On Sunday, August 24, I was joined by Geoff Wool of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.  The topic of discussion was Texas’ CHIP program and Children’s Medicaid, both programs for providing medical insurance for kids whose families cannot afford it.

Key points we touched on:

• As many at 800,000 children in Texas are eligibile for CHIP or Medicaid, but are not signed up for the programs.
• A large number of enrollees lose their coverage every year simply because they do not re-enroll.  Families that have lost coverage can regain it simply by applying again.
• It is the same application for both CHIP and Children’s Medicaid.
• The MAXIMUM cost of these programs is $50!

Income requirements and more information can be found at www.chipmedicaid.org.  It is truly every child’s right to have access to health care.  They didn’t choose where they were born!

The podcast of this interview is available at www.talk1370.com/pages/405616.php.

Amongst many other things, we discussed the donation drive that is taking place THIS SUNDAY, in partnership with Mix 94.7, from 1 to 4pm at the Humane Society.  Their address is 124 West Anderson Lane and a list of “wish list” items can be found here.

Tune in this Sunday to hear a lot of animal noises and to find out what’s going on at the Austin Humane Society.

The Care Communities will be having their iCare Gala on Thursday, August 21 at 6:30pm.  It will be a great opportunity to learn more about the wonderful organization, and to pay tribute to a handful of Austin residents who make our city a better place.

The Speak Up for Kids CASA 5K is coming up on Sunday, September 7 at the Domain (very chic, I know).  Anyone who cares about our little ones is encouraged to come out, run or walk, and “become a part of a powerful solution.”  You can read more about CASA on my previous post HERE.

Websites & Phone Numbers:

Autism Society of America

Autism Society of Greater Austin - (512) 479-4199

Spectrum Social and Recreation Services - (512) 524-5482

I also have a phone interview with Linda Kloss, discussing medical identity theft and an interview with a couple folks from Americans for Prosperity.

Listen on Sunday!  It’s good for you.

Have a great weekend, and see you next week!

Back in April, our parent company dedicated an entire work day to volunteering at a local nonprofit.  We chose the Capital Area Food Bank.  You can read about the food bank and a little about what we did on this post.

One of our awesome engineers put this video together about they day.  It’s also posted on the Food Bank blog – austinfoodbank.wordpress.com.

Besides, there was a free lunch.

The lunch I attended was a panel discussion of “A Nation at Risk,” the 1983 report on the state of our country’s public schools, and how that report affected the system here in the U.S. The overwhelming feeling shared by the panel members was that, while the report was a groundbreaking document and led to many educational reform policies, in general the country has done little to improve our public school system and we continue to lag behind other industrialized nations.

This week on Inside Austin, we will be playing some excerpts from the discussion, along with an interview that I got from Gov. Roy Romer, Chairman of the Ed in ’08 Campaign. Gov. Romer’s organization said this about “A Nation at Risk” 25 years later:

“While the national conversation about education would never be the same, stunningly few of the Commission’s recommendations actually have been enacted. Now is not the time for more educational research or reports or commissions. We have enough commonsense ideas, backed by decades of research, to significantly improve American schools. The missing ingredient isn’t even educational at all. It’s political. Too often, state and local leaders have tried to enact reforms of the kind recommended in A Nation at Risk only to be stymied by organized special interests and political inertia. Without vigorous national leadership to improve education, states and local school systems simply cannot overcome the obstacles to making the big changes necessary to significantly improve our nation’s K-12 schools.”

Tune in this Sunday to hear more!

There’s no doubt that you have heard of all of the recent natural disasters in different parts of Asia.  From the Myanmar Cyclones to the tragic quakes in China to the Typhoon in the Philippines that killed hundreds when it capsized a ferry, the Far East has been hit hard by tragedy.

Ms. Amy, being from China herself, first wanted to talk about the quakes.  She told me about her fundraising efforts to raise the money needed to rebuild one of the many collapsed schools in the region hit by the tremor.  She beamed as she spoke about the opportunity to “adopt” that school, having her students and theirs correspond as a kind of cultural exchange.  But Amy wants to do more, so she came up with a plan.

She had already been planning an event highlighting various Asian artists, including traditional dance, singing, and musical performances from a host of Asian countries.  The event was going to be free, open to the public as an opportunity to share Asian culture with the people of Austin.  But then tragedy struck, repeatedly, and Ms. Amy saw the opportunity to give back to those who have been affected by the disasters.

So now the name and aim have changed.  The event, “You Are Not Alone,” takes place this Saturday at The Long Center, and all proceeds will go to the aid efforts in China, Myanmar, the Philippines, and, yes, the American Midwest.  “I heard on the news today that the American Red Cross was going to have to borrow money to help the people affected by the flooding.  I couldn’t believe it!”  That was Amy’s response, and her desire to bring together these two different cultures was evident in the way her face lit up.

Amy Wong Mok is the Executive Director of the Asian American Cultural Center, but her students and her staff call her Ms. Amy, and she said I could call her that too, her ”Dear Reporter Friend.” 

Tickets to the event, which are under the name “Rebuilding Hope, Rebuilding Lives,” Are available HERE, and are only 10 bucks.

What: “You are not Alone”, a benefit performance for the survivors of the earthquake in China, the typhoons in the Philippines and Myanmar, and the flooding in the Midwestern United States

Where: The Dell Hall at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 West Riverside Drive, Austin, Texas

When: Saturday, July 19th, 1pm-4pm

Who: The Asian American Community Partnership, the Asian American Cultural Center, the Long Center for the Performing Arts and the Asian cultural community.

Why: To aid the survivors of recent natural disasters in Asia, the Pacific and the U.S.

Admission: General Admission and Ticket is $10 each

Program: Taiko Drums, Bamboo Flute, Hawaiian Dance, Chinese Dance, Indian Dance, Korean Dance, Filipino Dance, Japanese Dance, Beijing and Cantonese Opera, Guzhen (an ancient Chinese instrument), Shaolin Wushu Demonstration, Lion Dance, etc.

From the Website:

About the Event

Food!
Choose from fresh baked, fresh picked, hand-made local food options, courtesy of Austin Farmers Market and The Sustainable Food Center.

Discussions
Join Randy Jewart and Brandi Clark in our shaded speaker tent to discuss America, sustainability, and the eco issues affecting your life and community. All are welcome. Round table format!

9:30 “Green Pursuit of Happiness” Conversation Game
10:30 “Citizen Foodie: Solving the Omnivore’s Dilemma”
11:30 “Announcing SHARE350“

Kids!
Enjoy found object crafting under the trees with the amazing GaGa,
Plus entertainment from children’s comedian Rob Nash, entertainment
from Mr. Johnny, and more! Check back soon!

Ongoing: GaGa (Greater Austin Garbage Arts!) Extravaganza
Ongoing: Rob Nash
10:00am: Mr. Johnny’s Open Mike, with special guest singers! (ages 3 to 10)

Extra Fun
Yes, it’s true – you can witness the world’s first Farmer Olympics, featuring the stars of the Austin Farmers Market … Plus performance readings of The Declaration of Independence from local notables … more details soon.