The SAFE Alliance

I was running from my husband who threw me down stairs and tried to kill me. I trusted my counselor but then she abandoned me. I left my bad situation and hoped I could do better for my baby but they turned me away and left me homeless. They promise help and convince you to leave but then they don’t care. Be very careful. I was worse off after I trusted them.

Volunteering at ACS is so rewarding and enjoyable. The kids are so sweet & grateful that you're there. The staff is always a pleasure to work with as well & are genuineley caring & humble people.

I just recently joined the ACS Guild program and have had so much fun. I love that I have the ability to help the children of the Shelter with not only activities which they are involved in, but also the behind the scenes needs of the shelter. The children are great and the people that volunteer and work with the program are very helpful and welcoming. I am happy to be apart of the program.

I volunteered with ACS from 2012-2013. I have volunteered with many children's organizations, but none provided a more rewarding experience than working the kids here. I volunteered primarily with the boys. These children have been horrific life events that no one should ever have to experience or even imagine. The work that the staff does at ACS is unmatched. These are truly remarkable people. I have been living in Los Angeles for nearly a year now, and have yet to find somewhere to volunteer where I feel would make the same impact.

I joined the Guild at ACS to help those in need. It has been a pleasure working with the staff and children at the shelter. To see the look on the children's faces during holiday time is priceless. This facility is an amazing place to be a part of.

I worked at the ACS through college, in both direct care & supervisory positions. It was awesome seeing the kids get their medical, social, emotional, recreational & educational needs met all in one place. Not being a mom yet, I volunteered to work MANY holidays so that my co-workers could spend time with their own children. Seeing the kids' faces light up was the best! ACS went ALL OUT, not just on holidays, but on the countless outings. Most of the kids had never experienced recreational & cultural activities like these. Other wonderful memories include going in to work early so that I could take the kids to their school dances & help them look their best. The things that seemed trivial to us meant the world to them & I was happy to go out of my way for them! The little things like enjoying a late night snack with a nervous pregnant teen who couldn't sleep are the most memorable. Just sitting down with her and giving her one on one time, advice & encouragement helped put her at ease & brought a smile to her face. I told so many kids about my parents breaking their own cycles of child
abuse and how it was possible for them to do it, too. I told them "don't let your past ruin your entire future. " As staff we reminded them that we weren't responsible for their painful pasts, but we are here to help them heal & come out stronger in the end. We showed them proper discipline, or TEACHING kids what's ok & not ok, while enforcing fair rules & limits. Some clients were finally able to develop a secure attachment for the first time; many didn't want to leave! I can't count how many
times former clients recognized me out in the community and ran up to me and gave me a huge hug!
they were eager to know how their peers and favorite staff members were doing. They'd beg me to
tell everyone hello for them. Seeing the difference we made inspired me to attain my Bachelor &
Masters in Social Work. Now that i'm a single mom many years later, my experience working there has been vital to me being able to effectively raise my kids. I entered parenthood with SO MANY awesome parenting tricks up my sleeve. Some of the language & phrases I use to discipline or redirect my kids came from my training at ACS. If I still lived in Austin, I would go work at their new facility in a heartbeat. I've worked at daycares, as a nanny, CPS intern & at a foster home, but ACS will ALWAYS, HANDS DOWN be my favorite organization to work for.

Our company donates and wraps many gifts for the children and families for the holidays. Not only is it a great morale booster for our employees to give back to the community but it is ACS that truly benefits from each persons contributions. This is a tradition for our company that continues to grow each year. Thank you ACS for allowing us to be a small part of the great services you provide to so many.

I've worked with ACS for the past year as a volunteer. The staff is amazing and the support they provide the children and young adults who stay there is superb!

The Austin Children's Shelter provided a safe, temporary home to my adopted son before he came to us as a foster child. He had been bounced around to several different foster homes and finally landed at ACS as an emergency placement. That was 7 years ago and he still remembers the kindness showed to him by the staff at ACS. The blanket they gave him still lies on the end of his bed and he can still tell you all about the "little school" he went to and about being in a happy place with lots of other kids.

Since then I've also volunteered with the organization and found them to be a great group of people dedicated to helping the children of Central Texas.

The Austin Children Shelter is a place for healing and hope for a lot of children and families that are going through very harsh experiences. The members of the staff and the administrators do a wonderful job taking care of these young people and their lives in a moment when they don't have anywhere to turn and nobody to care for them. More than a job it is a passion and compassion for very fragile human beings. A very hard mission done with love and courage every day and every night.

Austin Children's Shelter is a best-in-class not for profit that uses innovative programs and sound financial management to utilize its resources to impact the Austin community in the most effective way possible. I am impressed on a routine basis by the passionate, committed and professional management team - especially their constant focus on making the funds work for the children instead of administrative expenses.

I have been working with the Shelter and its management team for almost five years. The management team is professional and focused. Every action they take is focused on the best interests of the children the Shelter serves.

In particular, I commend the quality of care provided, particularly given the modest state funding provided. The Shelter provides 24/7 care, often with staff to child ratios of 1:1, for some of the most terribly abused and traumatized children in our state.

I also commend the Shelter for adapting to a changing regulatory landscape. The management team has actively adapted to these changes, frequently making tough, difficult decisions.

The CEO, Kelly White, is an extremely experienced non-profit CEO and she has a built a talented and string management team.