AustinCares Provides Disaster Relief for Japanese Earthquake Victims

News provided by

Mar 22, 2011, 12:53 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Austin companies RunTex, Appconomy, and edioma announced today the "AustinCares" campaign to raise disaster relief funds for victims of the recent earthquake in Japan. Ravaged by March 11 earthquakes and resulting tsunamis, Japan faces devastating human loss, untold economic damage, and potential nuclear disaster. Even now, Japanese officials struggle to contain what could be worldwide nuclear fallout from severe damage to multiple nuclear reactors across the island nation.

The AustinCares campaign launched last week at the Austin, TX, South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Over 35,000 SXSW attendees have been asked to donate towards an $80,000 goal, which will be distributed by the American Red Cross. To donate to AustinCares, simply text "austincares" to 82208 or call +1.512.402.6712.

"Austin cares about Japan," said Paul Carozza, owner of RunTex. "It's hard to celebrate music, technology, and life in Texas when people in Japan are going without food, water, and basic necessities."

"For ten days during South by Southwest, all Austinites are part of the world's most international city," said Steve Papermaster, chairman of Appconomy. "What better way to involve the entire city - both visitors and residents - than by leveraging the power of this unique gathering, raising awareness and money."

"It's important that we show citizens of our sister city in Oita, Japan and their countrymen and women that we stand with them," said Larry Upton, CEO of edioma. "So, we encourage everyone to join us in answering the call to reach out and provide whatever assistance they can, either by donating or simply spreading the word about AustinCares ."

For further information on AustinCares, please see http://AustinCares.org.

About AustinCares Sponsor Companies

AustinCares is an Austin, TX, based non-profit program developed in conjunction with the American Red Cross to raise funds for disaster relief in Japan.

RunTex, Inc., is an Austin-based provider of premium running shoes and apparel. More at www.RunTex.com.

Appconomy is the producer of Grouped{in}, a mobile app that allows busy people to organize their work and personal lives into the groups that matter most to them across the channels they already use, including phone, email, text, Twitter, and Facebook. More at www.GetGroupedIn.com.

edioma, Inc. develops mobile language instruction systems for companies who wish to improve their communication to non-English speaking employees, customers, and partners. More at www.edioma.com.

CONTACT: Steve Guengerich, Co-Founder & Executive Producer, Appconomy, +1-512-672-6577.