Posts by Ashley Thornton
How Stella’s Story made me think differently…
By Janae Griffiths We are all busy people. We go about our days checking tasks off our lists, sometimes putting little thought into what we are actually doing. Often, this is harmless—we get everything done and no one gets hurt in the process. But, for those of us who have the opportunity to walk alongside…
Read MoreA Safer, Healthier Waco for Humans and Animals
By Carrie Kuehl A ribboned birthday gift and the contents of your front seat fly onto the floor as you slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of you that just slammed on its own brakes. A squatty, blond dog with long ears squeals with the heavy bump of the car’s…
Read MoreBreak through the Baylor Bubble … become a citizen of Waco!
by Christian Bolaños “Baylor Bubble” [ bā-lər ˈbə-bull ] – Noun: A thin sphere enclosing Baylor University and living areas immediately surrounding its campus, from the rest of Waco. Baylor was my dream school in the sense that it was out of my reach. But, like many who attend, I have parents that work day…
Read MoreBehind every champion – a team of volunteers
By Serina Cole Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein For most of his young life Matt was excluded from many extra-curricular activities. He’s watched his friends and school mates have the opportunity to play ball, have fun, and live the life of a…
Read MoreLiving the Undocumented American Dream
By Nick Haynes When I think about it, I never had strong aspirations of living the American Dream. The ideals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness were simply words that I, like many other people born in the United States, always took for granted. It was not until those “rights” were stripped away…
Read MoreHope and Healing: Regaining Life from Major Depression
With this post we are kicking off the Act Locally Waco mental health blog. We hope to post something once a month or so with a focus on mental health. Stay tuned! — ABT By Bonnie Goree Major depression has been a familiar struggle in my adult life. I was just completing junior college when…
Read MoreMy Journey Discovering Autism
by Kristy O’Brien Do you know what autism is? Fifteen years ago, even though I had worked at the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and Brookhaven Youth Ranch in West ISD, I had no idea what autism was! I carried on with counseling sessions at TYC and teaching mathematics at Brookhaven as if the boys were…
Read MoreWhat can you do to continue the fight for justice? Join the NAACP!
By Peaches Henry, Ph.D. As I watched the historic re-enactment of the Selma marches two weeks ago, my celebration was bittersweet. At a time when we should be celebrating the 50th anniversaries of the victories of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, we are instead watching many of the greatest milestones of the twentieth…
Read MoreInclusion makes a beautiful community
March is National Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (NIDDA). This Act Locally Waco blog post is one of a series which will be posted Tuesdays throughout the month of March to raise awareness and build understanding about some of the issues, challenges and possibilities associated with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. – ABT By Serina…
Read MoreWaco Alumnae Chapter Hard at Work
By Veta L. Reed, President of Waco Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. “Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.”—Mary McLeod Bethune This must have been the motto that motivated the twenty-two dynamic founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,…
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