On March 3, 2016 Austin Gives, a program of the Austin Chamber, hosted its fourth annual Austin Gives Generous Business Awards. The event was held over lunch at the Four Seasons and boasted tennis star Andy Roddick as featured speaker.

Andy Roddick Foundation CEO Richard Tagle announced their new five year strategic plan for helping school-aged children through 10 partnerships in Austin by 2020. Tagle shared the following details:

• First, we will share the lessons from our partnership with Pecan Springs Elementary, our flagship school partner for the past two years. We will share the latest research and best practices in out-of-school learning from across the country - and the world - to make sure that we as a community have the knowledge to help improve the quality of programs available to young people.
• Second, we are launching a partnership with the Austin City Parks and Recreation Department to enhance their summer learning programs across ten community recreation centers throughout the city serving over 1200 students this summer. We are making this financial investment because we believe that we should support the institutions our community has built.
• Third, we are partnering with the Austin Independent School District to select our second school partner this year. We have learned so much from our partnership with Pecan Springs Elementary that we are now ready to bring our six week summer learning program and after-school support to a second elementary school partner by the start of the new school year in the Fall.

The event highlighted nine finalists and three winners for the 2015 Austin Gives Generous Business Awards which recognize organizations that demonstrate exemplary business philanthropy. The winners in each category are:

In addition, the Chamber announced Laurie Loew as the winner of the new Bobby Jenkins Philanthropic Leadership Award. This new award is in honor of Bobby Jenkins, owner of ABC Home & Commercial Services and past Chairman of the Austin Chamber, and is given to a business leader who exemplifies a commitment to philanthropy and promotes the welfare and well being of others. Loew has earned this honor for her extensive philanthropic work through her company Give Realty.

Austin Gives is a voluntary program with no costs to participants who donate one percent or more of their pre-tax earnings to the local community. This includes giving back through cash donations, volunteering and donations of products and services that strengthen the nonprofit sector. Austin Gives has surpassed the 350 company milestone, making it the most successful programs of its kind in the country.

Take a look at more photos from the event on the Austin Gives site here.

Here is a snapshot of the social conversation from the event: