Community Partnerships & Volunteer Work

Fostering Growth and Healing Throughout Our Community

Below we've highlighted local organizations that we have partnered with as volunteers to support our community.

Current Community Partnerships

BLACK PEARL BOOKS

Black Pearl Books is a local, Black-owned independent bookstore in Austin dedicated to celebrating diverse voices and cultivating a more inclusive literary community. They believe books are powerful tools for connection and transformation, offering readers not only stories but opportunities to see themselves reflected and to step into the experiences of others.

Through our Bibliotherapy Guide, every order is fulfilled in partnership with Black Pearl Books, keeping your purchase rooted in the local community. A percentage of each order also goes back to fund our Whole City. Whole City initiative, so every book becomes part of a larger story of care and connection.

Black Mamas ATX

Black women experience above-average rates of health concerns placing them at significant risk for poor maternal health outcomes.

This is largely connected to the mental health effects of unrecognized bias in communication or care of Black women, in the identification and intervention of postpartum depression, and the context of the social determinants of health.

Black Mamas ATX’s mission is to ensure that Black women survive and thrive before, during and after childbirth. They envision a world without maternal health disparities. Their goal is to reduce and ultimately eliminate the alarming maternal mortality and morbidity rates among Black mothers in Central Texas.

Check out the fundraising bag campaign where Ensemble Therapy Gives Back. 100% of profits are donated to Black Mamas ATX.

Casa Marianella

Since 1986, refugees have been supported by Casa Marianella: the only homeless shelter in our city dedicated solely to immigrants. They serve families who are displaced and in need of crisis support or transitional needs. Casa Marianella gives these individuals a place to land; a place to receive shelter and support services. We know that parenting takes a village, and parenting amid crisis takes an entire community.

We began our partnership with Casa Marianella in the summer of 2022 by donating resources as well as volunteering, completing projects such as helping to revamp cosmetic finishes in the living spaces, while also connecting with the residents.

Past Volunteer Opportunities

Habitat for Humanity

Ensemble Therapy and Habitat for Humanity’s values are closely aligned: we both serve our community in the interest of building up families in the Austin area. With the increased cost of living in our city, low-income, disabled, and underserved populations are faced with challenges to remain local. Habitat for Humanity supports and honors the lives of these families by providing homes, housing repairs, counseling, and mitigation. Regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and cultural background, families deserve a place to call home. Habitat for Humanity makes this possible.

In December of 2021, our team volunteered on a build day at a local Austin site. We were able to spend the whole day with the Habitat for Humanity team to support their mission.

Foundation Communities

Foundation Communities is an all-encompassing non-profit organization with the mission of providing services to children, families, and individuals. Their services range from low-cost housing to free after-school programs for the children who reside at their properties, nutrition education, tax assistance, and supportive rehabilitation services. They provide individuals and families who are struggling with a safe place to land and thrive in Austin.

For the summer of 2022, we encouraged our clients and families to share uplifting and encouraging words on postcards, which were delivered to Foundation Communities residents. Spreading kindness is simple and can make someone’s day.