AUSTIN, TX (May 22, 2024) –
A Partnership Blossoms: Keep Austin Beautiful and Texas Roadhouse Transform LBJ Early College High School
In the heart of Austin lies LBJ Early College High School, a beacon of learning within the Austin Independent School District for nearly 50 years. This institution recently experienced an extraordinary transformation, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Keep Austin Beautiful and Texas Roadhouse.
On a bright April day, nearly 400 Texas Roadhouse employees from across the nation converged on LBJ High School. These individuals, in Austin for their annual conference, brought with them a commitment to giving back. It was a partnership forged in the spirit of community, aimed at breathing new life into the school’s campus.
From 12:00 to 3:00 PM, volunteers worked tirelessly under the Texas sun. Together with Keep Austin Beautiful, they set out to revitalize the school grounds. One of the highlights was transforming a much-needed teacher’s lounge into a sanctuary where educators could recharge. Volunteers painted cabinets, adorned a “Welcome” wall with inspirational quotes, and furnished the lounge with amenities like a refrigerator, microwave, coffee bar, plush seating, and dining tables. This space became a haven of comfort and inspiration for LBJ High School’s educators.
The transformation extended across the campus. Volunteers adorned the campus with LBJ Jaguar paw prints, restored the purple paint circle surrounding the Texas limestone monument dedicated by the 1978 graduation class, and undertook extensive landscaping. They installed new plant beds, weeded, planted, and mulched eight new beds near the picnic tables, and added gravel near the mural seating area. Walkways and limestone benches were power washed, and over 70 trees were mulched and freed from grass and support stakes. The landscaping efforts included planting 36 Dwarf Yaupon Holly, 20 Pink Muhly Grass, 8 Henry Duelberg Mealy Cup Sage, 10 Tecoma Stans Esperanza, 10 Turks Cap, 10 Cast Iron, 20 Purple Heart, and 20 Chocolate Chip Ajuga. In total, 300 bags of mulch were spread across the campus.
The driving force behind this remarkable endeavor was the partnership between Keep Austin Beautiful and Texas Roadhouse. For Keep Austin Beautiful’s CEO, this initiative held a deeply personal significance. As a proud graduate of LBJ High School, he was determined to bring together his alma mater, his community, a prominent business, and his organization to achieve something truly extraordinary. And together, they did just that. This endeavor was the largest school campus beautification project in Keep Austin Beautiful’s history.
Founded in 1985, Keep Austin Beautiful inspires and educates Austinites of all ages to volunteer, beautify green spaces, clean waterways, and reduce waste. This partnership with Texas Roadhouse exemplified their mission in action, displaying the power of collaboration to effect positive change.
As the day ended, the transformation of LBJ Early College High School stood as a testament to the boundless potential of collective action. The impact of this partnership will continue to ripple through the halls of LBJ High School, leaving an enduring legacy of community, service, and partnership. It serves as a reminder that when we come together with purpose and passion, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
