For parents, it’s nearly time to start thinking ahead to summertime child care plans. One option is summer camps for ages 5 through 15 provided by City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, including therapeutic summer programs; visual and performing arts, culture and history summer camps; and nature-based summer camps. Starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 10 until close of business on Feb. 17, Austin residents with approved financial aid and those seeking adaptive and inclusion support programs can register early in person and by phone. Registration times vary based on location, and evening and weekend times are available.

• For therapeutic summer programs, which embrace diversity and involve a team of certified therapeutic recreation specialists and inclusion aids, Austin residents can register from 10 a.m. Feb. 10 until close of business on Feb. 17. Non-Austin residents can register beginning at 2 p.m. Feb. 24.
• Austin residents can register for culture and arts summer camps beginning at 10 a.m. Feb. 24. Non-Austin residents can register beginning at 2 p.m. Feb. 24. Participants are limited to registering for no more than three weeks per child, per visual and performing arts, culture and history camp.
• For nature-based summer camps, Austin residents can register beginning at noon Feb. 24.  Non-Austin residents can register beginning at 2 p.m. Feb. 24. Participants are limited to registering for no more than three weeks per child, per nature-based summer camp.
• Community recreation center summer camps aim to enhance young people’s interests, skills and abilities.. Austin residents can register for community recreation center summer camps beginning at 1 p.m. March 2. Non-Austin residents can register beginning at 3 p.m. March 2.

For more information about summer camps, visit AustinTexas.gov/SummerCamp.

Pease Park Conservancy hosts its third annual MLK Day Food Drive next week in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Donations will be accepted at the picnic tables in Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park (1100 Kingsbury St.) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15. Suggested items include peanut butter, canned chicken breast or tuna, canned low-sodium vegetables, fruit in its juice, dry pinto beans, brown rice, dry pasta, nonfat dry milk powder, 100 percent whole grain cereal, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and canned entrees. All items will be donated to a local food bank to be distributed throughout the community.

City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly is offering another Community Emergency Response Team training course this weekend at the Jollyville Fire Department on Anderson Mill Road. The classes will take place at 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12; 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13; and 8 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 14. Participants will be learning CERT responsibilities, including disaster preparedness, fire suppression, disaster medical aid, and light search and rescue techniques. Kelly, who has extensive training in emergency management, helped facilitate the course with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Emergency Management Institute. Information and registration is available online.

The Austin Parks Foundation has partnered with the Parks and Recreation Department to create the city’s first all-abilities playground at Onion Creek Metropolitan Park. The two entities will spend this year gathering public input on the plan for the park, with the first virtual session scheduled for Jan. 18. Supporters expect the park to be universally accessible, with specific attention given to providing resources for children with disabilities and special needs. Early plans call for an inclusive play area and restroom facilities, picnic pavilions for shade, pedestrian trails and ample accessible parking. The park will be funded in part by the Powell Foundation, APF, Austin Community Foundation and the Garrison Family Foundation. The project team includes architecture firm TBG; community engagement specialist Cultural Strategies; architect Jobe Corral; and civil engineering firm Malone/Wheeler.

For this year’s annual holiday lights on 37th Street, residents of Austin’s twinkliest block have partnered with the city’s Living Streets Program to close the street to car traffic during event hours. The Living Streets Program envisions local streets as places where communities can walk, bike, gather and connect. The annual event, which dates back to the mid-1980s, runs along 37th Street between Guadalupe Street and Home Lane from sunset to 10 p.m. until New Year’s Day.

In an effort to study and recommend improvements to Parmer Lane between MoPac Expressway and Cedar Park’s Whitestone Boulevard, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) will be holding an open house this week. The open house, according to a press release from the transportation planning authority, will introduce the study of improvements and collect feedback from community members “on existing concerns and needs, environmental features and constraints, and desired transportation and safety improvements.” Participants can attend in person from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the Northwest Family YMCA or virtually from 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 19, by visiting this link. Both meetings will provide the same information and opportunities for feedback. In addition, general questions about the project can be directed to 512-651-3964.

Free and low-cost testing and treatment resources are available locally to prevent the spread of infection, as numbers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise. Those resources include:

• 3rd Annual LGBTQIA+ Health and Resource Fair – noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive, Austin, TX 78752, free parking available with validation. This public event offers STI/HIV testing, valuable resources from community organizations, entertainment and more.
• RBJ Sexual Health Clinic – 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at 15 Waller St., appointments recommended. $20 for testing and treatment of common STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV.
• Red Ribbon program – Free testing for HIV as well as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis throughout the city by appointment or at the mobile clinic.

“Anyone can get an STI, but many don’t show symptoms,” said Austin-Travis County Public Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes. “At the same time, many STIs can be treated, and early detection can prevent major complications and spread. With the rate of infection rising nationally and locally, we urge everyone to get tested regularly and treat any infections as soon as possible.” A critical step to prevent the spread of STIs is to get tested regularly, even if you don’t have symptoms or don’t think you were exposed. Early treatment can prevent complications from STIs and keep you from passing one to someone else. You can also get vaccinated against HPV and start PrEP to prevent contracting HIV.

Operation Blue Santa is looking for help in delivering toys and presents to Austinites next Saturday. According to a press release, a perfect volunteer would have a valid driver’s license, a four-wheeled sleigh and “be willing to be on Blue Santa’s nice list.”

There is no need to sign up in advance, and gifts will be loaded directly into cars at 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at all of these four locations:

• Blue Santa Warehouse – 4101 South Industrial Drive, Suite #260
• Green Garage at the Domain – Feathergrass Court next to Dillard’s
• APD East Substation – 812 Springdale Road
• APD South Substation – 404 Ralph Ablanedo Drive

Operation Blue Santa has provided toys and food for families in need for the past 50 years. Last year, the effort provided for 5,000 families and an estimated 17,000 children.

With the goal of finding professional visual artists and artist-led teams to create artwork for public places in Austin, the application window for three public art opportunities is open till 5 p.m. Dec. 19. The effort is sponsored by the Economic Development Department’s Art in Public Places Program (AIPP), and budgets for the three projects range from $70,000 to $400,000. Austin-based artists are sought for a project (artwork budget: $70,000) for a family violence shelter and protection center, aiming to integrate the visions of key stakeholders into a functional and well-designed facility providing shelter for women and children experiencing family violence in Central Texas. Texas-based artists are sought for a project (artwork budget: $190,000) that’s part of the expansion and renovation of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, which hosts programs that cultivate a profound understanding and appreciation of Mexican American, Native American, Chicano and other Latin American cultures. National artists are sought for a project (artwork budget: $400,000) on the second level of the Palmer Events Center‘s main entrance lobby space. For details on AIPP, public art opportunities and eligibility, visit www.austintexas.gov/aipp.

Anyone who lives, works or spends time in Austin is invited to a series of open houses hosted by Austin Transit Partnership to register their expectations for the new light rail system and to share what their mobility experiences are like. The org will use the information gathered to help design a system to enhance neighborhoods. The first user experience meeting will take place 5-8 p.m. today at Lively Middle School, 201 E. Mary St. Register here to attend. The second in-person meeting will be held 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6, at Montopolis Recreation and Community Center, 1200 Montopolis Drive. Register here for that one. And a virtual meeting will be open to the public 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. Register here on Zoom.

The city of Austin is now accepting applications to join its Green Workforce Accelerator. The program is intended to help organizations develop or grow green workforce programs, and selected participants will receive a $15,000 grant to support their work in the program. Selected groups will take part in a needs assessment, accelerator program and post-program data collection. More information about the program and eligibility requirements can be found here. Applications can be submitted now through Jan. 5. Awardee selection and notification will take place by early February. Interested parties can register for a Dec. 13 informational webinar on the program. Other questions can be directed to  annabel.osburn@austintexas.gov.

Run as fast as you can to catch Gingerbread History Heroes ornaments from Dec. 1-31 at historic sites all around Austin. Stop by to decorate an ornament as your favorite figure from Texas history – past examples include Elisabet Ney, Lydia Mendoza and Sam Houston. The program is free of charge for all participants. As part of the fourth annual Gingerbread History Heroes program, salt dough ornaments and a variety of decorating supplies will be distributed to participating museums and cultural centers, including:

Brush Square Museums (O. Henry Museum and Susanna Dickinson Museum)
Asian American Resource Center
Elisabet Ney Museum
French Legation State Historic Site
George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center
Oakwood Cemetery Chapel
Old Bakery and Emporium
Park Ranger Station at Zilker Caretaker Cottage