Travelers in the Waco area will be able to enroll in the Transportation Security Administration’s popular TSA PreCheck program at Waco Regional Airport Dec. 6-10.
The airport is a convenient location to sign up for the program that enables enrolled travelers to “Travel with Ease” with an expedited security screening process. The pop-up office will be in the lobby of the terminal in the baggage claim area.
The application process allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to enroll directly in TSA PreCheck — an expedited screening program that allows travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear, and belt, keep their laptop in its case and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on, in select TSA airport checkpoint screening lanes. More than 200 airports participate in TSA PreCheck program nationwide.
Visit the TSA PreCheck website at tsa.gov/precheck to register and schedule an appointment for the upcoming enrollment event. Applicants must bring proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. Eligible documents include a current U.S. passport, or driver’s license and a copy of their birth certificate. The enrollment process must be completed in person at the enrollment location for the proper paperwork and fingerprints to be collected.
The application fee is $85 and can be paid during the enrollment appointment with either a credit card, money order, company check, or certified/cashier’s check. Cash or personal checks are not accepted.
After completing enrollment, successful applicants will receive via U.S. mail within two weeks a Known Traveler Number that is valid for five years. The enrollee should enter the provided KTN in the “Known Traveler Number” field when booking airline reservations. The KTN also can be added when booking reservations online via a participating airline website, via phone call to the airline reservation center, or with the travel management company. Additionally, the KTN can be entered in participating airline frequent flyer profiles as well.
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 Ferrell Foster.
MCC Foundation Executive Director Kim Patterson has been named “Outstanding Fundraising Professional” by the Central Texas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Patterson has served in a variety of roles at McLennan Community College for 26 years and began her role as executive director of foundation in January 2017. She served as associate director of the Foundation 2006-2013.
Since becoming executive director, the foundation has raised an average of $1.3 million in private donor support each year, in addition to numerous grant awards. Patterson has successfully navigated complex capital and real property gifts, estate gifts, major gifts for scholarships and capital projects, and she has established major endowments to support student success.
MCC Foundation assets under management have increased from $16.2 million in 2016 to more than $32 million as of August this year.
Aside from fundraising success, the foundation has implemented creative donor stewardship efforts, including refining the Scholar, Donor, and Alumni Appreciation event to provide intentional connection between major donors and their scholarship recipients. Even during the pandemic, revenue from the Foundation’s Hearts in the Arts Gala and Golf Classic reached new fundraising records.
In 2018, the MCC Foundation was named a “Charity Champion” in recognition of its efforts to support the Men of Color Success Initiative at MCC. Since then, the foundation earned a Cooper Foundation grant to support the program and partially fund its first paid coordinator, and has created an endowed scholarship for the program’s outstanding participant.
Patterson works with a 27-member board of directors comprising community leaders, and she leads a four-person team in the Foundation and Resource Development areas. She has volunteered for or served in leadership positions in numerous community and professional organizations, including Rotary Club of Waco, Central Texas AFP, Central Texas PRSA, Baylor University Journalism, Public Relations and New Media, Talitha Koum, KWBU Public Radio, McLennan 100 Club and National Charity League.
The Outstanding Fundraising Professional award is presented to an individual fundraising professional who practices his or her profession in an exemplary manner. Nominees must hold a least eight years of professional experience in fundraising, and show evidence of quality of leadership that is effective, creative, stimulating and collaborative. He or she must actively participate in AFP and promote the Code of Ethical Principles, show a commitment to continuing professional development, and exhibit a commitment to philanthropy through voluntary service and financial support of nonprofit organizations.
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 Ferrell Foster.
By Deneece Ferrales
One-quarter of Waco residents did not see a physician for any type of routine services in 2018, the last year for which such data is available. Data from the City Health Dashboard indicates many residents do not have a primary care physician or a “medical home.”
To help more Wacoans access care, Prosper Waco’s Access to Healthcare Working Group has planned an event, “Christmas on Memorial,” 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the Family of Faith Worship Center, 4112 Memorial Dr. The event is a partnership between the church, McLennan County Indigent Health Care, and other organizations involved with the working group. (More details below.)
The lack of access to primary health care is particularly prevalent in certain Waco ZIP codes that include many lower income and Black and Hispanic residents. The problem not only puts residents at risk but also taxes the healthcare delivery system because the lack of regular healthcare often leads to undiagnosed problems that grow bigger. This leads to urgent care, including trips to the emergency room.
The following graph illustrates the percentage of Waco/ McLennan County residents who have seen a primary care physician within a year and the bullets underneath give the percentages for the most affected ZIP codes.
When broken down by ZIP code and census tract, the problem becomes more glaring.
- 76701, Track #1: only 66.6% of adults had a routine checkup in the past year
- 76705, Track #33: only 65.9% of adults had a routine checkup in the past year
- 76706, Track #2: only 66.5% of adults had a routine checkup in the past year
- 76798, Track #3: only 66.3% of adults had a routine checkup in the past year
Participants in “Christmas on Memorial” will have access to the following:
- Groceries for their families;
- Health screening from Ascension;
- Behavioral health screening from Heart of Texas Region MHMR,
- A COVID vaccine;
- Buy and wrap Christmas presents for kids at a reduced cost;
- Be entered into a drawing for prizes, including kids’ bicycles;
- Apply for health insurance and/or health benefits;
- Talk to a number of health agencies and providers about healthcare options and benefits; and
- A visit with Santa or play time in an on-site bounce house, along with an assortment of other kids’ activities.
The event is being held to help our community connect with healthcare resources. This event was planned by the Access to Healthcare Working Group, which is co-chaired by Heather Travers of McLennan County Indigent Healthcare and Deneece Ferrales of Prosper Waco.
For more information about this event or to sign up for a table at the event, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]. Flyers are available for distribution.
If you would like more information about the work of the Access to Healthcare Working Group, you please contact co-chairs Heather Travers or me at the emails above.
Deneece Ferrales, Ph.D., is director of health initiatives with Prosper 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 Ferrell Foster.
By Ferrell Foster
My post the other day about The Silos brought to my attention a 2014 Waco Tribune-Herald story by J.B. Smith about those now famous silos. (Thank you, Ashley Bean Thornton.)
It seems that seven years ago this month there was some real uncertainty about the silos’ paint job, or lack of one. The Waco Downtown Development Corp. had originally given the go ahead for the Chip and Joanna Gaines project but with the understanding that the silos would be painted.
That rebuke of rust went to the Tax Increment Financing Zone board in October 2014. Chip (may I be so familiar) was not giving up on his rust. He told the board the silos “are impeccable and fashionable and interesting as they are,” the Trib reported.
The TIF board punted the aesthetic question back to the DDC, which led to a tour of the site guided by Waco’s First Couple (that being the Gaineses). DDC Chair Willard Still was skeptical going in. An hour later, he was convinced.
“We believe their plan will be a substantial improvement that the community will embrace,” the Trib reported Still saying. “They have a very sensible plan, and we embraced it.
“I have to give credit to Joanna Gaines. She has good taste, and that’s a proven product.”
Truer words have not been said. If Joanna walked into my home and said, “Ferrell, your favorite reading chair has got to go,” I would hesitate big time. She might reply, “I know you love that chair, but what if we got you a new chair that is better for your back, is loved by readers everywhere, and will make your study look like the most wonderful place in the world.” I would buckle quickly; it would be Joanna talking.
There are some people in town who are not big fans of the downtown boom fueled by Magnolia, but I’m not one of them. Not all development is good, but this one, I think, has been good for Waco.
We might wonder what would have happened if a paint job had been required and the Gaineses had pulled out the paint sprayers or hired professionals. We will never know, but I’m sticking with Joanne when it comes to good taste. She is the one-woman show (sorry Chip) that almost single-handedled revived the popularity of shiplap.
I’m thankful for the Gaineses and The Silos this Thanksgiving season. Just imagine this: What if they had done their thing in Austin or Temple or Hillsboro? We would be so jealous, and jealousy is not good for the soul. So may we all have a very Magnolia Thanksgiving — full of good taste all around, and I’m not just talking about style.
Ferrell Foster is senior specialist for care and communication with Prosper 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 Ferrell Foster.
By Allison Smith
Waco Transit System and the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization are conducting “Reimagine Waco Transit” to improve transit connectivity and mobility for everyone in the Waco community. We want to have a conversation with the community about transit, develop a shared understanding of how best to improve transit for Waco, and gather input on the current system to better inform transit improvements!
Everyone in is invited to participate in a community survey, whether or not they now ride Waco buses.
We need all the feedback we can get to ensure Reimagine Waco Transit reflects your community values.
For updates and more information about Reimagine Waco Transit, visit our webpage.
The Reimagine process seeks to improve connectivity, minimize travel time, and produce cost-effective transit solutions. The study will produce transit service scenarios that reflect community input, technical analysis, and build off previous efforts. Our robust engagement process aims to both educate about what makes transit work and gather input about what transit should look like in Waco.
Whether you take the bus, ride a bike, use a mobility device, or drive a car, we need your input to help develop transit recommendations for Waco. Understanding the needs and wants from Waco residents will help develop a shared understanding of the benefits associated with quality transit, and your input will help form the transit recommendations.
Your insights will directly shape the future of transit in Waco.
Allison Smith is a planner with Alliance Transportation Group, which is working on the local project.
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 Ferrell Foster.
Cary DuPuy has resigned as an at-large member of the Waco ISD Board of Trustees after 10 years on the board. DuPuy was first elected in 2011 and was re-elected to a three-year term in 2020.
In a letter to fellow board members, DuPuy wrote, “I’ve been on the board for ten years now, I no longer have children attending WISD schools, and I feel strongly that it’s time for me to step away and let someone else in the community assume this responsibility.” He noted that he made the decision to step down with “mixed emotions” and will miss the sense of camaraderie and common purpose that he has shared with fellow board members.
In his letter, DuPuy praised Dr. Susan Kincannon, Waco ISDS’s superintendent, for leading the district through a successful bond election earlier this month and for recruiting talented educators to help lead the district. He said Kincannon had positioned Waco ISD “quite favorably.”
“Lastly, I’d be remiss not to mention once more my boundless appreciation and respect for all of our classroom teachers throughout the district,” DuPuy wrote. “Your devotion to our students is inspiring.”
The board plans to discuss the vacancy at their Dec. 16 meeting. The board has the option of appointing someone to serve until the next school board election or leaving the position vacant until voters elect someone to fill the remainder of the unexpired term in May 2022.
“It is clear that Cary cares deeply about our students and educators,” Kincannon said. “While I will miss his perspective and his unique sense of humor as a board member, I have no doubt that Cary will continue to make a difference for our students and everyone else in our community.”
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 Ferrell Foster.
By Ferrell Foster
My wife visited The Silos before we moved here. People flock to The Silos and talk about The Silos all the time. This weekend I finally asked my wife for more details. It went something like this:
“So, what’s in The Silos? Is it a store? Are there multiple levels in The Silos where people shop?
She looked at me with an odd expression. “I don’t think there’s anything in the actual silos.”
Am I the only person in Waco or Texas or the world, who didn’t realize that when people are going to The Silos, they are not really going inside the silos?
I feel really stupid. I don’t get out of the house much, but I don’t usually feel as clueless as I did in this conversation. I understand The Silos to be about stuff — as in stuff to see and stuff to buy. I hear about an old church building on the property, about a redone RV with plants, about stuff around the silos. But, do I now have it right that when people talk about going to The Silos, they mean they are going to hang out in the area of the actual silos?
It’s like finding out there really is no tooth fairy or Santa. (This post is not suitable for children.)
So, there’s no tooth fairy, but kids still get money under their pillows (a quarter in my day as a kid). There’s no Santa, but kids still get gifts on Christmas morning. And, there’s nothing in the silos, but The Silos is still a cool place to visit.
I’m OK with all three, but facing reality does take some mental adjustment.
Let’s hear three cheers for tooth fairies who have no wings, Santas who buy presents at a store, and silos that are empty but make a nice, rusty landmark around which to build an enjoyable experience.
Ferrell Foster is senior specialist for care and communication with Prosper 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 Ferrell Foster.
The City of Waco is pleased to announce three organizational updates: the selection of Monica Sedelmeier as director of communications and marketing, promotion of Kent George to director of economic development, and placement of Dan Quandt as interim director of conventions and tourism.
Sedelmeier will join the City in mid-December in the communications and marketing role (formerly municipal information). Most recently, she worked as chief marketing and quality officer for a healthcare system in Iowa. She brings prior experience from Houston ISD and Rice University. Sedelmeier holds a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing, as well as a master’s in business administration.
George was promoted at the beginning of November. He joined the City in 2018 as an economic development manager. He has more than 18 years of experience in local government, as well as prior experience in the private sector. George holds a bachelor’s degree in business. Throughout his tenure with the City, George has worked on some of Waco’s largest economic development projects to date, including the Marriott AC Hotel, the Riverfront Development, Cottonwood Creek Marketplace, and many industrial projects.
The City worked with SGR to locate and contract with an interim conventions and tourism director. Quandt, a 38-year veteran CVB director, joined the City of Waco Nov. 8. Quandt most recently served as senior vice president of the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Council for the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. He is also a past chairman of the board for the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus and has served as a member of the board of directors for the Texas Travel Industry Association.
Waco City Manager Bradley Ford said: “I am excited to announce the selection of these three individuals for key leadership roles within our organization. Monica brings expertise in both communications and marketing along with strengths in strategic planning and change management, which will be crucial as we look to grow our Communications and Marketing team. The work our Municipal Information team produces is excellent, and we will look to Monica to build upon that team as we implement our strategic communications plan. Kent has worked on many exciting and innovative projects in his time here in Waco. I look forward to the work he will continue to accomplish leading the City’s Economic Development team, including the creation of the City’s new economic development strategic plan. I am thankful we were able to bring Dan on to lead the Conventions and Tourism team in this interim period as we evaluate the Director position posting and the industry market. The experience he brings from the travel and tourism sector is invaluable.”
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 Ferrell Foster.
The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District has partnered with area African American churches, the Waco NAACP, and VOICE to host a second “Shots for Souls” COVID-19 Vaccination Drive 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, at the Health District, 225 W. Waco Dr.
Participants can choose from the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Adult vaccines, including boosters, and vaccines for children 5 years of age and older will be available. Lunch for the first 200 participants will be provided by the NAACP. Walk-ins are welcome and registration can be done on-line at covidwaco.com or at 254-750-5460.
“The holidays are fast approaching, and the health district is working with several organizations to get vaccines distributed just in time for the holidays,” said LaShonda Malrey-Horne, director of the health district. “The health district is collaborating with Waco NAACP, local Black churches, and VOICE Waco to offer vaccines to the East Waco community so families can enjoy the holiday season safely this year.”
Vaccination is the most effective way to slow the spread of disease and significantly decrease hospitalizations and fatalities due to COVID-19.
The Act Locally Waco Board of Directors has contracted with Jillian Ohriner to serve as communications director for at least the next six months. This is great news for ALW and for the thousands of Wacoans who depend on ALW to stay up to date on what is happening in our community.
Jillian is a co-founder of We Grow the Co, a local website design and social media management firm specializing in small businesses and nonprofits. She previously served as manager of operations for Start Up Waco and marketing manager for Merck Assets. Jillian has also been highly involved with ALW in volunteer capacities, including as a founding member of our board. She stepped down from the board in order to take this position.
As ALW communications director, Jillian will coordinate all ALW communications efforts, including our website, social media, and newsletter, The WHOLE Enchilada. She will also supervise the work of our other contract worker, Debbie Wright, as well as various volunteers.
ALW Board Chair Cuevas Peacock said: “Jillian is true asset to our city. Through her work with We Grow the Co and other community efforts she has greatly enhanced the multimedia presence of a host of Waco businesses and nonprofits. We are excited for her taking this role with Act Locally Waco, and the growth she will bring to the organization.” Cuevas is an assistant director in Baylor’s External Affairs office.
Act Locally Waco continues to build on the foundation of its founder, Ashley Bean Thornton, who still serves as an advisor to the board. Ashley birthed ALW and built it into a leading source for information about what is happening in our community and how to get involved. Ashley retired as ALW executive director at the end of 2020, and Ferrell Foster served as acting executive director this year through October.
“It has been a pleasure to serve Waco through Act Locally Waco this year,” said Ferrell, care and communication specialist with Prosper Waco. “Ashley provided ALW with one-of-a-kind leadership, and now the board of directors is working to sustain and develop ALW’s role in our community. I will continue as an ALW volunteer and member of the board to do my part in supporting this important work. We are very fortunate to have Jillian in this new role.”
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 Ferrell Foster.