Austin students and families are invited to participate in several family-friendly, free events in conjunction with the Texas Relays festivities this weekend. The Friday activities include a culture and health show, a panel discussion on goal-setting, the B.L. Joyce Mini-Parade, and a reception at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center that will honor community members and highlight student performances.

The schedule of events, sponsored by the organization Your Relays.com and multiple community partners, is as follows:

• The Greater Austin Culture and Health Festival:
  Sponsored by the City of Austin and Austin Independent School District, and featuring the S.H.A.P.E. Community Center from Houston, this festival will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at LBJ High School, located at 7309 Lazy Creek Drive.
• A Panel Discussion on Success at the Next Level: Strategies for Developing Goals to Ensure Academic and Personal Success:
  This panel, which will be moderated by Kevin Carr, Vice President of Community and Player Programs for the NBA, will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, located at 1165 Angelina Street

  Other panelists include Michael Joiner and Leo Lyons of the Austin Toros; Anthony Snipes, Chief of Staff for Austin City Manager Marc Ott; and Dr. Gregory Vincent, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas.

  This panel is sponsored by the City of Austin, the University of Texas, the NBA Development League, the Austin Toros, and the Austin Independent School District.

• The B.L. Joyce Mini Float Parade:
  Students from numerous schools are among those who will join community members in the B. L. Joyce Mini Float Parade, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday in front of Blackshear Elementary School, located at 1712 E. 11^th Street.

  The purpose of the parade is to foster community pride and unity and to honor B.L. Joyce, who was the first band director of the old L. C. Anderson High School in Austin from 1933 to 1955. Joyce was also the founder of the Kealing Junior High School Band.

  The parade will end at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St., where there will be a music festival that will feature the Ortega Elementary School Choir and the Reagan High School Marching Band and other student performances. The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade will be Nelson Linder, president of the Austin branch of the NAACP.

• 2011 Texas Relays Reception:
  A reception will begin at 5 p.m. Friday at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center that will recognize the individuals and organizations that contributed to the success of the day’s culturally-diverse and family-friendly events.