Friends Austin Hosted 4th Annual Gingerbread Dreamhouses Auction

Friends of the Children–Austin was excited to host their 4^th Annual Gingerbread Dreamhouses display and auction! In this unique holiday tradition, Friends Austin connects local designers with talented pastry chefs to create beautiful bespoke gingerbread houses that are presented on public display before being auctioned off to help raise vital funds for their life-changing mentorship program.

The Gingerbread Dreamhouses event offers the organization an opportunity to celebrate Austin’s artistic and culinary talents while raising funds and sharing creative holiday cheer. All were invited to view the array of gingerbread houses and place bids during the silent auction that ended on December 8, 2022.

The extraordinary gingerbread houses are crafted around the theme of "Après Ski” from the following local talents:

• Gottesman Residential Real Estate
• 3R Interiors
• Annie Downing Interiors
• Etch Design Group
• Daiana Guzmen, Austin Proper Hotel
• Chef Pavla van Bibber
• Sarah Listrom, Rifle & Pony
• Jules Stoddart, Hardware Pastries

Friends Austin’s mission is to break the cycle of generational poverty. They do this by pairing professional, salaried, full-time, bilingual mentors (“Friends”) with children who are facing the greatest challenges and are at risk of continuing harmful cycles. Friends Austin commits to these children from pre-k or kindergarten through high school graduation – for 12+ years, no matter what.

“Our Gingerbread Dreamhouses fundraiser brings together a talented group of Austin creatives who lend their skills to support the mission and work of Friends Austin,” said Caroline Page, Director of Development and Communications of Friends Austin. “All funds raised through this unique and festive fundraiser go directly to enable the transformative Friends Austin program to continue and grow. We appreciate our sponsors and gingerbread house designers and pastry chefs who help to make this fundraiser possible.”

About Friends of the Children–Austin:
Friends of the Children is a national organization with 30 years of experience. Friends of the Children–Austin (Friends Austin) launched in 2017 to serve youth in East Austin. We exclusively focus on children who are facing many systemic obstacles and have experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences by the time they reach kindergarten. Friends Austin hires and trains bilingual, salaried, professional mentors (“Friends”) whose full-time jobs are to help our community’s youth succeed. We are the first and only professional mentoring organization in the Austin area. Each child in our program has a Friend from as early as age four through high school graduation – 12+ years, no matter what. Friends Austin partners with four of Austin ISD’s highest-poverty schools, CASA of Travis County, Center for Child Protection and The Salvation Army Rathgeber Center to identify children in need of a Friend. We are currently serving 135 youth, ranging in ages from four to 11 years old. Friends Austin will grow to work with at least 210 children by 2024.