by Joshua Carney
Cast:
- Reverend Dr. Leslie “I AM” King of 1st Presbyterian Waco, hereafter LK
- Her trusty sidekick, associate pastor Dee Dee Porter Carson, hereafter DDPC
- Erin Conway “Twitty,” pastor of 7th and James, hereafter Twitty
- Tim Jarrell, pastor of Austin Ave. Methodist, hereafter TJ (of course)
- Sharron “Bobby” Cox, Assistant Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal, hereafter Skipper
- Austin Nickel “Back,” SAWL at First Lutheran, hereafter Saul
- Josh Carney, amateur theologian and licensed Baptist or to quote A River Runs Through It backwards, “a Methodist who can’t read.” hereafter JC
Setting:
A rainy November day at Dichotomy, the surprisingly swanky post-post modern coffee shop located in the cultural epicenter of Texas, Waco.
DDPC has called a meeting of Waco’s finest downtown religious zealots to hash out what the ecumenical bunch will do with Waco and Lent, everyone’s favorite Christian holiday ever since they collectively read Kafka on their pastoral getaway.
_____
DDPC: Thanks for coming everyone. Did you get a drink? Do you want a drink?
Skipper: I already ordered, a 30-30 with a dash of Commonwealth, skinny, with a side of caviar.
Twitty: Wait, what did you order?
Skipper: You’ll read about it in Harper’s later this month. It’s all the rage with the Anglicans.
JC: I see they do alcohol here as well. How much do you suppose a Miller Lite is?
LK rolls her eyes visibly irritated by JC, tries to recall who invited him in the first place
DDPC: So let’s start by talking about what we liked about last year.
LK: It was great. It was all great. Carney was suspect, but other than that it was great.
Twitty: Remind me what we did last year?
TJ: Rotated pastors at churches. Small liturgy and lunch after.
Twitty: Oh yeah, the food trucks. Did people like that?
Saul: Yes, the ones that came did.
Skipper: Yes our people liked it, but we were hoping to have Diamondbacks cater this year. Dee Dee, look into that. will you?
LK: We need something big this year. Something Waco! Something the kids have never seen before!
Saul: Something like Chip and Joanna big.
LK: No, not that big, we can’t afford that.
TJ: How about Steve Martin, isn’t he from Waco?
Twitty: I’m not sure he’s religious.
LK: Twitty, good. I like what you’re thinking. More of that.
Twitty surprised at how well his contribution is received.
Twitty: Oh, well in that case, what about RG III, or Jessica Simpson she’s from Waco … or was that her Grandma? I can never remember.
LK: Too much.
Saul: What about Jennifer Love Hewitt? We could do Hewitt comes to Hewitt.
JC: What is the point of this again?
DDPC: Carney, good question. Let’s revisit that. What are we trying to do?
Skipper: I thought we were trying to connect downtown Waco people with Lent on Wednesdays during their lunch hour.
LK: Yes, we want to make Lent relevant again. Someone make that a hashtag.
DDPC: So let’s start with place. Where are we going to have this?
JC: Let’s rent McLane Stadium.
Saul: Someone already did that.
Twitty: What about Scruffy Murphs?
LK: Wrong side of town.
JC: They do Miller.
DDPC: Is that still open?
TJ: What about Barnett’s?
LK: Too small. I’m expecting millions.
DDPC: Hippodrome?
LK: Bam! That’s it. I’ll get my guys on that.
DDPC: What about speakers?
Twitty: What do we want the speakers to do?
TJ: Well, I’ve recently heard of this program called The Moth. It’s a podcast. People tell their stories.
LK: Good TJ, I like this. Tell me more.
TJ: Well they tell their stories and people love it. The kids go crazy for these stories.
Twitty: These stories. What’s so great about them? Are they about sex, drugs and rock and roll?
Pensive look crosses TJ’s face as he recalls his experience with The MOTH podcast
Slowly … TJ: hmmm… for instance … one story was about a blind guy at a rattlesnake convention in TX.
LK: I love rattlesnakes, and the text from the second week of Lent is that one about snakes biting Israelites. This is predestined.
JC: I didn’t think PCUSA was that kind of Presbyterian.
LK: Dee Dee, make a point to take Carney off the email thread next year.
Saul: So, The Moth @ the Hippodrome on Wednesdays during lunch. What time will this start?
JC: I don’t think you can use The Moth, you’ll get sued for copyright violations.
DDPC: Yes, Wednesdays at noon. Get there before noon and you get 10% off of your lunch order. The speaker will speak for 10-15 minutes and we will rotate who does the short reflection after.
Skipper: Reflection? What kind reflection?
DDPC: I’ll send you something to look at. Something on silence.
Saul: What dates?
DDPC: Ash Wednesday is March 1st, but everyone will be gone on the 8th for spring break. So let’s start the week after. The dates will be March 15, 22, 29 and April 5.
Twitty: We still don’t have any speakers.
TJ: Who can do Moth type stories?
LK: Who do the kids love over at Baylor?
JC: They all love Tran.
LK: Who?
JC: The religious/ethics guy. He’s from Duke.
LK: Good, let’s do Tran. Who else?
Skipper: What about the lady who does toddler time at the public library? She is the storytelling guild. Vivian someone?
DDPC: Miss Vivian? My kid loves her!
JC: My kids love her!
Skipper: All kids love her.
LK: Good, let’s do Vivian. Who else?
Twitty: I’ve got this guy at 7th. Listening to him tell stories is like skating on butter. Bob Darden.
Saul: Skating on butter?
LK: Tell me more.
Twitty: He mentored Garrison Keillor and he was a pioneer of narrative theology.
JC: Wait, who is this?
Twitty: Just go with it.
LK: Good, let’s do Darden. Who else?
DDPC: What about Lyndon Olson?
LK: Good Dee Dee.
Skipper: Who’s Lyndon Olson?
DDPC: Ambassador Lyndon Olson brokered the Geneva Convention, defeated Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania 7 and nailed Jell-O to a tree.
LK: And that’s just the stuff that wouldn’t fit on his C.V.
Saul: Sounds like a winner.
DDPC: We need to market this. Carney your church is full of young hipsters. Do you have anyone in the design department?
JC: Yes, Nathaniel Mosher of peopletownart.com.
LK: We need to advertise this. Where do people look to get Waco info?
Twitty: What about that Act Locally Waco blog? I think Ashley Bean Thornton does that. Does anyone know her?
JC: I know her. I’ll ask her. What should I say?
LK: Just give her the information.
JC: That’s too much noise. I need something creative. Something people will read. What about a mock up of this conversation?
LK: No one will read that.
JC: Yes they will.
LK: OK smart ass, why don’t you do the write up then.
JC: Maybe I will.
DDPC: OK, great meeting. Carney when you do the write up, make sure you include the flyer.
Lights Fade
Josh Carney is the lead pastor at UBC in Waco. Under his leadership attendance has gone down. Josh has not written any books and no one has ever asked him to speak.
By Louise Henderson
When I mention that I am a part of a trail riding group, most people are not sure what trail riding is really about or what a trail riding group does. For most people the first responses is “Oh, you ride horses and wear boots and a huge Texas belt buckle covered with rhinestones!” Well, some of that is true! But, being a part of the Waco Knight Riders these past two years has given me a new perspective about what trail riding is all about. It’s about being a cowboy or cowgirl; it’s about family and community.
Yes, like you might expect, you will see people who wear a large white cowboy hat and a red button down shirt with the name “Big L” on it. But what you might not know is that thanks to the Waco Knight Riders, you can find Big L and the rest of us pretty much all over Waco doing some type of community service. We have been known to do anything from raising money to prevent domestic violence, to wrapping toys to give away for Christmas, to visiting those in the hospital. If you look, you can find a Waco Knight Rider giving back to the community.
Usually we are in the East Waco area hanging out in the field in the iron steel wagon talking about club business. We might be discussing what our next community project will be. Or we might be talking about how we are going to work with and support other local trail ride groups like “Most Wanted” or “Waco Is My City Riderz.” For example, last December we worked with the Waco all Female club who had a dance just for kids. Our outreach is not limited to just here in Waco. We have traveled to other cities all over Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It’s funny. When a Waco Knight moves, we tend to sprout up where ever they go like we have in Dallas and Louisiana.
I think that is what drew me to this group, their activism in the community. I appreciate that no one person is bound to just wait on the rest to go and do anything. Each member is encouraged to pursue something in the community to live out our motto to GIVE back.
As I was writing this I started wondering what the attraction to this club is. I mean, yeah, the button down pressed shirt with the two horses is cool, but what makes others want to be a Waco Knight Rider?
So, I asked a few of the club members what made them want to join and be a part of this group. DeeDee, who just joined the group not too long ago, mentioned the high standards and moral character required to join and continue as a member. She said, Big L, Donnell, Rita and the rest of the members came to West during the big explosion all in their red shirts passing out water, and blankets, and food. “That’s what drew me to them and how they conducted themselves no matter where they are.” Another thing I like, she said, is that she always feels comfortable talking and laughing with “the Three Wise Women,” Rita, Darlene and Donnell. “To me they are the mothers and enforcers of the group with Big L as President and Cowboy Dre planning the next big thing to do as far as community.” This community riding club is always out participating in parades, donating school supplies, participating in the MLK March every year. You see the Knight Riders all over Waco being a part of the activities in Waco. There aren’t too many things we haven’t participated in as far as civic service. We held a day for youth to learn about the first black Buffalo Cowboy and even taught the young people how to ride and to become the next Trail Boss which is a big deal for trail riders.
For me, I came from Dallas six years ago. My Children and I really didn’t know anyone here. I saw through a mutual friend how the Waco Knight Riders always had kids with them no matter where they posted pictures. I thought that is what I want to be a part of, and that’s how I want my family to be active in the community together.
And so, two years later, I have been in a group where I have traveled to Houston, Bryan, Hearne, and other places to see other trail ride families and make new friends. We all travel together. Don’t get me wrong. Like most families we have our bumps and hardships, but I have learned that you can pick your family. You can pick the ones that you call your brother or sister. I have been privileged to call these people my family these past two years! I have also learned about myself. I have learned that I have the capability to be whatever I want to be with the confidence and support of those that love me. Even my daughters have learned what it means to wear a Knight Rider shirt to school. When their friends ask about riding club they can say it is more than just about horses, it about the love of our community and being active.
Louise Henderson has four daughters — one at Texas A&M (Elizabeth), two at University High School (Rachel and Naomi) and one at Cesar Chavez Middle School (Rebecca) — and puppy named Rico. She and her family have lived in Waco for six years and are very active in our community. She is a member of the Junior League of Waco, NAACP of Waco, and Waco Knight Riders. She graduated from McLennan Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Child Development and is working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Child and Family studies at Tarleton State University. She loves Taco Tuesday at Rosas Café and volunteering in Waco. She is the founder of the Central Texas Divas, a social club for women and young girls to empower and educate about them about self-improvement and our community.
Whether it’s playing trumpet in the “Friday Band” at MCC, playing board games at King’s Landing, or riding with the Waco Knight Riders, one of the wonderful things about Waco is that there are lots of ways to find community here. Where do you find community in Waco? Would you be interested in writing about it? If so, let us know. Email AshleyT@actlocallywaco.org. If you have an idea for a post. You could be seeing your own picture on this page!
By DeShauna Hollie
Middle school scripts
High school haiku’s
Rite of passage puppet shows
Words occasionally slipping out
Fitting themselves together
Largely without me knowing
Forming into creative pieces,
That even I was surprised by
At least…In the beginning
Process mattering so
Much more than product
That sacred place
Between vulnerability and art
Do you know those things that you take for granted as a kid, but as you grow up and go through all of those phases of development that help you figure yourself out? Do you ever think about that instance when you discovered all the gifts that your parents and caregivers have given you, those gifts that you are only now beginning to appreciate? Do you know what I’m talking about?
When I sat down to write this blog I started to think about why I write poetry or why I’m so interested in art, and I remembered being in first grade. I had a pretty lucrative tracing business that year. My classmates often asked me to trace pictures for them from coloring books. They paid me in blow pops and pencils. I also thought back to ninth grade, when I learned how to write a haiku. I’ve been writing them ever since then, and although I don’t trace as much as I used to I do still find myself doodling on meeting agendas (it helps me listen) . Until a few years ago, it never occurred to me that those artistic tendencies were a gift from my father.
My father made us handmade cards for our birthdays and every holiday. They were personalized to our personalities and to our hopes and dreams. They often included cartoon characters from pop culture interwoven with words of wisdom, psalms and poetry. I say cards but usually it was a packet of cards and drawings for birthdays and every major holiday.
Although I don’t remember it, I’m sure I must’ve learned how to trace from him. He died a few years ago but I have quite a few of his stencils that he used when he made our cards. One of the things that he did for work was that he also painted signs on buildings, usually lettering on the sides of walls. So sometimes when I am walking around town I’ll glance up at the words on the side of a building and see his name.
It’s kind neat to have that reminder of his work and that reminder that art is very much entwined in my culture and in who I am. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to share why art is in my life.
Get Involved!
- Every LAST SATURDAY from 7-9pm King’s Landing hosts a Monthly #DrinknDraw event where artists are invited to gather together to draw, have a drink, and enjoy the camaraderie of community creating collectively!
- Central Texas Artist Collective will be having its first quarterly public meeting on Sunday March 12 at Maker’s Edge from 3-5pm. If you are an artist in the area looking to connect with other creatives, volunteer with arts events, learn about exhibiting/vendor opportunities, mark your calendar!
- Waco Poets Society hosts open mic every Second Saturday 7pm @ Rufi’s Cocina and every Third Thursday 7pm @ Tea2Go :: open to poets, spoken-word artists, story-tellers, musicians, singer/songwriters, and other performance art/creative expression
- #CTAC will be having their next #Ekphrasis planning meeting Saturday April, 1, 2017 (location TBD) open to anyone interested in volunteering with the planning process or any of the events along the way to prep for the exhibit opening in the Fall, email: centexartistcollective@gmail.com for more info.
- Creative Waco has a Top 10 Creative Ways to Engage in Waco over Spring Break, and a line-up of summer camp options for the blooming young artists in your life!
- The Art Center of Waco has upcoming exhibits, summer camp options, and classes for adults and youth…visit their website to explore the options!
- And don’t forget to check out the Waco Symphony, Waco Civic Theater, Brazos Nights, Art on Elm coming up April 7-8th, Food Truck Showdown on Saturday April 1st, and many more ways to stay inspired and creatively fed in Central Texas!
DeShauna Hollie is local poet who loves the process of writing poetry and creating art much more than the end product. Sometimes for fun she records poetry for practice. She also loves creating with other people, for her art is very much a community process.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Madison Albee
Part of the mission of McLennan Community College is to engage, educate, and enrich the community. To achieve this, we provide services that ensure student success. Not only is academic success challenging, but students may also experience a variety of personal, social, emotional, and adjustment issues that require assistance.
One very important (and little-known) program we provide is free counseling. The MCC Student Counseling Center provides free psychological counseling for students who are enrolled at MCC, as well as University Center students who attend classes through partner universities at MCC. MCC licensed professional counselors and counseling interns from the clinical mental health counseling program at Tarleton State University are available to help students overcome their challenges. Session lengths vary depending on the student’s needs.
Dr. Ryan D. Foster, director of MCC’s Student Counseling Center, said the Counseling Center serves more than one purpose: “The SCC’s purpose is twofold: (1) to serve students and families of students at MCC and University Center partner schools with comprehensive counseling and related services and (2) to provide opportunities for graduate students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Tarleton State University with supervised clinical training and experiences.”
Individual Counseling:
One type of counseling the Student Counseling Center provides is individual counseling. This is a one-on-one meeting with a licensed professional counselor or licensed professional counselor-intern. Individual counseling is designed to focus on short-term goals in order to facilitate students’ college success and adjustment. The number of counseling sessions a student will receive varies and is determined by the nature of the concern, and an agreement between the student and counselor. Some of the most common concerns for college students seeking counseling services include but are not limited to:
- Feeling stressed out or anxious
- Feeling overwhelmed by school workload, work, family responsibilities
- Feeling sad, depressed and/or low mood or energy
- Difficulty adjusting to a recent change
- Difficulty in making decisions or unsure of the future
- Relationship issues
- Feeling isolation from others
- Grief issues
- Sleep issues – sleeping too much or too little, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep
- Concerns about alcohol/drug use
- Eating disorders
- Trauma – recent or past
- Thoughts of self-harm or harm to others
Crisis Counseling:
Another type of counseling the center provides is crisis counseling. The most common concerns that may warrant a crisis referral include but are not limited to:
- Concerns about my ability to keep myself safe
- Having a current plan to attempt suicide
- Having taken recent steps to end my life
- Having a strong desire to physically hurt or harm someone else
- Experiencing sexual assault/harassment/relationship violence
- Hearing voices or seeing things other people do not
- Experiencing emotional distress which prevent my ability to meet my daily responsibilities.
In crisis situations similar to those above, students are advised to call 911 if it is after hours, and they are not on the MCC campus.
Dr. Foster said he has seen students grow during their time spent at the counseling center. “I have seen clients of our counseling center develop healthy emotional boundaries, coping skills, self-awareness, and insight into their own intrapsychic and interpersonal process,” he said. “Many of our clients benefit from the emotional and personal growth that they achieve through counseling here.”
It is important for students to be aware that MCC has services available to them should they need it. Students may schedule an appointment by phone by calling 254-299-8210, sending an email request for an appointment to counseling@mclennan.edu, or by coming by the counseling office, located in the Wellness & Fitness Building, Room 101.
For more information, go to http://www.mclennan.edu/counseling/crisis-counseling.
Madison Albee is a senior at Baylor University from Fort Worth, Texas. She is studying journalism/public relations with a concentration in marketing and is graduating this coming May. Currently Madison works for MCC as a public relations intern in the marketing and communications department. She is also the public relations assistant for Luca Magazine.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Jasmine Wise
I love the Waco area and it’s hometown feel. I love that I can shop in national chains and local stores right next to each other. I love that I can be engaged in the community at any level I choose. I love that people know each other, like really know each other. I love that people here love Waco and collectively want to see this city flourish. I love that there are individuals in their neighborhoods doing just that. They are creating spaces to improve the areas around them. I am blessed to know and be able to connect with these people. Each one of them sees a need and works to fill it to the best of their abilities.
Waco and its’ surrounding area are unique places. We have three universities yet a largely uneducated population; plenty of new businesses yet over 50% of our population is in poverty. Waco is changing rapidly in population and size. On the other hand, parts of the community are not changing and standing still. Waco, like every other city, is flourishing in many areas yet has aspects that can be improved. The individuals I mentioned above are attempting to create ways to connect their efforts to enhance Waco. They are asking some serious questions to do so effectively. How do we create policies, services, and community initiatives that positively affect different populations in our area? How do we even know what policies, services, and community initiatives are needed? In addition, how do we gain insight from within the community?
I am privileged to work at the Center for Community Research and Development (CCRD) that believes its mission is to help inform the answer to these questions and many more like them. The CCRD, established in 1979, engages Baylor faculty and graduate students in applied social research to improve the local quality of life for all residents. Over the last 38 years, the Center for Community Research and Development has helped inform local hospital/patient relationships, conducted Waco Police Department assessments, and program development for the Cooper Foundation. The CCRD is committed to making the local community an enjoyable place for all to live. You can found our more about the CCRD here.
One of our newest initiatives in this commitment is the Waco Area Connect (WAC). The Waco Area Connect is an online survey system housed at the CCRD. The WAC is unique because it will use direct answers of people within the community to communicate to the local entities that can enact change. Our anonymous surveys cover a variety of topics concerning the Waco community. In recent years, we have asked about public health, neighborhood safety, social services, local education, and transportation issues.
The Waco Area Connect asks important questions directly linked to the community. We know that the voices come directly from our community and therefore welcome and value them. The WAC is significant because we take your answers and inform your solutions. We do not use national data of projects that have worked in other cities but use data from our city to advise change. We want our community to know they have a hand in solutions are created and handled on a local level. In addition, that their policy makers can hear from them through well informed grounded research.
The CCRD has collaborated with Prosper Waco to answer some of the questions above. Because of this, some of the questions asked will directly correlate to the goals of Prosper Waco: health, education, and finances.
The WAC is attempting to expand its reach to differing members of our local community. If you want to join your friends and neighbors in Waco- McLennan County to take occasional online surveys you can click the link below and add yourself to our registry. We value your time and would prefer you use it to engage in the community because of this we attempt to limit our surveys to two (2) surveys per calendar year. If you agree with our consent form, we will follow up to ask for your e-mail address.
Click here to access the Social Research Registry Consent Form.
It you did not get this before, I love Waco and its surrounding areas. Please help others love them by letting us know your opinions. I hope you join us on our journey to enhance an already wonderful place to live.
By day, Jasmine Wise is a graduate student in the department of Sociology at Baylor University working on her Ph.D in Applied Sociology. While at Baylor, she works as a senior analyst at the Center for Community Research and Development. By night, she is a youth leader at Acts Church in Waco, TX. By weekend, she develops her passions for public speaking, growing churches, developing communities. She wrote her first book, “Confessions of a Sinner”, in the Summer 2015. If you want to get in contact with Jasmine, please email her at wise.jasmine@yahoo.com
by Liz Ligawa
Can you remember a time when you were not believed? As you think back to that time, how do you remember it impacting you? Was doubt able to sneak in and influence the credibility of your own story? Perhaps, as a response, you became a little more selective with what you shared, or at least, with whom you shared. I posed this same question to about 50 undergraduate students in a Human Diversity class where I was the guest lecturer. What we learned, as a class, of these kind of events was telling: incidents where our experiences were invalidated by doubt or unbelief began to invisibly shape how we related to others, but more significantly, we tended to wrap our truths with silence as we learned to navigate a world that had little room for our perspective.
This simple exercise I conducted with that class still resonates with me. It speaks of how one human experience can shape so many others. Although the examples shared were relatively light in nature, and were part of common childhood experiences, the impact of those incidents on the future behavior of these truth-sharers was great. I was not expecting behavioral changes to be the result of these incidents, but they were.
In our work, we speak a lot about collaboration. Our current posture toward collaboration comes from the realization that the work, and the outcomes we hope to achieve from this work, cannot happen without the collective work of many hands. In our urgency to approach the work with these many hands, however, I have observed a common forgetting (of sorts). We seem to forget that those hands are connected to people, and people function through relationships. In her book titled, Teaching Peace: A Restorative Justice Framework for Strengthening Relationships, Dr. Beverly Title alerts us to pay attention in this way. “Every relationship is valuable, no matter how insignificant it may first appear, as it is a potential window to wisdom,” (Title, 2011). Sometimes in our ambition to work, we forget that the hands are connected to people, and that it is in those people where the wisdom for the work is contained.
The Aspen Institute recently published a helpful review of community change initiatives (CCIs) over the last two decades so that the work going forward can be better informed. In their publication, the voice of relationship was also heralded as a necessary component toward change: “Comprehensive change in the most disinvested communities required effective working relationships across a multitude of community, private, and public institutions. Since poor communities had long been disconnected from outside entities, the key to sustained long-term change was to build cooperative connections,” (Kubisch, Auspos, Brown, & Dewar, 2010). In social work, we consider human relationships central to change. This is our value. So, how does this play out?
When joining the work of marginalized communities, or communities experiencing significant change, I pay attention to the role that disenfranchisement, or disconnection, has played in the life of the community. Feeling unheard is a great suffering. Not only is it difficult navigating systemic barriers that function oppressively, but it is also not the first thing that people want to talk about. Life is life, and most of us are busy just going about it. So, as I go about learning what life is like, I look for the many ways available to build the trust requisite to connect the hands to the work. Sometimes it means I show up. Sometimes it means I share. But most often, I find that trust is built on an ordinary path that many have left grown over. The path to trust is simply believing the truth that is entrusted to you. And, in the dignity of those every day moments, the work finally becomes shared, and perhaps our investments of hope fulfilled.
Elizabeth Ligawa is a recent graduate from Truett Theological Seminary, and the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, earning both her Master of Divinity, and Master of Social Work. Though her prized role is being a mother to her dear son, Elijah, Liz has a love for encouraging people to come together in ways that engender healthy communities. Her role as the Director of Community Engagement at Prosper Waco allows her the room to work in and among the many faces of her beloved Waco community. She may be reached at liz@prosperwaco.org.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these Aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.
By Ashley Steenberger
“Doctors need to be more compassionate. First pregnancy I felt like I was just a statistic. I’m just going to rush you and get you out in 15 minutes. I’m not going to get paid that much anyways. It’s not about that. It’s about making me feel more comfortable in my pregnancy. Letting me know the risks and what can go wrong and what can go right.” — Patient Participant
If you’ve never heard about the Healthy Babies Coalition (HBC), we are a group of dedicated community agencies in McLennan County that provides services to mothers and babies. Our focus as a coalition is to reduce existing health disparities, improve birth outcomes of mothers and babies, and improve women’s health throughout the life cycle. Currently, we meet on the third Thursday of every month from 2-4pm.
In order to better understand the barriers to accessing women’s healthcare and decreasing preterm birth and infant mortality, the Healthy Babies Coalition partnered with the Prosper Waco Women’s Health Workgroup in 2015 to conduct eight focus groups and one interview with Waco community healthcare providers, patients (women of childbearing age) and patient support systems (men and grandmother type supports). The focus groups were implemented to gain information regarding the community’s knowledge and perception of women’s health services in the community and its relation to our birth outcomes.
We received a lot of helpful data that have informed and shaped our work as a coalition and our community to better serve the women of McLennan County. Among one of the most powerful statements we heard from the focus groups was the previously mentioned quote from a female patient: “Doctors need to be more compassionate. First pregnancy I felt like I was just a statistic. I’m just going to rush you and get you out in 15 minutes. I’m not going to get paid that much anyways. It’s not about that. It’s about making me feel more comfortable in my pregnancy. Letting me know the risks and what can go wrong and what can go right”.
It is no secret that doctors are busy- they have a schedule to stick to throughout the day and that often leaves little time to address all of your concerns. But, there are ways you can play an active role in ensuring you make the most out of the time you do get with your physician as this is also your responsibility as the patient.
Here are a few tips that can help you talk to your doctor and ensure a quality appointment time:
- Write down a list of questions and concerns before your appointment. If you have a health issue, make sure to include any symptoms you may be having, when they started, how often it happens, and if it prevents you from doing something. Tell your doctor you have this list and share it with them.
- Be honest and open. Clear communication is vital in ensuring the smartest decisions are made for your health. It will help your doctor better understand your lifestyle and the best treatment choices for you.
- Consider bringing a close friend or family member with you. They can help calm your nerves as well as help you remember the tips your provider may share with you.
- Take notes about what the doctor says, or ask a friend or family member to take notes for you. If you don’t remember what the doctor shared with you, you can easily look back to your notes for reference.
- Learn how to access your medical records so you can keep track of test results, diagnoses, treatment plans, and medications and prepare for your next appointment.
- Ask questions– especially if the information you are hearing seems confusing or unclear.
- Ask for the doctor’s contact information and his/her preferred method of communication in case you have further questions or concerns.
- Remember that nurses and pharmacists are also good sources of information and can be very helpful in your health journey.
Above all, remember that you and your doctor are a team and your relationship is a partnership. You can and should work with your provider to solve your medical problems and keep yourself healthy. Your health is important so make it a priority. Take an active role in this partnership to ensure the healthiest you!
Ashley Steenberger is a second year Master of Public Health student at Baylor University from Northwest Arkansas. Currently Ashley works with the Healthy Babies Coalition as the Healthy Texas Babies Grant Graduate Assistant at the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District and an Intern with Nurse Family Partnership Waco.
By Victoria Ette
Jordan Haynes is a 14-year-old 8th grade student at Indian Spring Middle School in Waco ISD. He was born and raised in Waco, and loves the downtown area. He says that if he could, he would spend all of his time there adventuring and partaking of the many things that there are to do downtown. He is a member of the Mighty Med Club, which is an afterschool program offered by Indian Spring Middle School. It is led by Baylor’s Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students. Although Jordan wants to attend school at Texas A&M University and pursue a career in photography, he says that the Mighty Med Club has taught him a great deal about the realities of college life and what it takes to pursue his dreams. Jordan enjoys the mentoring relationship he has with the Pre-Health Students, and he loves to proclaim, “Baylor is bringing Waco back to life!”
“Pre-Med Club” is an after-school club that springs from Baylor University’s Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) Pipeline Program. The objective of the Pipeline Program/“Pre-Med Club” is to introduce students to medicine early on in their academic careers so that they may acquire all the necessary knowledge and resources upon matriculating into high school. This will enable them to excel in a curriculum (and engage in extra-curricular activities) to best prepare them for a post-secondary education and their future careers.
The club aims to expose students to diversity in the healthcare field, introduce students to medical professionals of various backgrounds, to teach and mentor students about the medical field, and give them support in how to excel in their academic careers. We are especially excited to reach minority students, a population also reflected in the MAPS members, because we recognize the power of representation. Seeing someone like oneself reflected as a positive role model, particularly in the face of prejudice, discrimination, and underlying systemic prejudice is powerful in its effect to validate one as a human being. Exposure to successful college students and future professionals makes one’s goals seem much more obtainable. Finally, we want to instruct students about medicine in a way that is fun, interactive, relevant, and impactful.
The after-school program was launched in the Fall of 2016 at Indian Spring. Kattina Bryant, Indian Spring After School Program Manager, said that the Pre-Med club has been an opportunity for WISD students to realize there is no limit to what they can achieve. The Indian Spring students are excited about learning with a different focus. When we went to the State Capitol for the Go Red Event through the American Heart Association, students had the chance to connect the lessons learned in the club with information about preventing heart disease and stroke. The learning is relevant and the students are highly engaged.
Jordan and his friends enjoy learning about the human body and how their own bodies function. He says that he has always been curious about medicine, how it is made, and how it is distributed. Jordan’s favorite experience so far in Mighty Med Club was when Dr. Barry, a local pediatrician in Waco, came to speak to the Mighty Med Club students. He thought that it was inspiring to see a male African-American physician working in a professional field such as medicine. Jordan’s take away from Dr. Barry’s presentation is that “even though we as African-Americans are sometimes looked down upon, we are still able to rise to the top and follow our dreams.” Jordan states that Mighty Med Club has allowed him to see that even though college will be hard, he is more than capable of succeeding at the university level.
Victoria Ette is a senior at Baylor University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biology. Victoria has been a champion supporter of Waco ISD, and a tutor for Communities in Schools and Waco High School. She has led Service Learning projects at Cesar Chavez Middle School and initiated the Pre-Med Club at Indian Spring and Carver. She plans to attend medical school after graduation.
(During December we will be reprising some of “2017’s greatest hits” from the Act Locally Waco blog. I couldn’t possibly pick my favorites – so I used the simple (cop out?) approach of pulling up the 10 blog posts that got the most “opens” according to our Google Analytics. It is an intriguing collection that gives at least a little insight into the interests and concerns of Act Locally Waco readers. I hope this “Top 10” idea inspires you to go back and re-read your personal favorites. There have been so many terrific ones… If you would like to see the Top 10 according to Google Analytics, here’s the link: 2017 Greatest Hits. Merry Christmas! — ABT)
By Berkeley Anderson
I was involved in every possible extracurricular from mock trial to tennis. I had high grades and graduated in the top of my class. My parents demonstrated respectful and kind relationship behaviors. Despite those things, I experienced dating abuse in different forms.
Dating violence is a pattern of harmful behavior in which one partner attempts to exert power and control over the other partner. Most people immediately think of physical and sexual abuse, but dating violence also includes less visible forms of damaging behavior including verbal/emotional abuse, digital abuse, and stalking. At its most extreme dating violence may look like the death of an all-star college lacrosse player, but in others forms it can be even harder to recognize, especially for teens who are new to dating.
Complicating matters further, relationship behaviors exist along a spectrum. Healthy partners have open, respectful communication about conflicts, respect for each other and respect for boundaries. Unhealthy behaviors signal that the relationship has problems—ranging from lack of communication to incompatibility. Some examples of unhealthy behavior include texting or calling more than the other person is comfortable with, getting jealous when the other person spends time with friends or alone, and dishonest or non-existent communication.
Most relationships exhibit unhealthy behaviors at some point. They may stem from one partner’s insecurities or poor communication. Additionally, some behaviors indicate that the relationship is heading toward being abusive or is already abusive. Physical violence, for example, is never okay. But where do we draw a line with insults, teasing, or manipulation?
My relationships didn’t have all of the signs you might see on a list of warnings about abusive relationships. There was extreme jealousy—but I believed that it was partially my fault when my ex pushed a male friend after he hugged me. There was also yelling when he was angry, but again I thought that some of this was a normal response to being angry. Then there were the times that he got so upset that he harmed himself—and I thought, well, it wasn’t me, this is scary but not violence toward me. What I didn’t know at the time is that these behaviors are about power and control. They scared me, and in the long run made me averse to conflict.
Then he pushed me.
Not hard enough to really hurt me, but enough that I was scared. It was so long ago that I can remember the emotions, but not the context. All I can remember is that when I told my parents, they said he needs to seek therapy or you need to break up. When I told him, he said I’d broken his trust.
So you might ask, why didn’t other people know? Why didn’t my parents say something sooner?
The fact of the matter is that I never felt like I needed to tell someone even though it was an emotionally damaging relationship. I didn’t tell my parents because I wanted to stay with him. I only talked about the good things most of the time. And there were many good things. By the time there were more than enough unhealthy behaviors, I had redefined what a normal relationship looked like.
Which behaviors were problematic?
- Extreme jealousy
- Extreme mood swings
- Yelling when upset/getting angry over small things
- Self-harm
- Physical violence
- Accusing a partner of “breaking confidence” about unhealthy behaviors
Many of the things on this list —and this list is not comprehensive—were not what I thought of as abusive at the time. I didn’t completely understand what I was going through. By the time there were more than enough unhealthy behaviors to define the relationship as abusive, I had redefined what a normal relationship looked like. And I was wrong. Teen dating abuse is neither healthy nor “normal.”
So why talk about this now?
February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness month. It’s a time when parents, schools, and organizations across the country learn how to talk about and prevent teen dating violence. Dating violence affects 1 out of 3 teens on average. If you haven’t experienced teen dating violence, you probably know someone who has.
How can you prevent this from happening to yourself or to teens you are close with?
- Educate yourself and others on what teen dating violence looks like.
- Learn to have those uncomfortable conversations about healthy and unhealthy relationships.
- Define your boundaries and how you want to be treated. In a healthy relationship, your partner should respect your boundaries and should respect how you want to be treated.
- If you think a friend or family member is experiencing abuse, do not judge them for staying with their partner, instead provide them with resources and options.
If you suspect your relationship is becoming abusive, trust your instincts. If you don’t want to talk to your parents or a friend you can text “Love” to 22522 or call 1-866-331-9474 to get advice from a counselor at Love Is Respect.
For more information on how to talk to teens about dating violence you can read this handout from Break the Cycle.
Berkeley Anderson has a Master’s degree in public service and degrees in physics and history. She loves slam poetry, hot sauce, and any dog she meets. She is the Teen Dating Violence Project Manager at the Family Abuse Center.
By Vera Minot
(how I feel about running, most days)
When I arrived in Waco in 2013 I had no idea that my cross-country upheaval would catalyze an entire health and wellness journey for me. I began researching nutrition and preparing my meals at home, and to complement this I began working out in a gym (for a while), and I even (gasp! This part was hard) started running again. I was training for my first 5k (a big deal for me!), with bigger dreams to come, when I was hit by a car on my way home for lunch one day. As I began nursing several spinal injuries, I came to find I could no longer walk for extended periods of time without debilitating pain, let alone run. Facing potentially lifelong demobilizing injuries, I ceased my workout routines, further increasing the wellness void I had been looking to fill since arriving in Waco. I needed to find an activity that would honor my injuries, aid in my healing process, and give me the physical outlet I yearned for, I turned to that in which I had only dabbled in the past: yoga.
I started practicing yoga consistently in June of 2016, and I found that when I did my back pain decreased! Despite there being limitations to the poses (or asanas) I could perform due to my injuries, as the weeks went on I noticed I was gaining some strength in my arms, core, back, etc. Yoga seemed to be the perfect solution for what I was seeking! What I didn’t realize yet was that physical benefits are only a small part of what yoga has to offer to any one person. My journey may have begun as one of physical health, but after 7 short months I can see that while the physical benefits are many and varying, the mental health benefits greatly exceed any expectations I didn’t even know I should have.
(child’s pose, or balasana, a common resting/healing pose)
I’ve been an anxious person for as long as I can remember—I’m very self aware, so I mull over past events looking for cues for how I can better myself (“oh gosh, I didn’t ask her enough questions about herself! I need to make sure to do that more, I hope she didn’t think I was egotistical?!”), and when I’m not doing that I’m often considering the various [typically disastrous] ways a near-future event may pan out (“ok, maybe I’ll invite her for a hang out next week and I’ll make sure to ask her what she likes to cook and focus on her, but what if she thinks I’m prying? Maybe a hangout next week is too soon?”). Long story short, living in the present hasn’t always been easy for me, and unfortunately anxiety resides and thrives when I focus on the past and the future. This is where yoga comes in.
Since beginning my practice, not only have the frequency and intensity of my anxious moments decreased drastically (I realize anxiety manifests differently for everyone and as such it’s very much an umbrella term), but I’ve noticed more specific benefits to my mental health as well. Naturally, there’s the obvious increase in endorphins that happens with any exercise. There’s also the incredible sense of pride and accomplishment I feel when I make progress with an asana I wasn’t able to perform before. Perhaps most importantly though, I have increased concentration and focusing abilities (especially when it comes to doing tasks I didn’t really want to do, like vacuuming my house and going to work 🙂 ), I find that I am able to stop, breathe, think, and then act as opposed to charging forward with my conditioned, emotional reactions, and best of all my tolerance for stress and stressful situations has increased significantly!
A personal example of these benefits presented itself recently when I had to have some tough conversations with a good friend of mine. Our friendship had gone awry, and as you can imagine the conversations that can ensue around a situation like this tend to be very emotionally charged. Both of us were upset, and in that moment I would rather have been anywhere other than on her couch, talking about whether this friendship was worth continuing. In the past I probably would have written an impassioned letter, detailing every wrong, every hurt, regardless of its necessity, and then run away so I wouldn’t have to see the fallout. Present “me” was able to sit through the “awkward” silences in the conversation that night, stay true to my needs and boundaries, and respect my friend despite the incendiary nature of some of the accusations being hurled my way. We weren’t able to resolve our issues, but I was able to move forward with a sense of calm acceptance I know would have been foreign to me even 2 years ago. I credit yoga 100% for arming me with the skills to handle that situation.
(this is me doing Bakasana, or Crow’s Pose, one of the first times I was able to successfully do it! Still working on the form of course)
The benefits to my mental health since beginning my consistent practice have been so great that naturally I began to wonder why. I’m by no means a voice of authority on the scientific relationship between yoga and mental health, but here’s what I’ve found—it all seems to come down to the same couple things. BKS Iyengar, the esteemed founder of Iyengar Yoga, said “Penetration of our mind is our goal, but in the beginning to set things in motion, there is no substitute for sweat.” What we practice physiologically develops new habits and reconditions old ones that affect us mentally. When we breathe through a difficult pose, breathing deeper into the muscle or joint that’s struggling, we learn how to endure a stressful situation. When we focus on keeping our inhales and exhales even and slow to regulate our heartbeat, this keeps us in the present moment (being in the present moment is also called mindfulness)—this in turn quiets our mind, which is key in increasing concentration and focus. Mindfulness is grounding, and neurologically this helps train the brain to stay in executive thinking mode (this is where the stop, breathe, think, then act happens) as opposed to the more primal fight/flight/freeze mode. When we are practicing our balance, we are attuning to our body, making the tiny adjustments necessary to stay in a pose. Learning to attune to my body has helped me recognize the physiological precursors to stress and anxiety so that I can deal with them with a calm mind and heart as opposed to letting them overtake me.
(Kim and her daughter in the studio foyer, photo credit Sarah Hill Photography)
There are some yogis and yoginis out there who learn these lessons on their own, in their home practice. I, however, benefit greatly from a teacher’s guidance, so I’m so grateful that Yoga8 exists here in Waco. I’ve experienced all the studios in town, but when it comes down to it the feeling of love and acceptance for who I am and where I am in my journey that I feel at Yoga8 is unparalleled elsewhere, in my opinion. Kim, the owner of the studio, has a beautiful spirit as well as an incredible knowledge of the human body and its capabilities, and all of the other RYT-200 certified teachers at the studio truly take to heart Kim’s mission when she opened Yoga8 two years ago. Their mission is to improve as many lives as possible.
My short time with Yoga 8 has truly revitalized me. My time spent in their myriad classes, from the restorative Healing classes to their sweatier Kick-UR-Asana classes (and any of the classes in between) has taught me how to attune to/regulate my body and be mindful whether my toes are on the mat or not. The lessons I’ve learned and will continue to learn as I progress in my yoga journey have dramatically increased my mental health, and as such improved my life. To Kim, I can say: mission accomplished.
Vera Minot is a reluctant adult from Arizona trying to navigate life in Waco and in this world. She finds joy in cooking, gardening, her cats, social justice, creative endeavors, books, and of course yoga.