Escape Into Pop-Up Birthday
Escape into a Cause
Happy New Year! Do you have any goals for 2026 to connect and give back more? If not, we share some tips. Then we sit down with Marcus Cantu, Executive Director at Pop-Up Birthday to talk about why celebration matters, how birthdays can create a sense of belonging for children in CPS care, and how small, intentional moments can make a lasting impact. Pop-Up Birthday provides personalized birthday party boxes to children in foster care, ensuring every child they serve is recognized and celebrated on their special day. Each box includes everything needed to create a fun and meaningful birthday...
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Escape Into Ronald McDonald House of Central Texas
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into the Ronald McDonald House of Central Texas! In this episode, we explore why people are skeptical of large donations and the wealthy individuals behind them. We discuss the role of influence, tax write-offs, and “strings attached” gifts, and why nonprofits often earn more trust than big donors. We also sat down with Kristin Coulter, Chief Operating Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas! The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas (RMHC CTX) is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health...
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Escape Into Family Eldercare
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into Family Eldercare! We’re excited to welcome Dr. Aaron Alarcon, Chief Executive Officer at Family Eldercare, to the conversation! In this episode, we dive into the power of community and why collective care matters more than ever. We discuss how investing in the people around us builds connection, trust, and a sense of belonging that gives back when it matters most. Family Eldercare is a non-profit serving Central Texas that helps older adults and adults with disabilities live independently by providing housing, supportive services like meal prep,...
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Escape Into Project Schoolhouse
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into Project Schoolhouse! We’re excited to welcome Selina Serna, Executive Director, and Shannon Fohn, Board VP, at Project Schoolhouse to the conversation! First we explore how technology can help mission-driven organizations do more with less. We discuss how AI, automation, and smarter tools can support small teams, strengthen messaging, and expand impact without expanding budgets. Then, we escape into Project Schoolhouse! Project Schoolhouse believes every child deserves a quality education, every community deserves clean water, and schools can be the...
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Escape Into We Are Blood
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into We Are Blood! In this episode, we explore why purpose-driven work deserves more respect, recognition, and investment. We discuss how teachers, social workers, and nonprofit professionals shape our communities and why their impact is often undervalued. We also sit down with Nick Canedo, Vice President of Community Engagement at We Are Blood, the nonprofit dedicated to saving lives in Central Texas! We Are Blood is dedicated to providing and protecting the community’s blood supply, inspiring Central Texans to save lives locally, and treating everyone...
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Escape Into Special Olympics San Marcos Wolverines Soccer
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into Special Olympics San Marcos Wolverines! We’re excited to welcome the the Special Olympics San Marcos Wolverines Soccer Team to the conversation! The Wolverines have been selected to represent Team Texas at the Special Olympics USA Games next year in Minnesota! For these athletes, this is more than a game. It’s about growth, courage, teamwork, and the joy of pushing themselves to be their best. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with...
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Escape Into Mike & Sherry Project
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into Mike & Sherry Project! We’re excited to welcome  Sam Hellman-Mass, restaurant industry veteran, owner of East Austin favorite Suerte, and founder of Mike & Sherry Project, to the conversation! Founded in 2019, the Mike & Sherry Project partners with Capital Area Counseling (CAC) to provide affordable, accessible mental health care for Austin’s restaurant and bar industry. Through fundraising, the Project helps cover costs for workers facing financial barriers, offering income-based sliding scale appointments starting at $25. To date,...
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Escape Into Level
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into Level! We’re excited to welcome Alex Wright, Executive Director of Level, to the conversation! Level creates and distributes educational and job training content for people in prison, helping them thrive after release and break the cycle of incarceration. Their programs focus on the unique needs of incarcerated learners and their supporters on the outside, believing in the power of education to transform futures for individuals, families, and communities. Ways Level Make an Impact: Building Career Skills – Providing job training in entrepreneurship,...
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Escape Into LifeWorks
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into LifeWorks! We’re excited to welcome Liz Schoenfeld, the Chief Executive Officer of LifeWorks, to the conversation! Every young person deserves safety, stability, and the chance to shape their own future. Yet in Central Texas, more than 1,000 youth, many aging out of foster care or supporting a child, do not have a safe place to sleep. LifeWorks is changing that by providing housing, mental health care, education, and job support while walking alongside each young person as they pursue their goals. Their Youth Resource Center in East Austin offers a welcoming...
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Escape Into GirlForward
Escape into a Cause
Join us as we escape into GirlForward! We’re excited to welcome Johanna Hosking-Pulido, the executive director for GirlForward, to the conversation! GirlForward is a community of support dedicated to creating and enhancing opportunities for girls who have been displaced globally by conflict and persecution. GirlForward supports girls in grades 9-12 who are refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers through three core programs: mentoring, education, and safe spaces. Every girl in their community has a unique story that continues to be written, and each year they serve over 200 girls, helping...
info_outlineJoin us with Pastor Mark Smith and his wife and Director, Cindy Smith, as we escape into Austin Baptist Chapel! 🎙️
First! Steph and Court dive into what cause categories do people donate to most?
Then! We’re escaping into Austin Baptist Chapel—also known as Angel House Soup Kitchen! This episode is filled with stories of people from all walks of life who come through their doors—some facing a lifetime of struggle, others just navigating a hard season.
But no matter the story, Pastor Mark and Cindy just show up to help.
With over 4 million meals served, along with hot showers, clean clothes, hygiene kits, and even the occasional haircut, their impact in downtown Austin is nothing short of remarkable. And the most surprising part? They’ve done it all without fundraising.
Join us as we explore the powerful work of Austin Baptist Chapel and the ripple effects they’ve created—one meal, one moment of dignity at a time.
How to Get Involved & Earn Some Bragging Rights:
Volunteer - Serving 2 meals a day, 363 days a week, they can use your help! Just email ahead to secure a spot at angelhouse@austinbaptistchapel.com
Donate - A nonprofit that has never fundraised since 1986! But that's because people like you give to good causes like theirs, so help sustain the good work they're doing!
Give - Head to their website to find their Amazon wishlist or drop off hygiene products and Men's clothing!
Do some good in Austin and get rewarded! 🏒 + 🎟️ = 💚
- Sign up for updates, or
- Share your #GoodBrag on social media of you supporting a nonprofit through volunteerism or donating and let us know!
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Special Thanks:
A huge thank you to Nightlight Insurance Agency for making this podcast possible & your donation to Austin Baptist Chapel, Todd Thompson for editing & mixing, Ashlynne O'Neal for content management, Graham Thompson and Jaden Dyer for the music, & Cory McKane at Just Push Record Studios!