We began as a loose coalition of volunteers drawn from various grassroots groups dedicated to helping people find COVID-19 vaccine appointments in and around the Austin area, starting in January 2021. Our early efforts focused on serving seniors, people with blindness and low vision, medically fragile individuals, hesitant individuals, and underserved communities, while also assisting anybody who reached out for help.

In February 2021, a visually impaired Austinite helped us identify a vaccine access and advocacy need in the blind and visually impaired community. Through our partnership with Walgreens, we brought a 300-dose Pfizer clinic to Austin Lighthouse. Austin Lighthouse (Travis Association for the Blind) employs 500 essential workers with disabilities, about half of whom are visually impaired. We are honored to be considered a friend of the Lighthouse community.

Since then, we have delivered more than 20,000 shots in arms through community-based clinics! Thanks to immunizing partnerships with Walgreens and Austin Public Health, we have brought clinics to schools in Austin and Round Rock, to breweries like St. Elmo and Hopsquad, to events such as the 2021 Women’s March and Puptopia, and to other community organizations including Settlement Home for Children and Todos Juntos.

In 2023, we received a generous grant funded by the Administration for Community Living, administered by USAging, as part of a nationwide initiative. The Aging and Disability Vaccine Collaborative is focused on vaccine outreach and delivery to older adults and people of all ages with disabilities. To expand our geographical reach and support culturally specific services, we have partnered with other local organizations: AGE of Central Texas, Austin Asian Community Health Initiative, Hays Latino United, and Vaccine Action Collaborative. Their work has been integral to advancing vaccine and health equity throughout the pandemic. Together, we are excited to continue making flu shots, COVID vaccines, and other immunizations more accessible to Central Texans!