Come join fellow DANA volunteers to help prepare and serve lunch in the Caritas of Austin Community Kitchen on December 23rd from 8:30 a.m. until noon.  To get into the holiday spirit, the seasonal lunch will come in an adorable box decorated by children from Little Helping Hands. 

Join us as we serve those less fortunate in our neighborhood and spread hope in the community. Caritas is located at 611 Neches Street and space is limited. Please email Olivia Jones at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  if you would like to volunteer.

URBAN CORE HAPPY HOUR (UCHH)

Thursday, December 8th

6:30 - 8:30 PM

Location: Whole Foods Market Ice Skating Rink, 525 N Lamar, Plaza Level  (map) (transit)

Business Sponsor: Freeman Medical Clinic

Click here for Info!

Big thanks to all of you for coming out on a rainy November evening for DANA's Spotlight on Safety at Ballet Austin. There was a lot to see and hear at this event.  (view all the photos taken by photographer Jerome Huaulme here)

From medals awarded by Chief Acevedo to two super star downtown bike patrol officers...

APD Medal Recipients:
Ofc. Michael Schultheis, Meritorious Service
Ofc. Duane Williams, Superior Service

...to a ticker tape celebration of community, police and prosecution heroes

5th St Community 2011 Sheepdog Award Recipients:
George and Suzanne Armstrong, 5th St Community Watch
Cpl Eric Cleveland, Austin Police Dept
Jason English, Assistant District Attorney for the Downtown Community
Bill Brice, Downtown Austin Alliance Security and Maintenance Director

...to a panel of city leaders listening and responding to downtown resident and business concerns

Panel Members:
Mike Levy, Public Safety Commissioner
Mike Martinez, City Council Member
Chief Acevedo, Austin Police Department
Rosemary Lehmberg, Travis District Attorney
Jamie Lagarde, Panel Moderator

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of our tremendous downtown sponsors who we can't thank enough!

Sponsors:
Ballet Austin
Downtown Austin Alliance
Austin City Living
Luke's Locker
Centurion Property Management
El Sol y La Luna
P.F. Changs
Thistle Cafe

Media Coverage of the event can be replayed at the following links:
Fox   Downtown Safety Discussed at Meeting
KXAN   Downtown Meeting Focused on Safety

by Mitchell McGovern

You thought the only bat colony downtown is under Congress Bridge….. Think again -  Shoal Creek has 2 and much more, including its own app.

Sizable bat colonies live under the 9^th and 12^th Street bridges that cross over Shoal Creek. Who knew! You can get an upfront and personal view of the bat’s emerging at dusk while they are heading out for a night of foraging. Now that the fall weather is upon us go out and sit on the shores of Shoal Creek at Duncan Park and enjoy the spectacle.  It is a much more intimate and relaxing experience than Congress Ave Bridge and a lot less “touristy”.

A lot of attention has been paid recently to Waller Creek with the beginning of construction for the flood control tunnel but let’s not forget about our other hidden gem downtown – Shoal Creek. The creek was originally defined as the western edge of the City of Austin in 1839 by Edwin Waller and Waller Creek was the eastern edge.

I recently came upon a website dedicated to Shoal Creek that was created by Ted Eubanks who lives next to the creek. It is full of interesting information about the creeks history and natural environment. Did you know that the Historic 6^th Ave. bridge over Shoal Creek will be 125 years old next year? I didn’t. Ted created an app (of course there is an app for that!) called Shoal Creek Trail To Go and if you download it to your iPhone or Android it will give you all kinds of facts about Shoal Creek as you walk along the trail from Lady Bird Lake all the way up to 38^th St. How cool is that! Scroll to the bottom of the link to learn more and download the app if interested. There is also an extensive list of links for additional information related to all things Shoal Creek on the site.

I’m also happy to report that the City is at 90% completion of the design phase to connect the Shoal Creek trail from 5^th St. to West Ave. and construction is anticipated to start next year.  Yeah!