What is Amplify Austin?

Amplify Austin is a 24-hour fundraising campaign for nonprofits all over Central Texas. The campaign starts March 2nd at 6pm and runs until March 3rd at 6pm.

Early giving is happening now! Here's how you can help the Christi Center reach our goal of $40,000!

How can I help?

We're glad you asked! There are three major ways you can make this year a success.

1. Become a fundraising champion: Use your story to help raise money. Tell your connections why the Christi Center is important to you and your community.
2. Share with your network: Share your fundraising page or the Christi Center's page with your community. Our greatest supporters are our clients and their loved ones. Share the link once a week leading up to the event and another reminder the day of for people who may have missed a previous opportunity to give.
3. Become a business sponsor: Sponsor a challenge and have your donation go twice as far! Businesses can sponsor a portion of our fundraising campaign to inspire and motivate community giving.

Hear why our services are so important to our members:

• "After the tragic and unexpected death of my sister last year, the Christi Center was there to serve our family. They never asked for anything in return. Realizing that the $25 that someone else had donated at this time last year paid for the tissues that I shed tears into made me want to pay it forward, too."
• "There is no other organization like the Christi Center. I lost my son...and it has been a lifeline for me. All the services are at no charge and every penny of this organization's budget is spent on helping those who are grieving. It will be there for you should you ever need it (when you need it)."
• "The Christi Center has helped thousands survive the loss of a loved one. I was without hope and lost after my wife of twenty-nine-years died very suddenly. The Center gave me perspective and helped me understand that I could go on into the future even when at that moment it felt as if the world was dead to me. The staff and volunteers saved me from myself, as I know they have done for many others."
• "People who show up for grief group (at the Christi Center) find the glimmer of hope that the bereaved need most - hope that we can get through this."

How Does My Gift Help?

Our groups are free - but they’re not free to provide. We keep costs low by recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to help facilitate groups, but we also have paid clinical staff to supervise and support them. We own our building debt-free, but we have to pay utilities and maintenance costs. All told, it costs about $500 per person to provide a year’s worth of support groups. Our clients count on the generosity of supporters when they walk through our doors in a fog of grief, but many of them pay it forward when they can. Others have donated in the past because a friend or relative asked them to - and years later find themselves benefiting from services at the Christi Center.

We've been around for 35 years, and we're constantly evolving to be responsive to what our community needs. So that we can stay flexible in responding to that need, we don't ask for your support for a specific program. A gift to the Christi Center supports ALL of our groups. In recent years, we've been able to add the following groups in response to community need:

• grief and loss during COVID-19
• loss to overdose
• pregnancy and infant loss
• groups for Spanish speakers (children and adults)
• individual and group school services onsite during the school day in area school districts

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Development and Communication Manager, Makaila Heifner, at makaila@christicenter.org or 512-476-2600.