Supporter Spotlight: We are grateful for these supporters!

The generosity and creativity of our community are unparalleled, and we want to spotlight a few of the incredible supporters who bless our organization!

Birthday Fun Run Fundraiser

Two months before her birthday, Austin resident Grace Salas sent us an email to tell us she wanted to support our mission through a virtual fun run. Though she had never planned a fundraiser before, she was struck by our mission to bring hope and healing to survivors of sex trafficking and wanted to use her birthday as a way to champion our cause among her friends and family.

Grace created an event sign-up page, designed t-shirts, and asked her community to join her, and on December 19th over 50 people participated in her socially-distanced, virtual Run for The Refuge, raising over $3,000.

Thank you, Grace, for not only using your passion to fundraise, but also for spreading the word about our mission to all of your friends and family. Through your bold action, you mobilized 50 new advocates for The Refuge!

Bannockburn Church Collection Drive

In late October, we started preparing for new arrivals at The Refuge Ranch by asking for home goods needed for the bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens in our cottages. Bannockburn Church, one of our wonderful church partners, heard about our Stock Our Cottages initiative and called on their congregation to start collecting bundles of needed items. Together, they collected over $4,000 worth of bedding, towels, pillows, home décor, paper towels and other items needed to warmly welcome new girls to The Refuge Ranch.

Bannockburn Church has supported us since before we opened in 2018. Over the years, they have covered our organization in endless prayers, donations, quilts, and more. We are so grateful for their sustained support.

Foster Angels partnership

Foster Angels of Central Texas is a nonprofit organization that ensures children in foster care have their basic needs met and have opportunities to thrive. For every girl in the care of social services who comes to The Refuge Ranch, Foster Angels provides us with gift cards to meet some of their immediate needs.

We use these gift cards to supply Welcome Kits to new arrivals, including a backpack, journal, desk calendar, bathrobe, laundry basket, night light, and mp3 player for self-regulation. Providing these simple items helps each girl feel established in her new environment.

It is a joy to work with Foster Angels because they are quick to act when we have a need, and they remember us when they have more to give. In September, Foster Angels reached out to us to let us know they had a surplus of new shoes that needed a home. They donated 40 pairs of shoes to our boutique, and many of the girls were thrilled to receive a pair of on-trend slide sandals. We are grateful to work with an organization that is so proactive in using its resources to meet needs, big and small.

We are endlessly thankful for the generosity and initiative demonstrated by each of these supporters. As we always say, The Refuge Ranch was built by community, and it will be sustained by community. Thank you for being active members of our community!

If these stories of generosity inspired you to partner further with The Refuge, fill out our Join a Team survey to receive email updates on current needs and opportunities.

Supporter Spotlight: We can't thank these supporters enough

We have been so encouraged by the many individuals and businesses who have gone the extra mile to support The Refuge during this turbulent year. Here are a few stories of the creative supporters who bless our organization!

Austin Salons Collecting Items from The List

In the last few months, two local salon owners have partnered with us to collect items from The List, our regularly updated wish list of items needed for survivors recovering at The Refuge Ranch.

Keri Bryant put up a blue and white Christmas tree in the lobby of her lash salon for customers to drop off items from The List. On top of collecting much-needed items, she also sold our Dove Tile Kits to customers who wanted another fun way to get involved! 

Ashley Whitfield and her team at Aloe Skin + Body set up a donation drop box in their lobby to collect items from The List. They have also donated a percentage of their gift card sales to The Refuge and painted Dove Tiles together as a team!

We are so grateful for the ways both salons have shared our mission of hope and healing to their customers, and for the ways they have helped us reach more of the Central Texas community.

UT Student Raises $3,000 for The Refuge 

Grace Besly, a freshman at The University of Texas at Austin, contacted us in September with the idea to turn an assignment from her Communications and Leadership class into a fundraiser for The Refuge. Through advocating for The Refuge on social media and selling t-shirt, Grace raised $3,000 in 2 months. Thank you, Grace, for using your school assignment to make a difference in the lives of trafficking survivors!

Moreland Properties 

The team at Moreland Properties collected and delivered five bedroom and bathroom bundles that will help us welcome new girls arriving at The Refuge Ranch this year. They came to one of our collections drive days with cars packed to the ceiling with bedding, towels, and home décor collected by 15 people. It was encouraging to see their team excitedly working together to help provide much comfort for the girls.

Emily Moreland, owner of Moreland Properties, has been a consistent supporter of The Refuge since before we opened in 2018. As part of our Support Team, she receives monthly emails with hands-on, Austin-based opportunities to support The Refuge, including our most urgent collections drive needs. Through that email, she learned about the Stock Our Cottages campaign and was inspired to mobilize her team.

There are many more stories we could tell of the creative ways you support our mission of hope and healing—in fact, keep an eye on this blog for more to come! As we always say, The Refuge Ranch was built by community, and it will be sustained by community. Thank you for being part of our community. 

If these stories of generosity inspired you to partner further with The Refuge, fill out our Join a Team survey to receive email updates on current needs and opportunities specific to your interests.