Less than a week until the 3rd Annual Quest for the Summit! We cannot say enough how excited we are to have our biggest fundraiser of the year at Contigo Austin. Contigo has been a hot topic in foodie circles, with recent write-ups in Food and Wine magazine, the New York Times, and Texas Monthly. We are honored to partner with Contigo, not only because of its national acclaim, but to have the opportunity to partner with Ben Edgerton, Contigo’s owner, and his team. Ben is a long time college friend of Mike Braeuer’s (our CFO), and we are sincerely honored to have him join the Explore Austin family.
The relationship we have with Ben reminds me of a lesson I learned my first week at Explore Austin. An introductory day was set up for Hillary Kunz, our Program Intern, and myself to meet the staff and hear the story of how each person got to Explore Austin, as well as their roles within the office. Hillary and I sat in the conference room as each person filed through. Each person spent a generous amount of time telling beloved stories of how their lives have come to connect with Explore. When it was Todd’s turn (our President/CEO), he told the story of how Explore Austin was born; inspired by the role of mentors in he and his friends (Jamie Matthews’ and Rusty Stein’s) childhoods. He took the time to explain this story in an effort to invite Hillary and I into the mission and the cause of Explore Austin. Todd said he learned during his time leading this organization, that the tone set in the office is pervasive throughout all of Explore Austin’s relationships. If a standard of honesty is upheld in the office, honesty will be a characteristic of Mentor’s relationships with Explorers. The Explore Austin office is a family, and everyone involved in Explore Austin is a part of that family. We are so excited about Quest for the Summit to get to celebrate with you as a member of our growing family this exceptional year of milestones, achievements, and memories.
Author: Elle Spinks
Elle is the Communications Intern at Explore Austin and is currently a senior, History Major, at the University of Texas at Austin.