Posts by Ashley Thornton
Speaking up for the “locked up and locked out”
By Jerrod Clark Although the U.S. has only 5% of the World’s population, it has an astounding 22% of the world’s incarcerated population.[1] One out of three people in The U.S. have a criminal record.[2] 12 million Texans – nearly 45% of us – have a criminal record.[3] 4.7 million Texans have a conviction on…
Read MoreEntrepreneurs of Waco: Urban Produce
(Act Locally Waco loves Waco area entrepreneurs! For more posts about local entrepreneurs, please click here: Entrepreneurs of Waco. – ABT) By Kathy Carr “It makes me laugh thinking how a guy who grew up in the suburbs of Dallas now owns a farm… but I love what I do.” – -Gib Reynolds Salads have…
Read MoreLet the teens in your life know: Healthy relationships matter, at every age
By Natalie Garcia It would be hard to miss what’s been in the news lately. The outrage over a Stanford student who received a six-month jail sentence for a rape conviction. Baylor University firing both its president and football coach, over an investigation showing a “fundamental failure” to appropriately respond to sexual assault incidents. The…
Read MoreWaco Walks Proud: The Rose Street Path of Pride, Vision, and Justice
by Mike Mallick In the movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner is told to “build it and they will come.” On Rose Street, in the heart of East Waco, we have dreams big enough to fill a field: Dreams of proud families. Dreams of a proud history. Dreams of heroes. On Rose Street, dreams don’t…
Read MoreJunior League of Waco funds “Reach out and Read”
By Beth Armstrong Over the past week, I have scrolled through hundreds of Facebook posts about my friend’s children and their first day back to school photos. It’s one of my favorite times of the year seeing all of the excitement and hope about the year ahead in the eyes of these children: bright, smiling…
Read MoreBeyond Sustainability: Transitioning to Regenerative Communities
By Lucas Land Sustainable is one of those words you hear more and more, but seem to know less and less what it really means. Like “organic”, “green” or “eco-friendly”, sustainable is sometimes applied to products or things that don’t make sense. Can beauty or cleaning products really be called sustainable if they depend on…
Read MoreWorkshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO) helps entrepreneurs get the skills to keep the doors open
by Cuevas Peacock I fell in love with Waco somewhere in between Elm and Austin Avenue. Perhaps it was while grabbing a bite to eat at Xristos Café, and then dessert at Hey Sugar. Maybe it was while getting a hair cut at the Jockey Club before visiting Suit City in hopes of finding a…
Read MoreWhere are Waco’s public pools?
by Rachel Lynne Wilkerson Spectators familiar with the BSR Cable Park’s rise to internet celebrity a few summers ago might be surprised to learn that Waco has been a destination for water activities for a century. Before lazy rivers and slides that launch swimmers into the air, the Waco Natatorium built by Confederate army veteran…
Read MoreCircle of Security: Supporting The Sacred Vulnerability of Embracing a Child
By Brett Greenfield As a social worker the most consistent aspect of my job is that I am constantly learning something new. Something I have learned through working with families is to measure time not in months, weeks, days, or even hours, but moments. Life is filled with infinite moments that together craft stories, memories,…
Read MoreChild Hunger Team Youth Ambassadors learn about Nutrition and Community
By Craig Nash This summer, the great people at Share our Strength provided the Waco Texas Hunger Initiative Regional Office with two Youth Ambassadors—students who helped us operate and evaluate the Summer Food Service Program. Below is a reflection on the summer from Sydney Brown, one of the students who served alongside Leah Reed. Both…
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