United Way Capital Area and KLRU Launch Live United Film Series, Austin Brains Benefit

There are times when two entities join forces and you are certain their union will birth glorious things. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had twins that will most likely grow up to continue their family's legend of off-putting attractiveness. Sarah Palin and Fox News--while an appropriate union--is the stuff of nightmares. Trumping these stellar examples of marriages that produce beauty and horror respectively, United Way Capital Area and KLRU have joined forces for a three-part community strengthening film series that will feature that lovely and oft-skipped post-film activity: conversation. Beyond just building awareness around timely social issues, the Live United Film Series will bring in local guests and provide resources for taking action on the topic at hand. The series$mdash;which is free and open to the public—launches this Thursday and will zero in on Austin education with a screening of Academy Award-winning Sue Marx's It All Adds Up.

A factoid from our city, featured on the event page, adds weight to the night: right now, one in four AISD students entering ninth grade won't graduate. The documentary and discussion will focus on whether or not we have put enough stock in the future of Austin's youth and what we might be able to do to invest more. It All Adds Up features the teachers and students of Wayne State University's "Math Corps," a math and life skills program that pairs Detroit public school students with collegians. Over 16 years, the program has experienced incredible results; Marx interviewed alumni and current campers to discover what exactly clicked since more than 90 percent of Math Corps' students graduate from high school and more than 80 percent attend college.

Jason Sabo of United Ways of Texas will moderate a discussion that features a number of local leaders (aka live resources) that include Dr. Michael Marder from the UTeach Science Program at the University of Texas College of Natural Sciences, Liliana Ary from Univision Radio, and Clayton Christopher, Founder and CEO of Sweet Leaf Tea and a mentor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Texas. RSVP requested here.

The next two installments of the Live United Film Series will focus on financial stability (February 25) and Hispanic engagement (March 25).