Posts by Ashley Thornton
And What Will You Do With This?
By Christina Helmick Every time I’m asked to give my feedback, a little voice in my head says, “what will you do with my feedback? Will it be used to inform the next steps?” I feel like so many have these same thoughts after being asked for feedback. And the skepticism is understandable. If feedback…
Read MoreMcLennan County Improves Health Infrastructure and Policy
By Courtney Restivo Wollard I am the Public Health Education Specialist Lead for the Health Education Program at the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District and for the past two years, the department has been working on projects under the Texas Healthy Communities Program, a program of the Texas Department of State Health Services. This program helps…
Read MoreDowntown Waco: The ABC’s of Living Downtown
By Rolando Rodriguez Soto (This post is part of an on-going series about Downtown Waco. In a sense, Downtown is “everybody’s neighborhood.” In this series of blog posts we hope to contribute to the on-going conversation in Waco about what it takes to have a great downtown, and what we want for our own “Wacotown.” …
Read MoreHow to manage stress in college
By Diego Loredo I know how stressful college can be! It can go from one week of relaxing and not having any work to having a huge amount due in such a short period of time. It can all be overwhelming, and sometimes it’s just too much to handle. I’ve had numerous experiences of being…
Read MoreLocal arts scene makes us unique and fun to visit!
By Terry Roller Waco recently received a Cultural Arts District designation from the State of Texas. To many, it is a great thing. To others it is too esoteric, elitist, and a waste of “their” money. Let me share a brief story as to why I think it IS a big deal and is deserving…
Read MoreMaking it “OkayToSay!”
By Cynthia Cunningham My daughter has bipolar disorder. There! I said it. Ten years ago I said aloud those scary words that send many of my family and friends into hiding. But why? This diagnosis just means that her brain has some problems maintaining her moods, activity levels and often just completing daily tasks. That…
Read MoreThe big stage! – How I went to St. Louis, performed in front of 10,000 people and made 10 great friends!
By Nick Atkins On February 29th, I received the email. I had been accepted into the MUNY/Webster Intensive, a three-week musical theatre intensive in St. Louis, Missouri. (MUNY is short for the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis.) I would participate in workshops, take classes at Webster University, and 0perform in the MUNY’s production of…
Read MoreOn ukuleles and politics…
By Ashley Bean Thornton (Warning: Really bad metaphor ahead! Don’t read if you are sensitive to overwrought literary conceits.) For my fortieth birthday I bought myself a ukulele. Except for a few dutiful piano lessons in Jr. High, I had never played an instrument. I thought it might be interesting to celebrate middle age by…
Read MoreWaco’s World Hunger Relief, Inc: Nurturing People, Community, and the Land for 40 Years
By Joel H. Scott, Ph.D. With a rich history of critically considering how faith informs hunger alleviation while nurturing people, the land, and community, World Hunger Relief, Inc, (WHRI) is a robust, life-giving organization. As the new Director of Development & Outreach, it’s my privilege to share with Act Locally Waco followers about one of…
Read MoreThe Trouble with Collaboration
By Craig Nash “The Texas Hunger Initiative is a capacity-building collaborative organization… “ So begins the official description of what my organization does. Like most first words of a mission statement, it is full of all the pretty phrases, designed to make you feel good about what is coming next. And when it works, it does…
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