The Vietnam War was a prolonged conflict that took place in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia between 1955 and 1975. It pitted the communist government of North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union and China, against South Vietnam and its allies, including the United States. The war stemmed from the Cold War and the domino theory, the fear that if communism took hold in Vietnam, it would spread to other countries in Southeast Asia. The conflict ended with North Vietnam's victory and the reunification of Vietnam under communist rule. 

The US sent hundreds of thousands of troops to Vietnam, with peak troop numbers reaching 543,000 in April 1969. The war resulted in the deaths of over 58,000 US service members, along with a significant number of Vietnamese and other casualties. 

John Mackey and Diane Mackey

John

John Mackey was raised in Stephenville and Tyler, Texas, where he developed a life-long love of the outdoors.

He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Wildlife Biology but started working with youth in an outdoor education program in south Texas. The blend of outdoors and science led him to an M.A. in Outdoor Experiential Education from University of Northern Colorado, and eventually to a position as co-camp director at Colorado Lions Camp. There he met Diane Mackey. After they were married, they moved to California where John began teaching Middle School Science in West Covina.

Diane and John moved to Austin in 1985. John continued to teach science at the middle school level until 2012. In that year he and Diane founded the Adventurers Academy of Lifelong Learning, dedicated to helping adults with intellectual disabilities become more independent and connect with their communities.

Diane

Diane Mackey grew up in West Allis, Wisconsin. She faced challenges as a student with a visual disability. She has worked with children and adults with special needs for four decades.

She graduated from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse with a teaching certificate and a degree in adapted physical education. She taught and coached at St. Johns School for the Deaf in Milwaukee and Los Angeles County Schools.

Diane began a lifelong love of camps and outdoor education as a camper, and later as counselor, at Wisconsin Lions Camp. She later worked at Colorado Lions Camp in summers and later as full-time Program Director. There she met her husband-to-be, John. When they moved to California, Diane taught adaptive physical education in the LA County Schools.

From California, Diane and John moved to Austin, where they have resided since 1985. Diane taught Adapted Physical Education and Special Education Life Skills in Austin ISD and began to organize frequent extracurricular programs for her students, which developed into a group called “The Adventurers”. She has been named Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year for the state of Texas and twice was honored as AISD Middle School Teacher of the Year. Her Life Skills program at Bedichek Middle School in south Austin became well known and sought after by parents of students. As students moved on from her middle school class, they returned to join her and her current students for outings and extended overnight trips.

Diane retired from the district in 2012 to pursue what had become a lifelong dream: to open a program that encouraged the development of greater independence of adults with special needs, after they transitioned from the public education system. Now the Academy is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to help adults with intellectual disabilities in the Austin area connect with the community, develop lifelong independence and achieve their full potential.

Yesenia Ramos is the Community Engagement Manager for Central Health. 

Central Health, Travis County’s hospital district, is building a comprehensive, high-functioning health care system for residents with low income who need it most. The district’s Health care Equity Plan, adopted in early 2022, is guiding up to $700 million in investments to close the gaps that persist throughout the safety-net health care system – in primary care, specialty care, dental and behavioral health, hospital-based care, and post-acute transitions of care.

https://www.centralhealth.net

Katie Robinson Edwards. Executive Director | Curator. katie.edwards@umlaufsculpture.org · (512) 445-5582 x 104 

Our Mission

Cultivating community, curiosity, and connection through nature,
contemporary artists, and the work of Charles Umlauf.

Please be sure to attend for our District Governor's talk!

https://www.driveasenioratx.org    2601 Exposition Blvd · (512) 472-6339

https://www.driveasenioratx.org    2601 Exposition Blvd · (512) 472-6339

Rebekah is the President of the Rotary Club Austin Southwest and she attended the Rotary International Convention, June 2025.

is Leslie Leuenhagen, the Program Manager for Recognize Good. - https://recognizegood.org/

The DRC is a nonprofit organization since 1983, where we offer affordable, high quality mediation services and training programs to help individuals, businesses, and communities effectively resolve conflicts.

https://austindrc.org/

Marla is Director of Development for Art From the Streets   https://artfromthestreets.org/

Surei Scanlon is a Senior Officer with the Austin Police Department (APD) known for her work in community outreach, particularly as the coordinator for the Austin Citizen Police Academy (CPA) program. She is also recognized for her dedication, having received numerous awards for her long service and exemplary conduct with the APD, including a 20-year Honorable Conduct Citation. 

https://terraclearfoundation.org/