Aces for Adventure on KXAN / Studio 512

Explore Austin Chief Development Officer Lauren Zurbrugg and Board Member Wendy Papasan appeared on Studio 512 of KXAN News to preview Aces for Adventure, a charity poker tournament benefiting the 280 youth Explore Austin serves.

Aces for Adventure takes place Wednesday, May 21 at the Austin Club and features a poker tournament for newbies through professional players, with dinner, unlimited cocktails and the first round of poker chips included in the ticket price of $199. The top 10 poker players will receive prizes, each valued at $1,000 or more, including premium hotel and Airbnb stays paired with one-of-a-kind Austin experiences. Get tickets for Aces for Adventure here.


Thank You to our In-Kind Donors

These in-kind donors are providing prizes to our top 10 poker players in the tournament, which include:

Float On Boat Rentals – Tickets to their Sunset Tours on Lake Austin and Lake Travis

Kendra Scott – Iconic jewelry from an Austin local

Austin FC – Tickets to a match on July 5 vs LAFC; thank you to Morgan & John Burnham for this generous donation!

SkinSpirit Med Spa – SkinBetter product basket and $100 gift certificate for Austin’s leading medspa

On Shoes – Run on clouds with Swiss performance running shoes

Retro Boat Rentals ATX – Cruise Lady Bird Lake in vintage style with eco-friendly technology

Premier Performance Training – Personal training to meet your goals

Papasan Home Services – Professional remodeling and full service handyman services

Alotten – 2 tickets and a parking pass to Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett at the Moody Center on September 23

Rowing Dock – 2 one-hour passes for paddling on Lady Bird Lake

Copperbox Leadership Advisory – Leadership development and executive coaching

Duffy Real Estate Team – 1 wristband for Austin City Limits Music Festival

Viva Day Spa + Med Spa – 1 sixty-minute Swedish massage

YETI – The cold standard

Electric Shuffle – Games, vibes and a $500 bar tab

Southside Tattoo – $100 gift card for a tattooing session

AT&T Hotel & Conference Center – 1-night stay in the heart of Austin, just steps from the Moody Center

Gossamer Gear – Functional, ultralight gear, including 2 backpacks

Fello

woom – 1 children’s bike of the winner’s choosing

Guero’s Taco Bar – $30 gift certificate to the iconic Austin taco bar on South Congress

imogene + willie – $250 in-store credit for their South Congress location of apparel in Austin

Explorer Spotlight: Victoria Uriogstegui

When asked what stands out most during her six years in the Explore Austin program, East Austin resident and recent high school graduate Victoria Uriostegui has no shortage of tales about heart-pounding, stomach-churning, adrenaline-pumping challenges. In her calm and frank way, Victoria narrates her first trip with the EA program. She recalls the anxiety of boarding a plane for the first time, the nerves of spending her first nights away from home, the exhilaration of mountain biking down steep and slippery gravel trails, the terror of sleeping in a tent in the freezing wilderness, petrified that every bump or rustle was a hungry bear lumbering into the campsite for a late-night snack. While riddled with pure emotions, these memories are punctuated with evidence of personal growth and a continued sense of community, as Victoria shares that she learned to channel her fear into determination and began to lean on her teammates and mentors to give her the little push of courage she needed to scale a boulder or press on through aching feet to cover the last miles of a backpacking trek.

Victoria and her Explore Austin Team, the Arrows, at a Saturday Challenge

As trust between mentor and mentee was built challenge by challenge, the pushes to climb a little higher or paddle a little faster evolved into candid conversations about the future. Victoria’s mentor began to discuss what her life could look like past high school and the EA program. They pushed Victoria to weigh her interests against potential careers, giving her the opportunity to take career assessments and personality evaluations. During this time, while working with the homeless population in her community, Victoria realized that she wanted to be a force for good, continuing the community-oriented work that benefited her so greatly. Now, accepted to the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody School of Communication and Leadership, Victoria plans to pursue a career in the nonprofit or public sector. She’ll begin her journey in Fall 2021, with UT’s incoming freshman class.

Bringing the story full circle, Victoria is headed back to the place that spurred her path to leadership. Interning with Explore Austin’s fund development team, Victoria is playing a key role in advocating for the financial support that is required to achieve outdoor equity. In her own words, Victoria shares why the Explore Austin program is so important to her.

The Arrows on their Capstone Summer Wilderness Trip in the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

“It wasn’t until I entered Explore Austin that I truly blossomed. The program was like a long retreat for me, where I discovered myself and refined my abilities. I began to form leadership skills my younger, timid self wouldn’t have believed. I look at all I’ve done, and I think about all about the opportunities I missed thinking they were “too hard.” Reflecting on my teammates and mentors, all amazing women, seeing them persevere through numerous challenges, has made me confident and proud. I am determined to be strong like them. I am determined to steadily hold the reins of my future.”