Posts by Ashley Thornton
New Year – New Beginnings: You can help!
By Catherine Haynes Bauer It goes without saying that 2020 has been a challenging year. Act Locally Waco was born out of a desire by our founder, Ashley Bean Thornton, to build community in Waco, and to bring people together who shared a desire to make Waco a better, more productive, and connected place. It began very simply…
Read MoreThank you for letting me give you a little something from my heart
By Ashley Bean Thornton It’s a cliché to say that the giver receives more than the getter when it comes to community work – but despite the best efforts of dozens of English teachers in my life – I can’ think of any better way to start these musings than to acknowledge that universal truth.…
Read MoreNot Home for Christmas –The Holiday Experience for Children In Foster Care
For many, the holidays are a time of tradition, new memories sprinkled among old memories, and the comfort and certainty of family. As we all know, 2020 and COVID-19 have thrown the holidays for a loop this year! We are scrambling to alter or cancel plans for safety, figure out new ways to carry out…
Read MoreGreen Resolutions for the New Year 2021
By Anna Dunbar 2020 is drawing to a close. Whew! What a year. Time to start thinking about a new year, a new start, and new resolutions for a greener year! Here are some ideas to get you started: Recycle that live Christmas Tree! Keep Waco Beautiful is hosting its annual “Chipping of the Green”…
Read MoreCivic Insights: The Why of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
(City council, school board, planning commission, county commissioners – these groups and several others represent us. They do the day to day work of running our community. It is our responsibility to keep informed about their work so that we can help them represent us effectively. “Civic Insights” by Jeffrey Vitarius is a regular feature…
Read MoreMural Monday: Tyler Kay
By Debbie Wright Tyler Kay is Texan, raised right outside of Houston on her family property in Katy. She is the type of person who sees a freshly painted white wall and immediately thinks ‘I really want to paint that’. That is exactly what happened back in 2017 when she was visiting Waco with her…
Read MoreSurviving COVID-19 and the Holidays
By Dr. Peaches Henry As predicted by infectious disease experts in the summer, coronavirus infections are now surging across the nation during the winter and holiday period. COVID-19 hospitalizations in McLennan County hit a record on Monday, November 24, and local health officials said that warnings about Thanksgiving gatherings must be taken seriously. If not,…
Read MoreWays to Give Back This Holiday Season
There’s no better way to spread holiday cheer than volunteering in your local community! Volunteering and donating are a great way to get into the spirit of giving. Read on for some ways you can give back to the Waco community this holiday season. The Salvation Army Waco The Salvation Army is famous for its…
Read MoreThe Act Locally Waco Thanksgiving Cookbook
Happy Thanksgiving, Waco! A few weeks ago, I put out a call in The Whole Enchilada, asking for people’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes. I wanted to create a blog post that could serve as a community cookbook for Waco. And, boy, did you deliver some fantastic recipes! Read on for three great recipes from your Waco…
Read MoreHonoring our veterans: a different perspective
By Robert J. Rush, Sr. My brother, Frank, recently sent me a link to an article about a history making event at the navy. The article is entitled “A Military 1st: A Supercarrier Is Named After An African American Sailor.” He correctly thought I would particularly be interested as a retired sailor. He was more…
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