Posts by Ashley Thornton
“What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?”
By Samantha Williams “What do you want to be when you grow up?” How many times did you hear the question when you were five years old? When you were in High School? Sometimes we don’t achieve these lofty goals and that is okay! Many of us have heard about the “grieving stage” regarding mental…
Read More2018 Greatest Hits #10: Want to have a great time in Waco? There’s an app for that!
(During these last few weeks of December we will be reprising the Top 10 Most Opened Blog Posts for 2018 from the Act Locally Waco blog. I couldn’t possibly pick my favorites – so I used the simple (cop out?) approach of pulling up the 10 blog posts that got the most “opens” according to…
Read MoreClosing the Gaps in Mental Health Services for Children and Youth
By Kelli McAdams Our Community Our Future (OCOF) was started in the Fall 2015, when Klaras Center for Families (KCF), the child and adolescent division of Heart of Texas Region MHMR, helped to organize a committee of community stakeholders to look at the needs of children and adolescents in our community. Our initial goal for…
Read MoreCelebrating May as National Bike Month
By Chelsea Phlegar May is National Bike Month! According to the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month was established in 1956, and is a chance for communities across the country to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to giving biking a try! Fostering bike culture and expanding opportunities for…
Read MoreHow Getting Involved Changed the Lives of Four MCC Students
By Madiha Kark As a college student, staying engaged with coursework and campus life can seem intimidating if not impossible. But for a select group of students at MCC this engagement is a fundamental part of their educational experience, as well as their own core values. After a competitive application process, a select group of…
Read MoreTime for students to educate themselves and vote!
By Hannah Byrd In January of this year, I wandered into my first League of Women Voters meeting. I was pleased with what I found. Wacoans of different generations, political beliefs, and educational backgrounds gathered around a table to discuss how to improve voter participation and education in McLennan County. This is exactly what I…
Read MoreSummer Showcase (May 5): Great way to start planning for summer fun!
By Larry Carpenter “‘Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is all about’.” These lyrics from pop singer John Mayer’s song, “Wildfire,” ignite a spark of anxiousness as the end of the school year inches closer and the summer months draw near—especially for students who have worked hard in the classroom…
Read MoreGot drugs? DEA take-back day offers a safe disposal option
By Anna Dunbar Have you ever participated in a drug take-back program? If not, what do you do with leftover medicines after you are over that awful head-cold or find some expired pain medicine? I was shocked to learn that some folks think it is a good idea to flush unwanted or expired medicine or…
Read MoreTrails & Trials: The Balancing Act
(This post is a part of a regular series “Trails & Trials,” a monthly adventure series inspiring others to experience the physical, mental, and social benefits of cycling, running or swimming in Central Texas. For more posts in this series, click here: Trails and Trials. – ALW) By Natasha van der Merwe The question I get…
Read MoreTami’s Big Do Over: ‘Tis The Season
(Tami Nutall Jefferson, a married mother and grandmother, is going back to school and she has invited us all along to enjoy the ride. For more posts in this series, click here: Tami’s Big Do Over. – ALW) By Tami Nutall Jefferson As some people are rounding the bases of Prom 2018, some of us…
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