Dear Community Members and Builders,

What a busy March! We enjoyed some wonderful celebrations and had opportunities to reflect.

Recovery Café San Jose, one of our nonprofit partners, informed us that they are honoring us with the Bridge Builder Award in May and allowing us to say a few words!

Many (including the TRF staff) celebrated Women In Construction Week. As the local NAWIC Austin President, I was happy that our chapter collected peanut butter for Central Texas Food Bank and spent time sorting and packaging food for those in need. The WIC Week 2025 theme is Together We Rise. Many in our community are fasting for Easter or Ramadan, and others, unfortunately, do not have enough to eat due to rising food costs and escalating unemployment rates. If you can share kindness with your communities, the local food banks could use the help.

March has been an in our values type of month! Our Communications Committee has been Sharing and Listening through Roadshows and Caring with Service Days. Our TRF Camp Build Committees and volunteers have been Innovating and Excelling. Our staff continues to work diligently supporting our committees, reviewing grants, signing contracts, and raising funds to support our efforts. I am proud to say that we have recruited more sponsors and dollars for our TRF Camp Build efforts than years past and, accordingly, will be able to offer and do more.

Our Communication Committee, led by Chair Stacy Quilla, has been hosting roadshows to listen to your ideas and share our accomplishments from last year and plans for 2025, including the distribution of $2.55M in grants! Please continue to share our grants page with any impactful nonprofits in your local area and encourage them to apply before July 1st. Many are struggling to support the growing needs in our communities. The Rosendin Foundation may be a source of support.

Special thanks to our Service Day and TRF Camp Build Prep volunteers. I am pleased to report that I safely operated the drill presses, and our lamp bases are now ready for campers to use!

Our communities are stronger because of you. Your muscles and skills were used to ensure the success of our 120 incoming campers!

Thank you for your community-building efforts and acts of kindness. To borrow NAWIC’s theme this year, Together We Rise. Please accept my sincere, heartfelt thanks for your efforts to support our mission.

In Community,

Jolsna Thomas, President