The Junior League of Austin (JLA) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. 

Each year, the 2,300 members of The Junior League of Austin give hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct financial support and more than 160,000 volunteer hours to support the League's more than 20 local nonprofit partners and signature programs. It is through the collaboration and generous support of our volunteers, local nonprofit organizations, and donors that we are able to strengthen the Central Texas community.  

Austin Entertains is the Spring fundraising event for The Junior League of Austin. Austin Entertains began with the intention to fill a gap left by other culinary events where women in the field were often overlooked. Now in its 7th year, it is recognized by the women in the Austin, TX area culinary and beverage industry as a unique event celebrating their accomplishments and hard work. 

This annual culinary event supports and celebrates innovative female entrepreneurs that fuel the Austin-area food and beverage industry, while extending The Junior League of Austin’s mission of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving our community through our involvement with our community partners and signature programs. Austin Entertains also raises critical funding for The Junior League of Austin’s signature programs, like Food In Tummies (FIT), Coats for Kids (CFK), and Kids in Cool Shoes (KICS). 

The FIT program is a unique project of The Junior League of Austin designed to provide weekend nourishment to children in economically disadvantaged situations. FIT benefits the entire student population of two schools in the Austin area, which currently report 96% of students are considered economically disadvantaged. Every week for 34 weeks of the school year, the FIT program provides more than 1,000 students with backpacks full of healthy food, along with bilingual recipe cards and nutrition tips. By feeding an entire student population that is currently experiencing food insecurity, school administrators have seen improved school attendance, improved student health, and other benefits. 

CFK is an annual community project that collects and distributes more than 30,000 coats to eligible children and teenagers in Central Texas. Each year, The Junior League of Austin, Jack Brown Cleaners, 98.1 KVET, and KVUE partner to bring the community together to ensure that the children of Central Texas stay warm. 

The KICS program is an annual community project that The Junior League of Austin started in spring of 2018. The program began after recognition of the impact a proper-fitting pair of shoes can have on a child’s daily life, encompassing physical activity, walking to school, or even staying warm. KICS is designed to provide a new pair of athletic sneakers for every child attending high-need Central Texas-area schools. During the celebratory annual KIC-Off Day, volunteers fit the children into their new shoes, followed by sports and activities for all participants.

At Austin Entertains 2023, we plan to host 450 total attendees on Thursday, March 2, 2023. We promote the event through our website, member newsletters, local media coverage, and our JLA social media. JLA Instagram has over 5,700 followers and the Facebook page has over 7,500 followers. All event sponsors and donors are recognized on our event website, at the event, and in our event programs. We also have a dedicated silent auction and raffle donor webpage that goes live closer to our event. For higher-level donors, we provide more prominent signage and social media posts, event tickets, and an invitation to a Thank You reception after the event. Raffle tickets are open to all and receive unique promotion through various outlets by our social media team.