Civic Summit Spotlight

What does it take to survive in Texas? KLRU Civic Summit discusses poverty, andgiving families A Fighting Chance

Currently, there are 4.4 million Texans living in poverty; 1.8 million of those are Texas children. So what does it take for a family to survive and thrive in Texas? How do families stay afloat — or get back on their feet — when sudden disruptions to their financial situations, unplanned medical expenses or long-term unemployment strike?

These are the questions that will be explored by KLRU’s Civic Summit: What It Takes for Texas Families, airing on Thursday, December 13 at 8:30 p.m. The program, filmed at KLRU’s Studio 6A last week, is an open dialogue where community leaders, advocates and citizens discuss the challenges faced by Texas families attempting to stay above the poverty line.

Moderated by Sherri Greenberg, Director, Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, the panel includes staff from the Center for Public Policy Priorities and Foundation Communities.

In the open forum, the panel considers situations faced by the 4.4 million Texans living in poverty, situations highlighted by a new documentary short film A Fighting Chance. The film, produced by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP), in conjunction with Alpheus Media, will premiere on KLRU in advance of the Civic Summit.

A Fighting Chance chronicles the journeys of five Texas families — living in poverty — as they fight to meet their most basic needs. Some families struggle with putting food on the table, or finding stable jobs with living wages. Others fight to provide suitable housing for their family, or to meet the challenge of mounting medical bills after unforeseen medical complications arise.

The families featured in A Fighting Chance (from Austin, San Antonio and Bryan, TX) allow viewers into the very real struggles of their every day lives in order to expose the very harsh reality of poverty in our own backyard.

According to CPPP, the film aims to “shed light on what it really takes for families to survive and thrive in Texas” and “expose the tough choices these must make — sacrifices that most of us could not imagine.” A Fighting Chance is a heartfelt, honest, and eye-opening look at a staggering statistic for Texans.

Panelists for Civic Summit are joined by one of the family members chronicled in the documentary, adding additional perspective, and weight, to the comprehensive dialogue.

A Fighting Chanceairs on KLRU on Thursday, December 13 at 8 p.m. It will be followed by KLRU’s Civic Summit: What It Takes for Texas Families at 8:30 p.m.

Watch the trailer here:

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Worker Bee News

Amazon wants to hire 1,000 seasonal employees in Austin for holiday

Photo by Wallstplaybook.com

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As the 2024 holiday shopping season approaches, Amazon is doing its annual round of holiday hiring, seeking to fill 250,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal roles across the U.S., including 18,000 positions in Texas — including 1,000 openings in Austin.

The bulk of the open positions in Texas are in Dallas-Fort Worth, but they're also hiring in Houston and San Antonio.

Seasonal Amazon jobs offer competitive pay, flexible schedules, and, as a release so eloquently puts it, "the opportunity to be part of the bustling retail industry during its busiest time of year." LOL. Many of these seasonal roles also come with the potential to transition into regular, full-time employment after the holidays.

The release does not specify which positions are open but one can assume packing and delivering boxes are involved.

Interested applicants can go to amazon.com/localjobs or text NEWJOB to 31432 to sign up for job alerts. Open roles are posted throughout the holiday season.

Pay and Benefits
All seasonal employees earn at least $18 per hour, and have access to comprehensive benefits like health care coverage from their first day of employment.

Approximately one-third of seasonal employees stay on year after year.

Seasonal employees who stay at the company can see an average pay increase of 15 percent over their first three years.

Amazon perks include career advancement opportunities; access to earned pay at any time; health, vision, and dental insurance from the first day on the job; a 401(k) with company match; and up to 20 weeks of paid pregnancy/parental leave for birth parents (six weeks for eligible supporting parents).

They also get Amazon Prime employee discount, and Amazon’s Resources for Living program, a free benefit offering mental health and financial services and support for employees, their families, and their households.