Posts by Ashley Thornton
Free “Careers In Retail” Program Provides Training for Mid-level jobs
By Kaylah Johnson In just 4 months of employment, I have fallen in love with Goodwill. When most individuals think of Goodwill, they think of retail stores or maybe they find themselves humming Macklemore’s song Thrift Shop. While our retail stores are well known for their bargains, it’s our Mission Services efforts that really give…
Read MoreHealthy Waco: Excited about a Smoke Free City!
by Courtney Restivo Wollard The City of Waco is preparing to be designated as a Smoke Free City in January. As an advocate for health, I felt it was time to discuss this ordinance and the positive impact it will have on our city and its residents. First of all, smoke free laws are not…
Read MoreYouth Empowerment Services: Community Support Helps us Provide Help
By Kiera Collins Y.E.S. (Youth Empowerment Services) is a Medicaid waiver program. The purpose of Y.E.S. is to keep at-risk youth who are in danger of out of home placement or inpatient psychiatric treatment in the home with the family unit. I am a behavior specialist at Klaras Center for Families. As a behavior specialist,…
Read MoreWaco Diaper Bank: Keeping Little Bottoms Clean, Dry and Healthy!
by Ellen Filgo When my older son finally potty trained at age 3 years and 4 months, it was a relief to not have to change the diapers of my articulate, stubborn little boy who clearly could use the toilet (but just didn’t want to). It also meant that I no longer had two children…
Read MoreHope and Waco
By Sara Beth Stoltzfus I came to Waco from Pennsylvania 6 years ago. I came from studying in a small college town after spending eight years in another small college town. I was thrilled Waco had an Olive Garden. While I wasn’t initially sold on Waco and Texas (arriving in August did not help), Waco…
Read MoreEvery Ghetto, Every City
by Saddiq Granger “…every ghetto made me regret my days in the new Jerusalem. you know it’s hot don’t forget what you got looking back…” – Lauryn Hill I often hear banter about the trappings of my culture with no idea of the heritage or tradition enshrined in them, or the adaptations made through generations…
Read MoreMental Health: Compassion Fatigue & Self-Care Practices
By Jennifer Alumbaugh, LMFT “Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper.” ~ Dr. Charles Figley We’ve all had…
Read MoreNovember is National Hospice Month: Loving Care at the End of a Tough Journey
(Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part series on Hospice for National Hospice Month. Here is the link to Part 1: National Hospice Month, Part 1: “I don’t want to read about dying!”) by Tammera Ryan “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find…
Read MoreWe have the right to disagree. Do we have the wisdom to work together anyway?
by Ashley Bean Thornton A few weeks ago on a Sunday most of us who read the Waco Trib opened our paper to find a dramatic advertisement – two full pages. The ad expressed a love of Waco and went on to list several beliefs that the signers — more than 100 folks in town,…
Read MoreHow to Prepare for Final Exams
By Diego Loredo One of the biggest reasons why college can be stressful is because of final exams. It’s unavoidable. Every student has to take them at the end of the semester (unless your teacher decides to not have one). It can be really stressful studying for these exams, but they’re not that bad if…
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