By Inez Russell

This month Friends for Life is celebrating 30 years of serving the elderly and people with disabilities.  We are having an Open House on September 24^th from 5 to 7 and we are saying thank you to other agencies, organizations and individuals who have helped us take care of people in need. 

In September of 1989, Friends for Life began in a tiny one-room office, with one unpaid employee, and a budget of nothing.  Now, by the grace of God, Friends for Life has grown and now resides in a wonderful 28,000 square foot facility at 5000 Lakewood Drive with offices in six other cities, eighty-five paid employees and a budget this year of three million dollars. 

In the beginning, Friends for Life visited elderly people who were alone in hospitals and nursing homes.  Those visiting programs have grown into Quality of Life Programs that include adopt a grandparent, telephone reassurance, Gifts for Grannies & Grandpas, too, and Friends for Thanksgiving.  We look for ways to let people know we care and that they have someone they can call if they need help.  When we were asked to visit people in their own homes, we learned that many needed more than a visit.

We found one lady living in the dark.  She moved from room to room as the light bulbs burned out in her house and when the last one burned out, she was living in the dark.  We started a light bulb changing program.  Another agency asked us to help an elderly man whose porch was so rickety they thought volunteers might fall through if they brought him meals.  We started a minor household repair program.  An elderly woman became wheelchair bound and was stuck in her house for five years because she did not have a ramp.  We started a ramp-building program.  These programs grew into Independent Living Programs where volunteers are recruited and trained to help the elderly and people with disabilities live in their own homes as long as possible.

Each time we discovered a need, we tried to find another agency that provided that service so we could connect them to the person who needed their help.  If we could not find another agency to provide the service, we figured out how to do it ourselves. 

When he was found unconscious, an elderly man needed someone to sign for him to have medical care and Friends for Life was appointed to serve as his legal guardian. 

Thirty years later, we are serving about 500 clients in 50 counties in Texas.  Friends for Life has the third largest guardianship program in the state behind Harris County and the State of Texas.  This program provides protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation, and insures these vulnerable people have food, clothing, medical care….someone to advocate for them and someone to care.  When possible, we work with our guardianship clients to help them build capacity and return to court to request that the judge restore his or her rights.

In 1995, Friends for Life began a Money Management Program when asked to take care of an elderly widow who was about to be evicted because she had not paid her rent in a year.   Most of the clients served through this program have been exploited.  We make sure their bills are paid and that their money goes to their care.

Friends for Life took over the adult day care program in 2000 that was scheduled to close.  Open 7:30am to 6pm, Monday through Friday, the Friends for Life Adult Day Care Center provides nursing care, activities, meals, transportation and more.  Taking 4 field trips a week and celebrating holidays most people do not know exist (National Jelly Bean Day, Macaroni Day, National Cheesecake Day – they are big on food holidays).  The clients are having a lot of fun….so much fun, in fact, that the facility is almost always at full capacity which is 120 people.

Two years ago, Friends for Life started a new program training adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities to learn skills that will help them be more independent.  Working one on one with them everyday for 2 hours made all the difference in the world.  The overarching goal of the program is to help people move out of the nursing home and four of our clients have moved out of their nursing homes and back into the community.  We are working with two more to do the same.  And, all seem to have benefited so much from this individual attention.

I interviewed a Life Skills Training professional once who was not sure she could figure out how to help these clients.  She prayed about it and the answer came to her.  ‘Start with love’.  In everything we do at Friends for Life, we try to start with love.

To learn more about Friends for Life, to volunteer or to make a donation to support this work, please visit our website at www.friendsforlife.org, call 254-772-7600 or come by our office at 5000 Lakewood Drive in Waco and we will give you a tour.

Inez Russell is the founder of Friends for Life and has served as its Executive Director for the last 30 years.  She is certified in guardianship on a state and national level and is President of the Board of Directors of the National Volunteer Caregiving Network.  Inez has lived in the Waco area most of her life.  She is married and has four children and eleven grandchildren. [email protected], 254-772-8100 ext. 106

Applications for Campustown Connect Fall 2019 are open until September 20. Click here to apply!

By Lexy Bishop, Research & Project Manager at the Greater Waco Chamber

The beginning of a new school year can bring all sorts of emotions for students. College juniors and seniors have some especially deep and looming questions: What am I doing after college? Where do I want to put down roots? What jobs do I apply to? We at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce understand those concerns and believe that the Waco community just might be the answer those concerns.

CampusTown Connect was birthed out of the CampusTown initiative, whose mission is to connect Waco area students in higher education to the opportunities available to them in the community. Through the six-week program, CampusTown Connect offers students the ability to explore the ins and outs of the Waco community and be introduced to the ways that they can take root in the city after graduation.

“CampusTown helped me understand the people and places that make up Waco’s identity and its culture,” Baylor senior Isaiah Scott said. “Understanding how the Waco community operates interconnectedly can give you a great appreciation for the city, especially as a college student.”

From the history of Waco to its budding entrepreneurial scene to learning the city government structure, students will dive into the community of Waco beyond their campus. The goal at the end is for students feel connected to their peers in other area colleges, connected to the community, and connected to the right people and job opportunities as they begin their career. “CampusTown Connect gave me access to really good connections in Waco,” second-year TSTC student Ashley Fullerton recounts. “It showed me different areas to give back to the community and confidence to get more involved on my own campus.”

Students who are interested in staying in Waco or even just exploring the option are encouraged to apply! The class is a two-hour a week commitment for six weeks beginning on October 1. For more information or to download an application, please visit wacochamber.com/Campustown-Connect.

Lexy Bishop is the Project and Research Manager for the Economic Development team at the Greater Waco Chamber. She considers herself a Waco Enthusiast and loves supporting local entrepreneurs. You can find her sipping on a Pinewood coffee or working on her new home in Dean Highlands.

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 Shaun Limbers

Baylor University, nestled on the banks of the Brazos River in Waco, is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution.  Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas, and in fact, is older than the State of Texas itself.  In 1977, Baylor became one of the first universities in the nation to create a Center for Entrepreneurship.   Within the highly ranked Hankamer School of Business, the Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise (the “Baugh Center”) is the focal point for entrepreneurial development at Baylor.  At its core, the purpose of the Baugh Center is to develop entrepreneurs outside the walls of the Baylor classroom and help catalyze and grow business ventures.

Baylor’s mission is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.  Since its founding over 174 years ago, Baylor has continually maintained a tradition of extending its mission outside the halls of academia into the local community.  As an active participant in the Waco small business community, Baylor and the Baugh Center observed a need for business and entrepreneurship training, particularly among small businesses that exhibit potential but that may lack fundamental business knowledge to achieve that potential. 

The Baylor Community Entrepreneurship Program (the “Baylor C.E.P.”) is a faith-based community business and entrepreneurship training program created for small businesses, hosted by local churches or community centers, and facilitated by local successful entrepreneurs and executives.  Each Baylor C.E.P. course is comprised of a total of 8 sessions held weekly at local community churches or community centers, with each session running for 2 hours.  The Baugh Center provides the Baylor C.E.P. with best-in-class business and entrepreneurship content developed by some of the brightest minds in business.  Unique to the Baylor C.E.P., best-in-class business and entrepreneurship content is delivered in an environment that is openly faith-based, welcoming small business participants from all faith backgrounds to learn in a caring, faith-based environment, with an emphasis placed on business excellence achieved through ethical business morals and execution.  While core program content makes the Baylor C.E.P. unique, so too does its format insomuch as it relies less on traditional classroom lecturing and instead focuses on business fundamentals delivered through engaging core content provided in conjunction with interactive classroom exercises, peer problem solving discussions, real world case studies with facilitator explanations, and Baylor student collaborations – all facilitated by successful entrepreneurs and executives.  This unique format is designed to achieve maximum impact, particularly with small businesses who thrive in this type of learning environment. 

In addition to core business fundamentals and training, the Baylor C.E.P. is also designed to architect a network of additional business and entrepreneurship resources available to small business participants.  This network of additional business and entrepreneurship resources include, among other items, QuickBooks accounting training and access provided in partnership with Intuit (a $1,000 value), opportunities to be matched with mentors and business leaders in the community, funding and loan assistance for small businesses, as well as networking opportunities. 

Two Baylor C.E.P. courses were successfully conducted in Spring 2019 with large community churches based in Waco.  A Baylor C.E.P. course will be offered at Highland Baptist Church in Waco beginning on September 23, 2019 and will be comprised of 8 sessions, with each session held on Monday nights from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the Highland Baptist Church campus.   While the Baylor C.E.P. provides thousands of dollars in value to small business participants, the cost is only $40.   

The goal of the Baylor C.E.P. is to empower small business participants with the opportunity to achieve economic transformation, rooted in faith-based business and entrepreneurship.  That economic transformation in turn provides small business participants with the opportunity to positively impact and transform the lives of their own families, friends, churches, and communities – representing a catalyst for the Waco community at large.    For participants of the Baylor C.E.P., it’s an opportunity to empower themselves with business fundamentals and resources designed to help them achieve their goals.  “Taking the CEP class was one of the best decisions I have made as a small business owner,” says Tonja Carpenter, owner and founder of a local small business specializing in caring for expecting and new mothers. 

The next Baylor C.E.P. course will begin on September 23, 2019, and will be hosted by Highland Baptist Church.  Enrollment is currently underway and is open to small business owners and their employees.  Scholarships are available for those who are unable to meet the $40 enrollment fee.  For more information and to enroll, please email [email protected] or send “TEXT” to Arnold Reyes at (214) 476-5456. 

Shaun Limbers currently serves as Program Manager for the Baylor Community Entrepreneurship Program, having recently relocated to Waco with his wife and children from Scottsdale, Arizona.  Shaun’s career has spanned numerous facets of private venture finance and investment, with an emphasis in private equity.  Shaun can be reached at [email protected]. 

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 Katie Galgano 

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

The Nineteenth Amendment is short yet strong. It encompasses over 60 years of struggles, enveloping many setbacks and hard-fought victories, by suffragettes, uniting both famous leaders, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and every day women, such as Kate Heffelfinger and Frances Harper. This year, 100 years after the passage and 99 years after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment into the U.S. Constitution, we remember and commemorate the efforts of these courageous women who fought valiantly in the face of mockery, ignoration, and even violence. 

The fight for women’s suffrage began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention. At this Convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the delegates created the Declaration of Sentiments, a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence, declaring that all men and women are created equal. Though the press mocked this declaration, it did not deter the efforts of the suffragettes. Despite the loss of momentum during the Civil War, the movement persisted. In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, focused on amending the federal constitution to allow women to vote, and Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell formed the American Woman Suffrage Association, focused on amending state constitutions. These two organizations merged in 1890, becoming the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Within six years, four territories and states adopted amendments to their state constitutions allowing women to vote. Between 1910 and 1918, under the leadership of Carrie Chapman Catt, the National American Woman Suffrage Association succeeded in gaining voting rights for women in seventeen additional territories and states. 

During this same time, Alice Paul founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which later became the National Woman’s Party. As chairwoman, Alice Paul planned demonstrations and led her members in picketing the White House, an act uncommon during this time but virtually unheard of for women. These demonstrations continued for five months until finally the public and the Administration reached a breaking point. Many women were arrested, charged, convicted, and jailed for obstructing traffic. 

The struggle continued. President Wilson, first an opponent of women’s suffrage, became a supporter and lobbied Congress to pass the amendment in 1918. The amendment was first drafted and introduced to Congress in 1878 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Every year between 1878 and 1919, this amendment was introduced in the Senate, but every year it failed, until finally on June 4^th, 1919, the Senate passed the amendment and sent it to the states to be ratified. The amendment was ratified narrowly, with one vote breaking the tie in Tennessee to reach the required two-thirds of states on August 18^th, 1920. On August 26^th, 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the Nineteenth Amendment, officially amending the U.S. Constitution to allow women the right to vote. On November 2^nd of 1920, over 8 million women voted in elections for the first time. Despite this hard-fought victory, it took over sixty years for the remaining states to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, with the final ratification occurring on March 22^nd, 1984, in Mississippi. 

In a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1971, led by Congresswoman Bella Abzug, Women’s Equality Day was established on August 26^th to commemorate the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Since then, however, Women’s Equality Day has expanded to celebrate the work of organizations across the country working to provide women with equal opportunities. So, today as we look back and remember those who led the fight for women’s right to vote, let us also look forward. Just as we cannot forget these courageous women in history, we cannot forget the struggles of women today. Although more women have voted in every presidential election since 1980, women are far less represented in government than men. Despite 2018 being dubbed “The Year of the Woman”, only 20 percent of Congress is comprised of women. In terms of the percent of women in national parliaments, the United States is ranked 75^th. Statewide, women constitute 25 percent of state legislators and 24 percent of executive offices, with female governors making up a mere 12 percent. So on this day of Women’s Equality, let us celebrate the achievements of the suffragettes, while also continuing their legacy and carrying on their fight for equality. 

Katie Galgano is a recent Baylor graduate, receiving her B.A. in International Studies. She currently works for the Twenty First Century Group and is pursuing a career in foreign policy. She previously worked with the U.S. Department of State in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues where she helped progress U.S. policies and the advancement of women. 

Nominations for the 2019 ATHENA Leadership Award are open now!

By Samantha Baker, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce

In 2018, the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce introduced a new event called Leading Waco Women, a three-part summit series designed to celebrate women across Waco’s business community with a focus on the three components of leadership: serving, empowering and mentoring.

A part of the inaugural Leading Waco Women summit, which was held in November of 2018, was the presentation of the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award®, an internationally recognized award administered by ATHENA International, is presented to leaders across professional sectors. The ATHENA Leadership Award® has a rich history and international scope and is distinguished as one of the most prestigious leadership awards one can receive.

The ATHENA Leadership Award® celebrates women who achieve excellence in their professions, serve the community in a meaningful way, and help other women reach their full potential. Over 7,000 recipients in over 500 communities in the U.S. and around the world have been honored with the ATHENA Leadership Award® since the program’s inception in 1982. Nominations are given by the community and the recipient is selected by a diverse group of local community leaders based on the ATHENA criteria.

Last year’s ATHENA Leadership Award® recipient was Jill McCall, executive director of Compassion Ministries. Ms. McCall is intensely dedicated to the Waco community and is passionate about making positive changes for women and children through her work at Compassion Ministries. She’s served our community in various capacities for decades, and under her leadership, hundreds of Central Texas parents have created stable home environments for their children and found full-time employment and permanent housing. Thousands of children have benefited from the training their parents received through Compassion Ministries; this is due, in large part, to her leadership and vision.

Waco, we need your help to identify and nominate potential ATHENA Leadership Award® recipients for 2019. Within your organization and circle of influence, there are undoubtedly individuals who are most deserving of this honor.

You can help us find the next deserving ATHENA Leadership Award® recipient by nominating one (or a few!) of the exemplary female leaders in your life. Nominations are due by Friday, August 30 and can be submitted online at WacoChamber.com/Leading-Waco-Women. Criteria for the ATHENA Leadership Award® can also be found on that website, as well as a link to purchase tickets to the Leading Waco Women Summit held on Thursday, November 7 at the Phoenix Ballroom, with special guest speaker Dr. Linda Livingstone, president of Baylor University, and guest emcee Ann Harder, news anchor at KXXV Channel 25.

We are looking forward to a successful ATHENA celebration and Leading Waco Women, and thank you for your help in nominating the potential next recipient of the ATHENA Leadership Award®.

Samantha Baker is a born and raised Wacoan currently serving as a marketing and communications specialist at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. She has been involved in the Waco community her whole life and has enjoyed seeing the way Waco has developed and grown in recent years. She and her boyfriend Michael have four cats and enjoy live music and trying all the new restaurants that are constantly popping up around town.

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 Madison Fraser

Since United Way Worldwide was founded in 1887, we have been known as fundraisers – but we are so much more than that. In small towns and big cities around the world, we engage millions of people who seek to change lives and communities through service, collaboration, and impact. The United Way of Waco-McLennan County is no exception to this effort. Right here in Greater Waco and surrounding McLennan County, we are actively working to bridge community volunteers to the impact and important work of our local nonprofits.

Volunteerism is core to the mission of United Way across the globe. In 40 countries, over 2.8 million volunteers are engaged in United Ways and are actively serving their communities. United Ways share a vision of a world where all individuals and families achieve their human potential for education, healthy lives, and income stability. To realize this vision and thrive globally and locally, we work to ensure our donors and our community leaders can engage in volunteer experiences that enable them to witness firsthand the power of their personal philanthropy and support our work with their time and talents.

United Way’s GET CONNECTED volunteer portal, found at www.volunteergreaterwaco.com, exists to be the volunteer hub of McLennan County. It provides a real opportunity for you to give back beyond making a financial contribution.  Every volunteer hour given is the equivalent of $24 going back into our community. GET CONNECTED can connect you to local organizations, including the recent 2019-20 funded partner organizations, that are seeking volunteers to assist with the crucial work they do in our community every day. GET CONNECTED will also help connect your employee volunteer teams to meaningful volunteer experiences. Whether it’s a one-day activity or on-going team-building projects, GET CONNECTED is available to assist you through the entire process.

Surprisingly, over 71% of volunteers donate their time to only one organization per year. There are many factors to take into consideration as to why this might be, however, the most common seems to be that most volunteers are not aware of all available opportunities in their communities. Sixty-seven percent of people found more volunteer opportunities online in 2014 vs 34% in 2006, according to the Corporation for National & Community Service. GET CONNECTED is a great online resource for individuals to be informed of volunteer opportunities in their local community. The user-friendly portal is designed for individuals to create a user profile and specify their areas of interest and skills, such as education, health, food prep, manual labor, etc. Then, as new opportunities become available in the volunteer’s areas of interest, the portal will send them a notification so they will always be informed on current volunteer opportunities in the community.

The GET CONNECTED portal is your resource for both individual volunteers and for corporations and organizations who are looking for group volunteer opportunities for their employees. Volunteering as a group with your coworkers is beneficial for numerous reasons, including team bonding, reducing stress in the workplace, increasing motivation for leadership, and improving skill development. The portal allows for a team leader to easily sign up their team for an opportunity, quickly upload all required documents necessary to volunteer at an organization, and track volunteer hours.

Volunteers who feel meaningfully connected to an organization and their work stay engaged longer, donate more, and recruit other volunteers and donors. Offering a variety of volunteering opportunities is critical to responding to and meeting the needs, interests and availability of volunteers. Diverse points of entry to United Way’s volunteering landscape help form long lasting contributions and relationships that in turn will help United Way of Waco-McLennan County achieve its goals to improve the quality of education, health, financial stability, and safety net services in Waco-McLennan County.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities in the Greater Waco or Waco-McLennan County area community, please visit www.volunteergreaterwaco.com.

Madison Fraser is a recent graduate of Baylor University where she earned her BA in journalism in 2018. Currently she serves as the Campaign and Communications Coordinator at United Way of Waco-McLennan County where she discovered her passion of community building and advocacy through the work of nonprofits.

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 Kelly Atkinson

The Cove is a teen nurturing center designed to provide a safe space for students experiencing homelessness to access the resources they need to thrive. Waco ISD high school students typically arrive at The Cove after school to receive wraparound care which includes anything from tutoring help to hot meals. 

With the end of summer nearing, we are excited to share all that our students have accomplished in the last few months. To kick the summer off, we celebrated graduation for 12 local seniors who both experienced homelessness and graduated high school! At an invitation-only, after-hours celebration at the Magnolia Silos, graduates celebrated an accomplishment some never dreamed possible. With dinner and ambiance provided by Magnolia, The Magnolia Baking Co., and Captain Billy Whizzbang’s, Cove scholars heard from Cove Co-Founder Rosemary Townsend and local teen mentor, Darryl Thomas, with The Size of a Man. Together they reminded students that: 
“Regardless of where we come from or where we’re going, we need to hold hands, be in community, respect and love one another.”  

So, what are the next steps for a recent Cove graduate? While it is always our desire to help students successfully transition into college, full-time work, the military or a certificate program, we don’t always know what Cove scholars choose to do next. What we do know is that some students stay connected and we get to journey with them into life after high school. 

One of our May graduates came to us in the spring having just transitioned out of the foster care system. She was a hard-working student with plans to attend a local college this fall. Since our Nurturing Center was open all summer, we learned that this student did not have the immunizations she needed, access to her birth certificate and financial information, or stable housing. While she was perfectly capable of performing academically, she had no access to the resources she needed to actually enroll in higher education. 

Throughout the summer, our staff team, volunteers, and local community partners like Caritas, The TSTC Foundation, Mission Waco’s MPowerment program, and the Department of Children’s Protective Services worked together to help this student realize her dreams. Just last week, she moved into an on-campus apartment, got a laptop, and started a new job! 

Most Cove Scholars have similar dreams and obstacles. We know that every student needs to know that there are people who care about them, who will help them realize those dreams.    

People can help The Cove in two ways – by giving donations in the form of snacks, sensory items, and hygiene items all of which can be found in our Amazon wishlist here and by supporting financially to help fund our operations. Whether you’re helping as an individual or with a group of friends, every bit of investment is appreciated.

Kelly Atkinson’s passion is to see individuals and families thrive in healthy communities. She came to The Cove in March of 2018 and enjoys working with a strong team, grant writing, and strategic planning. While not at work, she can be found relishing time with her three children and husband, John. 

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.