By Hilary Yancey 

It’s an exciting time at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church! This fall, we opened a new playground on our campus on Wooded Acres Drive, just behind the Target. The playground, geared towards developmental ages 2-6, is not only well-shaded and features fun musical instruments but it is also disability-inclusive and accessible. The turf is anti-static, which means that unlike some other turfing or playground surfaces, it does not interfere with cochlear implants or other hearing aids. It’s also fall-safe from a height of 6 feet. Children can play on the small hill (complete with tunnel) in safety and the turf is easily learnable for anyone with vision differences. The space has high-contrast colors for visual cueing, is completely level for wheelchairs, scooters or other mobility devices to access directly from the accessible parking in front. There are ADA-compliant bathrooms on site. The last feature – picnic benches that include cutouts for wheelchair roll-up, went in just a couple of weeks ago.

I’m a mom of a son with disabilities, and in the four short years I’ve been privileged to parent him, I’ve often longed for spaces where his needs can be not only heard but also anticipated. The playground is a space, we hope, that anticipates the needs of children with disabilities from the very beginning. My Jack loves the drum and the big xylophone at one end of the playground, and riding the tricycles that are available during the church’s business hours to ride around the trike path. With my son’s visual differences, I worry in some playgrounds that he won’t be able to safely navigate the drop into the play space or the distance between some of the structures. This playground is a space where I am confident he can learn the space through all of his senses – the turf, the hill, the other color contrasts, the sounds – and play freely.

I’m also a philosopher, finishing up my PhD in philosophy at Baylor. Over the past few years, I’ve spent more and more time trying to better understand and appreciate how we can think better about the nature of the human person. It is all too common to think of disability as merely bad or unfortunate, or to think that individuals with disabilities must have a worse quality of life than others. But these conclusions are too hasty. Like so many features of our lives, disability is—from what I understand from listening to the testimony of individuals with disabilities—complex, many-faceted, often both beautiful and difficult. What makes many disabilities particularly difficult is not a person’s bodily situation but the structures of his or her society. Are there accessible bathrooms or doorways? Is there a quiet space nearby where someone can reset after being sensorily overwhelmed? Are the places and activities that we create in our communities aware of and appreciating how all members of our community might need to access them?

Part of our mission at Holy Spirit over the next several years is to create a space where we live out our core belief that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. For too long, individuals with disabilities of varying kinds have suffered injustice, from lack of access to shared and communal spaces, to lack of understanding and listening to their experiences, to lack of opportunity to lead in our communities according to their gifts and callings. We hope, in small and concrete ways, to begin righting these injustices by creating new spaces for our communities where individuals with disabilities to be welcomed and their needs to be listened for, understood, and met.

As I continue to live in and make Waco my (and my family’s) home, I am grateful and excited by the things happening to create more spaces of welcome and inclusion for individuals with disabilities: from the No Limitations sports organization to the sensory friendly Trunk or Treat at Elite Therapy Center, to the community life at Friends for Life. We hope to see the playground at Holy Spirit become such a space of welcome and inclusion.

This fall we also marked the start of our inclusive recreational ballet class – a weekly class, free to parents, open to students with or without disabilities to come and enjoy ballet together. We meet in our Parish hall on Wednesdays from 4:45 – 5:30, and we are always welcoming new students ages 3-12 to come and try it out! If you have any questions, contact Hilary Yancey at [email protected].

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Hilary Yancey loves good words, good questions, and sunny afternoons sitting on her front porch with Pinewood coffee. She and her husband, Preston, and their two children, Jack and Junia, live in Waco, Texas, where Hilary is completing her PhD in philosophy at Baylor University. Her first book, “Forgiving God: A Story of Faith” is on shelves now! 

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 John Jenkins

Transformation Waco is now accepting applications for the Transformation Waco Urban Educator Residency Program (TWUERP).  Click  www.transformationwaco.org for more details and the application.

Transformation Waco is a nonprofit, in-district partnership within Waco ISD.  They manage and operate five schools within the district: Alta Vista Elementary, Brook Avenue Elementary, G.W. Carver Middle School, Indian Spring Middle School, and J.H. Hines Elementary.  The goal of the partnership is to dramatically improve outcomes for students.

We are seeking highly committed and dedicated individuals who want to make a positive impact with Waco students by becoming teachers. The state, the region, and Waco are dealing with a teacher shortage, particularly for high need schools. To attract, train, and retain high quality teacher applicants we are offering a tuition free path to teacher certification and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Tarleton State University.

The Transformation Waco Urban Educator Residency Program (TWUERP) is an innovative partnership between the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), Tarleton State University (TSU), and Transformation Waco (TW) to provide participants with the training they need to be prepared to teach in the challenging, fast-paced environment of today’s classrooms.  

The TWUERP is an alternative certification pathway for experienced professionals or recent graduates seeking to become highly effective teachers through hands-on training. This highly selective program will only accept and certify the highest-potential candidates who have the time and energy to fully commit to a rigorous graduate program and the necessary focus to learn and apply best practices in pedagogy.  

Over the course of the two-year program, participants in TWUERP earn a master’s degree and teaching certification through a cohort-based learning experience while leading a classroom at one of the five Transformation Waco campuses. Participants receive personalized support from AUSL and TSU experts to gain the skills needed to become highly effective educators and to join an elite group of educators who learn, teach, and inspire in Waco. The TWUERP requires commitment, so aspiring educators must commit to serving in a TW school for at least 5 years in order to be eligible to enter the program of study.

Participants will earn a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Tarleton State University (TSU) through the Tarleton Model for Accelerated Teacher Education (TMATE) program. TMATE provides a program of study where participants will earn a master’s and alternative certification through a cohort-based learning experience in a hybrid online and in-person environment. The full cost of tuition is covered for participants who successfully complete both years of the program.

The process for this second cohort will be:

Applications will be reviewed by the Transformation Waco team on a rolling basis. Qualified candidates will receive an invitation to interview no later than January 31, 2020.

During your interview, you may be asked to deliver a sample lesson and speak with program representatives about your experience, qualifications, and passion for teaching.

If accepted, the first phase of the program is an internship. Interns will participate in a yearlong urban teacher training program facilitated by the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). During the training year, participants will work with a carefully selected and trained mentor teacher in the classroom and receive intensive professional development from AUSL and TSU that will enhance effectiveness.

Interns will be invited to participate in either spring or summer programming (this does not guarantee a teaching placement).

• Spring Programming: Early accepted and qualified interns will be eligible to start working in January 2020. Up to eight interns will be invited to start substitute teaching full-time in Transformation Waco schools for the spring semester. This will allow interns to develop practical teaching skills while networking with campuses to secure fall employment opportunities.

• Summer Programming: Summer Internships are a full-time (8am-5pm) commitment over the course of 8 weeks, starting June 1, 2020 with a break for the week of July 4th. Selected interns will receive high-quality professional development, practical teaching experience in summer school, and support for passing the certification content exam. Interns will receive a $640 weekly stipend for summer programming.

Upon successful completion of spring/summer programming, and passing the content exam, interns who have performed well will be eligible to be hired as “residents” and invited to lead a class at one of the five Transformation Waco schools.  They will start with an annual teaching salary of $49,000, competitive health benefits and an opportunity to earn additional stipends after the first year of teaching.

You can apply to be a part of the second cohort to TWUERP at: www.transformationwaco.org or contact the residency director at: 254-754-9448 for more information.

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Dr. John Jenkins is a Talent Developer for Transformation Waco. He has been in public education since 1995 with multiple Texas school districts. His role experiences include Student Initiatives Director, High School Principal, Alternative and Virtual School Principal, DAEP and District Training Principal for Administrators and Teachers, Middle School Principal (Waco ISD), Academic Dean, Assistant Principal, Special Education Coordinator, and Teacher. This is John’s sixth year at Waco ISD and is currently working with the Alternative Teacher Certification Program to increase teacher retention in Waco. He lives by the motto that “work is not work if you love what you do.” John is grateful for his time in Waco and working alongside the many caring and supportive family, organization, and teaching partners who put children first. 

 Halloween is coming soon, and children will be out in their neighborhoods to enjoy treats, fun, and games. Motorists and pedestrians can take steps to make this year’s Halloween a safe one!

Although Halloween comes before the change back to standard time this year, the days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer. With shorter days comes more night driving.  Because nighttime driving is more dangerous, it requires extra attention from motorists as well as pedestrians. NHTSA also reports that nearly two-thirds of all fatal pedestrian crashes occur in lowlight conditions. 

Sadly, Halloween also increases the number of drunk drivers on the road at night. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting 42 percent of those killed in traffic crashes on Halloween night from 2013 to 2017 died in crashes involving a drunk driver.

The large number of young pedestrians out on Halloween evening makes this an especially dangerous time. Here is a scary fact from the National Safety Council, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. That’s why Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Family and Community Health Educator Colleen Foleen, McLennan County reminds motorists, parents and children of the following safety tips to keep in mind during Halloween and all year long. 

 Tips for Motorists

• Avoid using handheld electronic devices.
• Remember that as soon as you step out of your car, you become a pedestrian.
• Be especially alert for all road users, including pedestrians, at night.
• Slowdown in areas where pedestrians are likely to be or where sight distances are limited. Keep your windshield clean. Watch for children walking on roads, medians, and curbs. Enter and exit driveways carefully
• Be especially alert for children darting out from between parked vehicles and from behind bushes and shrubs. They’re excited – and they are not paying attention.
• Never drink and drive – tonight or any night. If you are partying, designate a driver.
• If you see a drunk driver or impaired pedestrian on the road, contact local law enforcement.

Tips for Parents

• Adults should accompany children at all times and supervise their “trick or treat” activities.
• Teach children to “stop, look left-right-left, and listen” before they cross the street.
• Use a flashlight, and wear retro-reflective strips or patches on your clothing or costume to be more visible to motorists.
• Be certain that the mask does not obstruct vision or hearing.
• Ensure that costumes do not impede walking or driving ability. 

Tips for Pedestrians (children and adults)

• Before crossing a street, stop at the curb or edge of the road and look left, right, and left again to be sure no cars are coming. Continue to check for traffic while on the street.
• Walk – never run – from house to house or across the road.
• Cross the street only at intersections and crosswalks.
• When crossing at an intersection with a traffic light, be sure to watch for turning cars. Obey all pedestrian signals.
• Walk on sidewalks whenever possible. If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the street facing traffic.

By taking some extra time to make sure drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists obey the rules, Halloween can be a safe time for all.

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This information is provided by The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension

On October 29^th and 30^th of this year, in countless settings and places throughout the world, people will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Báb, whose revitalizing message prepared the way for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.

The Báb’s message was simple but  challenging and provocative to the Islamic clerics, politicians and Persian aristocracy.  Because of this, he was martyred in 1850, at the age of 30.  It’s a dramatic story, and one which was recounted around the world.

Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad was born in 1819 in Shiraz, Persia, and later took the title “the Báb,” which is the Persian term for “the Gate,” as he was the herald who prepared the way for Bahá’u’lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, much as John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Jesus.  The Bab, however, was able to continue his writing and preaching, and survived long enough to found his own religion, which as the precursor to the Bahá’í Faith, later founded by Bahá’u’lláh. 

Bahá’u’lláh, which translates as “The Glory of God,” was  born in 1817 as Mirza Husayn-‘Ali in Núr, Persia.  He announced in 1863 that he is God’s messenger for this age.  Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings and sacred writings are the basis of the Bahá’í Faith, an inclusive monotheistic faith that has grown to more than five million believers in nearly every country and territory across the globe.  Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed that God, our loving creator, sends divine messengers or Manifestations of God.  Since God has never abandoned mankind, there have been many such Manifestations –some of them possibly lost to history– but each have brought human civilization to ever higher levels of spiritual and material advancement.  Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the latest in this long line of known Divine Messengers, which has included Abraham, Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and the Báb.

The Bahá’í Faith is the fastest growing religion on earth, with more than five million adherents on every continent.  Bahá’ís can also be found in every state and thousands of communities throughout the United States.  Bahá’ís have been active in Waco since the 1950s, when a group of Dallas Bahá’ís travelled to Waco in order to expand the Faith in central Texas.  The Waco Bahá’í Center at 2500 Bosque Blvd. offers devotional programs, children’s classes, and study circles for spiritual education for people of all backgrounds. For information, check www.wacobahaicenter.org  or call (254) 300-4949.  To learn more about the Bahá’í Faith in America, visit www.bahai.us.

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NOTE:  To better understand the Bahá’i Faith in America, check the Religion Newswriters Association’s “Source Guide on the Bahá’í Faith” at http://www.religionlink.com/source-guides/the-bahai-faith-a-source-guide-for-reporters/.

NOTE:  Báb is pronounced “BAHB.”  Bahá’u’lláh is pronounced “Bah–HA-oh-LAH.”

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Michael Jones is a native of west central New Mexico.  In 1993, Michael arrived in Waco, Texas to begin a second career as writer and producer of student recruitment and college marketing videos, as well as developing curricula for  interactive and multimedia education programs for Texas State Technical College Waco.

The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email [email protected] for more information.

 By  Kay Schulz  

When I approach Human Resource Managers that are not familiar with our Employer Resource Network, their typical response is that they already have an EAP provider and are not considering any others.  My usual answer is that we don’t replace the EAP provider, we enhance it.  Well, what does that mean?

 I did some fairly in-depth research on EAP’s and what I learned was that they are all very different!  Different in who they serve, what they do and how they do it.  There are Managerial, Organizational, Administrative, Individual and Combination EAP’s.  Many EAP’s are part of large health insurance companies, some are independent and some are owned and operated by the employer as an “Internal EAP.”  Employees often don’t utilize the company EAP because they don’t know just exactly who they are talking with regarding their most private issues, since the interaction is typically by phone or computer.

So how does our Waco Employer Resource Network (WERN) service compare to most EAP’s?  The WERN program is not focused on wellness, mental, or behavioral health, but rather on “life circumstances.”  The WERN Success Coach is not a psychologist or licensed social worker.  WERN does not have a website with generic advice on common problems, nor do we offer a toll-free help line with 24-hour access!

 What WERN does offer is navigation to local social services, public assistance and private agencies delivered by one-on-one, face-to-face, confidential meetings with employees. The Success Coach has the connections and service partners in place to assist workers in finding solutions for the barriers that can interfere with employment.  This includes the basic needs of life: feeding and housing a family, paying utilities, transportation, work clothing and other provisions.  Satisfying the basic needs will serve as a foundation for workers so they can concentrate on their jobs and possibly achieve upward growth. 

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Katy Schulz is the WERN Liaison.  She connects employers with Success Coach services that support their workers to succeed at work and in life.  In her spare time she volunteers with TOSA to grow the number of registered organ and tissue donors in the area and to spread the word that the Gift of Life is a true miracle for us all!

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.

Press Release —The new Backyard Ecology Hall at the Mayborn Museum will open on October 5 with a ribbon cutting at 9:15am and special grand opening activities from 10am to 1pm. Grand opening activities will include seed-planting in the Historic Village and various activities throughout the museum throughout the day.

The Backyard Ecology Hall is a new long-term exhibit area which will offer an immersive exploration of ecosystems in the Waco area, providing hands-on learning experiences for visitors. It is specially designed to reach fourth through sixth grade level visitors but also offers engaging content appropriate for learners of all ages. “The development of the Backyard Ecology Hall is a major addition to the Museum’s permanent exhibits and represents a significant investment from many individuals, families and supporters to bring this vision to life,” says Charles Walter, Mayborn Museum Director.  

The Hall includes four discovery rooms, each with its own theme that connects to the ecology found in our own backyards. The four discovery rooms include the Amazing Abilities space, the Forms with a Purpose space, the Brazos River Gallery and the Living Together room. Each of the rooms have interactive components, specimens from the Baylor research collection and live animals. 

Created specifically for the Mayborn Museum, the Backyard Ecology Hall will feature Monarch butterfly migration, “snake squeeze” and video microscope interactives as well as a Brazos River-themed water table, a honeycomb-shaped climbing structure and a Baylor Research Station focused on current projects. “The Mayborn Museum is committed to engaging our community and inspiring lifelong learning,” Walter said. “Our new Backyard Ecology Hall is educational, visually stunning and absolutely engaging. We are thrilled to unveil it to the public and to provide hands-on learning experiences for visitors.”  Entrance into the new Hall will be included in the price of museum admission.

General admission for adults is $9, $8 for seniors, $7 for children ages two to twelve. Baylor students and members are free. 

The museum’s hours are:  Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, Thursday 10 am-8 pm,  Sunday 1 pm-5 pm.

The museum is open all year long except for Baylor University home football games and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Good Friday through Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  The museum is located at 1300 S. University Parks Drive, Waco, Texas 76706.  

By Kathy Carr

I confess.

I drink too much coffee. I eat too much popcorn, specifically dill pickle popcorn. I have full conversations with my dog. I am a Grey’s Anatomy super fan. Seriously.

There’s nothing exceptionally juicy there and you really didn’t learn anything life changing. Well, if you’ve never had dill pickle popcorn you are now destined to try it for no other reason than pure curiosity.

But for those of you who crave a little more dirt or something with a skeletons-in-the-closet effect, then maybe Confessions of an Entrepreneur (COE) is just for you. Admittedly, COE isn’t quite as salacious as Luke finding out the identity of his father or the whole “we were on a break” debate. However, there really is a lot of good stuff jam packed into these one-hour COE events.

Not familiar with COE? COE is a lunch-time speaker series (12:30 pm – 1:30 pm) on Baylor Campus, hosted in the Hankamer School of Business by the Baylor Entrepreneurship Department. The purpose of COE is two-fold: to promote local businesses and to show the audience that there is more than one path to successful entrepreneurship.

COE is now in its fifth semester, and we’ve had such an eclectic group of local business owners take the mic. We’ve heard confessions of hitting rock bottom, redirecting a family business and simply changing career paths. So many different journeys to entrepreneurship.

We’ve learned the specific details of operating a non-profit, running a coffee house, owning a juice bar and promoting Waco tourism. Have there been hurdles? Absolutely. Have there been doubts? You bet. Have there been sleepless nights? For sure. Do they all think Waco is the coolest place to have a business? Well, duh. We’ve learned so much from these entrepreneurs.

The fine points of each story have been diverse, to say the least. But there is one overwhelming characteristic of each entrepreneur that will grab you and have you on the edge of your seat… PASSION.

Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd was known to say “it’s a beautiful day to save lives” before his surgeries.

I can only imagine the COE speakers going to work each morning and saying things like it’s a beautiful day to blend the perfect smoothie or it’s a beautiful day to brew the best happy-in-a-cup or it’s a beautiful day to delight with did-you-know Waco facts.

The COE talks are both informational and entertaining wrapped together in a beautiful green and gold bow. Will the speaker confessions completely change the direction of your life? Probably not. But they will certainly leave you with a I-never-thought-of-that moment or two.

There are typically two COE events a semester. They are always free of charge and open to the public. The next COE will be Tuesday, October 1. Catherine Ballas and Angela Beeler of REFIT Revolution will take the mic and confess. This talk will not be boring. In case you missed it the first time, this talk will not be boring.

You can almost hear Catherine and Angela say something like it’s a beautiful day to share the love of fitness!

Stop by, grab a snack, pick your chair and enjoy the talk. It’s confession time.

Confessions of an Entrepreneur with Catherine Ballas and Angela Beeler of REFIT Revolution

• Tuesday, October 1
• 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
• Hankamer School of Business (1621 S. 3^rd Street)
• Foster Room 250
• Baylor.edu/Business/Entrepreneur/SpeakerSeries
• YouTube: Baylor Baugh Center
• Questions? Email [email protected]

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Kathy Carr is a Program Manager in the Baylor John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise. She enjoys sipping a good cup of coffee and exploring all of the lovelies that Waco has to offer.

By Anna Dunbar

I occasionally hear some folks express disappointment about recycling options in Waco. I find this surprising and I want to challenge that thought with some ideas about what each of us can do to reduce waste that goes to the landfill.

If you want to reduce your waste in and around Waco, here are some suggestions to try:

Curbside Recycling:  Waco residents can get 1 or 2 blue carts for curbside recycling and 1 or 2 green yard waste carts (effective October 1) for no extra fee. Please call (254) 299-2612 with questions or to request a blue or green cart on Monday through Friday from 8 AM until 5 PM.  Para informacion en Espanol: (254) 299-2612.  You can also go to waco-texas.com and complete a request form.  On the website you will find information about the recycling program including a calendar with “blue cart weeks” and “green cart weeks”.  You can also request a printed calendar be mailed to you. 

Drop-off Recycling: Anyone from anywhere can visit the Cobbs Convenience Center to recycle. You can bring the following items at no charge regardless of residency.   Please rinse items which have contained food or drink.                                        

• Plastics #1 and #2. Due to changes in the plastics market, lightweight plastics such as fresh strawberry containers and plastic cups, and are not being recycled by Sunbright Recycling. We cannot accept Styrofoam for recycling.
• Glass bottles and jars, clear, brown, blue and green.
• Metal, including steel or “tin” cans, aluminum cans, and aluminum pie plates.
• Paper, such as magazines, phone books, cardboard, junk mail, printer paper, envelopes with windows and stapled paper.
• Cooking oil (liquid only, please no solid grease)
• Household batteries and “curly bulbs”.

Drop-off recycling for Waco residents only: scrap tires (fee), appliances with Freon (fee), latex paint, used oil, antifreeze, oil filters and electronics can be taken to the Cobbs Recycling Center. Some items may have a fee. In addition, many electronics (except TV’s) can go to Goodwill. Best Buy accepts electronics for recycling from anyone; Best Buy will charge a fee for electronics with glass, such as TVs and monitors.

Organic waste: Become a part of the “blue bucket brigade” and divert your organic waste from the landfill! Mission Waco is asking for food waste for composting and is making buckets available for the process. One can obtain a blue bucket at the greenhouse, located on the corner of North 15th Street and Colcord Avenue, next to Jubilee Food Market. Instructions are available to help you with diversion of your organics for composting.

Landfill: If you are not a Waco resident, you can take appliances with Freon to the Waco landfill; there will be a $15 per appliance fee. You can also take clean brush for grinding and diversion from landfill disposal. You will pay a tipping fee according to weight.

Building Materials: The Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Waco takes used and new building materials. All donations must be in excellent physical and working condition whether new or gently used. ReStore is located at 1224 Franklin Ave in Waco  and normal business hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. Please drive to the back of the store where you will find the donation receiving area. Please check beforehand to be sure your donation will be accepted https://wacohabitat.org/contact-us/

Batteries and bulbs: Batteries Plus Bulbs on Waco Drive offers recycling of all kinds of batteries and bulbs. There may be a fee for some services.

Latex paint: If the paint is completely dry, it can be put in your trash. If you’d like to dry it out quickly, try kitty litter, mulch or sawdust. You can also purchase a paint dry product on-line.

Household Hazardous Waste: The cities of Hewitt, Lacy Lakeview, Waco and Woodway have held joint hazardous waste days in the past. There will tentatively be a Household Hazardous Waste Day in the spring of 2020. In the meantime, keep your unwanted materials in a safe place, preferably in the original containers. Leaking containers can be put in a second, larger container, then surrounded by kitty litter. Keep all materials out of the reach of pets and children.

School supplies or teacher supplies: Keep Waco Beautiful has a wonderful teacher’s closet for teachers to “shop” for no charge. Keep Waco Beautiful accepts donations of usable items. Just call (254) 339-1077 or email [email protected]

Tools: there is a new opportunity at the Tool Shed, a thrift shop that benefits Friends for Life. It is located at 430 Lake Air Drive. The store accepts new, used or broken tools for resale at a greatly discounted price. The store can also arrange pick-up of donations if needed.

Still have questions? I am happy to assist you. Please contact me at [email protected] or (254) 299-2612. Thank YOU for keeping Waco clean and green!

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Anna Dunbar is the Solid Waste Administrator for the City of Waco Solid Waste Services. She is responsible for informing Waco residents and businesses about recycling and waste reduction opportunities as well as solid waste services in Waco. Her husband is a Baylor professor and her daughter is a Baylor University alum who works at Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. Anna is an active member of Keep Waco Beautiful and The Central Texas Audubon Society.

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 Joe Riley

For more than nineteen years now (twenty in July!), KWBU has brought National Public Radio to greater Waco. Prior to 2000, McLennan County had been the largest metropolitan market in the country without National Public Radio service. Since then, Waco has grown, and KWBU has grown with it, enhancing its schedule with the highest quality news, talk, entertainment and music from around the world. Also, with the help of volunteers, the station provides more locally produced programming than ever (including Act Locally Waco!). And KWBU now has the largest audience in its history. Every week, some 15,000 faithful listeners tune in to learn about our world and our community. That’s up 50% from just five years ago.

Some of the growth in audience is due to the relocation of the station’s transmitter in 2014, providing a clearer, more consistent signal to previously unreached parts of the county. Another factor has to do with politics and the news. During the last presidential election season, many new listeners came to KWBU to keep track of the rapidly changing political and cultural landscape. Trustworthy journalism is essential to a healthy democracy.

KWBU brings this service to Waco – every hour of the day, every day of the year – with a staff of six and a cash budget of about $750,000. Some might think the station is taxpayer funded; in fact, KWBU receives only about 15% of its annual budget as a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. All the rest of the funding is local. About half comes from Baylor University (the station is licensed to the Brazos Valley Public Broadcasting Foundation, a subsidiary of Baylor); another portion comes as program support from local businesses; the remainder is donated by individuals – financial support from listeners is the most important source of revenue for Waco Public Radio.

But here’s the odd thing: while listenership is higher than it’s ever been, the number of donors has actually declined. Some have moved away, some have passed away, others have seen changes in their financial situations. Now fewer than five out of one hundred listeners support the KWBU financially. And, as with all organizations, expenses continue to increase every year.

In calculating what this means for the station, here are a couple of important facts:

• First, the money KWBU receives from the CPB and from Baylor provides a consistent foundation of support, with the expectation that those who use the service will donate money on an annual basis to assure the on-going health and growth of the station. There is no expectation that funds from CPB and Baylor will increase.
• Second, station expenses go up, on average, about 3½% per year.

To keep up with increases in expenses, funding from individuals and local organizations must grow at an even higher rate – about 7½% per year. This will require a broader base of support – more individuals joining in with the 5% who already give.

Build the Base is a new initiative to strengthen KWBU/Waco Public Radio’s base of support by adding at least six new donors per month.  That doesn’t sound like a lot, but over time it will reverse the trend of declining membership. And it’s catching on – since the beginning of the fiscal year in June, more than thirty first time donors have signed up. Your support will help maintain the momentum toward a truly sustainable base of support.

So what can you do? Here are a few ideas:

• Pledge your support! Choose an amount that fits your budget and call (254) 710-1033, or pledge online here:  https://www.kwbu.org/become-member#stream/0 .
• The average first-time pledge is about $120, but there is no minimum – the amount is up to you.
• If you’re already a member, consider increasing your pledge, or making an additional gift.
• Are you a Baylor employee? Sign up for payroll deduction: https://www.kwbu.org/payroll-deduction-form#stream/0 .
• Donate your old car: http://kwbu.careasy.org/home .
• If you’re a businessperson, join our Program Sponsorship Team: https://www.kwbu.org/become-kwbu-program-sponsor#stream/0 .
• Talk about the station with your friends, and encourage them to become members!

KWBU is a vital part of the Waco community, providing compelling, trustworthy journalism and intelligent cultural programming and entertainment. Your support really does make a difference. Thank you!

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Joe Riley has been President and CEO of the Brazos Valley Public Broadcasting Foundation/KWBU since 2009. Prior to coming to Waco, he worked many, many years in broadcasting in Maine, Tennessee, Alaska, and the Carolinas. He holds a BA (in English!) from Furman 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 [email protected] for more information.