Who doesn't want to get punched by Jimmy Kimmel on air for supporting local Austin non-profit Comfort The Children (CTC) International?

CTC has partnered with Kimmel and Mozilla Firefox, through Crowdrise, in a contest to raise the most money for charity — and in the process, the opportunity to win an additional $50,000 from Mozilla.

The celebrity challenge that includes Jonah Hill, Will Ferrell, Sophia Bush, Seth Rogen, Kristen Bell and a host of others who are supporting their favorite charities.

By donating at least $33 to Kimmel's Crowdrise campaign, you are entered in the chance to win VIP Green Room access for you and five friends to Jimmy Kimmel Live in Hollywood — and Kimmel will punch the friend of your choice in the stomach.

This whole thing came about because Kimmel is a friend of Austinite Zane Wilemon, founder of CTC International, a community of people working diligently to create solutions and opportunities for a better life in Kenya. You can read more about the organization in a previous profile story we ran back in February.

Kimmel's fiance and senior writer for his show, Molly McNearney, is a friend of Wilemon's from college. She'd been involved with CTC and gone on their volunteer trips to Kenya when she started working on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The show took an interest in the organization, and soon Kimmel did personally as well. Soon Kimmel was a monthly CTC donor, and he and Wilemon got to be buddies. But Kimmel was interested in doing more.

Enter Crowdrise, a unique blend of online fundraising, crowdsourcing, social networking, contests and "other nice stuff," according to the website. Actor Edward Norton is one of the Crowdrise founders — and as it so happens, a friend of Kimmel's as well.

Soon the "Jimmy Kimmel will punch you in the stomach" contest was born, and as of December 23 has raised more than $40,000 and taken the easy lead in the Mozilla competition.

"Zane is very passionate about creating sustainable change in an area that desperately needs it," Kimmel says. "So passionate that we couldn't help but get involved. CTC is an organization that empowers the people it helps with job creation, not handouts. The volunteers live in and are fully invested in the community. CTC isn't handing out money. They are handing out tools and the skills needed to use those tools."

"This is huge, because it's the first time Jimmy has gone public with his involvement with CTC," says Wilemon. If CTC wins, the organization plans to use the money for education initiatives. "This is a fun, easy way to take a step into the CTC community and get involved so we can help more people."

It's also one of many ways that CTC is recognizing their 10-year anniversary of taking volunteer teams to Kenya. "We wanted to make sure that was something we celebrated," Wilemon says.

The Austin-based nonprofit has a lot more to celebrate, as well. 2012 has been its most successful year to date in taking volunteer teams to Africa: eight different teams traveled to Kenya this year, totaling nearly 80 volunteers.

In fact, a team of some of Austin's top entrepreneurs have just completed CTC projects in Kenya, including Jim McDermott (owner of The Belmont), Joe Ross (Grande Communications, CSID) and Kevin Warden (Austin Monthly's most eligible bachelor and owner of Austin Which Wich). As a parent of a special needs child, Warden immediately identified with the program where mothers of special needs kids work to earn an income to provide education and therapy for their kids.

"I was extremely moved when I visited the program in Kenya and saw the strength showed by the mothers, who care for their kids with none of the support services we have here in the states," Warden says. "I am also excited to be involved with an organization where I can have an immediate impact. CTC’s philosophy of creating sustainable change by empowering the Kenyan people to improve quality of life attracted me.”

CTC also launched TRIBE this year, an intentional community of supporters like Warden who are committed to the organization, financially and otherwise. TRIBE is a collection of people that not only support the people of Maai Mahiu as they fight to lift themselves up but that also wish to hear about the true impact of their support, join like-minded individuals in meaningful community and walk alongside an inspiring group of people creating change in Africa. In short, it's an invitation to change the world.

TRIBE, which counts Kimmel among its 100-plus members, was born from the growth of CTC. "We had a lot of people who wanted our time, and we needed to figure out how to focus that time...and to know we were meeting the needs of our Western customers too," says Wilemon.

The addition of many new Lifeline products to the CTC store this year is something Wilemon is also proud of. The line, which includes bracelets and bags, went from $120,000 in sales to over half a million over the last year, and has created over 400 new jobs in Kenya.

"All of these partnerships came from personal relationships," says Wilemon. "It wasn't companies seeking out a charity to get involved with; we weren't trying to find just any corporate sponsor. It's not causes and celebrities utilizing each other. It all grew organically, from friendship. That makes the relationship so much deeper. At CTC, we are all about sustainability—and our relationships are the most sustainable part of our organization."

The Jimmy Kimmel Crowdrise contest runs through January 10, 2013. "Help me win a whole lot of money for Comfort the Children by raising more money than everyone else," Kimmel states on his Crowdrise campaign page. "I. must. beat. everyone."

It’s Christmas Eve, meaning that many Americans are spending quality time with family at home, usually with relatives that they don’t get to see often enough. The time will be appreciated, but there will plenty of folks out there, including many children, who will have to miss out on holiday family time due to having a parent out on deployment for the military.

It’s never easy for these kids, but there are those who will stand with them to help them through.

The Comfort Crew for Military Kids understands the challenges faced by the modern military family, especially over the past decade of overseas conflict. The size of the military has shrunk by 30 percent since 1990, which has resulted in longer and more frequent deployments for men and women in uniform due to large-scale operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For months on end, many kids have dealt with the anxieties of knowing that a parent is in constant danger. The Comfort Crew seeks to ease the difficulties of military family life through various efforts.

One common method is the creation and distribution of Comfort Kits for youngsters. Each kit contains DVDs, plush toys and journals that encourage kids to express their emotions and feelings regarding various situations. For many, it’s dealing with deployments, moving or reintegrating with returning parents, while for others it will be learning to cope with a loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The non-profit also offers more hands-on efforts to help military kids by hosting camps that foster their physical, social and emotional resiliency. Camp Hero was held at Camp Mabry in 2012, focusing on creating an environment that builds support amongst peers as well as support throughout the military community. The Comfort Crew will also assist spouses and loved ones in trying to understand the difficulties of being a military kid and how to work through those problems.

During a USO Tour, the Comfort Crew estimated that it was able to meet and reach 75,000 military children. Over the past two years, 69,000 Comfort Kits have been distributed. The Comfort Crew is on a mission and is committed to helping as many children in need as possible. It’s summed up in their motto ­— “We Are With You All the Way!”

It’s not hard to imagine that Austin would have never evolved from the tiny village of Waterloo into a bustling cultural and economic center without the help of the neighboring Colorado River. Possibly the most defining visual characteristics of Austin might just be the glistening waters of Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake, reservoirs that have served as a major boon for local aquatic recreation.

Thanks to the use of these waters, Austin has gained both a unique visual aesthetic and another springboard for revenue in a strong local economy.

It may be easy to show Austinites how much the Colorado River has contributed to the growth of this city, but the river extends far beyond Austin's borders. That's why organizations like the Colorado River Foundation exist: to raise awareness for the protection of one of Texas’ most important rivers, from the Highland Lakes all the way to Matagorda Bay.

The Colorado River has always been close to home for me. Growing up in the small town of Columbus, Texas, which is one of many other towns nestled on the banks of the river, I have seen how important these waters can be in serving communities outside of the Capital City.

Just like in Austin, the river in Columbus has provided its own recreational activities, like boating and fishing, as well as one of the best duck hunting spots in the state. Columbus might not host massive music festivals that attract thousands to the river's shores, but it has certainly made the most of its proximity to the water.

Growing up in a county that derived its own name from the river certainly educated me on how important the water from this river can be to wildlife and local rice farmers. The massive drought that gripped the state in 2011 had a major effect on many farms south of Austin, and the Lower Colorado River Authority had to cut off irrigation water for the first time in 70 years. Due to the continued low water levels in the Highland Lakes, it’s very likely that once again the LCRA will have to severely restrict water to farmers once again in 2013.

It’s because of this ongoing crisis that the mission of the Colorado River Foundation seems more important than ever. The foundation seeks to promote natural science education through special activities and outdoor recreation programs for youth living near the river, particularly those who are at-risk.

Educational programs include hands-on learning at the Wilkerson Center for Colorado River Education, as well as in Kids on the Colorado, a rafting and nature tour in which students learn about river stewardship and wildlife conservation. The foundation estimates that at least 65 percent of participating students are from underserved communities and often receive scholarships funded by the Colorado River Foundation.

With the prospect of water resources continuing to be stretched thin in the years to come, the mission of preparing the next generation to understand and handle these emergencies is an imperative for environmental preservation. A sustained environment is a gift that will keep on giving for many generations.

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The Colorado River Foundation is a member of I Live Here, I Give Here. You can donate to the Colorado River Foundation directly from this page, using the form below.

A lot about Girl Scouts' programming has changed over the past 100 years, but one thing has not: its mission.

"The mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We offer the girls opportunities so they can develop their skills in order to do that." Lolis Garcia-Baab, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Girls Scouts of Central Texas says.