In the heart of Austin, Texas is a 10-mile trail that wanders alongside Lady Bird Lake. More than four million people hike, walk, run, and bike on this trail a year. This trail, called The Butler Trail, was created in the 1970s and has been under the care of the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department.
To enhance the trail, a group of regular trail users established the Town Lake Foundation in 2003, a 501(c)(3). Since its founding, the organization has invested over $25 million into the trail. The Town Lake Foundation is now called The Trail Conservancy.
The Trail Conservancy is dedicated to keeping the trail a place for those who visit to commune with nature, exercise, and connect with each other, plus provide access to much of Austin’s classic hot spots.
The Trail Conservancy writes, “At The Trail Conservancy, we believe free, equitable and inclusive access to the Trail is vital to the health and wellbeing of our community. Input from our Trail users, donors, volunteers, advocates, and team members is necessary for the Trail to be a welcoming space and to represent the communities we serve.”
Helping to connect the trail with other paths in Austin helps broaden the connection between communities. The Trail Conservancy is working toward making Austin a better place.
Through our Beck Tech Cares program, Beck Technology provides a financial contribution once a month to a charitable organization that aligns with our mission of creating a better world. This month, Kristin Vrana, Customer Content Manager, chose The Trail Conservancy to receive our donation.
Kristin says:
“The Butler Trail has played an important role in all of my life stages since moving to Austin (from thinking time to being social to entertaining kids to purely exercise.) Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of solo trips to the trail which lends itself to a lot of people watching. It’s been beautiful seeing people of all ages, socioeconomic status, and fitness levels enjoying this public space. The Trail Conservancy is one of the charities I donate to regularly because it’s important to keep the existing trail clean and safe, and to continue providing improvements that meet the demands of Austin, a growing city with an amazing outdoor culture.”
One of the software we work in at Beck Technology has a feature called “High Fives” where team members can virtually high five each other for a job well done. From going above and beyond to helping someone on a difficult task, to simply lending an ear when needed, these high fives are a simple, yet impactful way to show our appreciation.
At the end of every month, we get together to read these high fives and then one employee is nominated to choose that month’s charity.
We are honored to help those organizations which our Beck Tech family care passionately about.
