AUSTIN -- Inside the halls of the Rise School of Austin, something magical happens.
"We are truly (one of) the only inclusive preschool in Austin," said Angela Bell the lead pre-kindergarten teacher.
For families like the Magierskis, it has been life changing.
“Our daughter has down syndrome and she knows 52 sight words and she's not even in kindergarten. She climbs, rides bikes and plays with her school friends. She can write, she can color, she reads books, she knows how to write all of her letters,” said Marlene Magierski, mother of Ruby Mae.
The Rise School focuses on every child's potential not their limitations.
“I'm really proud of that school,” said Sally Brown, who started the school with her husband a few years after moving to Austin.
“Gene Stallings, who was a friend of ours when we were in North Carolina, he called me," said Sally Brown. "He had founded the original Rise School in Tuscaloosa Alabama. He called and he told me you need to start a school there."
The school began in churches and now has a building all its own with a bustling population -- a place where the focus is on teaching, reaching, stretching.
And it's this place that triggered an idea by Mack Brown and Jack Ingram to hold a weekend fundraiser just for kids called Mack, Jack and McConaughey.
“I don't think we had any clue what we were doing when we started,” said Mack Brown. “And now everything is sold out.”
Brown brought in friend Matthew McConauhey. Six years later, the three combine their celebrity, their circle of friends, their causes.
“It's really been a blessing. It's been fun,” Mack said.
From the golf tournament to the gala, it's a weekend filled with athletes and celebrities interested in giving back to kids.
“They're a little crazy, but they probably loosen me up some. We have a little fun with them,” said Mack.
The event has raised nearly $7.5 million for Cure Duchenne, Dell Children’s Medical Center, Heart Gift, Just Keep Livin' Foundation and the Rise School of Austin.
Bell said the school has “the full range of services including really important therapies, physical, occupational and speech therapy to all of our students" thanks to the fundraiser.
“It's all about empowering kids," Mack said. "That's why it's worked. Austin is a very giving community and we've had people come from Houston and Dallas they just want to give and help."
Austin, Texas, naturally attracts big names, but in this one weekend, those big names make a big impact on kids in our community.
Just look at the kids' faces and anyone can see it makes a difference.
“There are so many stories of great accomplishments,” said Sally.
“It's been a blessing for us to have so many people say thank you,” said Mack.
A Longhorn legend leaving a legacy in the city he still calls home.
The MJ&M two-day event kicks off Thursday, April 12, at ACL Live at the Moody Theater with a sold out concert by the Dixie Chicks.