(This blog post is part 1 of a two-part series on Grace House. Grace House is a faith-based recovery home for women in addiction. It is currently Waco’s only long-term recovery home for women. Part 2 will be posted next Sunday. – ABT)

By Mary Burt

Three weeks before I walked through the doors of Grace House was the last time I tried to take my life.

I remember waking up the next morning with my head pounding, lying on a dirty mattress splattered with old blood and vomit, and thinking to myself, “God is not letting me die.” Somewhere deep inside I found the faith to utter this desperate prayer, “God if you won’t let me die, you have to show me how to live.” Though I had received short-term treatment in the past, I hadn’t been ready to deal with the fear and pain that filled my heart. After a decade of using alcohol and other substances to numb the pain and quiet my fears, I was on death’s doorstep and really ready for a change. I was ready for a chance to live.

For me, abusing substances wasn’t just a way to have a good time, it was a way to survive. My parents got divorced when I was about three years old, leaving my Dad with three kids under the age of four. A few years later, my siblings and I moved in with my mom and our new step-Dad. With a large family to support, my mom started working nights, leaving my step-Dad as the primary parent most days. My step-Dad became verbally abusive, which soon evolved into physical and sexual abuse that lasted, off and on, for about 10 years.

By the time I was 10 years old, deep depression drove me to search for anything that could ease my pain. I started physically harming myself after getting the idea from a TV show. When the cuts and scars on my body weren’t enough, I started looking to pills and alcohol. I remember the complete relief I felt the first time I got drunk when my whole body, mind and emotions went numb. I thought that was how I was going to make it, and over the next 10 years, my life spiraled into a blur of addiction and escape.

Then I came to Grace House.

In John 10:10 Jesus says “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

It wasn’t until I witnessed genuine love expressed through the staff and volunteers of Grace House that I realized what having “full life” really was. Although it was challenging and scary at first, I was willing to change and as I let go of worldly independence, it felt like parts of me were dying day by day.

The more I said yes to God and to the staff in the house, the more I experienced true love and freedom.

During my time in Grace House, love looked like women believing in me before I was able to believe in myself and relentlessly pursuing me, even on my worst days. There were days I would shut down and sit in silence for long periods of time, lie about my feelings, walk away from authority, and say one thing, then do the opposite. The pain inside just made me want to run; run far from love, from truth, from hope.

But when I finally began to let others in, I discovered that there really was a place of belonging for me. In the midst of my pain, sadness and loneliness, I had been rescued and settled in a safe place with a new family and with a Father that knew my name. Grace House paved the way for freedom and real healing for me by sticking with me, asking genuine questions and accepting me despite my past. In His mercy, He placed me in this home filled with compassion and love. I now know that I am worth so much that Jesus died in order for me to live, that He has a plan and a purpose for me and that I will never be alone.

A Night with Grace House

Grace House is a faith-based recovery home for women in addiction. It is currently Waco’s only long-term recovery home for women. With a family style approach, the home is able to provide care for up to six women free of charge. The desire of Grace House is to see women holistically healed from chronic addiction and restored through relationship with Jesus Christ.

On August 13th, 2015, Grace House is hosting A Night With Grace House to raise funds in order to re-open the home for more women. If you were stirred by this story, please consider giving and attending the event. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit www.gracehousewaco.com.

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Mary Burt. Mary is a former Grace House resident. Since graduating from Grace House, Mary has gone through Antioch Discipleship School and is now on the maintenance, serves as a house manager for one of Antioch’s missionary guest homes and volunteers with Grace House.

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 [email protected] for more information.

by Fiona Bond

When Baylor first approached my husband about considering an academic position, my response was less than enthusiastic (“it’s where?!”). Our family and professional life pivoted around the artistic and cultural vibrancy of European cities, so Waco was not an obvious fit! I admit it. Waco was not (at that time) on our list of top ten “places we’d like to live.”

So what puts a city on your top ten list? That’s an important question to ask when people can increasingly choose where to live, work, play, and raise a family. Cities that people aspire to call home become the places that attract and retain talent, grow businesses, and become successful and prosperous. There are multiple metrics that evaluate quality of life in terms of education, transportation, sustainability, cost of living, levels of poverty, and access to amenities. However, what truly gives a city its unique personality, vibrancy, and energy is harder to measure. But we recognize it when it’s done well.

We call it “culture”- that cumulative effect of people, place, history, and creativity that connects, delights and inspires us. It’s what humans have been doing since they painted the walls of their caves, or honored their dead with symbols of faith and beauty. It’s the reason that the “after” home is more valuable once Chip and Joanna have performed their creative Fixer-Upper magic. It’s the reason you love to spend time in…(insert your favorite city destination here!). It’s the reason people who can choose where they live choose places that are culturally interesting, authentic, vibrant and distinctive.

“Successful entrepreneurs recognize the importance of creativity. The companies and people we need to attract to Waco are looking for a lively artistic and cultural scene.” Terry Stevens, Former Board Chair of Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce

I was raised in a time and place where art, creativity, and “cultural investment” were thought to be luxuries to be added when resources are available. Interestingly, analysis of the evidence suggests the exact opposite: Investment in a city’s creative sector is often the tipping point – the catalyst – for economic growth, and a cascade of positive impact. Cities that take a strategic approach to growing their cultural life have consistently seen knock-on benefits such as growth in tourism, success in growing, attracting and retaining talent and jobs, success in community resilience and revitalization, better educational outcomes in schools, reduced unemployment, greater sense of community pride and social cohesion, and even a reduction in crime. [1]

When my husband and I set aside our prejudices and visited Waco, we discovered a city much richer in history and culture than we anticipated – a city that owes its existence to the strategic crossing of a major river (like London, Paris or Rome!), creating a dynamic collision of peoples and styles and a culture of hospitality. We discovered music, theatre, museums, festivals, and art of all kinds – often of a quality and standard that would be impressive in a larger city (and without a big city price tag!). We also found a city on the brink of exciting development, with visionary leadership prepared to make bold investments. Long story short…we were persuaded. We moved. We love it! Waco has so much that makes us proud to call it home. However, if we are unflinchingly honest, these things don’t yet define Waco as much as they could or should.

Kids in Rwanda participate in an art exchange with kids in Waco.

As Waco undergoes all kinds of visible blossoming, we have a unique opportunity to leverage that in order to tell the world about the cultural renaissance that is unfolding. Creative Waco is a new organization tasked with bringing together people and organizations in this city to get Cultural District recognition for Waco. This statewide designation would give us new resources to grow and promote the artistic and cultural life of our city ($5m new funding for Cultural Districts was just announced from the State Legislature). It also gives us the opportunity as a community to celebrate what we do well and to make plans for a vibrant cultural future.

If you are reading this, then YOU are vital to this process. A successful bid depends on community participation. The good news is that your involvement will be fun, will quite possibly connect you with new information, people, and events, and will be good for our city. What’s not to like?!

1. Have your say! What do you love about Waco? What do you love about other cities? How do you describe Waco to out-of-towners? Click here to participate in a simple 3-question survey that will help us tell our city’s story at state level. While you are there, don’t forget to sign up to receive information and updates from Creative Waco (and tell us if you are willing to get involved).

2. Act Locally! Check out the amazing art, performances and attractions here in Waco. Actlocallywaco has plenty of information about events. You can also look here to learn about all the online ways you can access Waco’s cultural activities. If you want to learn to paint, sample some wine (or whisky), see a musical, hear YoYo Ma perform, commission a sculpture, buy art from a hot new artist, hear anything from Jazz to opera, attend a festival or visit an archaeological site or museum of national importance, check out Waco first. All of that – and much more – is already here.

3. Tell the World! If you love something about Waco’s cultural life, write online reviews, tell your friends, be the change, define your city! We get to be the generation that shapes Waco’s cultural personality…people in London, Paris or Rome can’t do that!
   

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This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Fiona Bond. Fiona is Executive Director of Creative Waco. She has a background running arts festivals, organizations and cultural projects in her native England and Scotland and is author of “The Arts in Your Church.”  In her spare time, she can be found doing an MBA at Baylor, hanging out with husband, Bruce Longenecker, (who teaches religion at Baylor) and their two sons, or playing the bagpipes.

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 [email protected] for more information.

[1] There are lots of great examples of communities throughout the USA and beyond that have transformed themselves through strategic cultural investment (think Portland, Fort Worth, or Wynwood). If you’d like to take a deeper look at research and evidence, check out: “Rise of the Creative Class Revisited”, Richard Florida (2014); “Measuring the outcomes of creative placemaking”, Mark J. Stern, Kenneth L.M. Pray, University of Pennsylvania, May 2014; “Arts & The Economy”, Chris Hayter and Stephanie Casey Pierce, National Governors Association (2009). There’s also great research from Waco’s own Ray Perryman and, more recently, the Texas Cultural Trust, that explores the impact of the arts on economic and other metrics such as educational attainment.

By Dr. Fred Hills 

The Heart of Texas (HOT) P-20 was created over 6 years ago to promote streamlined, transparent degree pathways for students in Central Texas to help them move quickly and successfully through their education and onto college and/or a career. We are part of the larger P-16 movement, a state-wide initiative in support of the “Closing the Gaps“ initiative dedicated to increasing the number of Texans to be college and career ready. The HOT P-20 includes representatives from the independent school districts (ISD), institutions of higher education (IHE), Region 12 Education Service Center, and industry and government across six counties: Bosque, Hill, Falls, Limestone, Freestone and McLennan.   Among the higher education representatives are McLennan Community College, Texas State Technical College, and Hill County with representation from both Tarleton State University, Texas Tech through MCC’s University Center.

The HOT P-20 mission is to maximize the utilization of educational resources, programs and services for all students while instilling in them a culture of life-long learning. To accomplish this, the HOT P-20 has three main goals:

• coordinate activities among ISD, IHE, government and industry to improve coordination of activities and set common goals in promoting college and career preparation,
• provide educational and support resources to member institutions, and
• advocate for promising and best educational practices and models.

Some of our ongoing projects include:

• Offering Academic Vertical Alignment Training and Renewal (AVATAR) program that brings together faculty from the high schools and post-secondary institutions who teach Math and English to discuss differences in instructional techniques and ways to better prepare students for college-level work while in high school. This year we also included high school and college counselors to address ways to better advise students in preparation for their transfer to college and/or a career.
• Partnering to support local educational initiatives and programs such on Region 12 ESC’s Connect 3, Teacher’s Gone Tech, Girls in STEM, career fairs, etc.
• Building collaborative agreements among secondary, post-secondary and industry to offer degree pathways and college preparation courses for students while still in high school.
• Providing an annual forum on “State of Education in Central Texas” in the fall for partner institutions to share ongoing educational initiatives and career preparation opportunities.
• Working with Prosper Waco and the Waco Chamber to inform them on ongoing educational initiatives and promote education to career programs.
• Surveying the community for ways to better serve all partners in this effort.

HOT Regional P-20 operates as a voluntary organization with operating expenses paid by Region 12 ESC and TSTC.

For more information on the HOT P-20 and its programs, email Fred Hills at [email protected] or Chris Holecek at Region 12 ESC at [email protected] .

Dr. Fred Hills is the current president of the HOT P-20 and Dean of Arts, Science and Business at McLennan Community College. He has worked and lived in the Waco community for over 20 years and has served on the HOT P20 for the last four years.

by Daryl Meyer

My days are filled with the welcoming of newborns, listening to children laughing and talking– and the occasional cry– as my office sits inside the Pediatric Unit of Baylor/Scott and White Hillcrest Medical Center. Children are a gift – they represent new beginnings, hope, a fresh and innocent outlook –but not for everyone. Part of my day includes rounding on the unit to visit with the new mothers and I witness a myriad of other emotions – worry, fear, and anxiety, generally feeling overwhelmed –as they want to be the best parent they can be, and provide more opportunities for their child then what they may have had. Some feel ill-equipped for this task –partially because close to 40% of these new mothers are under the age of 21.

“Children having children” was just media garble until I took on this role as Coordinator for Nurse-Family Partnership. On my first day of work, a young girl- age 16 – came to labor and delivery to give birth to her second child. Yesterday, I visited with a very pretty, very smart and very scared 8^th grader who will deliver her first baby in August. Last month at Hillcrest we celebrated the delivery of nearly 250 live births. 62% of those births were to women living below the poverty level and 9% of those babies needed time in the Neo-Intensive Care Unit. As a facility that cares for women and children, our goal is to improve the overall health of mothers and infants, and now through a relationship with the Waco Foundation we have begun the implementation of a program proven to do just that.

Nurse-Family Partnership is an evidence-based community healthcare program that empowers low-income, first-time mothers to become confident parents and strong women by partnering with nurse home visits. Nurse home visits begin early in the mother’s pregnancy and continue visitation until the child’s second birthday. Nurses provide support, resource connections, education and counseling on health, behavioral and self-sufficiency issues. NFP is one the most rigorously tested programs of its kind—randomized, controlled trials conducted over the past 30 years demonstrate positive multi-generational outcomes for families and their communities. These include improved prenatal health, fewer subsequent pregnancies, increased maternal employment, improved child school readiness, reduced criminal involvement, and less child abuse, neglect and injuries.

The Nurse-Family Partnership program makes a difference today and for generations. A report from Harvard University and the Center for Developing Child studied the extent to which very early childhood experiences influence later learning, behavior and health. It supports positive results when skilled home visitors interact with vulnerable families expecting their first child, and continuing during that first 30 months of a child’s life. Basic brain functions related to vision, hearing and language development can be hugely impacted during this window of opportunity – and will impact the future of both mother and child.

Our NFP program at Baylor/Scott&White Hillcrest Medical Center is scheduled to begin accepting clients in October, and will utilize a nurse supervisor and 6 Bachelor Prepared RN’s to visit clients within McLennan County. Partnering with other local social agencies targeting women’s health- like those who are part of the Healthy Babies Coalition – and collaborating on important resource referral tools with the Texas 211 program and Baylor Social Work interns –we can ensure teen mothers get the right care, at the right time, through the proper agencies –to produce a healthier outcome and future.

How does all of this affect you? Independent analyses have shown that communities benefit socially and financially when they invest in NFP; the RAND Corporation calls Nurse-Family Partnership “a wise choice” that has favorable economic return to communities of up to $5.70 for every public dollar invested in the program. At this time we will have grants and state funding to finance our model but our five year strategic plan includes sustainability campaigns to support growth and capacity building.

Please visit the website www.Nursefamilypartnership.org

or feel free to contact me [email protected] or 254-202-1130  

Daryl Meyer came to Waco 16 years ago when her husband accepted a position at Baylor. She is a mother of two daughters and grandmother to 3 dogs! She has worked as a patient advocate for the past 15 years and has her certification as a Recreation Therapist, Senior Advisor, a Licensed Nursing Facility Administrator, and an Early Childhood Educator. In her free time she enjoys cooking, volunteering, and watching Baylor sports.

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 [email protected] for more information.

By Sarah McPherson

On June 30th, just a couple of weeks ago, I launched my new personal and professional project, a website called Not My Taboo (read about it at the end of this post!). Not My Taboo has been in the works since April, and in my introductory post from early June I mention how every two years or so I would get the idea to start up a new online project, but I would only get so far as the name and a vague idea of what the site was going to be. But this past April, when I got the name and vague idea for Not My Taboo, I was moved to actually follow through and make it happen.

I was inspired by a few different things this time around. I am a new mom; my daughter Eleanor was born in February. I’ve completed my master’s degree and I’m out of school, which had a tendency to deplete me of all my creative (and otherwise) energy. I’m 26, nearly 27, so, I don’t know, maybe I see things a little differently than I did at 22 and 24. And yes, I now live in Waco (I moved here in December from Temple, where I’d been commuting from for two years), and I do believe that had something to do with it.

What is it about Waco that inspired me to finally do something I had been putting off for four years?

What is it about Waco?

Waco is home to brilliant minds. I am fortunate to have been taught by some of them, like Dr. Helen Harris and Dr. Gaynor Yancey at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. From them I learned (so many things, including) the importance of community, and the awareness of my own ability and skill to be a world-changer.

Waco is home to exciting organizations. I am lucky to have been a part of some of them, like the Texas Hunger Initiative, working to address and end food insecurity in our state. From them I learned that talented, passionate people, doing innovative, smart things, can create effective, systematic change. (But really- they can, and they do)

Waco is home to conflict and contention. I am honored to work to ease some of these wounds and to emphasize that Waco is more than that. From this I learned that we have a long way to go, and more good will always be welcome.

Waco is home to great success, and deep struggle. I am witness to both sides. From this I learned that motivation, and inspiration, are all around.

Waco is home to the Waco Downtown Farmers Market. I am a frequent patron on Saturday mornings (you can also go on Tuesday afternoons!), and I can always count on seeing smiling and familiar faces, and purchasing delicious, locally-grown and made food. From this I learned that community can serve multiple purposes, and nourishment comes in many forms.

Waco is home to poverty, hunger, gender-based violence, inequality, racial discrimination, homelessness, and abuse. I am surrounded by people whose eyes are open to these issues and hearts are set on fixing them. From them I learned that change takes time (often a very, very long time), and small victories should sometimes be celebrated with the fervor of monumental success.

Waco is home to Dr. Pepper. I am inclined to share this fact whenever my people up North ask about Waco, so it just kind of slipped into this list, too.

Waco is home to the Brazos River and Cameron Park. I am refreshed by the beauty of nature (less refreshed during the unforgiving summer heat) and the simplicity of putting one foot in front of the other. From these walks I learned the importance of spending time doing what you love.

Waco is home to my friends and colleagues, who have welcomed and loved me and my daughter like family. I am made better by their friendship and support. From them I learned that this isn’t just a place for us to live until we can leave.

And now that Waco is my home, it’s really no wonder that inspiration hit.

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Not My Taboo is an online space and host for taboos, stigmas and stereotypes to be normalized and explored through the sharing of stories, fact, and good dose of humanity. It is somewhere between a social media campaign, social justice venture, a creative outlet, and an ambitious attempt to change the world. In addition to posts by the (currently one-woman) Not My Taboo team, each week NMT features posts by contributing authors who in some way reflect on taboos, stigmas or stereotypes in their lives– whether they have experienced stigma themselves, witnessed taboos in their communities, or they are reflecting on stereotypes that have weighed on their minds. Based on the famous and debated Plato quote, “be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,” Not My Taboo seeks to make this premise more accessible and easy to live-out in the real world, where it is sometimes easier to judge and skimp on kindness. Head over to www.notmytaboo.com to find out more and see what others have shared so far (you can also check out Instagram and Twitter @notmytaboo)! If you are interested in contributing to NMT, send me an email at [email protected]; I would love to hear from you!

Sarah McPherson is originally from Toronto, Canada, and arrived in Texas by way of California, Pennsylvania, Finland, and Washington, DC. She received her MSW from Baylor University in 2014. Sarah is wife to Kyle, mom to Eleanor, and feeder/snuggler/vet bill-payer to Darwin, Huxley, and Luna (two cats and one dog). She is the founder and editor of Not My Taboo.

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 [email protected] for more information.