By Katie Grovatt

Waco: I came here as a Baylor student not knowing what to expect from the city where my school is located.   My quest: to go out and discover what my new home city has to offer. What I found: the Waco Downtown Farmer’s Market, a place where I can be part of the heart of a community.

Located next to the river, close to the downtown intersection of Webster and University Parks, the farmer’s market is where local venders, people, dogs, children and live music unite to create an atmosphere of joy, especially on a beautiful Saturday morning. My first trip was on Valentine’s Day. I was excited to strap up my loving canine companion, Rosie, and see what the market had in store for us! As we rolled into a parking spot at half past 9 (the market opens at 9 a.m.), the sounds of music, laughs, and food sizzling on grills met my ears.

Families were touring the shady path lined with booths. Children were shoving freshly made sweets into their mouths, laughing, and hula hooping on the bright lawns. As I started my own tour through the many different vendor tents, Rosie pulling my arm off in the process, my eyes landed on a man selling freshly grown pecans.

His name was John Cogll and he was selling his grandchildren’s pecans. The business, known as “Fresh Native Pecans” is located in McGregor, Texas. They utilize wild pecans growing around Central Texas and season them with tasty spices such as “Apple Pie” or “Mesquite Smoked”. I was offered a sample as I talked to Cogll about where I could purchase some of these tasty pecans. “HEB isn’t too interested in ‘healthy’ or organic foods,” Cogll answered when I asked if I could buy these at our local grocery store. The pecans do however get distributed to grocery stores all around the area, as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico. These delicious nuts can also be purchased at ThePecanShop.com. But I would recommend traveling on Saturday yourself to the farmer’s market and purchasing a bag personally from John Cogll.

After tasting local and freshly harvested pecans, Rosie dragged me to a small booth handing out fresh samples of Indian Food. Scolding my over eager dog and untangling myself from the leash that had wrapped around my body, I smiled at the lady and asked about her history selling Indian Food. Her name was Christina Allen. She’s originally from a town outside of Austin, but currently works for the commercial kitchen known as Lamba’s. Started four years ago by an Indian couple, Garima and Gurpuet Lambo, Lambda’s is located near Austin. They sell their food at many different farmer’s markets in the Central Texas area. I sampled the delicious Spinach Pakora. Completely gluten free, Pakora is a crunchy snack bursting with a creamy flavor from the special dipping sauce known as the Royal Dip — delicious! And, I am not even a huge fan of Indian food.

Allen herself was never an Indian food fanatic either; she just picked up the job to make some extra money. After sampling the food though — authentic, healthy, and so tasty — she loves it. She still wouldn’t want to go to just any Indian restaurant, but Lamba’s food is one of her favorites. Her go-to meal is the Chicken Tikka Masala, a dish made up of freshly roasted chicken seasoned with spicy and creamy sauces. Whether or not you’re an Indian food expert, Lamba’s has options for everyone. Even the pickiest of eaters won’t be disappointed with this yummy cuisine.

Next I followed the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee to a long and winding line of people waiting for fresh cookies, soft and warm muffins, and coconut cream lattes. I made my purchase and received my coffee in a simple white cup with the logo Double B Farms. The family running the tent was very busy with their customers so I sweetened my coffee and headed over to the live music.

Sipping my coffee and listening to a talented girl playing acoustic versions of everything from Taylor Swift to Katy Perry, I surveyed what I had just experienced. I had discovered a welcoming place, full of joy, and full of stories. I smiled as each person walked by, carrying their “souvenirs” from the farmer’s market. Each person’s purchases tells a little different story about who they are and what they like. Each one with an individual character, and each one supporting the local businesses of Waco as a whole.

It made me think. Though each one of us has our own interests, our own busy lives within this town, each of us are here for a reason and are a part of something bigger. We are people, we are joy, and we are Waco. Even though we each play a different part, we support each other. As we gather together on Saturday mornings to shop and eat and listen to music and enjoy each other’s dogs and children, we are the heart of the city, and it is a big, beautiful heart!

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Katie Grovatt. Katie, a New Jersey native, is studying journalism at Baylor University. She has fallen in love with Waco since she has gotten here, and loves to spend her time exploring, meeting the many different people that make this city thrive, and writing about her adventures. Currently she is working at the Wacoan Magazine as an editorial intern, and running track and cross country for the Baylor Track & Field Team. Her dog, Rosie, is her faithful side kick and equally enjoys exploring and meeting the people of Waco. 

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 Sara Beth Stoltzfus

Being a parent can be tough. Returning to the role of parent as a 65 year old can be exhausting.

Now, I do not know this from personal experience. I am a 28 year old childless woman. I know this from what I have seen and heard from the grandmas and grandpas I have worked with through the Methodist Children’s Home (MCH) Family Outreach Grandparents as Parents Program (GAPP).

The Grandparents as Parents Program offers supportive in-home services to grandparents raising their grandchildren. The program includes case management, information and referrals for community resources, workshops, assistance with legal issues, and support groups.

Through this program, I have had the privilege of walking alongside young grandparents, older grandparents, grandparents with money, and grandparents with almost no income at all. Some grandparents come to our program seeking legal support, some because they are not making it financially, and some come because their grandchildren have been through so much physical and emotional trauma that they are constantly battling the problem behaviors that result. Some grandparents are just looking for someone to talk with, vent with, and cry with…someone to let them know that they are not alone.

All are coming to our doors because they love their grandchildren.

More and more grandparents are raising their grandchildren. In the United States, approximately 5.8 million children are living in grandparent homes. Similarly, almost 2 million children are living in the home of other relatives. (AARP, 2015). The AARP writes that grandparent caregivers and the children they are raising are frequently isolated. “They lack information about the range of support services, resources, programs, benefits, laws and policies available to help them successfully fulfill their caregiving role.” (AARP, 2015).

Grandparents serving as parents face a whole range of issues that the typical parent may not face. The U.S. Census found that grandparents living with a grandchild in 2012 were more likely to face poverty than those who did not live with a grandchild (Williams, 2012). A 2013 article in the Washington Post cited that 20% of grandparents raising grandchildren are living in poverty (Bahrampour, 2013). Grandparents are often not financially prepared for children to enter their home. This means they often have to take on a second, or even third job to pay for their grandchildren’s needs. Sometimes grandparents quit jobs that they once had in order to be able to adequately care for a child with special needs. While there is some financial help available for grandparents in specific situations, there is not enough financial assistance as many of these families need to feed growing children and themselves. Grandparents are also not getting any younger and often have health issues of their own to deal with. These financial and physical health challenges are highly prevalent amongst grandparents raising grandchildren. The need for greater support for these courageous grandparents is significant.

One of the greatest joys of working with the GAPP Program is facilitating a support group for these grandparents. I love watching one grandparent light up with deep understanding as another grandparent shares their story. I feel great satisfaction hearing a grandparent say they no longer feel so alone. Grandparents serving as parents are dealing with a lot of emotions. They shed tears regularly over their adult child’s drug addiction, another child’s domestic violence charges, the death of an adult child and the many other reasons their grandchild is staying with them. They wish for more for their adult children, but they work hard to set boundaries in order to keep their grandkids safe. Every story is different, but none is without complications.

Many grandparents feel very blessed to have a second chance to parent again. They know they’ve learned lessons over the years. They are often more patient the second time around. While the journey is not easy, most grandparents I’ve talked to feel very blessed by the entrance of their grandchildren into their lives.

We need to support our grandparents serving as parents. They are spending their golden years running around with toddlers, staying up into the night with a traumatized 8 year old, and learning to use a computer for the first time in order to relate to their teenage grandchild. All of the grandchildren that come to live with their grandparents have experienced some type of trauma. This is often trauma the grandparents are not prepared to address. Grandparents as parents need not only programs, such as GAPP and support groups, but a community of support. Grandparents as parents are indeed unsung heroes to our communities’ children.

One quote I often share with the grandparents I work with is:

“The more healthy relationships a child has, the more likely he will be to recover from trauma and thrive. Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.” –Bruce Perry

This quote also inspires and strengthens me in this work.

If you know a grandparent you would like to refer to our program or would like more information, please call 254-750-1263.

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Sara Beth Stoltzfus. Sara Beth is a case manager at the MCH Family Outreach office through the Methodist Children’s Home. Sara Beth received her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Sara Beth is originally from Pennsylvania but has been living in Texas for almost 6 years, 4 of which have been spent in Waco.

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 Gary Lee Webb, DTM

Do you have trouble getting through a job interview? Are you uncomfortable speaking in front of people you do not know? Would you like to be better at responding to a surprise question? Or better at marshalling your thoughts and presenting your ideas? Perhaps you have a job, but wish to move up to a supervisory position? Or perhaps, you just wish to be a better speaker/presenter at church, work, or other organizations?

If any of these apply to you, Toastmasters International can help. Toastmasters is an international non-profit organization. We are 300,000 people helping people to learn how to communicate better, and we have been doing it for 90 years. Toastmasters offers participants a way to practice communication skills in a supportive environment, a way to meet more experienced speakers and see them in action, and a way to expand one’s horizons across the world. We are a self-paced program, with helpful, individual mentors, usually divided into chapters of roughly 20 people, generally meeting weekly or bi-weekly (see directions below on how to get info on local chapters). There is high level training available for those who want it,

Toastmasters provides a very friendly environment in which beginners can learn, in front of a non-critical audience, that speaking is not hard. Participants go on to learn basic presentation skills, and, as they improve, gain the confidence that they are capable and even excellent speakers. They can either participate in a group (Speechcraft) or learn at their own pace (with a mentor); either way they will get positive criticism, aimed at helping them improve. As they practice, they will periodically see more experienced presenters (at club, contest, or conference), which may help guide their steps to being a better presenter. Eventually, participants discover that it does not matter whether the audience is friendly or not – they know they speak well.

At the same time they are learning public speaking skills, participants are also learning how to handle those surprise questions, learning to marshal their thoughts, and how to respond well. This is a valuable skill particularly in an interview. Interviewers often resort to surprise questions, to see how the applicant responds. A sage response after brief thought could be the key to getting the job.

Toastmasters also develops leadership skills: listening, evaluating, organizing your thoughts, speaking in a way that you are believed, persuasive, or inspirational…in short, getting your message across and convincing people of its wisdom…these skills are a strong foundation for any leader. Participants also learn useful skills like organizing and running a meeting well, or putting together and managing a major project. I know people who used their new skills to get that supervisor position they wanted.

This is our mission statement: “We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.”   I believe we do it very well indeed: I have seen people become great speakers, authors, and leaders. It is a deep and wide program, with many options for learning and participation.

Members who wish to hold the highest honors demonstrate what they have learned by teaching others. As participants grow in the program they have opportunities to teach new speakers in Speechcraft, teach teenagers in Youth Leadership, teach management skills, and to teach leaders or trainers, as well as many other options. Not all of these are required, but I have done several to my benefit. I can proudly say I am a Distinguished ToastMaster (DTM), signifying I have delved deeply into the program, learning both communication and leadership.

What makes Toastmasters especially valuable is not just the practice, but the immediate feedback and the good role models. The manuals not only train the speaker, they guide the evaluator in what to look for, so that he may better tell the speaker how to improve. And after 90 years of improvement, the manuals are very good.

Moreover, the member will see better speakers to emulate. If the ones in his or her chapter are not good enough, there are other chapters to visit. Twice per year, there is a series of contests, in which members can compete against members from other chapters. The contest winners compete across larger regions, and then across the state. The international contest climaxes with the winner from each of the almost 100 districts world-wide competing in semi- and world finals. Last year (2014), I saw D.J. Swinyar win in the District 25 contest and get flown to Malaysia for the 2014 finals. Contests are optional, only about 10% of members compete, but those who are interested can learn, just by watching. There are also many other optional training opportunities.

In short, Toastmasters is a unique opportunity to improve oneself: as a speaker, as a leader, and in many other ways. The skills are valuable, and so are the friendships. We generally do our best to help each other out, and we tend to be willing to meet and network across the globe. I have become acquainted with astronauts, top businessmen, world champions, and great authors; I personally know toastmasters in three continents. The basic cost is $72 per year (prorated for a partial year); individual chapters may add local dues (there are seven chapters in the Waco area). And there is a $20 initial fee for a new member (pays for the initial manuals). That is incredibly cheap compared to other options for this kind of development. Toastmasters is a very cost-effective way to learn.

I hope you will consider coming and visiting one of our chapters – guests are always welcome. If you like what you see, if you think it will help you grow into a more capable person, I hope you will consider joining. For details of when and where we meet, you can e-mail me at [email protected] or check out the international web site, www.toastmasters.org, and put in your zip code after clicking “Find a Club” on the top bar.

Gary Lee Webb is a 17-year resident of Waco.   He recently completed a successful year as a president’s distinguished Division Governor for Toastmasters International, guiding 29 central Texas chapters. His credits include film chairman for the 1982 West Coast Science Fiction Convention, over 360 public speeches, assisting at both high school and adult speech contests, and over 40 publications (14 fiction). He is 59, married 38 years, with 4 daughters.

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.