(Tami Nutall Jefferson, a married mother and grandmother, is going back to school and she has invited us all along to enjoy the ride. For more posts in this series, click here: Tami’s Big Do Over. – ALW)
By Tami Nutall Jefferson
NOW, we’re getting to the meat of it all…the fun of it all…the reason why I’m a new Aggie at 40-something years old. This semester I’m taking two required entry level planning classes. I was NOT excited about that because I wanted to take all the cool-titled elective planning and development courses. My one elective this semester is my modern architecture course – which, while I am finding my style influences, is turning out to be…decent. The really impactful courses are the other two.
Shout Out To The City
One of these courses inspired my first movie watch party this month featuring the movie “Urbanized”. (Sidenote: I call it a party, because to me, everything should be a party.) A dozen or so Wacoans gathered in the meeting room at the Central Library on Austin and watched the video together and talked about how the urban planning concepts in the movie might apply here in our home city. This is what it’s all about!
While my courses’ subject matter spans global urban areas, they strongly impact the way I view, engage, and apply my newfound knowledge and passion on a localized level. Each principle, design trend, or great idea of prioritizing people and spaces over cars and buildings, influences the answers to my daily questions of ‘What do we want Waco to be?” and “How does Waco grow from here?” But these are questions that I can’t think about or answer alone in my own bubble – and neither can our City planners and developers. These are questions best answered in conjunction with fellow Wacoans. Hence, the movie watch party.
I totally applaud the City of Waco for opening its doors, ears, plans, and roundtables so we can have these discussions with them while they’re formulating answers to these questions for Waco. A great example was the recent come and go session (again at the Central library) where we wrestled with the question of “one way or two?” for some of our downtown streets. Additional applause goes out to organizations like Prosper Waco who build real-people-collaboration vehicles into the development of strong Waco neighborhoods.
Um, Urban Planning, What Is That??
Last night, a lady (who was trying to secure my business as her virtual assistant client) told me she had heard of urban planning, but didn’t know what it was. So, she looked it up real quick. I was impressed. Most people won’t do that on almost any subject – especially urban planning – and will be content to just not know. So, I decided, instead of giving you old-college-lady fodder this month, to give you a quick look inside my brain and my college studies to help answer your burning questions “What is urban planning? What does it have to do with me, the City of Waco and what I want Waco to be? Hopefully, you’ll be able to look at your neck of the City through a different lens and understand why your presence and voice is vital to you, your children, grandchildren, and neighborhood’s pasts and futures.
A Newbie’s Study of Downtown Waco’s Poppin’ Downtown Farmer’s Market District
Below is an excerpt of my first urban space study. The findings rely on my experience as a Wacoan and the photos and intentional observation of the space on the particular days herein. I do not claim to have approached this from the most technically correct manner of an urban planning professional, but as a local and a student with slight knowledge and study of the elements at hand. The great thing about this type of study is that once you learn what the key elements mean, anyone anywhere can observe and conduct their own study in their own neighborhoods – and possibly create their own actions. Go forth and study!
PART I: LOCATION
Public parking lot – designated for use by the McLennan County Courthouse and site of the weekly-Saturday city-endorsed Waco Downtown Farmers Market (WDFM); located 500 Austin Avenue & 501 Washington Avenue, Waco, Texas
Elements Within The Space:
Paths
PV1 = One-way streets designed for 30 mph “high speed” vehicular traffic. Drivers on these streets don’t typically anticipate pedestrians crossing in the middle of the street…
Edges
E1 = The space’s only scenic, soft edge. It features the downtown’s only in-laid brick/concrete/grass combination-soft-edge; offering parallel-car parking…Some activity may occur here in the sense that people may stop and talk and linger for a moment before moving on…
Nodes
N1 = This node directly connects with the E1 edge and is the only location in the entire space that features built-in seating. …used to feature a “public” piano that anyone could play. That piano has now been removed.
Landmarks
L1 = McLennan County Courthouse – Built in 1901. Commencement site of Bonnie and Clyde’s crime tour. Most recently housed 130 bikers arrested during the Twin Peaks shootout.
Districts
D3 = The informal WDFM district (a district because the people make it one)…By 1:30pm this district is a ghost town…Sadly, they do not have a temporary, nor permanent, district sign.
PART II: THE SPACE AT EYE LEVEL
Saturday Morning: This February morning, only half of the D3 lot space was utilized…Typically, the Farmers Market occupies the entire D3 lot space as outdoor retail and community space…Below is what the space looks like less than 1 hour after the conclusion of the Farmers Market – and on Sundays.
Jury Day Morning: This space is akin to a CarMax auto sales lot…
Every Other Morning & Midday: This space is used as parking for courthouse visitors, business patrons, and area employees. No community activities take place in this space at this time…
Evening/Night: No community activities take place in this space at this time…
PART III: CRITIQUE OF THE SPACE DESIGN
Rating Scale: The Austin Avenue side is rated ‘C’. The other 3 sides are rated ‘F’ [Note: This scale is based on the quantity of street-level doors]
My Suggestions: This is wasted, boring space. Redesign the entire city block prioritizing people, public space, and lifestyle over…but I suggest applying the Barcelonian superblock principles…so that any one person can meet every live-work-play function …within this one square block…Learn more about the superblocks model at https://youtu.be/ZORzsubQA_M
PART III is where our presence and voices reign. We live our suggestions daily – or lack thereof.
For my pictures and all the meat in between, click here to view the entire .pdf. All copyrights reserved.
Tami Nutall Jefferson is an older, non-traditional student with a professional real estate background. Tami begins her first academic year at Texas A&M University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning and Land Development while commuting between Waco and College Station. Her hope that every Wacoan – from all corners – can engage in and contribute to the growth and success of the city. You can connect with Tami at taminutall@gmail.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tami.nutall1
(For the other parts of this series, click here: Gardening Waco. — ALW)
By Aime Sommerfeld Lillard
This final instalment of Gardening Waco will come full circle back to community gardens in the area. The first thing I would like to draw attention to is that a community garden can be, but is not always, an allotment style garden. I believe that when the term community garden is thrown out, the vision that comes to mind often consists of a large plot of subdivided land where individual parcels are taken care of by families or groups. This type of garden system can be referred to as an allotment style garden. In these gardens, there is typically a written agreement, payment for “rent” or “lease” of the land, and rules that those participating are agreeing to abide by to be a part of that specific community.
Allotment style gardens are great. There is interest in Waco relating to this garden style both from potential participants and those wanting to provide the opportunity. However, regardless of garden style, it is important to fully understand the task at hand before breaking ground. What is the overall goal of the garden? What outcome do you (or your organization) want to see? Is your community garden: a) for the community, b) in a community, c) with the community? What/who is included in the working definition of your community? A garden is a project, or intervention if you will, that should be treated as any other community project to obtain maximum return on investment. Additionally, one doesn’t typically start a garden with an end date in mind, so there really shouldn’t be that stress of “hurrying” to get it finished. In actuality, the process has the opportunity to be as fulfilling as the product. It is also a way to provide involvement opportunities for some who don’t actually want to garden.
Another type of community garden is a garden that is designed for community interaction, with specific opportunities for “digging in the dirt.” This type of garden takes considerable planning and in my opinion, the more community input you have, the greater potential project sustainability. This garden is designed as a space to increase community socialization, provide a location for community activities, educate the community, support the community, and provide a few key individuals or organizations with an opportunity to share in care for something meaningful for their community.
I am extremely excited by a current opportunity to consult and design this type of garden here in Waco. Thanks to a Community Centered Health Homes (CCHH) grant from Episcopal Health Foundation to the Family Health Center, I am in year one of a three-year plan to create a community garden space on Colcord Avenue near the Madison Cooper Family Health Center Clinic.
You may be surprised that this is a three-year project, but that is one of the things I am most excited about. The extended time frame provides the opportunity to observe, network, speak with community members, clinic staff, surrounding neighbors and businesses to create a space with their needs in mind. It gives us time to find out how we could utilize the location to increase green space in the neighborhood, provide an area for small walking trails, a place for families to hang out, a place to hold programs, and place to learn about gardening and how it can be done in a variety of ways.
This first year it won’t really look like much is being accomplished. Priority is on community input, discovering ideas and elements for the garden that the surrounding community would like to see in the space. We know it is a garden; it will have herbs, it will have example vegetable beds, it will grow produce to demonstrate what is in the prescription veggie produce boxes, it will have seating and shade. We aren’t sure if the shade should come from trees or structures.
How important is it to have places to sit and converse in the garden? Do we need seats for two, or seats for a group to sit around and talk? Do we need tables for card games or neat features that will entertain children? I do know we need a doggie doo disposal system. How, you might ask? Well, we are watching the space. Right now, it is a vacant lot, but we want to see how it is currently utilized. What are traffic patterns, do groups stop to talk there, is there a bus stop nearby, which buildings provide foot traffic, and so on.
You might be reading this and thinking it sounds a little more like a park than a community garden. Here are some differences. The garden will be growing herbs and produce. The produce will be utilized in cooking demonstrations as well as be a teaching tool for “what can you grow right now.” It is likely we will have areas of the garden that can be “adopted” by an organization or group. However, I believe it is important for that support to come from within walking distance of the site. All of these things and many more will be decided as we have conversations and focus groups with our neighbors. This project is constantly evolving, what I have presented here has the possibility of changing, and I love that!
Dr. Aime Sommerfeld Lillard has cultivated a love for nature and gardening through multiple outlets. Dr. Lillard is a Texas A&M graduate with a B.S. in Agricultural Leadership and Development and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Horticulture with a focus on human issues in horticulture. Currently, Dr. Lillard contracts with the Urban Gardening Coalition (UGC) for the Waco Health District’s Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant. She works in the Waco area through the vision of UGC to “strengthen local food production, improve access to healthy food, and empower folks to “grow their own” by creating a coalition that can impact a variety of horticultural education and grow through strategic partnerships.
By Christine Holecek
Preparing local students for a successful journey through school and college to careers is critical to the well-being and growth of our community. The Heart Of Texas P-20 works to promote streamlined, transparent degree pathways for students to move quickly and successfully through their education and onto college and/or a career. The Heart of Texas (HOT) P-20 brings together representatives from the independent school districts (ISD), institutions of higher education (IHE), Region 12 Education Service Center, industry and government across six counties: Bosque, Hill, Falls, Limestone, Freestone and McLennan to work towards this goal.
The HOT P-20 mission can best be summarized as follows:
- Collaborating by building cross-community team to address education and career possibilities for all students.
- Informing our diverse communities about ongoing initiatives, best practices and available resources.
- Advocating for educational best practices with at the state and local levels.
Upcoming Activities include
Collaborating:
Heart of Texas P-20 Forum “State of Education Conference” (Session# 146917) – April 26, 2018 – 11:00 to 2:00 – Education Service Center Region 12
Informing:
A look at SAT from a Math Perspective (Session #126532) – February 27, 2018 – 9:00 to – 4:00 – Education Service Center Region 12
21st Century New, Emerging, and Evolving Careers (Session #126482) March 1, 2018 – 9:00 to 12:00 – Education Service Center Region 12
CTE Quarterly Network Meeting (Session #126446) – April 26, 2018 – 9:00 to 11:00 – Education Service Center Region 12
Connect3 Conference – June 6-8, 2018 – ESC Region 12
Counselor Summer Fly-In – June 11-15, 2018 – MCC/TSTC
Advocating (Student Events):
Construction and Welding Expo “Build Your Future” – March 23, 2018 – 8:00 to 3:30 – Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy
YES! Expo – May 15, 2018 – 8:00 to 4:00 – Extraco Events Center
This Act Locally Waco blog post was written by Christine Holecek. Christine is an Education Specialist at Education Service Center Region 12 in Waco. She has worked in the area of Adult Education and Career & Technical Education for the past 25 years. She earned an AAS degree from MCC, a BAAS and Master’s Degree from the University of North Texas and is currently enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Tarleton State University.
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.
Read Locally Waco is a project to promote literacy in Waco. Throughout the semester we will post stories that use sight words our children are learning in Waco ISD. You can print these stories and lists of words to use with your children or with other children in your life. This week’s story uses words from the First Grade Sight Word List. For a printable version of this story and word list, click here: Don’t eat me, Monster.
Don’t eat me, Monster!
What was that sound? I heard it again!
I think it’s a monster – please don’t let him in!
I know I am little and look very sweet,
But please, Mr. Monster, I’m not good to eat.
I come from a town where the kids all taste bad.
Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me! If you do, you’ll be sad.
I’m yucky and greasy and covered with fuzz.
Who tastes better than me? Almost everyone does!
I’ll make a burrito out of big brother, Zack.
When I add a few chips, he will make a good snack.
I’ll give you a tip, because you’re my good buddy…
My sister tastes good. She’s crunchy and nutty.
If I were you, Monster, I’d go for a pizza.
Or maybe some nachos topped with old Aunt DeLisa.
I didn’t bathe. My breath really stinks.
You could eat Uncle Tony. He smells like hot links!
DON’T EAT ME, MONSTER! I TASTE LIKE GREEN SLIME!
Oh… Hi, Momma and Daddy…I saw you the whole time…
First Grade Sight Words Used in this Story
- was
- what
- didn’t
- don’t
- eat
- from
- give
- good
- make
- of
- out
- saw
- were
- when
- again
- because
- could
- does
This Act Locally Waco blog post is by Ashley Bean Thornton, she has lived in Waco almost 20 years now. Far longer than she ever lived anywhere else. She likes to walk. If you see her out walking, honk and wave and say “hi!”
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 LuAnn Jennings
I’m a theatre director, and recently I was talking with an actor who was suffering from stage fright. This actor is a person of faith, as am I, and I said something like this: Sometimes people will suggest combating stage fright by imagining the audience in some non-threatening way. But I suggest the opposite. If we think about the audience as people God has given to us to love and serve, then we can be eager to share what we’ve created even at the risk of failure and embarrassment.
People of Judeo-Christian faith are told in our scriptures that our job is to love others as God loves us. It makes sense that God would uniquely craft each of us with abilities to do the thing that God tells us to do. Artists are created with skills to make works of art.
So, in this month of February when we celebrate love, I want to use a well-known system of thinking about the expression and receipt of love, Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages, to unpack how artists love through creating.
Words of Affirmation: When an artist expresses something in a painting, dance, story, or song that you relate to, and then shapes your experience into something beautiful, the artist validates and affirms you. “Beautiful” isn’t the same as “pretty” – sometimes the artist’s job is to find and communicate meaning in things that are anything but pretty. Remember that sad song you couldn’t stop listening to in high school? Didn’t it make things seem better and more bearable somehow?
Quality time: Art takes a great deal of time to create. When I direct plays, I try to plan an hour of rehearsal for every minute that you see onstage. That doesn’t include the time that goes into costumes, lights, scenery, and more. Great musicians and dancers practice daily. You might think a painting looks like the artist created it quickly, but there were many sketches and plans that happened first. In return, you give the artist quality time as you engage with the work she created for you.
Giving Gifts and Acts of Service: Artists don’t do it for the money. In most cases your purchase of an artwork doesn’t begin to pay for the time it took the artist to learn to do it, prepare it, and present it to you. Art isn’t free to create – artists have materials costs and they’re taking time from other paying work to create art. They may need you to share in the cost. Think of it this way: if you brought me a sack of groceries and I used it to make you a truly amazing meal, the meal is a gift and act of service to you which is far more valuable than the materials I started with.
Physical touch: If you’ve ever been to a great museum and seen a painting in-person that you’d seen photos of before, you know that experiencing the real, physical work of art in a special place made for it is entirely different than seeing it in a book or online. It’s the “physical touch” of the artist. Live, local arts experiences require presence. Receive your neighbor’s creative gift of love to you in the way he made it for you. Go to galleries, plays, and concerts as well as experiencing art that was recorded so you could engage with it on your own terms (TV, iTunes, etc.).
If you want to share an expression of love with someone special, check out all of our live, local opportunities here in Waco! Visit Creative Waco’s Creative Directory for suggestions on venues and check out our many local arts calendars.
Luann Jennings is a local theatre director, arts educator, and advocate. She juggles several part-time arts-related jobs including projects at Creative Waco, the Good Neighbor Settlement House, and Waco Civic Theatre, where you can also see her upcoming production of The Three Musketeers. You can reach Luann at luannpjennings@gmail.com.
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.
(During these last few weeks of December we will be reprising the Top 10 Most Opened Blog Posts for 2018 from the Act Locally Waco blog. I couldn’t possibly pick my favorites – so I used the simple (cop out?) approach of pulling up the 10 blog posts that got the most “opens” according to our Google Analytics. It is an intriguing collection that gives at least a little insight into the interests and concerns of Act Locally Waco readers. I hope this “Top 10” idea inspires you to go back and re-read your personal favorites. There have been so many terrific ones… If you would like to see the Top 10 according to Google Analytics, here’s the link: Top 10 Most Opened Blog Posts of 2018. Merry Christmas! — ABT)
By Christy Perkins
The Community Health Worker Initiative is an innovative program designed to bridge the gap between the community and available resources. The program methodically targets 4 zip codes in Waco that could benefit from these resources: 76704, 76705,76706, and 76707. As Community Health Workers (CHW) we are trained to respond to cultural diversity with understanding and acceptance to help clients overcome barriers to using the available health resources. Our role is to connect clients to resources and help them navigate the healthcare system. By doing so, we help individuals reach a state of self-sufficiency to create a healthy and thriving community. We aim to build trusting relationships with our clients, to increase basic and critical health education that will develop confidence in those facing adversity, and to decrease unnecessary emergency (E.R) visits.
In 2016, I began purposefully researching and embedding myself into organizations and projects that are geared toward advocacy and health. I became passionate about client advocacy after personal life experiences left me in the dark about such services. When my oldest son fell ill as an infant, I didn’t know that patient advocates were available to help me manage this uncertain and scary time in my life. No one stepped in to advocate on our behalf by making me aware of available services that could support my son. That is when I became prayerful and intentional in regard to advocacy and awareness. I grew interested in holistic methods of health during that time and now find myself on the path to become more educated in this area. I saw this opportunity with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District as a foot in the door to professionally connect to, advocate for, and educate individuals who have been left in the dark like I once was. I aspire to be a voice for those who feel their voice has been silenced.
In preparing to become a CHW, my coworkers and I underwent 160-hours of training over the course of 4 months to become certified by the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS). The training covered 8 core competencies: communication, interpersonal, service coordination, capacity building, advocacy, teaching, organizational, and knowledge base skills. During training, we began attending coalition meetings, community meetings that were open to the public, toured facilities of community organizations, and had several guest speakers who assist the community explain their services. Additionally, I’m an active participant in Leadership Plenty, Round 7, which builds skills in community leadership, managing conflict, diversity, and taking action. The CHW training together with the leadership training are important tools when working with clients and partners.
Now that my fellow CHW’s and I have completed our training, we are preparing our first project! We will be hosting launch parties in the 4 zip codes that are the focus of this program. This will be an opportunity for the community to become familiar with the CHW’s assigned to their neighborhoods as well as enjoy the festivities that we and our community partners will have available to the families. Check out our new Facebook page — McLennan County Community Health Worker Initiative — for updates on these events!
I am truly looking forward to helping my CHW team in piloting this program. I feel the beauty of this program is that we are able to meet our clients where they are in their current life situation and create an action plan that is attainable within our capacity. My hope is to assist them with self-reliance when developing goals they desire to achieve and that will be beneficial to their well-being. In turn, creating a partnership with those clients to assure them I am dedicated to their personal successes. I will strive to access integrative resources on their behalf while preparing them to confidently do so independently. My personal goal is to specialize in nutrition and help guide others in holistic lifestyle choices to improve their quality of life.
I look forward to continuing to build relationships with community partners to tackle the problems of our community by collecting information at the grassroots level that will support and develop this program. We will be working closely with the healthcare system in Waco to assure that this program is effectively aiding the community.
I’m looking forward to working with my fellow CHW’s in beginning walking groups within the communities we are serving. This is an example of the kinds of efforts that will help us connect with fellow residents and encourage healthy lifestyle routines. This is an exciting time for us as we embark on a mission that will shape a program that has been conjured up through discussion, data development, and planning for years. What an honor it is to be entrusted as the charter group to thrust this project into a flourishing program!
Christy Perkins is a certified Community Health Worker for zip code 76707. She currently serving on the Garden Committee at Brook Avenue Elementary. She is looking forward to becoming a graduate of the prestigious leadership training with the Leadership Plenty Institute in March of 2018 and serving on the YMCA, Young Junior Professionals Board. When she isn’t involved in community work, she is a Mother of 3 handsome boys. They keep her life busy and entertaining. She has a passion for writing, reading, and fellowship. She is originally from Amarillo, Tx but has grown to love Waco, Tx and is looking forward to building a future here. You can reach her at cperkins.chw@gmail.com or on Facebook at McLennan County Community Health Worker.
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.
(For the other parts of this series, click here: Gardening Waco. — ALW)
By Aime Sommerfeld Lillard
I’ve gone back and forth about the best way to talk about the benefits gardening provides. I’m sure some people would like a well-crafted research study that demonstrates statistically positive results of gardening. Others would prefer a simple story.
I will try to combine the two a bit while relying heavily on my personal experiences. My degree says “Horticulture”, but that doesn’t clearly define my field of study. Other names one may use are sociohorticulture, people-plant interactions, and horticultural therapy (which is really its own branch of therapy).
Through many conversations about gardening I have learned that for most people it seems the garden itself, whether it is a community or school garden, is seen as the end-product. I would prefer the garden be seen as a location for a multitude of interactions. These interactions can be between individuals and plants, or between people. Have you noticed that the weather is a pretty safe topic of conversation? A garden will function similarly if individuals are given some basic exposure to growing or green spaces.
I will start with my experience installing a garden at a Montessori preschool that served kiddos infant to 5 years and a few older ones in an after-school group. I was looking at visual motor integration and delay of gratification with pre and post testing measures from ages 2.5 years up. I was working with a range of children from different socioeconomic levels, ethnicities, and various upbringings.
My first big “Oh my” moment came after we had our family engagement day to build the garden and I had done a couple of inside lessons. We were ready to start working in the garden. I knew I could only handle 3-5 kids at a time due to their age. The garden was fenced and adjacent to the playground area. My idea was to go down the roster and have the kids come in as class groups. By the time I had things set up in the garden and turned around there was a line of kids waiting by the gate at the fence. And by “line of kids” I mean practically everyone on the playground was crowded around the fence.
Cue the delay of gratification practice. Here I thought it was going to come from seed germination, plant growth, and waiting for harvest. Well, it came a lot quicker than that! Pretty much immediately I had kids crying because they didn’t get to go in the first group, or the second. I admit, standing in the garden watching little kids bawl on the other side of the fence because they wanted to come garden was not what I had prepared for!
With the teachers help we created a system so that those who wanted to garden sat at a designated spot in a line until it was their turn. I kid you not, there were kids who would leave playtime to come sit at the end of the line and wait for 10 minutes to go in the garden and cut three leaves off of a collards plant. Color me impressed.
I briefly want to mention a couple of other experiences during that project. There were two little boys who were high energy and had difficulty focusing in a classroom setting. I was a little worried about having them in the garden, but they were no different than the other kids. One day, we were transplanting, and I set one of the boys to work on that job. He was supposed to plant about 5 plants out of the tray of 35. Forty-five minutes later he finished all the plants. Did I need them all done? No. Did his “turn” in the garden end before that? Sure. However, I just let him work while I cleaned up and his teachers let him stay outside to finish his work. At the end of the day we got to see his pride as he and the teachers brought his mom out to see his work. Was it worth my extra time and flexibility of schedule? No question.
Another time a little girl transferred to the school who didn’t speak (much) English. She wouldn’t go into the room to be tested with me for our pre-test measures, but she waited with everyone else to work with me in the garden. It was easy to see that the garden was comfortable for her, she could point, dig, plant, and harvest just as well as anyone else. Here was a place she could gain confidence, be herself, and not deal with barriers she experienced in the classroom.
One of my favorite memories when I was working in a long-term care facility was cleaning up after a planting project. Ladies came out with their walkers, air pumps, and wheelchairs to watch and participate. When I was putting things away after the project, I turned around and encountered a walker pushed up against the wall outside. Turns out carrying a plant to your room can be more important than taking your walker. This still warms my heart, knowing that for that time, her focus was clearly on something else. A hope for life, for growth, for an experience.
What I ask you to consider after reading this is how the garden offered a setting for these encounters. It was not gardening itself, or the physical labor. Simply by being there, and being available, the garden is a place where growth and experiences can happen. A garden provides the potential for growing pride, growing food, growing communication, and growing community.
Dr. Aime Sommerfeld Lillard has cultivated a love for nature and gardening through multiple outlets. Dr. Lillard is a Texas A&M graduate with a B.S. in Agricultural Leadership and Development and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Horticulture with a focus on human issues in horticulture. Currently, Dr. Lillard contracts with the Urban Gardening Coalition (UGC) for the Waco Health District’s Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant. She works in the Waco area through the vision of UGC to “strengthen local food production, improve access to healthy food, and empower folks to “grow their own” by creating a coalition that can impact a variety of horticultural education and grow through strategic partnerships.
By Madiha Kark
Young men of color face challenges every day; they strive to be seen beyond their stereotypical portrayal as depicted by news media and pop culture. Especially in higher education, their representation is small, and completion rates have been historically low. At McLennan Community College, the Men of Color Success Initiative focuses on engaging in individual and group mentoring to address challenges for first-generation students, traditionally underrepresented groups, and students in need of academic and personal direction.
The goal of the program is to increase higher-education completion rates among men of color while raising awareness of issues with diversity and equity, and creating awareness of support services available. The initiative is modeled after similar programs at other colleges in Texas, and representatives are working closely with the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color to grow its efforts.
According to a study by the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE), titled Aspirations to Achievement: Men of Color and Community Colleges, “Consistently and unmistakably, data show a persistent gap separating Latinos and Black males from other student groups on measures of academic progress and college completion. These gaps exist across higher education.”
Barron Lowe, who graduated recently with an associate degree in communications, said before he found the initiative, he was going through personal issues and wasn’t sure where he was headed in life. A trip to Austin to attend a seminar for the Men of Color made him realize he wasn’t the only one with problems.
The program pairs faculty members and mentors with students to help them achieve personal and academic goals. The idea is to be accountable and push each other to better ourselves. Lowe says the networking opportunities he has had because of the initiative helped him to reach the next level in his life. He is currently working as a leasing agent for a community center but wants to get a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M. “I’ve met some of the most amazing men through this, and they’ve helped me be the best version of myself.”
Building networks and relationships is a big part of the initiative, and one that allows the group members to make stronger ties, because everyone is invested in the common goal.
“It gave me the opportunity to have a professor who was good one-on-one and really caring, and saw I had the potential to be a better student,” Lowe said. “He basically took me under his wing, and it’s been like this ever since: close.”
At a time when one might feel like they’re taking on the world alone, college can be daunting, he said. Lowe had to learn how to ask for help when necessary, something he couldn’t bring himself to do before MCC, he said.
Click here and learn how you can be a part of the Men of Color Success Initiative at MCC.
Madiha Kark is a Marketing, Communications and Photography Specialist at McLennan Community College. She holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of North Texas. She loves to travel, cook, and read nonfiction books.
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 Christina Helmick
Did you know that preparing your child for school starts before they even enter the classroom? School readiness is an essential part of the development of a child before, after, and during their years in school. A child’s success is a parent’s success, and there are many free resources to support the school readiness journey! Here are two free resources for you to check out:
Vroom is a free, bilingual tool that utilizes daily brain building activities that can be incorporated into a family’s daily routine. Activities are based on the child’s age and focus on parent-child engagement. Vroom, an initiative of the Bezos Family Foundation, was developed by a group of dedicated scientists, community leaders and trusted brands with input from community organizations and families like yours. Vroom is providing parents and caregivers with activities to boost early learning.
Literacy Kits are another great resource for both parents and children. Waco ISD early childhood experts worked with the library’s staff to make sure the items included are items that will help a child become school ready. These kits can be checked out for up to 21 days. The Literacy Kits are funded by Waco Rotary Club and are available at all Waco-McLennan County libraries.
The School Readiness Working Group includes more than 20 organizations across the community that are committed to improving school readiness outcomes. This Working Group meets each month to talk about aligning activities and reviews best practices to bring into the Waco community to make sure all students entering school are prepared for success. If you’d like to join this group, send an email to Jillian (jillian@prosperwaco.org) today!
The Working Group looks at data each meeting to make sure the strategies the group implements are addressing the outcomes the community agreed upon. In the 2016-2017 school year, 60% of students entering Kindergarten in Waco ISD were ready to learn, compared to 59% across the state. Even more impressive is that in Waco ISD if the kindergartners attended a Texas Public ISD, they were 11% more prepared for school than the state average.
Beyond promoting free resources like Vroom and the Literacy Kits, early childhood leaders in our community have developed a list of 10 important activities to do with your child to encourage school readiness! Here they are:
- Read to your child every day
- Have purposeful conversation
- Play, Talk, Read!
- Explore through movement and play
- Count, Group, Compare
- Create a routine, such as bedtime or bath time
- Take turns and share
- Make and give choices
- Limit access to technology
- Create opportunities to be helpful, such as allowing your child to help wash dishes
Whether you’re a parent, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, cousin, caregiver, school teacher or a community member dedicated to making sure generations to come are successful in school, it is important to get involved and share activities about school readiness!
Want to learn more about Vroom or the library’s literacy kits? Check out “The Work” page on the Prosper Waco website. If you’d like to engage with other parents and community leaders committed to making sure each child is prepared to enter school, join the School Readiness Working Group by sending an email to Jillian (jillian@prosperwaco.org).
Christina is a graduate of Baylor University with a BA in Journalism, Public Relations & New Media and is currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration through Tarleton State. She is originally from Washington, D.C., but is proud to call Waco her home. Christina sits on the Board of Directors for Waco Habitat for Humanity and serves as a community advisor for Junior League of Waco. She enjoys spending time with her family and watching Baylor football. Sic ’em Bears!
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 Rachel E. Pate
Located on the Quinn Campus in the heart of east Waco, Esther’s Closet promotes empowerment, education and provides a much-needed resource to the women of the city. Launched on March 29, 2016, Esther’s Closet is a self-sufficiency program that assists unemployed women in preparing for interviews and entering the workforce by providing no-cost, professional clothing. Esther’s Closet clients are suited with a complete head-to-toe professional look for job interviews and 7 to 10 days of outfits for new employment. Clients who maintain steady employment are eligible to receive two additional outfits quarterly. Workwear options include business professional attire, medical scrubs and restaurant/retail clothing. In addition to providing employment wear, the program also offers resume writing and job performance skills to help women. To date, the program has assisted 334 women and provided 1,069 outfits.
As the Esther’s Closet Coordinator, I have a great deal of interaction with our clients. Our program’s numbers are a testament to our impact in the community, however they do not reveal the many faces and testimonies of these wonderful women. Some are single, proud moms, sole providers, just starting out, ready to start over, coming back, building up, etc. I’ve shared in countless tearful moments with clients on my office sofa discussing the obstacles we have overcome and those we still face. I’ve calmed the nervousness in the dressing room while helping someone prepare for a job interview in less than 30 minutes. I even taught a client how to properly apply her makeup for the first time by doing a side-by-side tutorial in the mirror. Being able to give my sincerest service and watching others’ confidence bloom before my eyes is a blessing to behold.
My passion is helping every client uncover her business fierceness; the ability to see herself be anything and do anything. When clients visit our office for the first time, they’re never quite sure what to expect. When they’re greeted by our professional staff, given a tour and shown to our boutique, their anxiety seems to subside a bit and is replaced with awe and excitement.
Our racks are filled with fashionable finds that make the suiting experience an easy one to get into. I often take the time to act as a personal shopper; finding the right sizes, shades and shapes to flatter clients’ frames. From baubles and belts to skirts and scrubs, Esther’s Closet has everything to send our clients out of our doors feeling empowered to take on the work world. One client felt so great about her new outfit, she wore it out of our office to her interview and forgot her own clothes in our dressing room for a few days!
I often speak from my heart and share my own testimony with my clients. I can relate to what it’s like to search for a new opportunity in life, only to be met with socioeconomic setbacks and hardships. As a new mom, some time ago, I found myself walking through the doors of my first post-partum interview, and I had no idea how ill-prepared I was with my outfit. I wore a comfortable blouse with dark denim slacks and my lucky, leather Chuck Taylor’s… Most employers might’ve interviewed me and never called back, but fortunately this interviewer pointed out that I wasn’t very professionally dressed. That moment changed my perception. That sincere observation and audacious statement helped me realize the invaluable importance of dressing for a successful first business impression. I decided then that if the company ever called me back, I would most assuredly show them just how professional I could be. A little over a month I received a call back, and I seized my opportunity. That same interviewer was highly impressed with my charm, knowledge and experience. This was all while I was wearing a tailored black suit with pumps and carrying a briefcase. I’d discovered my own business fierce, and I landed the job.
There’s just something about helping one another that appeals to the very best parts of our nature. It gives you an outlet for love and an inlet for hope. Every day I walk through the doors of Esther’s Closet, I’m granted with yet another opportunity to see how empowering someone else makes me and the nature and soul of our community much more hopeful- one outfit at a time.
Rachel E. Pate is a native Wacoan and University High School alum. She currently works as the Public Relations person for the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce and serves as Coordinator for the Esther’s Closet program for women. She’s also a proud mom of one, lifelong member of Toliver Chapel (TCMBC) Church, graduate of the LeadershipPlenty Institute, lover of the great outdoors, an avid basketball fan and a dedicated wearer of Converse’s Chuck Taylor shoes.
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.