Pop Up Birthday - Tech Companies Giving Back

Austin Tech Connect: The Podcast For The Austin Technology Ecosystem, Business Leaders, and Tech Entrepreneurs!

This week on the podcast we talk with Kathi Haralson, the executive director of Pop-Up Birthday. This local charity serves kids of all ages in the forster care system by making sure they are celebrated on their birthdays. The non-profit is a favorite of many local tech companies who donate their time and money to support this cause. Kathi shares the history of the organization, the need in our community, and a variety of ways local tech companies help them in their mission.

About Kathi Haralson:

Kathi Haralson is the current ED of Pop-Up Birthday and before that was the Executive Director of the Eanes Education Foundation where she raised over $3 million each year and funded the salaries of over 200 teachers.

Before becoming an ED, Kathi was the Development Director for Partnerships for Children and served as the President of The Junior League of Austin and started 2 programs, FIT and Kids Giving Back while purchasing the property for the League’s new headquarters.

Committed to the community in which she works and lives, Kathi has volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House, Dell Children’s, Partnerships for Children, Tarrytown Methodist Church, AFP and Impact Austin.

Kathi sits on the board of Helping Hand Home and was previously the chair of the HHH Crystal Ball.

Kathi has 2 daughters, Kaitlee- a graduate of The University of Texas and Riley- a recent graduate of Washington and Lee University and an extremely supportive husband of 30 years, John Haralson.

About Pop Up Birthday: Laila Scott, the founder of Pop-Up Birthday, is a mom of three boys and community volunteer. She decided to use her talents to celebrate children in foster care. Laila's guiding mission was to fill a child’s heart with joy during a time of crisis. In July 2014, she started Pop-Up Birthday by creating her first birthday in a box for a little girl who simply wished for a Frozen birthday party. The idea and joy multiplied, and today, Pop-Up Birthday has celebrated over 8,000 birthdays! Pop-Up Birthday continues to provide over 100 birthdays each month to children impacted by the foster care system in Central Texas. In the last 2 years, Pop-Up has seen growth in dollars raised, children served and volunteer experiences. Our mission is to provide joy, hope, and normalcy to children in foster care through a personalized birthday experience. Pop-Up Birthday believes that every child deserves to be celebrated!