Posts by Ashley Thornton
Bicycle commuting makes sense in Waco
By Eric Martin Most people don’t enjoy their drives to work. In surveys, Texans rank commuting dead last in our preferences among daily activities. That’s not surprising: driving is frustrating and remarkably bad for our health, causing sleep loss, backaches, and higher blood pressure. It’s also bad for our social and personal lives: long commutes…
Read MoreWaco Diaper Bank: 1-year-old and growing fast!
By Ellen Filgo The Waco Diaper Bank has been around for a whole year! For those of you who haven’t heard of us yet, the Waco Diaper Bank is dedicated to providing diapers to Waco and McLennan County families in need. This past year we distributed over 35,000 diapers – that’s over 4000 little bottoms…
Read MoreFinancial Freedom: Have a wonderful, financially healthy holiday season!
(Note: This post is part of an on-going series on financial literacy. Two of the goals of Prosper Waco have to do with accumulating wealth: (1) Reduce the percentage of Waco-area households living without three months’ worth of savings if they were not able to work. (2) More than 50 percent of Waco households will…
Read MoreWhere did the time go? Some tips to finish strong!
By Diego Loredo It’s already the end of the semester! If you had told me at the beginning of the semester that it would be over before I knew it, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. However, the end of the semester is already here. And, all of the assignments and projects that I pushed…
Read MoreHomeowner’s excellent experience with rooftop solar: $3.13 electricity bill
By Alan Northcutt Solar panels, also called photovoltaic cells, were installed on my roof around New Year’s Day 2016. Since that time my average electricity bill has been $3.13. In fact, for 3 of those months my bill was $0.00. Yes, $0.00. So I would like to share my amazing experience with solar energy through…
Read MoreWISD innovations that all Wacoans should celebrate: #1 – Terrific Dual Credit Opportunities
(WISD is working hard for the children in our community. Today’s blog post is the first in a series of five WISD innovations that every Wacoan should learn about and celebrate! — ABT) Psst! Hey! Waco ISD eighth graders! Did you know that you can earn an associates degree, at no charge to you, BEFORE…
Read MoreThe church I grew up in is considering becoming “welcoming and affirming”
By Kelsey Leigh Ervi On November 15, I received a message from my father. He had forwarded me an email he received from the church I grew up in. The church that helped shaped my faith. The church I was baptized in. The church I committed to Christ in. The church I left in the…
Read MoreGroup W Bench: A Movement to Get Rid of Litter in Waco
By Bruce Huff “Fined $50 For Littering!” This is the catalyst for the song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacre,” written, recorded and experienced by Arlo Guthrie in 1967 during the VietNam War, and played as a cult song on Thanksgiving Day, every year since without fail. I’m not sure the song’s message means more to me as…
Read MoreA Space for Grace: Shepherding a City
By Leslie King In the early 1990s I lived on the South side of Chicago. Safety was an issue, so I did what people sometimes do: I went in search of a dog. At the Chicago animal shelter I met Lucky. She was a young Shepherd/Collie mutt. There was something about her…the commanding ears, the…
Read MoreWaco 101: What the heck is TIF?
By Ashley Bean Thornton (Have you ever been a part of a conversation where you just nodded and pretended you knew what was going on, when really you had no idea what people were talking about? If you do this long enough, you eventually get to the point that it’s embarrassing to ask, and you…
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