care that emphasizes compassion, independence, respect and dignity. Established in 1979, Hospice Austin serves the five-county region of Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell and Hays counties. It is Austin's only community-based, non-profit hospice service. Hospice Austin's inpatient facility, Christopher House, offers fifteen patient rooms designed and equipped to provide patients and family members with the amenities of home. Twice a year AJF members host a luncheon for the patients and their families, employees and volunteers of Christopher House.

Manos de Cristo Dental Clinic
While preventative dental care can stave off a host of health problems, many Central Texans cannot afford the insurance they need to maintain healthy teeth and gums. The Manos de Cristo Dental Clinic is currently the only low-fee, full-service dental clinic in Austin. In 2008, the clinic provided more than 7,741 appointments and $1,041,842 in free dental services to Austin’s working poor. The clinic’s Sealant Days provide school children free dental sealants and exams to prepare for a healthy school year. AJF members assist with the twice yearly event, helping Manos "be a toothy fairy" to "save smiles, one tooth at a time."

Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels and More nourishes and enriches the lives of the homebound and other people in need through programs that promote dignity and independent living. MOWAM has expanded into a multi-service organization of 5,000 volunteers serving 2,500 clients each day and offering programs designed to keep clients healthy and living in their own homes. MOWAM has a strong involvement in the community serving the elderly, the disabled, the homebound and many children who face hardships. One member describes MOWAM as “compassion in action.” AJF members participate in the Groceries to Go & HOPE Grocery Delivery Program, assisting in grocery shopping or delivering pre-packaged grocery sacks to their clients in need.

New Beginnings Mentoring Ministry
NBMM empowers single parents to become financially able to provide for their children without Government funding. With mentoring, support services, and community resources, they are able to seek job training or a higher education, and find their God given purpose in life. NBMM was a 2009 AJF grant recipient and new community service project for AJF. We look forward to further supporting its mission this upcoming year. AJF host a Mother-Daughter Tea and an End of Finals congratulatory party for NBMM parents currently in school and certification training programs. AJF members also fulfill a Monthly Errand program, assisting NBMM clients throughout the year.

Ronald McDonald House
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas provide lodging and support services to families of critically ill and injured children in the 46 counties surrounding Austin. The House currently provides lodging and support services to over 700 families annually. The new Ronald McDonald House at Mueller Center provides 30 rooms for families. AJF is excited to contribute to the McDonald House as Meals Providers, one of the House’s most popular programs. As Meal Providers, AJF members prepare and provide healthy, nutritious dinners to Ronald McDonald families to enhance the "home-away-from-home" atmosphere during their stay. McDonald House’s goal is to provide hot, home-cooked lunches and dinners to families daily. Providing a meal to the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House takes away the worry and hassle of food preparation so that the families can give all their energy and attention to their hospitalized child. McDonald House families frequently cite the donation of meals as a major aid during their stays.

The Settlement Home for Children
The Settlement Home for Children is a charitable non-profit residential treatment center and therapeutic foster care program for emotionally troubled children. The Settlement Home serves approximately 50 girls, ages 7 to 18, providing on-site schooling and 24-hour therapeutic care. It also operates a handful of group homes, working with numerous foster and adoptive families facilitating the children's transition to their "forever families." During the summer months, AJF hosts a book club discussing popular and classic books. During the school year, AJF hosts regular arts and crafts activities or game nights. Each August, volunteers host two back-to-school events giving the girls makeovers for the new school year, and each December, volunteers host a holiday party of food, games, and craft activities for the girls.

Sunshine Camps
Founded in 1928, the Young Men's Business League Sunshine Camps provides at-risk youth opportunities for personal, physical, academic, and life skill development. Over time, a single summer camp has grown into an entire series of weeklong, overnight summer camps at two locations for children ages 7-15, a year-round leadership training program, and a scholarship program for Sunshine Campers who graduate from high school. In 2009, 875 high-potential, low-income youth were served through camp programs. In the summer, AJF members participate in the Zilker Park Camp Carnival nights for children ages 7-11.

Wonders & Worries
Wonders & Worries helps children and their families cope when a parent or caregiver has a chronic or life-threatening illness. All Wonders & Worries services are provided by Certified Child Life Specialist professionals who are specially trained to help children and their families understand and manage challenging life events and stressful health care experiences. All services are provided at no cost to participating families. Wonders & Worries is a new organization to AJF this year. AJF members participate in their year-round events including the FestiFall and Hoping Hearts crafts festivals, and Wonder Ball Daddy-Daughter Dance.