By David Saucedo

The Reinforced Earth Company is a precast concrete company that is part of a national and international conglomerate comprised of construction, technology and concession companies, among others. We are located in China Springs and we employ between 150 to 160 people, many of which are Waco residents.

My personal passion for community change and empowerment has played out in many ways over the last four to five years, but the last two years have been amazing! When I was hired at Reinforced Earth in 2013, I never thought the most enlightening and fulfilling work so far would take place at this company, but it has. I was blessed with opportunities, and I advanced to become the Safety Coordinator in late 2013. This promotion opened doors that I would have never imagined and allowed me to work with some terrific people who have taught me a great deal about what we call “foundational employment” – employment that is foundational to a stable lifestyle.

The Reinforced Earth Company’s Waco plant, managed by James Ashley, is paving a new road in employee development. We focus on a quality made product, produced in a timely manner, as safely as possible. But most importantly we are aiming to promote healthy and stable lifestyles to the men in our community that work here. From a business perspective, it goes without saying that a high turnover rate interferes with those goals and makes it very hard to establish maximum efficiency. In 2014 our company on average employed 58 workers per month through local staffing agencies. This not only increased the cost of producing our product, but it also led to a workforce with less experience and more potential for mistakes or injuries.

We began our work in foundational employment by using encouraging messages in our safety toolbox meetings. For example, we would use words like, “This is a family out here,” or “We want you to use Reinforced Earth as a foundation for your family.” We encouraged car pools to help employees who didn’t have transportation, showing that we are here to help. We introduced simple budget spreadsheets and encouraged employees to ask how they could escape the check-to-check lifestyle. Our most recent, and I think our most fruitful step has been referring and encouraging our employees to a local psychiatrist that is covered by our insurance. In some cases we even covered the copay for employees who are more serious about improving their standard of living.

I’m very proud to report that this month we will be reporting that fewer than 20 employees are working at Reinforced Earth through local staffing agencies. We have increased production and decreased our production hours by improving our production procedures and focusing on better training and efficiencies. By no means would our efforts be considered a comprehensive study, but we are seeing results and we associate these results with the investments we are making in our employees.

From these experiences, I’m very confident that a company dedicated to promoting strong foundations in the lives of their employees will see improvements in the quality of their workforce, a decrease in their turn over, a reduction in overhead, and — the icing on the cake — an increase in their profits. What would our community look like if more companies were encouraged to promote strong and healthy foundations in the lives of their employees? That’s a question I have been asking myself more and more.

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by David Saucedo. David is a local minister with Life Church Waco and has committed the last 8 years of his life to impacting his community in a positive way. David has a loving wife, Michelle and three beautiful children, Lianna (7), Isaiah (4) and Isaac (10 Months).

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 Alfred Solano

What do new bike lanes, the Hippodrome reopening, Franklin Place, Dichotomy, Lula Jane’s, Muddle, Tinsley Place, Barnett’s Pub, and McLane Stadium all have in common? They’re all recent developments that have collectively changed the landscape of Downtown Waco during the past few years.

In 2010, we, as a community, began to dream and imagine what we want our city to look and feel like. The Imagine Waco plan was developed and adopted. Five years later, we look around and see a new, livelier downtown—one which we proudly call home. However, there is still much to accomplish. As we plan for the next five years of growth and development, we need to update the Imagine Waco plan and include everyone’s voice.

When the Imagine Waco plan was adopted in 2010, goals included activating the riverfront, building connections for people to get around, and creating an organization that implements development in Downtown Waco. More than two-thirds of Imagine Waco’s proposed action items are in the realization process. Over the past five years, public space investments have included improvements to sidewalks and crosswalks, added bike lanes, and new trees that have been added along streets to upgrade the walkways. Future shared spaces will include the transformation of the Heritage Square parking lot and the riverfront. Some of the private sector developments (leveraged by public investments) include Franklin Place, Tinsley Place, the Hippodrome, and Lula Jane’s. A small area planned for the “Near Northside” area around 15th and Colcord resulted in increased public and private investments, including streetscape improvements that beautified the intersection.

Organizational developments included the creation of the Downtown Development Corporation, 1,000 Friends of Waco, and efforts by the Sanger Heights and North East Riverside Neighborhood associations to improve their areas and business districts, according to the Imagine Waco plan.

Behind the scenes, the City of Waco has embedded principles from Imagine Waco into planning and engineering decisions. This paradigm shift has changed the design and the feel of projects and Downtown Waco altogether.

As we look at the first years of Downtown Waco’s renaissance and the series of projects that have been accomplished by private investors and the City during the last five years, we look ahead with excitement and anticipation about what is next for our city.

Five years ago, the Waco community dreamed together…and now it’s time to dream again!

What makes The Imagine Waco plan achievable and exciting is that it is designed by the people who live and work in the Waco area for the benefit of the entire Waco community. We want your dreams and aspirations to be a part of the Imagine Waco update. Next week, there will be severral opportunities for your voice to be heard. Everyone is invited and encouraged to give their input about the future of Downtown Waco.

• Monday, April 13th, The Jubilee Theater @ 6PM
  (1315 North 15th Street, Waco, TX 76707)
• Tuesday, April 14th, The Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce @ 6PM
  (915 LaSalle Avenue, Waco, TX 76701)
• Wednesday, April 15th, The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce—1,000 Friends of Waco Meeting @ 10AM
  (101 South 3rd Street, Waco, TX 76701)
• Thursday, April 16th @ The Eastern Waco Development Corporation, 6PM
  (715 Elm Street, Waco, TX 76704)

Is there something that was missed or left out of the initial plan? Are there some good things in Waco that could be made great? What do you want Downtown Waco to be known for? Come share your thoughts and let us know.

Waco’s beautifully diverse culture deserves your continued support. Let’s continue to work together to build up Waco in a way that benefits everyone!

Alfred Solano was raised in Waco and is the Sales Manager for Texas Document Solutions. He and his wife Rachel are passionate about our city’s current trends and future possibilities. Alfred is the Vice President of the Business Resource Center, Waco’s downtown development corporation. He has served on the Board of Directors since its formation in 2011, representing the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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 Janae Griffiths

We are all busy people. We go about our days checking tasks off our lists, sometimes putting little thought into what we are actually doing. Often, this is harmless—we get everything done and no one gets hurt in the process. But, for those of us who have the opportunity to walk alongside someone in difficult circumstances or to offer assistance in a unique way, rushing through can do more harm than good.

I had not given this much thought until a few weeks ago, when I met with a wonderful woman named Stella. Stella lives here in Waco, and due to some life circumstances has found herself to be the recipient of multiple social services in our community. She shared with me part of her story—a part that made me uncomfortable. Stella spoke of feeling forced to become her own advocate, of not knowing what resources were available to her or how to tap into them. She felt like she couldn’t find anyone who would take the time to explain the available resources to her.

She told me about how she has sometimes felt like she was just another item to be checked off of someone’s to-do list. She felt like she was falling through the cracks, but had no way to stop it.

“The professionals need to be proactive in spreading information,” she explained. “They need to have the passion to go above and beyond, not just rush through.”

I didn’t know how to respond to her at first. I wasn’t with Stella as she made her way from place to place seeking help. I don’t know how the people working with her actually responded, the words they actually said, the looks on their faces, or the tone of their voices. I don’t know the pressures they were under, or how long their days had been, or even how Stella treated them.   I certainly don’t know their intentions. I don’t know if they felt empathy, or annoyance, or kindness, or frustration. I don’t know if they tried their absolute best to help, or if they did indeed feel like Stella was just “another item to be checked off.”

I only know how Stella felt.

“In some places I felt valued, but in many places, I did not,” Stella explained. From her point of view, the people who worked with her seemed to expect that she would automatically know what was available to her, when she felt like no one had ever clarified what services she qualified for and which she did not. She felt uncomfortable and short on information.

As a graduate student at Baylor School of Social Work, I have spent the past two years interning for various Waco nonprofits and working to address needs in our community. One of the key values of the social work profession—which we are taught right at the start of Baylor’s program—is the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. I absolutely believe that every human has dignity and worth, and I am fairly certain that the Waco nonprofit and social service community as a whole believes the same. But, while I may believe those things in my mind, Stella’s story made me start to think about how much more challenging it is to honor those values in my day to day actions.

Of course social service professionals shouldn’t just rush through their work. We all know that. But, in the day in and day out busyness of the work day, it is easy to do.

Fortunately, Stella is a strong woman with a strong personality. She quickly educated herself on the resources available and became an advocate for herself and others that she knew. But, as she pointed out to me, not everyone can easily become their own self-advocate, especially individuals whose primary language isn’t English.

I deeply appreciate Stella sharing her experience with me. I have been reflecting on her words in the weeks since, and they have reminded me about why I entered the field of social work in the first place. I want to be someone who meets people where they are, recognizes them for who they are, and cheers for them as they take steps to become more. My hope is that I, as a member of the social service community in Waco, can approach my work with a renewed sense of the dignity and worth of each individual I have the opportunity to serve. My hope is that I never rush through my work, but take the time to treat each client with kindness and offer as much assistance as I am able.

I hope that I always remember Stella and how she feels. I hope I always remember how uncomfortable it feels not to have the information you need, how bad it feels to be treated like “another item on the list,” how scary it feels to be “falling through the cracks.” I hope that my actions with each person who comes my way will reflect the values I so fervently believe.

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Janae Griffiths. Janae is originally from Chicago, but has been happy to call Waco her home for almost six years! She is finishing her Master of Social Work degree from Baylor University, and currently interns at the Texas Hunger Initiative. She is passionate about issues of poverty and justice, especially 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 ashleyt@actlocallywaco.org for more information.

By Carrie Kuehl

A ribboned birthday gift and the contents of your front seat fly onto the floor as you slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of you that just slammed on its own brakes. A squatty, blond dog with long ears squeals with the heavy bump of the car’s tire. He dashes to the safety of a front yard, still crying and licking at his paw. He has a bruised shoulder and skinned back foot. You are late for the party, but it’s no big deal.

Sleep has become a rare luxury since the pregnancy. Your toddler is teething and inconsolable. As the two of you finally doze off, two toms and a female begin vocalizing with mating wails which are heard outside the kitchen window, throughout the subdivision, and in the ears of your baby. Sigh…another chance to sleep will come tomorrow night; it’s no big deal.

The ambitious, dream-filled couple from Ohio are trying to decide: will they relocate to Waco or to Greenville, S.C.? They have good job possibilities in both. After a smooth flight they drive along Lake Shore Drive in their rental car. A new future is dancing through their minds when they see a dark shape in the road. It’s the contorted body of a beagle mix, similar to his boyhood best friend who was put to sleep in his arms only a few years before. Three blocks later they meet their realtor at charming little house in a neighborhood with big trees and just the kind of character they were hoping to find. The little house is so cute they almost don’t notice the thick, fluffy dog nosing through garbage and strewing it all over the yard next door and into the street. They do wrinkle their noses a little when the animal waste stench from a porch and yard across the street wafts into their nostrils. The real estate agent dismisses this as common. The couple decides to pursue the opportunity in Greenville. “Drat! I really thought we had them!” the realtor thinks as she hangs up the phone after hearing the news. “Oh well, you can’t win’em all. It’s no big deal.”

If you are still reading, you are likely an animal lover, or even if you aren’t, you have a deep concern and a strong sense of ownership for the future of Wacotown.

In 1988 a group of similarly concerned and dedicated Wacoans got frustrated with the neglect and suffering of animals and the negative effect this neglect was having on our city. When they found they could not get ahead of the problem by spending their free time cleaning poop at the animal shelter, this visionary group took the initiative to begin a spay/neuter program. The goal of this program was to prevent the suffering and dying of unwanted animals by preventing the births of unwanted litters.

That was a quiet year for spay/neuter. The clinic was only open one day a week back then, and they performed about 15 surgeries for cats or dogs a day. Today at the Animal Birth Control Clinic it is common for our licensed veterinarians and supportive staff of veterinary technicians to perform over 50 high-quality, affordable spay and neuter surgeries a day, five days a week. Back then huge numbers of cats and dogs poured into our rescue centers and into the shelter by the dozens daily, now the daily intake rarely goes over 25. And to top it off, our community just celebrated its third month of No Kill (90% or more of the animals exit alive)!

This decreased intake has been made possible because of a perfect mix of donor and taxpayer-funded spays and neuters, and because of transparent communication among goal-focused partners. We all benefit from the safer living and higher quality of life that is the result of this reduced burden on our community.

The next step is upon us. The shelter is being reconstructed to properly care for the remaining cats and dogs who find themselves in need of temporary care. The community campaign, heartily led by Mayor Malcolm Duncan, is wrapping up within weeks. I welcome you to contribute to this project and to support spay/neuter.

The reasons to support spay/neuter and to continue to lift this burden on our community are tangible and intangible, direct and indirect. Here are a few:

• To enjoy your afternoon birthday party rather than having it derailed by a car accident because the car in front of you hit a stray,
• To have a peaceful night of sleep and sanity for yourself and your toddler because the feral cat mating “opera” has been taken off of the marquee,
• To woo young professionals to our Waco neighborhoods instead of giving them a reason to start their bright futures elsewhere.

Quality of life and safety for humans intersects with the lives of the cats and dogs in our city more often than we sometimes realize.  This work must continue.  It IS a big deal, and it affects us all!

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Carrie Kuehl. Carrie is an enthusiastic Wacoan who began her time at the Animal Birth Control Clinic as a volunteer in 1994. Her BA in Sociology from Baylor, ten years in the financial planning/securities industry, and her passion for the efficiency of spay/neuter prepared her to become the Executive Director of ABC in 2006. In the last few years, Carrie has enjoyed growing the clinic and mentoring additional Texas communities to boost their spay/neuter impact. In her personal time, she enjoys kayaking, houseboating, and being an aunt.

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 Nick Haynes

When I think about it, I never had strong aspirations of living the American Dream. The ideals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness were simply words that I, like many other people born in the United States, always took for granted. It was not until those “rights” were stripped away that I even noticed that I ever had them, and that I was privileged – privileged not because of anything I have done, but because of where I was born and the color of my skin.

There are those among us who do not take the American Dream for granted. Those who were not born into privilege, or those who were born, let’s say, in Mexico. There are people who are born and live their lives in countries and situations in which they constantly face great difficulty and lack of any opportunity. Some of these people sacrifice everything to travel to the United States which, in theory, is a land of opportunity. I say sacrifice because no matter how difficult one’s circumstances, it is always a sacrifice to leave your home, your family, your culture, your language to go to a place where no one knows you, no one likes you, and no one speaks your language – simply so you can put food on the table. It is truly desperation that drives people to emigrate from their homeland to seek out new possibilities.

This is my wife’s story, and now my story as well. My wife was born in Mexico. Like any other little girl she grew up going to school, playing (and fighting) with her sisters, and putting dresses on dolls. She wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. She had a blackboard which she used to teach her make-believe students. Then one day, shortly after the implementation of NAFTA, her dad lost his job. For several months, the family coped with his unemployment with the little money he earned from selling lotions on the street. But this was no way to support a family of five. Eventually, my wife’s father made the courageous, but difficult decision to move to the United States for work. They had applied for a visa several months earlier, but the wait was more than 20 years – so he came anyway, without a visa. After a year of separation, my wife’s parents made the most difficult decision of their lives. Her mom packed up the family (I say packed because it is a common expression – they actually came with nothing), said goodbye to friends and loved ones, and made the long, dangerous journey to the United States. They hired a man to take my wife, her mother and two sisters across the river, and deliver them to their new home in Waco, Texas. This man could have abused them, robbed them, or abandoned them, which happens to so many families – my wife was fortunate. And so began their glorious life of living in the shadows in the land of opportunity.

Living in the United States was not easy. My wife was ridiculed because she couldn’t speak English. She was told that she always had to lie, always had to hide her true situation. Needless to say, the life of an undocumented teenager trying to stay under the radar is a lonely and isolated life. But the family was together, and they had food to eat. My wife grew up in the Waco school system. She eventually learned to speak English, perfectly. In order to survive she had to work. In order to work, she had to claim that she had work authorization. She eventually went to college, earned an associate’s degree, and began attending church. This is where I come in.

My wife and I met in the spring of 2006 through a small group in our church. We fell in love, and were married in May 2007. Like many other naïve Americans, I was under the impression that if an immigrant, like my wife, married a U.S. citizen, like myself, then she could automatically become a U.S. citizen too. How wrong I was. The problem is that our immigration system is antiquated, broken, and incredibly complex. To make a long story short, my wife was eventually able to become a Legal Permanent Resident. Although, it was an arduous journey which forced us to endure 3 months of separation while she was sent back to Mexico as part of this process. Because of my wife’s status, she can now work legally, have a driver’s license and a mortgage; our lives are fairly normal.

The problem came when we applied for my wife to become a U.S. citizen. We have now been told that because of a box my wife checked on a form when she was working without authorization she cannot become a U.S. citizen, and will eventually be deported. There is no option; she will never qualify for any type of immigration benefit in the United States without a change in the law. Let me be clear about the brokenness of our immigration system: if my wife had robbed a bank, there might be a path for her. If she had murdered someone, there is a way for her to still become a U.S. citizen. But because she did what she had to do, and went to work to put food on the table for her family, in the only land she calls home, where she was raised from childhood, she will never be able to become a U.S. citizen. Our family now faces eventual exile. When we have children, they will be U.S. citizens, but their mother still will face deportation. Despite being a U.S. citizen, I am not free. I cannot live the American Dream. It is difficult to describe, but try to imagine if you can. Though we try our best to live normal lives, the fear and threat of separation and deportation constantly hangs over our heads.

Just for the record, I am unconditionally committed to my wife, and I have absolutely no regrets about loving and spending my life with this woman. That being said, when she is deported I will be deported as well. That means no more holidays with family. We may lose our house, our jobs, and everything we hold dear, except each other. Unfortunately, our story is not unique. Today in the United States thousands, if not millions, of U.S. citizens and their immigrant families are dealing with our broken immigration laws. Wives are being taken from their husbands and parents from their children due to deportation. Our immigration system is broken and it needs to change.

My challenge to you: When you think about immigrants, think about my wife and our story. Think about how this problem is affecting our community. We are your neighbors, your coworkers; we worship beside you in church. Waco, Texas is our home. Also, think about why it is that you may be deserving of the privilege of U.S. citizenship and others may not. What did you do to earn your citizenship? My wife has done everything to earn hers – I have done nothing. Finally, contact your representatives in congress: U.S. Representative Bill Flores – (254) 732-0748; Senator Ted Cruz – (512) 916-5834; Senator John Cornyn – 512-469-6034. Tell them to fix our broken immigration system, to stop separating families, and to allow people like my wife to become U.S. citizens so they can stay in the only land they call home.

To keep up to date with immigration advocacy work in Waco, join our page on Facebook: Waco Immigration Alliance.

This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Nick Haynes. Nick moved to Waco, Texas to attend Baylor University in the year 2000 where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies, and eventually earned a Master’s degree in Social Work. Nick has worked as a Social Worker in Waco for the past 5 years. Nick recently ran for U.S. Representative here in Waco to fight for immigration reform and for others in need of change. He now works at Baylor University. Eloisa immigrated to the United States from Mexico and has lived in Waco for 20 years. Eloisa eventually went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Business, and is now working on a Master’s degree at Baylor University. Eloisa also works full-time at Baylor. Nick and his wife, Eloisa, have been married for 8 years. They do not yet have children, but they have a 5 pound Yorkie named Poptart. Nick and Eloisa both attend Antioch Community Church.

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.