Texas Theater Donates Portion of Ticket Sales to Immigrant Legal Fees

A movie theater in Austin, Texas, has announced that they will donate a portion of their ticket sales to help with legal fees for immigrants throughout the month of July.

The Alamo Drafthouse theater said it will give customers the option of donating $1, $3, or $5 each time a movie ticket is purchased on their website or by using their mobile app. Every dollar raised will be matched and donated to the initiative, the website states.

The theater wrote:

Our first beneficiary is RAICES, the largest immigration legal services provider in Texas. RAICES is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees, and their staff of 130 attorneys, legal assistants, and support staff are on the frontlines of an issue that’s on the top of many minds this summer.

A similar fundraiser last year raised more than $116,000 to help fund local PBS stations in the area.

In February, the movie theater’s founder and CEO, Tim League, told CBS Austin that he was announcing a charitable giving initiative, with the goal of raising $1,000,000 through a national and local partnership.

“Fostering community and doing the right thing are core values for our company,” League said. “And this year we want to embed philanthropy into everything Alamo Drafthouse does.”

The company said it will focus their efforts on funding educational programs on their local PBS stations, film preservation, providing more accessibility for those with hearing and vision impairments, and feeding the homeless community in and around the Austin area.

The company also plans to spearhead a sustainability effort by eliminating their use of plastic straws, reducing waste, and implementing composting at their facilities.

The RAICES nonprofit organization was founded by activists in South Texas and is the largest immigration legal services provider in the state. Their offices are located in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

“Our advocacy and commitment to change are driven by the clients and families we serve every day as our attorneys and legal assistants provide legal advocacy and representation in an immigration system that breaks apart families and leaves millions without pathways to legal status,” their website states.