Our People Make It Possible

By: Jennifer Evans Our people move mountains. Literally. Our staff and volunteers transform the tens of thousands of pounds of donations we receive every month into appealing, affordable creative materials that can find new life in classrooms, art studios and your next creative project.  They stock our online store, prepare projects for volunteers and create tutorials that inspire.  In normal times, they lead creative workshops in the center and help educate the community about the benefits of creative reuse.  We know our people are what makes Austin Creative Reuse possible.  Our dedicated staff and volunteers have powered our growth from our earliest days and in the last year, they have seen us through an unprecedented global pandemic.  Their well-being has always been our top priority - our commitment to them led us to close our doors to the public twice in the last year as we sought to do our part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.  In 2020, we undertook a months-long process to document exactly what that commitment to our people means to our organization.  At the end of that process, our Board of Directors adopted a new core value that sets out exactly how we put that commitment into action.  We are delighted to now share this commitment with our community. Our people make it possible : Staff and volunteers who are valued and engaged make ACR a joyful place to work, shop and create.

• We invest in our people at all levels. Through comprehensive training, professional development, opportunities to innovate and more, we are making ACR a place where our staff can continuously grow.

• We are committed to creating a workplace experience where our people can thrive.

• Fair compensation and professional development opportunities are a reflection of our values. We aim to be a community leader among other organizations in our community.

• Our volunteers are an integral part of our team. Their generous gifts of time and talent keep our wheels turning and connect the community to our work.

• We engage a staff and volunteer base that is reflective of the diversity of our community.

  In 2020, we celebrated this new core value by offering paid time off to our staff for the first time.  We look forward to continuing to share with our community how we are putting this value into action.    You can help us continue to support our staff while our center is once again closed to the public - we invite you to use our safe contactless shopping options, purchase a gift card or make a financial contribution to ACR if your situation allows.  Help us put community first, starting with the individuals who make it all happen. We thank you!