A little dirty work goes a long way

At least once a year, the staff at CreditCards.com in Austin, Texas, forsakes their cubes for a day for a little charity work. It always feels good. And we should probably do it more often.

This year, on May 15, we answered the call for help from the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas, and showed up in grunge uniform, ready to get down and dirty, at Andrews Elementary School in northeast Austin. The school is located in a low socioeconomic area where the annual PTA budget is lucky to raise $2,000 a year. We all know how far $2,000 won't go.

We weren't the only ones there. As just one of 25 Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas sponsors, there were at least 350 volunteers there. After some coffee and breakfast tacos, we divided into our preassigned teams and got to work.

Here's what was accomplished:

1. Landscaping
2. Creation of an exercise trail and exercise stations
3. A mural depicting the school mascot, the Andrews alligator
4. Mosaic panels
5. Assembling teacher packets
6. Repairing exterior tile
7. Entertaining the student with field day activities

The highlight was lunch. And it wasn't the food, it was the students. They had prepared songs and dances to show their appreciation. Swaying to the music with bright scarves, these kids sang their heart out -- our future American Idols.

"The school is really pleased and very appreciative of everyone's efforts," says Shobie Partos, program director at the Entrepreneurs Foundation. Shobie is going back to take some before and after photos and will post them to their Facebook page soon. In the meantime, hat's off to our crew. Nice job.