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_outlineHappy 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 experience.
Ways Pop-Up Birthday makes an Impact:
Creating Joyful Memories – Personalized birthday boxes bring celebration and happiness to children in foster care.
Providing Essential Supplies – Each box includes party supplies and gifts, ensuring no child misses out on the fun.
Building Community Support – Partnering with volunteers and organizations to make every birthday special.
How to Get Involved & Earn Some Bragging Rights:
Donate – Help keep birthday celebrations going for children connected to foster care by supporting personalized birthday boxes.👉 https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/EFq2dF90eToF6v7eprAMfg
Become a Birthday Buddy – Shop for a specific child’s birthday through a personalized registry and help make their birthday wishes come true. Gifts are wrapped and finalized by the Pop Up Birthday team.
👉 https://popupbirthday.org/shop/
Volunteer – Support the mission through individual, group, or corporate volunteer opportunities. Volunteers are the engine behind every celebration.👉 https://popupbirthday.org/volunteer/
👉 https://hellofund.io/app/public/bidapp/popupbirthday
How to Do Some Good in Austin & Get Rewarded 🏒 + 🎟️ = 💚
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Special Thanks:
A huge thank you to Nightlight Insurance Agency for making this podcast possible. We also appreciate Todd Thompson for editing & mixing, Ashlynne O'Neal for content management, Graham Thompson and Jaden Dyer for the music, and Cory McKane at Just Push Record Studios.