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FEBRUARY 2017
Volume 7, Issue 10
Office Park West 209 S. Danville, Suite B-103 Abilene, Texas 79605 (325) 701-9505 www.HispanicLifeMedia.com [currently under construction]
PUBLISHER David A. Hernandez EDITOR HispanicLife Magazine editorial@hispaniclifemedia.com ADVISING EDITOR AND ACCEPTOR OF PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS Amy Hernández info@hispaniclifemedia.com (325) 701-9505 Office
ADVERTISING SALES Melissa Vinson (325) 201-6303 melissa@hispaniclifemedia.com
David Hernandez (325) 518-7091 sales@hispaniclifemedia.com
GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Debbie Heep info@hispaniclifemedia.com
About Us
We are dedicated to serving the Abilene and the Big Country by providing up-to-date information and resources that promote healthy families and homes. We also promote our clients businesses by increasing their customer bases and enhancing their public images within the Hispanic community. HispanicLife Magazine is published on a monthly basis and is owned & operated locally. Advertising rates are available upon request. While we use great care in creating our display ads, mistakes can happen. HispanicLife and the publisher are not liable for any damages arising from any typographical or mechanical errors beyond the cost of the ad. HispanicLife does not necessarily endorse any of the advertisers, products or services listed in this publication. 2017 HispanicLIfe Media
All rights reserved. No reproduction of any portion of this issue is allowed without permission from the publisher. www.facebook.com/HispanicLifeMagazine
The month of ‘love’ as they say, is spedcial, pure, kind, creative and passionate. We encourage you to “Share The Love” this month and for many months to come. Share it with you significant other, your children, a co-worker, a friend or a neighbor. Many of are married and we all know that marriage can be difficult at times. We can’t ignore the reality that every marriage, including the healthy ones, will face seasons where marital satisfaction dips and where the journey becomes harder. Invest in your marriage and your relationships. You’ll reap super big if you do! Take some time to write a card, send or give some flowers, or how about just a simple hug; it goes a long way. Be blessed and “Spread The Love” my friends. As it says in I Peter 4:48 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Here are our monthly features for February 2017: • The Pizza House - Clyde, TX (Larry Jones), pg 14-15 • ‘Spread The Love’, (Jessica & Roland Cisneros Jr), pg 5 (George & Adrianna santana), pg 7 (Leslie & Santos Valadez), pg 13 (Ursula Estrada & Justin Lopez), pg 17 (Rhyan Martinez & Chelsea Flores), pg 33 • Bill Enriquez, (Abilene I.S.D.), pg 19 • Dr. Thad Anglin, (Cisco College President), pg 31 • Abilene Regional Medical Center, (Florinda Gill • ‘Dry Needling’ ), pg 41 • RPG Automotive, (Ben Ramirez), pg 47 • A little Q & A with International Rescue Committee, pg 49
Have a great month and as always….First God, then Family and finally Friends…. David & Amy Hernández & the girls & all the staff here at HispanicLife
CALL US TO ADVERTISE (325) 701-9505 209 S. Danville, Suite B-103 Email: info@hispaniclifemedia.com
4 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
TXU Donates $75,000 to Help With Local Power Bills By Erica Garner | BigCountryHomePage.com
TXU Energy has donated $75,000 to help Abilene com- The amount of assistance provided will be based on munity members with their power bills. household income. United Way of Aiblene plans to help around 290 families with this money in 2017. The money, which was raised by local TXU customers who pledged to pay a little more on their bills each month, was donated to United Way of Abilene during a ceremony Thursday morning. United Way of Abilene hopes to help community members who used to receive utility assistance through the statewide LITE-UP Texas program that ceased all funding in August of 2016.
TXU also donated 200 blankets to Abilene’s Basic Anyone who wants to apply for assistance is asked to Needs Network which consists of organizations like contact 2-1-1 Texas. Their office is located at 240 Cy- United Way of Abilene, the Salvation Army, Protect press Street, and they can be reached by calling (325) Champs, and more. 673.8211.
Hearts Remembered Benefits Hospice of the Big Country With the start of each New Year, Hospice of the Big Country never knows how much charity care they will be asked to provide. However, the ability to pay for the service will NEVER be an issue when a terminally ill patient or their family is in need of help. To meet these needs, West Texas Rehabilitation Center’s Hospice of the Big Country is again preparing for the annual fundraiser, Hearts Remembered. This event helps fulfill the mission of providing the best possible end-of-life care to patients and families in Abilene and throughout the 11 surrounding counties, regardless of their ability to pay.
Hearts Remembered is a beautiful way to publicly honor or remember a special person in someone’s life. For a donation of $10, the name of the honoree is written on a heart and placed on a display that will be set up at the Mall of Abilene during the month of February. Hospice of the Big Country staff and volunteers will be available each weekend during the month to assist those in purchasing hearts. For questions or for more information on the Hearts Remembered event or hospice care, please call the Hospice of the Big Country office at 325-793-5450. Se habla español.
Texas Craft Beer & Music Festival Saturday, March 25th / 2 PM - 8 PM • San Angelo River Stage
Join us for our 1st Annual Texas Craft Beer and Music Festival. Hosted by Zero One Ale House and BackBeat Music Company, along with many other Sponsors and Supporters. This Event will be filled with TONS of Texas Wide Craft Breweries, GREAT Texas MUSIC talent and Local Businesses from all over San Angelo. Come out and support all of San Angelo’s Finest while giving back to the community. ALL Proceeds will go to ‘SUPPORT our LOCAL Veterans’.
For more info: (325) 653-9577
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
COMMUNITY Spread the Special Feature of HispanicLife Magazine
LOCAL PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Love
Jessica & Roland Cisneros Jr.
1) How and when did you both meet? We met when we were 12 at walmart..til this day he still remembers what i was wearing that day (a green nike dress and black shoes...lol).. and a year later we meet again at my hometown and started talking we became bestfriends... and then in the year 2003 we decided to be a couple and have been together ever since.
2.) Married or getting married? We are married ....on march 12th we will be married one year.. but we have been together for 13 years. last year we finally knew that it was the perfect moment and time for us to become one.
much more and made us more attracted to each other.
3.) What was the most significant attribute that attracted you to each other? We loved that we were both out going and we both loved our big smiles we both had all the time...we just knew that we were right for each other ..and with us growin up being best friends made us care for each other
4.) What do you believe has and will continue to keep you together? is the honesty in our relationship.we can literally talk about anything and say anything to each other. With us having such a open relationship it makes things so much easier. It took us a few years to get to this point in our relationship.
5.) Describe him/her in one word. He is “devoted�.. thats the one word that comes to mind.
6.) What relationship advice would you pass on to others? I would have to say that you would have to be open in any situation. Listen to what each other have to say even if you might not agree or like what they say and always just laugh it off. My husband and I laugh everytime at each others face when we argue and when we get mad...it helps the situation out and you forget what your arguing about in the first place.
6 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
HispanicLife Media
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Hondo Henderson. Firefighter Henderson joined the Abilene Fire Department in December of 1999. He is certifed as an EMTParamedic, Master Firefighter, Fire Instructor I, and Hazardous Materials Technician. He is currently assigned to Engine 6, A shift. Congratulations to Firefighter Henderson. Hondo Henderson. Firefighter Henderson joined the Abilene Fire Department in December of 1999. He is certifed as an EMTParamedic, Master Firefighter, Fire Instructor I, and Hazardous Materials Technician. He is currently assigned to Engine 6, A shift. Congratulations to Firefighter Henderson.
Spanish Texas: Legend & Legacy
The history of Texas as a unique blend of Spanish, Native American, Mexican and Anglo-American traditions will be the focus of this exhibition spanning all three floors of The Grace Museum.
Firefighter Miguel Garcia began his career with the Abilene Fire Department in March of 2011. He is certified as an EMTParamedic and a firefighter basic. He is currently assigned to Engine 1 on B shift.
Open through March 11, 2017 The Grace Museum 102 Cypress St., Abilene 325-673-4587
Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thurs. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. $6-Adults; $3-Seniors, students, non-active duty military; FreeMuseum members, active-duty military, and children ages 3 & younger
Christian humorist Jeanne Robertson brings her southern style comedy show to the Paramount Theater. This show benefits the WTRC‘s Big Country Hospice. Jeanne’s fans can expect to hear some of their favorite stories. However, Robertson has new stories, some about teenagers and how best to work with them as you’ll hear in the video above.
An Evening With Jeanne Robertson Paramount Theater | 352 Cypress Street Abilene, Texas Thursday, Feb. 23rd 6 PM doors open / 7 PM showtime
Tickets: $40 VIP front and center seating , $25 general admission Available at the Rehab Center, 4601 Hartford Abilene (or) online at WestTexasRehab.org or www.Jeanne Robertson.com For more info, please contact: Contact Nancy Roberts at 325-793-3512 This is a benefit fundraiser for Hospice of the Big Country for WTRC Sponsorships are available
Captain Rodney Goodman joined the Abilene Fire Department in May of 1986. He is currently certified as a Master firefighter and an EMT-Intermediate. He is assigned to station 8 on C shift.
Love
Spread the Special Feature of HispanicLife Magazine
Pick us up at Law Enforcement Office & Cisco College | COMMUNITY | 7
George & Adrianna Santana 1) How and when did you both meet? We met online on zoosk.com We started chatting on June 4, 2013 and met face to face on June 14, 2013. 2.) Married or getting married? Married Sept 14, 2014. 3.) What was the most significant attribute that attracted you to each other? Our common interests brought us together: God, family, BBQ and the Dallas Cowboys. 4.) What do you believe has and will continue to keep you together? Our faith in God amd in each other. When one of us feels that something is impossible, the other picks up and carries us to the finish. We never let each other fall. Honestly, George is the rock.
He’s the more level headed one! 5.) Describe him/her in one word. Him: Strong. Her: Queen 6.) What relationship advice would you pass on to others? Always communicate. Always speak honestly. Always laugh with AND at each other. Most of all, always pray together and for each other.
TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE
8 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Young People Set to Lift the Spirits of Local Seniors One Valentine’s Day Card at a Time DoSomething.org and Meals on Wheels America join forces for fourth annual Love Letters campaign By Rob Chastain | Development Director, Meals on Wheels Plus, Inc.
More than 15.5 million seniors in America live alone and face isolation due to declining mobility and geographic location. To help combat the negative effects of isolation, DoSomething. org, the largest organization for young people and social change, has teamed up with Meals on Wheels America, the oldest and largest national organization supporting communitybased senior nutrition programs, for the fourth annual Love Letters campaign. Area seniors and other adults with disabilities served by Meals on Wheels Plus are set to receive handmade Valentine’s Day cards created by youth volunteers from across the country this Valentine’s Day. The popular campaign, encouraging young people to create handmade Valentine’s Day cards to lift the spirits of older adults this winter, runs through February 15, 2017 and cards
will be included in meal deliveries to Meals on About Meals on Wheels Plus Wheels clients across the country. Meals on Wheels Plus, Inc. is a nonprofit charitable organization, which “Love Letters is one of DoSomething.org’s has been providing home-delivered most popular campaigns because young people meals in Abilene since 1975. Meals on get to use their creativity to help brighten older Wheels Plus is now serving more than adults’ day during a peak time of isolation and 1,100 frail individuals a hot lunch, depression,” said Michelle Fino, Chief Market- Monday through Friday. ing Officer at DoSomething.org. While many Meals on Wheels recipients Since 2014, the popular campaign has gener- are age 60 or older, the program is also ated nearly one million cards that have been available for younger adults who have distributed through Meals on Wheels Ameri- disabilities. Meals are be served on a longca’s network of local programs, which serves term basis or for a week or two while some2.4 million homebound seniors each year. The one recovers from a hospital stay or accident. support of this network provides is critical to Meals are provided to individuals regardless helping them maintain enough independence of their financial situation. Meals on Wheels to stay in their own homes. Visit www.doso- serves people who live in the Abilene, Ballmething.org/loveletters to get involved. inger, Eula, Hamby, Hawley, Hodges, Potosi, and Winters, Texas.
About DoSomething.org
DoSomething.org is the largest tech company exclusively for young people and social change. We’re activating 5.5 million young people (and counting!) to make positive change, online and off, in every US zip code and in over 131 countries.
Pick us up at Hernandez Bakery, Mr. Jiffy & Daniela’s Tex-Mex Rest | COMMUNITY | 9
Ridin’ for Cash Bull Bash to Benefit Visually Impaired Children By Kathleen Barkley | BigCountryHomePage.com
The 8th annual Ridin’ for Cash Bull Bash will be in Sweetwater on Saturday, February 18. It’s a popular event each year at the Nolan County Coliseum. Thirty bull riders and 20 mutton busters come to compete in the bull bash, but this isn’t just your normal rodeo. Cash Miles is just like any other 10-year-old boy. He enjoys reading and music. “I play a few instruments and I sing,” Cash said. But what makes Cash different is the way he sees the world. He was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and is legally blind. He has no sight in his right eye and very little in his left eye.
“You’re basically helping the visually impaired and the blind,” Cash explained. “We create awareness for visually impaired children in the area,” Matt Miles explained. “We send families to camps and conferences for their children to get better knowledge on their situation.” The Ridin’ for Cash Bull Bash has grown over the years, filling almost every seat, and everyone is there to support Cash. “I don’t know the word or how to describe it or anything,” Cash said. “But, it’s pretty exciting.”
“It’s where his optic nerve is too small,” Cash’s father, Matt Miles explained. “His eyes are fine. His optic nerves are too small to relay the message to the back of his brain to tell him what he sees.”
“I’m usually down here on the dirt getting everything ready,” Matt said. “By the time 7:00 rolls around, I’ll look up and I’ll see everybody piling in and they’ll be stacked all around through here and it chokes you up. You get real proud of where you come from.”
Matt says that this doesn’t stop Cash. Eight years ago, the Ridin’ for Cash Bull Bash was started to help kids like Cash.
Cash won’t actually be riding in the event. Instead, you can find him at the announcers stand helping announce the riders.
10 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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English professor addresses bullying in children’s book By Haley Remenar | Abilene Christian University Dr. Steven Moore shows many facets of his personality, whether he’s leading singing in Chapel, having coffee with students in the campus center, or teaching poetry classes. He recently revealed another side of his personality: a child who sucked his thumb. Moore, associate professor in the Department of Language and Literature and director of the McNair Scholars Program, has published a children’s book titled Theodore Thumbs. It tells the tale of a little boy who gets bullied, but finds comfort in sucking his thumb. While the story is not a true biography, Moore was inspired by his own life experiences dealing with bullying and racism at a young age. Moore grew up in a military family so he was constantly moving to new schools, churches and cultures. When he faced racism, Moore’s parents taught him to cope through love and forgiveness. As an adult, he explored his emotions through poetry rather than dwelling on bitterness.
Taking the Lord wherever you go
Although Moore has taught all levels of English from freshman to graduate courses, he be-
came most known on the ACU campus for a song he taught in Chapel. “Highways and Byways” involves hand motions for every lyric, and when Moore first taught the song he wasn’t sure how students would respond. They responded with great enthusiasm, and Moore now receives frequent requests to lead the song.
some very hard situations and life backgrounds that I don’t know how they’re able to stand at times. But yet they have these incredible dreams.”
Moore fights for those who are oppressed or disenfranchised in our world through his work with McNair and each day in the classroom as he approaches these subjects and more through literature and writing. He teaches an honors colloquium called Bon Appetit: Savoring Poetry & Good Cooking, which combines literature and eating out at restaurants in order to bring people together.
“I love the spiritual message, but what’s so awesome is that the students really do love that song,” Moore said. “It’s a reminder that we’ve got to take the Lord with us everywhere we go.” Fifteen years after he first taught the song, students still cheer when Moore steps up to the stage and sings the song’s opening notes. Moore said alumni have sent him videos of children singing the song from Africa, Brazil, England and from several states across the United States. But Moore’s influence on campus doesn’t stop there.
“In the classroom, I can raise all these important issues, these social issues that we wrestle with,” Moore said. “I He is get my students to engage with all of these isalso director of ACU’s McNair sues through literature and to respond to all of Scholars Program, a federally funded program those issues in writing.” designed to help prepare participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research Theodore Thumbs, illustrated by alumnus and other scholarly activities. Morgan Davis, is available for purchase from Clear Fork Publishing, from Amazon and from “I get a chance to work with very talented in- Barnes and Noble. dividuals,” Moore said. “Many of them have
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12 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Free Workshop:
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
9
Wedding University Tuesday, February 21, 2017 South Branch Library, 6:30 p.m. Thisisthefirstina6-partseriesofworkshopsthrough the spring to help you plan your perfect wedding. Danny Snook and his wife Vera own the Meadows Wedding Venue in Clyde, and they have over 30 years of experience in wedding photography and planning weddings. In the first session, attendees will learn about selecting the perfect location, wedding planners, choosing your attire, selecting wedding rings, and more. Call us at 325-6987565 to register to attend this free workshop.
Family Flix: “The Secret Life of Pets”
(Feb. 11 at 10:30am) - South Branch Library • Movie Summary: Taking place in a Manhattan apartment building, Max’s life as a favorite pet is turned upside down, when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke. They have to put their quarrels behind when they find out that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of lost pets determined to take revenge.
Saturday Matinee: “The Princess and the Frog”
Feb. 11 at 2:00PM, South Branch Library • Movie Summary: A waitress, desperate to fulfill her dreams as a restaurant owner, is set on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human being, but she has to face the same problem after she kisses him.
Mockingbird Movies: “Sabrina”
(Feb. 13 at 4:00pm) - Mockingbird Branch Library • Movie Summary: An ugly duckling, having undergone a remarkable change, still harbors feelings for her crush: a carefree playboy, but not before his business-focused brother has something to say about it.
Teen Flix Hours: “Dante’s Peak”
(Feb. 17 at 5:45pm) - South Branch Library • Movie Summary: An expert in volcanoes arrives at a countryside town recently named the second most desirable place to live in America and discovers that the long dormant volcano, Dante’s Peak, may wake up at any moment.
Family Flix: “Cinderella”
(Feb. 18 at 3:00pm) - Main Library • Movie Summary: When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her scheming step-sisters. Never one to give up hope, Ella’s fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.
Teen Flix: “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
(Feb. 21 at 4:30pm) - Main Library • Movie Summary: Archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis.
Family Flix: “Angry Birds”
(Mar. 11 at 10:30am) - South Branch Library • Movie Summary: Find out why the birds are so angry. When an island populated by happy, flightless birds is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to three unlikely outcasts - Red, Chuck and Bomb - to figure out what the pigs are up to.
Spread the
Love Leslie & Santos Valadez
Pick us up at Drug Emporium, Monterrey Mex Rest & Lytle Land & Cattle | COMMUNITY | 13
Special Feature of HispanicLife Magazine
1) How and when did you both meet? Santos Valadez & I actually started talking thru Facebook in September of 2010. Yes, made the first move and instant messaged him first. Lol! We are a couple of years apart and attended the same high school but didn’t know of each other then. In October of 2010, we were both working for Walmart here in Abilene but at two different locations. We finally decided to meet at our company picnic at the Abilene Zoo. We started dating on November 15, 2010. 2) Married or getting married? Santos proposed to me on February 28 , 2015 at The Mill, which was very romantic and a day before my birthday, and we were married on October, 1 2016 at the Willow Creek Chapel in front of our family and friends.
3) What was the most significant attribute that attracted you to each other? What attracted us to each other was that we were both at place where we both needed someone to find comfort and trust. My husband had lost his mother to cancer years before we had met and when we starting dating his Dad
was sick and ended up passing away in January of 2011. He was the sole provider for both his parents. I can’t even imagine losing one but both parents. As for me, I had just got out of a bad relationship and had given up hope that I would ever find love. We always tell people that finding each other saved us and I was there for him and he was there for me and still are today. We don’t know where we would be if we hadn’t met. 4) What do you believe has and will continue to keep you together? The two biggest qualities that have kept us together are trust and communication. Without those, we wouldn’t be where we are today and they definitely play a big part of our daily lives and are what keeps us together and happy. 5) Describe him/her in one word. One word that both describes us to each other is loving because of the love we have for each other and others. 6) What relationship advice would you pass on to others? Advice that we like to pass on to oth-
ers in relationships are that the road will not always be easy, there will be arguments and conflicts, but don’t give up or walk away angry, be patient, communicate with each other and work through them. Communication, compromise, and understanding each other will make for a happy and healthy marriage.
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The History of ‘The Pizza House’
14 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
HispanicLife Media
Clyde, Texas holds a special piece of Texas right in their own backyard. By Delaine Self | A Special to HispanicLife Magazine
The Pizza House of Clyde, Texas, came about from Dave C. Self’s and his family’s dream of owning and operating a pizza place. David is a hard worker and an entrepreneur. He worked at Mrs. Baird’s bakery in his teens, worked in the oil fields, as a custom combiner, a truck driver, in the dirt and concrete business, and for a brief stint with car inspection station. He has owned businesses in storage buildings, a car wash, building carports and as a restauranteur. In late 1989 or even early 1990, David C. Self heard of a place in Dallas that was a supplier and taught classes on making pizza making, using their products. So David, his mother, Doretha Self, along with Joe Salinas, his right hand man, took a trip to Ft. Worth, Texas to learn how to make pizzas.
About a year and half later the oldest daughter, Lyn, came home and joined in as well. About that same time, David decided that the trailer was obsolete and started building They came home, cleaned up an old trailer a big metal building behind the with a built on dining area that he had previ- trailer. The Pizza House moved ously used for a catfish diner, and ordered his into it and moved the trailer out. That same year, a high school girl pizza supplies. Then they got to work! named Becky joined their ranks. With the help of assorted friends David, Doretha and Joe started making pizzas. David In addition to making pizza, they wasn’t too sure about just opening a can of had square dances, opened a gift sauce, so he developed a taste he could live shop and an old timey ice cream / with, which is the very pizza sauce still used soda bar. For a brief stint they even tried making snow cones. today. In June 1990, DeeDee, David’s youngest Soon after, the fast food chain, ‘Whataburg- the land the Pizza House was on, due to the daughter, came home and joined the crew. er’, approached him with an offer to purchase Interstate’s easy on and off access. David sold the property to them around 1998.
At that time, David also owned 301 Car and Truck Wash on the south side of the interstate. It had a very small brick building located in front where the girls continued to make pizza. It was a pickup and delivery location only and there was no possible way to eat in. David and Joe went to work constructing the building the Pizza House now resides in. They made it workable and with the help of DeeDee, Lyn and Becky, they moved into the new building in the summer of 1999. Pizza making never missed a beat, not even during the move.
During all this, David wanted more variety. So, he found someone to fry chicken, which didn’t work out like he wanted. Next, came sandwiches, which again didn’t work out. Then Alice from Alice’s Mexican food was brought in and things went fairly well until the long hours got to be a little much and Alice was ready to go home.
The Pizza House was now dine in, delivery and pick up as the family continued making pizzas. Then, along came the musicians who wanted a place to play, so David built them a stage. The Pizza House now had live music, and the girls were still making pizza and trying to hold on to their sanity.
As a part of the business, we incorporated doing delivery, but hit a few snags along the
March 10th, 11th, 12th - 2017 Nolan County Coliseum 1699 Cypress Sweetwater, Tx. 79556
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Pick us up at Primetime Family Entertainment, Sears Rec Center & Kentucky Fried Chicken | COMMUNITY | 15
way - personnel and such, and was soon cancelled. Fortunately, the halt of the delivery didn’t affect the success of the business. Since that day, The Pizza House has and is still making pizza the way it always did. It still makes its own signature sauce of which only a handful of people know the secret. It’s still the same three girls from 20+ years ago, they’re just a little older. And there is still live music on the first, third and fourth Fridays and if there happens to be a fifth Friday there is Gospel music and every second Saturday. David Self and his family have a family legacy of creating amazing homemade pizza and creating a great, family atmosphere. If a person was to show up at the right time one Friday night, they might even get to see David. Just a little trivia question: “Where was the firsts place Aaron Watson played live?” That’s right, folks, right here at The Pizza House of Clyde, Texas! Come out and enjoy some pizza and fun at 725 S. Access Road, Wednesday - Monday 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. YELP.COM REVIEWS ◙ This is such a fun and unique dive that you must go to if you are in the area. It is a fun blast to the past. Southern Hospitality at its finest. I love the simplicity of everything here. The decor is a bunch of old Texas antiques. – Chelsea B. ◙ Wonderful food. Wonderful service. They had music on Friday that was pretty cool. Not overwhelmingly loud but pleasant. – Erika T. ◙ This place is a great home town restaurant with great ppl and great food. We live in Fort Worth area, but i grew up in Abilene and now when we are in town we have to always make a stop in Clyde to get the Best Pizza in the West!! – Quentin T. _______________________________________________________________
Getting to our pizza restaurant from Abilene, TX is extremely easy and will only take you about 18 minutes. First, get on I-20 from E Highway 80. Follow I-20 for six miles, then take exit 301 to Frontage Road, in Clyde, TX. Once you are on Frontage Road, our pizza restaurant will be about 0.2 miles up, on the right! • (325) 704-8900
16 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Abilene Man Travels the World Without Leaving His Computer By Kathleen Barkley | BigCountryHomePage.com
Thomas Hale has money that has been to thousands of towns, 50 states, and 33 countries. He is able to track his money by using a site called ‘Where’s George.’ For him, it’s more than a hobby. He says he’s making an impact.
tered it, and got lured right in.”
“Give it a try,” Hale said. “It’s just real simple fun.” Hale takes pride in the many places that his monies travel.
“It’s kind of interesting knowing that you can make an impact just by spending,” he said.
You may have seen the Where’s George logo stamped on dollar bills. By logging on to WheresGeorge.com and entering the serial number, you can see where that particular Where’s George bill has circulated. Thomas Hale has over 118,000 bills entered in the Where’s George database.
He’s tracked his bills in some pretty unique locations, but the most interesting place he’s seen one of his bills is in Ganhar, Afghanistan.
“All 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and “Just the part of it is knowing that your money 34 other countries,” he said. His hobby started has been someplace you don’t have the opportuwith a dollar bill and some curiousity nine nity to ever even go,” he said. years ago. Signing up for Where’s George is free. Hale ex“Back when I worked at the drive thru movie plained that the stamp that he uses was ordered theatre, I found a Where’s George bill one from the Where’s George website and stamping night,” Hale explained. “I traded out for it, en- the monies is completely legal.
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Ursula Estrada
1) How and when did you both meet? He first saw me when I passed by his house. I first met him at a friend’s house. He heard I was there and showed up so we could “officially” meet. It was in October don’t know the exact day. But till this day we always joke and say he fell in love with my ‘chongo’ (monkey). 2) Married or getting married? We are engaged and getting married July 8, 2017 3) What was the most significant attribute that attracted you to each other? To me it was his silliness. He would make me laugh so much with his voice and impersonations. Even till this day. 4) What do you believe has and will continue to keep you together? Our love and fight for this relationship. No matter what we have been through together we still continue to push forward and fight for our relationship.
Love
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5) Describe him/her in one word. Annoying! Haha jk Devoted 6) What relationship advice would you pass on to others? If you truly love each other never give up. Nothing is never easy but always worth the fight. Always remember your never alone and God has a reason behind every battle.
3) What was the most significant attribute that attracted you to each other? Her booty, haha and her smile.
4) What do you believe has and will continue to keep you together? How comfortable I am when I’m with her. I can be silly with her in ways I can’t be when I’m around other people. Plus the live 1) How and when did you both meet? I saw I have for her even after everyher pass by in her red impala with a mutual thing we been through. friend. All I saw was her pony tail and beautiful smile. So I texted the friend she was with 5) Describe him/her in one word. Beautiful to find out who she was. This was October 21st on her birthday. 6) What relationship advice would you pass on to others? She’s always right! Even when 2) Married or getting married? Getting she’s wrong, she’s right! married on July 8, 2017
Justin Lopez
18 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Texas Author Series Brings Speakers to Abilene Libraries By Janis Test | Abilene Public Library
The 2017 spring Texas Author Series, sponsored by Friends of the Abilene Public Library and the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, will feature four Texas authors speaking at two library locations.
Texas: A Nature Travel Guide, a well-organized field guide to about 100 nature-oriented sites in Texas -- 2 p.m. Sunday, March 5, South Branch. Johnnie Lou Avery Boyd, Abilene, has “This year, with the new South Branch being written a new biography, MizHat: The Life Jouropen on Sunday afternoon, we decided to split ney of Roy Helen Herndon Mingus Ackers, com-
the series and have two programs at South on ing out in March – Noon Monday, March 20, Sunday and two at the Downtown library at Downtown. noon on Monday,” said series chairman Glenn Dromgoole. Rachel Caine, Fort Worth, international bestselling author of more than 45 science fiction Texas Author Series programs had been of- and young adult novels, will talk about Ink and fered just at lunch on Mondays for several Bone and Paper and Fire from her new series, The years. All library locations were closed on Great Library – 2 p.m. Sunday, April 2, South Sundays until the South Branch opened in its Branch. new Mall of Abilene site in November. Mike Cox, Wimberly, prolific Texas author “The Sunday afternoon programs allow peo- and historian and the 2010 A.C. Greene Award ple who can’t come to a weekday lunch ses- winner, will discuss his book on Texas Disasters sion because of work or school to have the – Noon Monday, April 24, Downtown. opportunity to hear some of the fine Texas au- thors we bring to Abilene,” Dromgoole said. The programs usually last about an hour. Copies of the authors’ books will be available for purThe spring lineup includes: chase and signing. There is no charge to attend. Lunch will be offered at the two Downtown sesMary O. Parker, who lives near Smith- sions for $5. For more information, see the liville in Central Texas, is the author of Explore brary’s web site, abilenetx.com/apl.
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EDUCATION
LOCAL SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY NEWS
School Board Latest in Community Service By Sandy Lowe | HispanicLife Magazine
Billy Enriquez was recently appointed to the Abilene Independent School Board to fill the seat vacated when Stan Lambert was elected Texas House District 71 representative. But this is far from Billy’s first experience with community service.
The same group has worked with the City to organize a community-wide Thanksgiving meal and a Diez y Seis de Septiembre celebration marking Mexico’s independence from
Billy considers himself a native Abilenian since he moved here with his family when he was seven years old. He attended Fannin Elementary School, Mann Middle School, Abilene High and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from McMurry University. He and his wife Tina raised their two children Rick and Heather here. Tina teaches eighth grade reading and writing at Clack Middle School and they have four grandchildren and one great grandchild. Billy recently retired from the automotive repair business and continues to work in real estate management. Much of Billy’s community volunteer work involves the neighborhood around the Sears Recreation Center on Ambler Avenue. A group called the “Sears Park Revitalization Committee,” organized through the City of Abilene has made strides in focusing on the neighborhood needs and park improvements. “Of course we need more affordable housing,” Billy says, “and better paying jobs. But we have facilitated many improvements in the last twenty years and we have a great partnership with the City.”
“All these people in this group have worked together as champions for this neighborhood,” Billy says. “They’ve made personal sacrifices to better the community for future generations.”
Tech Mariachi Band to perform with Hispanic Leadership Council’s Ballet Folklorico at the Paramount in April. He’s also helping organize a political forum in March to highlight the local mayoral race.
Billy has also spent many hours volunteering in schools prior to his appointment to the School Board. He organized a program for third grade classes that brought in Hispanic leaders to talk about the value of education and to have lunch with the students. He also ran the baseball program at the Sears Center for about twelve years.
As a new member of the school board Billy has concerns as well as goals.
“I had good relationships with those kids,” he said. “Now their kids are playing ball. It’s a cycle of service and a chance to do what’s right by a child.”
“We have very capable, competent superintendent and board members,” he says. “Everyone has one agenda. That is to provide the best education we can to every student in the district.”
“Our greatest non-educational problem is communication,” he says. “Some Hispanics feel like they don’t have a voice if there’s not a Hispanic on the school board. My greatest contribution will be that I’m bringing a perception that’s needed to make everyone feel they’re included in the process.”
Billy takes pride in being a part of AISD’s “Team of 8,” the seven board members and Superintendent Dr. David Young.
A unified board with student-focused goals Because he spent so much time volunteering can’t help but provide successful education at schools, Billy’s friends sometimes called opportunities. Billy Enriquez has the experihim with their concerns about their children’s ence to help reach those goals. school problems. He became something of a facilitator for people who wanted to bring those concerns to the board meetings. Spain on September 16th. Mary Estrada, former director of the Sears Center, started the Diez y Seis commemoration, and it has been carried on by the Hispanic Leadership Council.
“I couldn’t’ speak for them,” he says, “but I would go along as support if they were shy about speaking.” As a part of the Hispanic Leadership Council Billy is currently helping bring the Texas
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20 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
February is National CTE Month
Spring into Career Readiness CTE Students Gear Up For Competitions By Abilene Independent School District
Springtime is perhaps the busiest season in Career and Technical Education (CTE) with students participating in numerous career and leadership competions. The Spring 2017 semester in Abilene ISD promises to be full of fun and meaningful learning activities and events. The month got off to a big start on the first weekend with the AHS/CHS livestock exhibition at the AISD School Farm on Maple Street. Each year February is recognized as National CTE Month. It is a public awareness campaign held to celebrate Career and Technical Education and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country. CTE Month 2017, with its tagline of “Celebrate Today, Own Tomorrow!” exemplifies the objectives of CTE classes and Career Tech Student Organizations (CTSO’s). Many of us realize the lifelong impact our membership in high school organizations had on us, and I’m sure you can remember being involved in some of the organizations shown below! Three out of every four students in grades 9-12 in AISD are enrolled in a CTE class. AISD employs nearly 60 CTE teachers who serve these 3,200+ students each day. With such a large number of teachers and students involved, there are more exciting things to talk about than we can cover in one publication. CTE teachers and students are positively impacted through partnerships with localbusinesses and colleges. As an example, there are multiple dual credit opportunities available to students as well as industry-recognized training and technical certifications.
February 2017
Meals on Wheels Volunteers of the Month
JESSICA, JOE, JAMES, JULIA & JOSH MELSON
Jessica Melson wanted to do something with her kids, and help them get to know our community. She decided to start delivering Meals on Wheels in June of 2004 and says it has been a great opportunity for her family to love and serve. The kids are all in school now, but they know, if they are out of school on a Tuesday, or during holidays, they will be delivering a Route at Meals on Wheels with mom! Jessica says they have developed sweet relationships with the clients they have delivered to and have wonderful memories of Meals on Wheels. Jessica stays busy being involved in the schools her kids attend. She is also very active in her church’s youth, choir, and women’s ministries. Jessica has been, or is currently, active in Junior League, DWCC-AISD and Junior Achievement. I don’t know where she finds it, but in her spare time, she enjoys baking, jazzercise and volunteering. Thank you Melson family for not only delivering a meal to our clients, but loving on them as well!
The Development Council of Abilene, in conjunction with Workforce Solutions of West Central Texas, offers matching scholarships to provide financial assistance to students wishing to pursue advanced education and career preparation at the college level. As a result, we have a significant number of students enrolled at Cisco College and TSTC. These partnerships are crucial in merging the needs of the local workforce with the education and training provided to AISD students. We are always open to new participation from local businesses who wish to offer both paid internships as well as unpaid externships as they seek employees for the future. Another example of partnerships is the addition of Fire Fighter courses beginning in Fall 2017. Through shared responsibility of facilities and teacher salary between AISD and the City of Abilene, classes will be offered to students who wish to pursue a career as a firefighter. Career readiness and real life training will be available to students in a way never before offered in Abilene. The CTE programs in Abilene ISD are filled with innovation and excellence. For that reason, we continue to seek ways to increase partnerships and also raise awareness of the crucial role that CTE plays in readying our students for careers and economic success. We would love for you to join us in our quest to help students to become College and Career ready.
MAKING
A+ DIFFERENCE
MEET
SARA GARZA NAME: Sara Garza CAMPUS: Craig Middle School TITLE: ESL/ELA Teacher TIME WITH AISD: 10 1/2 years WHERE ARE YOU FROM? WHAT SCHOOL DID YOU ATTEND?: I am from a spot on the map called Christoval, TX. It is 20 miles south of San Angelo. I went to Christoval ISD. Go Coogs! TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY: I thank God I found my amazing husband here in Abilene. He works for a wind farm. I have a marvelous step-daughter that recently moved back from Oregon and an incredible step-son, who is a Sergeant in the US Army. He and his wife have two wonderful boys and two more on the way. I have another spectacular daughter who lives here in Abilene with her husband and fantastic granddaughter and grandson. We have an exchange daughter from Vietnam who will graduate from Liberty University in May. Finally, I have my prodigious youngest daughter that is in her final year here at Craig. I have learned a lot from them all, and they keep me sane. TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOURSELF: I was stationed less than 40 miles from the DMZ in Korea. I passed the Heidelberg Castle every morning and afternoon which was beautiful. Now, I get to watch spectacular sunrises and sunsets daily. I am BLESSED. I would still love to travel and am trying to convince my husband to move to New Zealand or Australia.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? My favorite part of the job is the kids. I know they are the future! I know they may fuss, and I fuss along with them, but they still have hearts of gold. They help each other, they teach me and encourage me to want to be a better person. As educators, we are laying the fundamentals for these kids and the future of our world. I truly am blessed to be where I am. WHAT THE BOSS SAYS ABOUT HER: Sara Garza is one of the hardest working teachers I know! During my time at Craig, she has served as the Special Education PALS teacher and now as the campus ESL teacher. She has a huge heart for both groups of students and strives to provide them with an excellent learning experience on a daily basis. Her heart for her current ESL students extends way beyond the classroom as she gets to know each of their families and their unique stories about coming to America and to Abilene. Ms. Garza is a class act and we are so fortunate to have her here at Craig Middle School. ~ Dan Dukes, Principal, Craig Middle School
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The Wheels on the Bus Go... By Rene McAden | Director of Transportation, Abilene Independent School District
On any given school day in America over 450,000 school buses will transport 23.5 million children to and from school and schoolrelated activities.
talization. Compartmentalization provides passenger protection even when seat belts are not available. With compartmentalization, passengers are protected by a secure interior design that includes seats with high backs that are well padded, strongly anchored and evenly spaced. Compartmentalization has proven to be extremely effective in protecting students in the event of an accident.
In Abilene ISD, school buses roll out each morning before the sun comes up and will transport over 5,400 students on 57 different routes to campuses throughout the district. In addition to regular routes, there are 90 shuttles that run each and every day between Given that student safety is the Transportation Department’s top priority, we want to campuses. make sure we are doing all we can to meet Other student transportation needs, such as that objective. field trips and extracurricular activities, require AISD buses to run year round. During As a result, AISD became one of the first disthe summer period of May through July there tricts in West Texas to order new buses with seat belts. We purchased five 77-passenger were over 300 trips. buses equipped with seat belts in 2016 and As would be expected, fall is a busy time plan on including seat belts in all high capacas well. From August to January there were ity bus purchases in the future. over 1,100 trips that covered roughly 175,000 miles. Looking at what is scheduled for the The design of Texas school buses makes spring, the Transportation Department will be them some of the safest vehicles on the road, and the AISD Transportation Department is covering miles and miles of Texas. going the extra mile to transport our students Ask any AISD bus driver and you will learn in the safest way possible. that student safety is the Transportation Department’s primary objective. A recent article by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that school buses are seven times safer than passenger cars or light trucks. Given the distinctive yellow color and their large, sturdy frame, school bus design not only helps avoid collisions but also protects students should there be an accident. As you know, seat belts play an important role in keeping occupants safe in passengervehicles; however, school buses use a different passenger restraint system to protect students. School buses provide crash protection to students through a concept called compartmen-
22 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
TSTC Student-Led Restaurant to Open on Valentine’s Day
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By Abilene Independent School District
Texas State Technical College’s Culinary Arts walk-ins. Though a menu for next week isn’t set students will host lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 in stone, a Lovers theme is in the works. p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week starting on Valentine’s Day. “There will be hearts, chocolates and strawberries. Lots of reds and pinks,” Moon said. The lunches, hosted at TSTC’s downtown location, are part of the students’ Management The program hopes to be able to serve more of Food Production and Service course, a last- people than in the past with longer hours and semester class. Students are chosen as “chef table turnover. of the week” and plan a menu, complete with shopping list and cost analysis. “In the past, we would only seat a table once. Now we are going to try out turning tables,” “The class is how we assess what the students Moon said. “It creates more hustle, but it’s how have learned,” said Culinary Arts instructor it’s done in the real world. We’ve also extended Kayleen Moon. “There is a lot of math in- the hours to 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s more of a real volved with profit and planning.” lunch hour. We don’t want to have to turn anybody away.” Students are offered a look at running a realworld restaurant. Students in TSTC’s baking course will also have pastries and other goods for sale. “This is their chance to see what it looks like,” Moon said. “We will have students not come For more information on TSTC’s student restauin that day and you’ll have to make changes. rant, visit tstc.edu/about/culinarydiningabilene. It’s exactly how it would be if one of your staff calls in. They also get to learn to work with people they don’t necessarily agree with. After working together for a year, not everybody gets along.”
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Exploring STEM through Aerospace and NASA By Abilene Independent School District
Through several new endeavors, students at the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science are experiencing space and flight in ways they never have before! This year, ATEMS is offering a new Aerospace Engineering course, students as well as faculty are participating in the NASA Aerospace Scholars Program, flight simulator technology is being introduced to the campus, and a group of students are visiting both the Challenger Center in Waco and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The students learn how to design instruments that allow a pilot to determine information (heading, altitude, velocity and pitch) at an understanding that is deep enough to allow them to successfully demonstrate their use of this knowledge. Students use a flight simulator pro-
Aircraft mechanics with flight familiarity will be better able to diagnose and successfully repair aircraft. Air traffic controllers who have a working knowledge of flight mechanics will be able to give instructions to inflight aircraft that are easier to follow and make more sense to pilots. These alternative career options which have excellent pay and prestige are outstanding opportunities for students.
The Department of Commerce reports that “over the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in For several years ATEMS has ennon-STEM jobs. STEM joyed an association with NASA, workers are also less likewith ATEMS staff serving as technily to experience joblesscal reviewers and on-site counselors ness than their non-STEM for the NASA High School Aerocounterparts. Science, space Scholars (HAS) program. technology, engineering ATEMS is pleased to announce that, and mathematics workers for the first time ever, three ATEMS play a key role in the susstudents were selected this fall to tained growth and stability Mr. Long instructing group of students on the flight simulator. Students learn how to fly by participate in the NASA HAS proof the U.S. economy and virtually controlling an aircraft using a joystick. gram. Congratulations to them! are a critical component to gram with a computer/monitor set up controlled helping the U.S. win the future� (David, et al.). The implementation of our new Aerospace by a joy stick to learn the basics of piloting an Engineering course has led to increased aircraft. Currently, students are even able to At ATEMS, it is our goal to offer students in student interest in aerospace studies. Mr. participate in flight simulation activities during Abilene ISD challenging and relevant experiences Tracy Long is the teacher of this new class Mega-Lunch. in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at ATEMS. The program is part of Project (STEM) disciplines, especially in the fields of enLead the Way nationally recognized engi- In addition, there are alternative careers in gineering and information technology. neering curriculum. Aerospace students learn Aerospace Engineering that require an even the mechanics and principals of flight and more thorough understanding of manned flight. Our Aerospace Engineering program and enrichare required to learn not only the physics that Students who practice with simulated flying in ment activities are engaging students in meaningexplains why an aircraft flies, but also how the Aerospace Engineering classes will be bet- ful, hands-on, learning that will help open doors to these physical properties are manipulated by ter prepared to excel in flight training programs, pursue exciting postsecondary options and STEM the control surfaces on the aircraft to produce especially those students seeking military ca- careers in the future. controlled flight. reers.
24 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Spotlight on Early Childhood
Foster Grandparents are Better Than Milk and Cookies
By Abilene Independent School District
Grannies, Grandpas and little kids…they go together better than warm chocolate chip cookies and ice cold milk. At least that is what Early Childhood thinks. Early Childhood has approximately 80 partnerships with agencies in Abilene. We are thankful for each one of them as they provide needed services for the three and four year-old children in our care. One of the sweetest partnerships we share is with the Foster Grandparent Program.
The grown-ups walk beside students as they learn to work through conflict resolution, disappointment and obedience (even when obeying is very, very hard) in the classroom.The grandparents work with kiddos in small group settngs, listening intently to the stories of the youngest learners in our district…stories that are very important to three and four year old students. The stories are sometimes trite; adults and children smile and chuckle with one another.
Every single morning, retirementaged men and women show up on the early childhood campuses ready for “work.” The grannies smell good and the grandpas’ voices are strong and assuring. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience that is vital to the Early Childhood program. WHEN: Second Weekend of the Month WHERE: 2501 E. Highway 80, Abilene, TX 79601 (Corner of Loop 322/Highway 80, SW Corner) TIME: Saturday, 9-6 • Sunday, 11-4 Email Contact: info@tradedaysofwesttexas.com Phone Contact: 214-850-7566
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The foster grandparents do important work in our classrooms. There is tenderness in observing the generations interacting with one another. Grandparents are ready in classrooms to be present and in the moment with each child. They provide a “stillness” for students, supporting them socially and emotionally.
They roll playdough into letters and teach students how to safely use scissors. They demonstrate how to correctly hold crayons, markers and pencils as kiddos begin drawing stories, creating their own words and writing their first and last names. Grandparents read books to children and little ones read back to them. Sometimes the same book sounds very different depending on the person “reading,” but, that is OK, too. We believe that there are no accidents in Early Childhood… all encounters, interactions and relationships are filled with purpose and meaning. Children, families and staff love the grannies and grandpas because of the impact they have on the social, emotional and academic development of students.
Some grandparents begin the day standing in the hallways greeting children and families upon their arrival with high-fives, butterfly handshakes and fishy kisses. Joy represents itself through the smiles and laughter seen and heard as the morning greetings take place. Occasionally, there is a little one who has a hard time coming into school. These grandparents know all of the tricks of their trade! They are able to coax children into school as only grandparents can.
rooms, grandparents work with children under the guidance of the teaching staff. The grandparents are experts in all areas of Early Childhood.
Sometimes the stories told are very serious. In these moments, the generations peer into one another’s eyes with a “knowing-ness,” an understanding of the heart. The older and the younger breathe together through the hard conversations with the older reminding the younger that school is a good place, and love and safety reside within its walls. However, do not be fooled! Our grandparents are a sturdy group, too. They are smart and savvy in the ways they encourage children through the academic process. In the class-
Early Childhood is thankful for the Foster Grandparent Program and the grandparents who choose to be with us. We know our grandparents are better than warm cookies and milk. They sweeten our lives in the moment, encourage success in the school settng and add gentleness and strength to families through their relationships with them. The grannies and grandpas simply make us better. Their influence is long lasting…impacting generations that we may never know. Thank you, Early Childhood Grannies and Grandpas! You do important work. We love you and appreciate you.
Pick us up at China Star, Abilene Public Library & Martinez Barber Shop | EDUCATION | 25
26 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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Bassetti Elementary’s Project Turns Plastic Grocery Bag Into Sleeping Mats for the Homeless
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By Abilene Independent School District
The decision to move forward with the project was unanimously approved by the faculty and staff. Notification letters explaining the project quickly went out to families. Students were shown videos of how the sleeping mats were made from plastic plarn. Then, in order to get an But what about using something as common as idea of what their plastic bag donation was being a plastic grocery bag to help provide comfort used for, the finished product of a full-size sleeping mat was available for students to look at and and warmth to someone in need? touch. One evening this fall, Kathy Bunnell, a third grade teacher at Bassetti Elementary, was watch- The idea was a hit! Immediately the donations ing a popular television show about traveling in of bags began flowing through the school doors. Third grade students took the Texas. She saw a particular story that lead in organizing and keeping the mounds of bags managed. We have all heard of recycling and reusing items, from clothing to cans to water bottles, and melting down the materials to make new things. We heard of donating items to be reworn or re-used in other ways.
A collection system in each hallway and grade level was set up, and collection bags literally overflowed on a daily basis. Soon it was time to get the loads of bags to their destination! In addition to a pickup truck stuffed full of bags donated to San Angelo, the school also donated three car loads of bags for similar projects at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. On top of that, stuc a u g h t dents were able to assist with projects through her attention: a group of volunteers in the San some of our Nepali families with the help of BasAngelo area were taking plastic grocery bags, setti’s ESL translator, Mr. Bastola. cuttng and tying them into rolls of “plarn” to crochet into mats. These mats were then given The school project came to an end in the weeks to homeless individuals in the community to before Christmas break. Students and teachers were all pleased and amazed at such a big sleep on. response of such a simple donation, knowing Armed with this information, Mrs. Bunnell pre- that the simple plastic bag donations would in sented her idea to how our students could be a turn be made into something new and useful to part of a great service project. If the students someone in need. When asked about being part and families at Bassetti could simply collect of the service project this fall, one of Mrs. Bunplastic bags, the bags could be donated to Proj- nell’s students summed it up perfectly by saying, ect Dignidad in San Angelo to be turned into “This project made me want to give because I have love in my heart and wanted to help the the plarn used for the sleeping mats. homeless.” Upon further research and as the word got out, the teachers and students were also excited to You can find more information about “plarn” and find out that other groups and organizations, plastic sleeping mats at www.texascountryreincluding some local ones, were doing similar porter.com, Episode #1509. projects.
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By Debra Gonzalez | Texas State Technical College
Wind Turbine Technician tops the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual list of fastest-growing jobs with a whopping 108 percent growth over the next eight years. With Texas State Technical College’s Wind Energy program, students can break into the industry in as little as one year with a certificate of completion or two years with an associate degree. According to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, more than 8.1 million people worldwide are working in renewable energy jobs. Students in the Wind Energy program at TSTC learn to safely troubleshoot and repair all components of a wind turbine. Lead Wind Energy Instructor Heath Ince said the program has seen a jump in enrollment this fall, but the biggest change came in TSTC’s industry partners. “We’ve always had good placement in our
program, but what I’ve noticed is that now we have more companies competing for our students,” Ince said. “They want to get in here and get them hired before they even graduate because of the demand for skilled wind technicians out there right now.”
TSTC graduates.” Auld attributes the company’s strong relationship with TSTC to its location in the Big Country area. “We have very large wind farm sites very close to Sweetwater,” Auld said. “It allows us to take local folks who are educated locally and put them to work near home. It’s a big win for everyone.”
NextEra Energy is one company that competes for TSTC graduates. The company, which employs a significant number of wind technicians in the United States and Canada, made job offers to several TSTC students who graduated in December. Ince said the fact that the job is the fastestgrowing in the nation didn’t come as a com“We’re the largest producers of renewable en- plete shock to him. ergy in the world, so we think about this growth every day,” said James Auld, director of Exter- “We were kind of expecting it,” Ince said. nal Training Initiatives at NextEra. “We come “Our other wind instructor and I have been goto TSTC to recruit twice a year. We present to ing to the American Wind Energy Association the students and interview every student who’s (AWEA) conference every year, so we’ve been interested in interviewing. We are pleased kind of up to date. We knew there was going to to have made job offers to several promising be growth and that the demand was going to be
there. We’re just now really starting to see it.” Last week Zippia, a company that helps people find the right career, named wind turbine service technician as the top-growing job in Texas, with 129.2 percent growth.
TSTC will begin registering for the summer semester on April 3. For more information on TSTC’s Wind Energy Technology, or to apply, visit tstc.edu.
28 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Your
Meet Caroline Enrollment Counselor!
Ceramic Exhibition and Workshop at McMurry University By Gary Ellison | Associate Director of Communications, McMurry University
“The Online Orientation Class helped to relieve my stress of attending school after 30 years, and gave me the needed push to get more excited about pursuing my dream of getting my B.B.A.” “I love working with our online - Pat Goodnature
students as they prepare for this exciting journey towards a McMurry degree in business.”
FRIENDLY • CONVENIENT • AFFORDABLE Contact Caroline at 325-793-4710 | online.mcm.edu
Dallas clay artist Rebecca Boatman will present her work “Transitions” in the Amy Graves Ryan Fine Arts Gallery at McMurry University with an opening reception and gallery talk from 5-6:30 p.m. on Friday, February 10, 2017. On Saturday, February 11, 2017 Boatman will conduct a hands-on workshop, Reliquaries in Clay for both students and the local community. Participants will create a personal container using slab and other hand building techniques after a brief introduction and demonstration. The workshop is suitable for all levels of experience in clay.
Rebecca Reagan Boatman received her graduate degree in ceramics from Texas Woman’s University. Until her retirement in 2014 she combined working as an artist with teaching all levels including Coppell High School, the Art Annex, North Lake College, Collin College, and Richland College.
Her studio is located in east Dallas and every October she participates in the White Rock Lake Artists’ Studio Tour, the oldest artist’s tour in the Metroplex. Her sculptures are included in collections throughout the U.S. including Orton International Cone Box Collection, Johnson & Johnson, Xerox Corporation, Eastman Kodak, and Volunteer Hospitals of Boatman’s work consists of abstract figura- America. tive pieces that address the idea of power and the sacred. She is influenced by diverse For more information, contact Rebecca Boatartworks found throughout art history includ- man at 214-354-3104 or by email at rebecing medieval reliquaries, nkisi nkondi, and caboatman@hotmail.com, or contact Jennifer goddess figures. After the pieces are built she Nichols, Ryan Gallery director, at 325-793fires them using primitive methods for spe- 4958 or by email at nichols.jennifer@mcmurcial effects and often combines each piece ryadm.edu. with other objects and materials.
Ortiz Elementary Students are Winners in their “Souper Bowl” Drive for the Homeless
By Phil Ashby | Director for Communications, Abilene Independent School District
Students at Ortiz Elementary School had their own “Souper” Bowl to kick off the New Year – and all to benefit a great cause. The Ortiz “Souper” Bowl Drive culminated on the weekend of that “other” Super Bowl, and everyone ended up winners. Ortiz students collected more than 600 cans of food to donate to Love & Care Ministries, which provides food and care to the homeless of Abilene. Officials from Love & Care will pick up the large collection of food at the Ortiz Elementary School cafeteria Monday, Feb. 13, at 1 p.m. Students will be gathered there to witness the donation and see how the grade levels fared in meeting each group’s goal of collecting 100 cans. The project was steered by the school‘s Junior Lighthouse Team, a student leadership group formed as part of the Leader In Me program on campus. Teacher Geraldine Willis is the sponsor.
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Pick us up at Texas Cosmetology School, Mr. Gatti’s & La Popular Bakery | EDUCATION | 29
Area Company Offers Apprenticeships for TSTC Students By Debra Gonzalez | Texas State T echnnical College
A local company is offering students in the Avia- help support them.” tion Maintenance programs at Texas State Technical College a chance for hands-on experience Harley Hall, managing director at Eagle Aviaand, after graduation, a job. tion, said the company usually has five to seven TSTC apprentices going through the TSTC has partnered with Eagle Aviation to form program at one time. The program helps Eagle a job pipeline, Aviation Maintenance instructor Aviation with employee turnover. Brian Hahn explained. While in school students participate in Eagle Aviation’s apprenticeship “We’ve had a large attrition rate over the program and, after graduating and earning their years,” Hall said. “People coming from out of Airframe and Powerplant license, are hired on state want to move to be closer to their famifull time as mechanics. lies; we can’t keep them. This kind of ‘Home Grow ‘Em’ program helps because most of the “The company has a number of slots dedicated TSTC students are from the Abilene area. Plus for full-time employees,” Hahn said. “And some of those slots are to hire specifically from TSTC. The track gets them in while they’re still in school so they can become familiar with the aircraft.” The program began about 3 1/2 years ago, and the students complete the apprenticeship on their own time. “There is no class requirement,” Hahn said. “They work 25 to 30 hours a week depending on their schedule, getting paid at a non-licensed mechanic rate. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to get that real-life, hands-on experience on aircraft that are actually flying passengers.” Rania Rollin, who graduated from the Aviation Maintenance program in the summer of 2015, completed her apprenticeship and was hired as an aircraft technician. She said the apprenticeship was a great opportunity for her.
it gives them an avenue to know they have a job waiting for them at graduation.”
Hall said the rates of students becoming licensed and getting hired have been very high. “Ninety to 100 percent of the students now are getting their A&P license and coming to work “It’s so hard to get into the aviation industry for us,” he said. “They’re definitely turning without having somewhere to put your foot,” out to be some of our better workers.” Rollin said. “We worked with a certified mechanic and we would basically learn everything Rollin is grateful for her experience at Eagle we needed to do. If we had to change fluids, we Aviation. would change fluids. If we had to fix sheet metal, we would take it out and shoot rivets. Pretty “It’s a great learning experience,” she said. much anything a normal mechanic would do, we “The planes aren’t incredibly small, but not got the opportunity to do it.” incredibly large either, so you have an opportunity to learn every part of the aircraft. I’ve Rollin spent a year in the program and was re- learned a lot of different things.” lieved to have a post-graduation plan. Eagle Aviation currently employs about 15 “It felt secure,” she said. “It’s a small area out TSTC graduates as mechanics. here in Abilene, so not having to move to a bigger city was nice. I have my husband and we For more information on TSTC’s Aviation have a kid, so it was nice knowing that I could Maintenance programs, visit tstc.edu.
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Pick us up at Golden Chick, Enterprise Bldg. & Armando’s Mexican Restaurant | EDUCATION | 31
INTERVIEW WITH DR. THAD ANGLIN
Cisco College President Focuses on Student Success Dr. Thad Anglin takes his place in the line of Cisco College presidents. By Wrangler Express | Emma Fodor
What have been your impressions since moving to Cisco College? It
has been a wonderful welcome. The Cisco College family, the Cisco community, Eastland County, Taylor County, residents of Taylor County, the leadership, government leadership and citizens of both counties, have welcomed my family and me with open arms. They have not only welcomed us, but have stepped out there to express their support for Cisco College, which is really important for us going forward. We need that support, and it is there. We serve a lot of other counties outside of Eastland County, which we call our service area. I’ve met many over the past several months and it has just been a wonderful experience. My impression is this is a great place to serve as college president. As students – there’s this element of persistence and grit that you have to have to be successful today. My impression is this campus and the culture have developed a sense of toughness about it, just ingenuity about how we do things, creative about how we do things, and how we maximize our resources, and leverage our resources, to help students be successful in every way possible. But the support is here, and it is very positive! I’m thankful to be here and again, I look forward to years to come.
What grand visions do you have for Cisco College? We want to dream
big. We want to look at ourselves five to ten years from now, and really peek out over the horizon and look to where we want to go. All the challenges are certainly out there, and will be out there in the future, and we’ll be working through, understanding that if we don’t dream big, if we don’t see ourselves in another light, moving forward and envisioning the growth that we need, the growth in student enrollment, the increases and improvements in student success rates, and the national notoriety in select programs, we will not help us to move forward. Those are things I want to aspire -- I want to direct us in that area, making sure that we stay focused on the end result, and that’s student success. We already lead the state in student success points. We’ve been ranked in the top five for three years, and several of those years we were ranked number one in student success points for the state. So there’s a lot that’s in place that we’ll continue to strengthen, enhance, build on. So when we look out over the horizon in five years, I would like to see us with an enrollment growth back up to, say, around 4,500 students, with a good, healthy growth rate. I would like to think about building a residence hall and expand-
ing, increasing the capacity of students living on campus. I’ve got a lot of lofty goals, yes. But again, if we don’t talk about them, if we don’t put them in our plans and begin planning for them, it will never happen. If we don’t plan for it, it won’t happen. So we’ll plan for it, and it will happen. And we’ll get there.
What are your long-range goals? We’ll be developing a
new strategic plan for Cisco College. Some of the long-range goals of the framework of that plan will include establishing a good, healthy enrollment growth. Continuing to improve student success rates. Remaining competitive in the work force programs and all of our academic programs. We want to continue to maintain the strength of our programs and to be in position to change or add new programs, determined by what our work force needs are. And really, graduating students with those marketable skills to be career-ready. We want to enroll more students, and we also want to do that at the same time we’re retaining more and graduating more, with again, the marketable skills and the ability to move on to a four-year university. I want to see us become more competitive in grants.and developing a foundation for fund-raising. And I will always talk about the importance of scholarships in students’ ability to be successful academically because we know that a good many students drop out or stop out, don’t persist because of financial reasons. It’s costs, and it’s expensive. And we try to hold costs down, tuition and costs, knowing that students are having to take on more debt. We want to hold that down, and we want to do that by helping to offset the cost of education through scholarships and other areas.
What is your number one top priority for the college right now? It
is going to be to increase enrollment. We’ve got to grow enrollment. The ways that we go about that will come out of that strategic enrollment plan. We’ve got a group working on that plan now. It’s very intentional in our approach to there. First of all, you want to retain more students. You want more students to persist and be successful. You want them to do well, and then you also want to recruit
a number of new students to be involved and be engaged and have a great experience while they’re here at Cisco College, whether or not they’re in a transfer program or on a track to earn their associate’s degree—it doesn’t matter, we want them to be successful. So Priority One is to grow enrollment. And we will have
they will have saved or cut about a third off what they would pay at a four-year university for four years. So in terms of cost savings, it’s significant. So value added to your community college, Cisco College is the way to go, hands down, when you’re talking costs. And the other important—probably even more important than the cost—the other important aspect of community college education is the foundation, the preparation to be successful at a university. Very different culture, faculty totally student-success oriented, faculty-student ratio low, so you’re getting the foundation in what we call those milestone or gatekeeper courses, some that give us all some trouble, in the first two years. You’re getting a foundation, and we see through the data that students that earn the associate’s degree, or at least get a year of community college, succeed at a much higher rate than their counterparts who went straight to the university. That’s proven throughout: GPAs are higher. So students that transferred were higher than their counterparts that went straight to a 4 year university. So the value is significant; it really is.
How do you divide your time between the Cisco and Abilene campuses? We’re one family. Cisco College is
one family. When I drive the 50 miles over to our campus, to me there’s no distance. It’s beautiful country on the way over to the Abilene campus, and I divide it intentionally. I meet with the the provost, Dr. Dupree who offices in Abilene, on a regular basis and do atto do that. And we’re gotend events over there reguing to start next fall. This larly. My time is scheduled at fall, our enrollment is flat, Abilene. We’re all working compared to last fall, so we together to serve our students. want to, if we can grow 5 We have a residential populapercent, which we’ve set tion on this campus; in Abilene that number out there as a goal, we’ll reach that it’s a commuter campus. goal and continue to go up as we get things in line to be able to do that, through our strategic What do you think are Cisco Colenrollment management plan. lege’s best assets now? Our best asset are the hard-working individuals, faculty and What do you think is the value of our staff, that come to work every day commitcommunity college education? The ted to helping students be successful, to changvalue: it’s the foundation. The value in terms ing and making that impact. And we have an of just the sheer cost savings, if you’re looking impact almost every day, positive or negativeat the financial side, in terms of the value of -it can be negative—on students’ lives. We community college education. If you’re look- have such a strong faculty and staff here. I’m ing at it from just purely financial, the value very proud of that; I think it’s our strongest asis significant. So when you take the cost of a set. It’s definitely what will successfully move community college degree program, an associ- us into the future. And certainly looking at our ate’s degree, the cost of that and the student’s success points, too, it’s very clear to me that position to transfer to a four-year university, that’s one of our strengths, absolutely.
32 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Casting Begins for Movie About 2009 Abilene High Football Team
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
By Erica Garner | BigCountryHomePage.com
Preparations are underway to begin shooting Locals are also welcome to apply as film extras a feature-film about the 2009 Abilene High - just email brokeepinfo@gmail.com for more Eagle championship-winning team! information on the casting process. Co-authors of the book Brother’s Keeper, Filming for Brother’s Keeper is set to begin in team Chaplin Chad Mitchell and local sports Abilene this August. A location director will be in expert Al Pickett, held a press conference town in April to scout out the best spots and shots Tuesday morning to announce for the movie! that casting for the movie based on their novel is ofBrother’s Keeper chronicles the story ficially underway. of Abilene High’s championshipwinning game at the Alamo Abilene Christian Dome against Katy High University alumna School in 2009. Fans Ally Beans, who from all over Abilene worked in the casting and the Big Country department for Showtraveled to San Antonio time series Hometo show the Eagles supland, has been hired to port. oversee casting for the Brother’s Keeper movie. The movie will feature several well-known During the press conference, Mitchell and characters and locations around Abilene, showPickett revealed former NFL Super Bowl ing out the local community shaped and impactChampion Ben Utecht has already accepted ed the team. a roll in the film.
R
FAITH&FAMILY Spread the Special Feature of HispanicLife Magazine
SPIRITUAL AND FAMILY ADVICE
Love
Rhyan Martinez & Chelsea Flores 1) How and when did you both meet? Me and Rhyan met our 6th grade year at Mann Middle school in September 2002. We met through mutual friends. One night at the AHS football game in the student section it rained really bad. The entire student section was muddy. Rhyan , trying to get my (Chelseas) attention rolled in the mud and kept trying to hug me. I thought it was hilarious and crazy but his parents on the hand did not, As he was now covered in mud... he had to sit in the back of the suburban. We began to talk and hang out more. When we came back from Christmas break I was told by many people that Rhyan was going to ask me out. On the morning of January 10th 2003 at Mann MS Rhyan walked over to me in the middle of a group of girls and asked me out! Of course I said yes.
It has been a very long time coming ... my dad had asked Rhyan to please wait until I finished college to pop the question. He asked that knowing that after all these years of us staying together through moving and living and different cities that we both loved each other and that Rhyan or myself were it for the long haul. September 22nd 2016 Rhyan planned everything and got my family and his family involved. I thought we were going on a double date to the mill steak night with my sister and bro-in-law. Turns out I was being tricked. I was mislead and was blindfolded by my sister and told to go along with it. She drove me all sorts of ways for me to end up at Mann MS , were it all started. I removed the blindfold to hear music and see our family in a line holding posters with sweet memories on it. At the end of the line was Rhyan on one knee and our son holding a poster that read “Mom will you marry my pop?” 2) Married or getting married? When? We will be getting married September 23,2017 3) What was the most significant attribute that attracted you to each other? Immediately I was attracted to Rhyans smile! The good looks helped
too. Lol. But he has that smile that lights everyone up and is just as contagious.on top of that it was his personality. He liked to be fun and goofy but was a little shy at the same time. He valued family and that was something I loved and shared! Rhyan said my personality and smile was what caught his attention. He liked the fact that I wasn’t a girly girl, that I was a bit of a tomboy. And that he always thought/ thinks that I’m a natural beauty. 4) What do you believe has and will continue to keep you together? Me and rhyan have been lucky enough to have found each other at 12-13 years of age. We are now 26 (I will be 26 feb. 9th) I would be lying if I said it’s been great and easy all the time.
We have been through more than most people have ever had to face. The thing is we have faced it together. Together with a true and honest heart. There has been tough sad mad and ugly and great happy awesome and wonderful. I think what works for us, something we learned very early on was to be honest, trusting, and appreciate the little things. With living in different cities for long period of our relationship you learn to appreciate the little things and the time you do get to see each other. We still have our struggles but continue to show love trust and appreciate the little and big things! 5) Describe him/her in one word. I would describe Rhyan as Passionate! He gives his whole heart to who he cares about and what he cares about. He won’t let anyone or anything come in between. Never have I or will I ever doubt his love for me or our family. I am very lucky. Rhyan described me forgiving. “No matter any mistakes I made you have always forgiven me. And not just with me with family and friends you are the same way. “ 6) What relationship advice would you pass on to others? Be honest with each other and show each other love, not just say it. And remember that yes sometimes Things will get hard and life/relationships can get tough. You both will be tested. But remember it’s not what y’all have had to face but HOW you have both overcome it. Keep God first and family second!
CALL US TO ADVERTISE (325) 701-9505 209 S. Danville, Suite B-103 Email: info@hispaniclifemedia.com
34 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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. Advertise Today! Call (325) 518-7091
Moxie – A Word to Craft My Life This Year By Kristie Carpenter | Blended Mom Moments
Moxie. The dictionary defines this word as a slang noun meaning: vigor, pep, courage, aggressiveness, skill, know-how. I chose this word to help me craft my life this year. I have a lot of moxie when it comes to keeping my home or doing a craft, but I have found that I don’t have moxie in the area of my work ethic and ministry follow-through. In 2015, I chose the word Hope. I had flat-lined emotionally and needed to look at life through the lenses of hope. I can honestly tell you that by the middle of the year, my emotions and thoughts were lifted and my outlook on life was now based on waiting and watching for God and not waiting and watching for me. I had found Bible verses about hope and wrote them down and placed them where I could see them daily. I found hope! My husband and I recently led a short study by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen entitled “My One Word.” It’s an easy, short read and I believe it could be a wonderful opportunity for you to see how God can work in your life in one focused area. So once again, I picked a word to look at life through. It has only been a little over a week and I have already used my “moxie” to set up a monthly business and ministry meeting. I read a devotional about Paul and Silas of the Bible. They were in a horrible prison, in chains, and yet in their darkest hour, they praised God. So, even in the Bible, I found folks with moxie!
Saturday, April 22 • 6:30 AM - 12 PM Abilene Christian University
The Hope Mommies West Texas Chapter invites you to join us for our first 5K/1 mile fun run that will be both a fundraiser for our local chapter as well as a memorial to all our babies gone to soon! Register TODAY! You can go to active.com and search Hope Mommies or click the link below to register: http://www.active.com/abilene-tx/running/distance-running-races/hope-mommieswest-texas-chapter-5k-1-mile-fun-run-2017
Early-bird Price: Now until March 22nd- $30 per person / March 22-April 21st- $35 • Walk up registration- $40 ------ Group registrations are possible/available with an added discount **Please be sure to bring a photo-ID to the race for registration** There will be a silent auction. If you know anyone willing to donate a silent auction item, please have the donor send an email to tonya.brewer78@yahoo.com We are also looking for race sponsors. If you or your company is interested in becoming a sponsor, please email krushing@ktwireless.net
We will be having a Friday Fellowship Dinner on April 21st, the evening before the race for Hope Moms to have a chance to come together to meet and visit. You will have the option to let us know if you can attend when filling out the race registration. If you can only come on Friday, you can RSVP with FRIDAY FELLOWSHIP in the subject line to krushing@ktwireless.net. More details will be posted as plans are made for this event.
If you would or someone you know would like to help in volunteering for this event, please email westtexas@hopemommies.org
The book also tells you to find Bible verses to back up your word for the year. I chose Galatians 6:9 which says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” So I’m gonna take my word and my verse and use it and find it every opportunity I get. My thesaurus also gave me some back-up words for moxie such as - grit, guts, gumption and get-up-and-go! I want that
in my life. I want it in my spiritual life, my physical life, my marriage, and in my family life. Your one word will not convey where you are now but where you are headed. In Dan’s and my study, some folks have chosen so many different words. One woman wants focus in her life. A man wants to be better at prioritizing people and things in his life. Another woman chose the word “mother” to work on. That may seem silly, but she wants to truly embrace what being a mom looks like and all that it means. As a blended family mom, you can probably think of many words that might help you become more focused in an area or more approachable, loving, giving, or even forgiving. I challenge you to find a word that you want to exemplify your life and then research that word. Find Bible verses related to your word to encourage you. Write out your word and stick it up wherever you need to see it and be reminded that you don’t have to stay stuck in your life. Bit by bit, word by word, we can open ourselves up to change and improvement! Now that is using some moxie! Blessings in Your Blending! ____________________________________ Editor’s note: Women’s author, speaker and mentor Kristie Carpenter, aka The Blended Family Mom, has been a blended family/step mom since 2004; her blended family currently includes four children and four grandchildren. Follow Kristie on Facebook (facebook.com/ theblendedfamilymom), Twitter (@BlendedFamilyM), and Instagram (theblendedfamilymom). Her books - “The Blended Family Mom,” and “Blended Mom Moments,” are both available on her website at www.theblendedfamilymom.com).
Pick us up at Taqueria La Ranchera, Abilene Funeral Home & Abilene ISD | FAITH & FAMILY | 35
20th Annual Cottonwood Ladies Retreat-Finding Your Worth in Christ Friday, March 24 at 7 PM MCM Elegante Suites Abilene
Special Guest Speaker Jessica Wright • Jessica struggled for years to fully accept that the shame and guilt of her past mistakes had been forgiven and made pure on the cross. She believed the lie that her sins had stained her for life, despite the Redeeming love of Christ.
lin, TX 76446, with RETREAT in memo line. To learn more about Jessica, check her out at: facebook.com/JessicaWrightAuthorpage Our time together will also include exciting and uplifting worship in music, and plenty of time for valuable connecting and sharing. “Attending my first retreat as a new member, I was welcomed into a community and sisterhood, a stranger no more.” Cheryl
“I always enjoy the warm fellowship and accepting atmosphere... I come home rejuvenated and Through her story, look at everyday life with new eyes.” Chelsea B Jessica seeks to offer hope to the hopeless, grace to the shame filled, “Each year I discover something new that God has planned for my life and that’s super exciting.” and restoration to the impure. Kristen Register By Feb. 28 / after Feb 28 “I love everything about retreat… Its good medi4 people sharing a room $50 each / $70 cine for whatever ails.” Teressa 3 people in a room $70 each / $90 2 people in a room $90 each / $110 “As a college girl, it was a really sweet privilege 1 person in the room $150 / $170 to be with so many various aged women who love Pay by credit card through eventbright (Cot- the lord. It was relaxing, fun, and spiritually uplifttonwood Ladies Retreat) or send a check To ing.” Rachel Cottonwood Church 273 County Rd 527, Dub-
Sanchez Receives Caring Plus Award from Meals on Wheels
Mario Sanchez was delivering route S31 on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. When he did not get an answer at Mrs. R’s door he became very concerned. Mario thought he could hear voices, so he knocked again, this time louder. He heard something again, so he tried the storm door, but it was locked from the inside. At this point, Mario peered through the glass door and saw Mrs. R laying on the floor beside her wheelchair. She held up a sign with a phone number on it. Mario told her he was going to his truck to get his phone and would call for help. When he returned to the door with his phone, Mrs. R held the sign up again for him to get the number. He called and told the woman that an-swered that he was at Mrs. R’s front door delivering her lunch and she has fallen, and the door is locked. As it turned out, the woman that answered was Mrs. R’s granddaughter, who lives right across the street, and had a key to the door. The granddaughter came right over and was able to get in the house to help Mrs. R up off the floor. Luckily, she was not hurt, she just could not lift herself off the floor and back into her wheelchair. The family, and Meals on Wheels, are thankful that Mario was there and followed up when she didn’t answer the door.
36 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
BIG HEARTS:
Abilene Business Donates Playhouse to Non-Profit By Brittany Pelletz | BigCountryHomePage.com
It may be negative circumstances that brought them together, but it’s positive experiences that they now share with the help of an Abilene non-profit organization. “When I looked over and saw it. You know, we knew it was coming. We didn’t know exactly what it looked like,” says Michelle Perkins, the Treatment Director at the Audrey Grace House. It may look like an ordinary shed, but it’ll be much more than that to the children who stay at the New Horizons Audrey Grace House. Hannah Wiginton, the Communications Director at New Horizons says, “We’re going to make it a place for them to come out and just have fun. I mean, just get out of the normal routine of home, have place to go, relax, be imaginative and have a play place.” The owners of Hawk Portable Buildings in Abilene recognized an opportunity to help the non-profit organization. “For us, it’s just an opportunity to give back to Abilene especially the youth of Abilene. My husband and I have loved helping children live the best life they possibly can’” says Kathy Hawk, owner of Hawk Portable Building. The Hawk’s didn’t just deliver the play house, they donated it to New Horizons. “It’s so rewarding that anything we can do to make a child’s life better. It’s very rewarding,” adds Hawk. At any given time, there are 30 children who call the Audrey Grace House home. “We’re a residential treatment center which serves 30 children at any given time that has endured some sort of trauma whether physical, sexual, or emotional abuse that has been removed from child protective services,” says Perkins. The mission at Audrey Grace is to give these children a normal life in a positive atmosphere.
MARDI GRAS ‘FITNESS’ CELEBRATION
Join us on Fat Tuesday for a Zumba Style Mardi Gras Celebration! When: Tuesday, February 28th • 5:30-7:00 Where: Redbud YMCA Family Center • 3125 S. 32nd St Cost: FREE to Members / $7.00 for Non-Members Phone: (325) 677-8144 (Stay for the whole event for a chance at some fun giveaways!)
Wiginton says, “We help them through therapy and just help them get back to be a kid again.” “We have four children, and 11 grandchildren, and my husband and I were youth pastors in our local church at one time. Children have always been such a part of our heart,” Hawk says. Perkins adds, “I can’t say enough about Abilene, the community, the people, such big, big hearts in this community. They’re always giving and not just at holidays. That’s what’s exciting about the community of Abilene.”
Pick us up at Alliance For Women & Children, Mary’s Paleteria & H.E.B. | FAITH & FAMILY | 37
5 Hard Conversations Every Couple Must Have By Mark Merrill | Helping Families Love Well
Some conversations are just no fun and even quite hard to have. No spouse, for example, wants to spend lots of time talking about the end-of-life issues. But as sure as you and I are guaranteed an end to our lives on this earth, the timing and conditions of that end also often come unexpectedly. Even though it’s hard, it’s also quite necessary to talk about various aspects of life…and death…to help each other think through these situations.
2. Education • Perhaps you homeschool or measures to be attempted? Now is the time have your kids in a private school. If something happened to one of you, or if you had a financial reversal, would that remain a viable plan? You have to discuss these things ahead of time because of financial implications and also thinking ahead to any time or career or priorities adjustments you might need to make as a family. Another example: discuss what college
4. Care for Parents • Many of
Here are five necessary but hard conversations every couple should have regarding how to move forward in life together in the here and now, as well as in the event one of them passes away or becomes incapacitated.
our friends are in what we call “the sandwich years” when they are still raising kids and yet now caring for older parents. Together you should consider questions like “Can we have our parent(s) in our home if needed?” Talking with your spouse and with any siblings is crucial, and may also create some much needed (and also hard) conversations with your parents as well.
1. Financials • It’s not uncom-
mon for one spouse to usually manage most of the finances. Do both of you know the location of all the policies and paperwork involved in your various accounts, insurance policies, pensions, and retirement plans? Do you review your balances on a regular basis? Reviewing this now, and often, will help if the need arises to take some burdens off of your grieving spouse. Account numbers, safety deposit box information, agreement on what big priorities you want to be saving for, philanthropic priorities…even agreement on what you consider needs vs. wants are all things to consider. For example, I am likely to need a new car down the road, as my current one is 15 years old and has over 250,000 miles. But Susan and I also haven’t done a longer vacation as a couple in several years. So we have been discussing together what our priorities should be now, and later, accordingly.
to consider it together, not when one spouse is in the E.R. with life in the balance. A Living Will and Designation of Healthcare Surrogate might be just the right tools for you to use to consider these questions together. You don’t want to have to figure it out in an emergency by guessing what your incapacitated spouse would want if they could say so.
5. End of Life Arrangements & Decisions • Everyone wants
choices would be viable when your kids are young. We needed to start thinking about college when our kids were little, even taking into account where we live. In some states, special accounts are available to build tax-free savings for future college expenses.
3. Medical Care • Couples should dis-
cuss with each other their wishes for care if life support is required in extreme medical conditions. Under what situations would you or your spouse want natural death, or heroic
to avoid it. This is one of the hardest conversations to have. But if something happened to you, your spouse would face hundreds of decisions, and many dozens of those decisions generate even more decisions. A productive conversation now will make those decisions easier. How? By developing together an understanding of the basics, and specifics, of what would work best for you. Even a basic understanding of each other’s wishes is more helpful to a surviving spouse than nothing at all. Topics to consider include: Where do you want to be buried? Cremation or burial? These are the sort of questions couples should explore, even if it’s a work in progress over time.
Staying Low, Drawing Near, Inclining my Ear to Hear
38 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
By Doug Stringer | Founder, Somebody Cares America November 2, 2016, was the day of the seventh game of the World Series and I was ministering at Woods Edge Church in The Woodlands, Texas, at the request of my friend, Pastor Jeff Wells. Throughout the audience, I could see people expressing their team choice by wearing either Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians shirts. As I got up to speak, I asked the crowd, “How many of you are Cubs fans?” Many enthusiastically responded in affirmation. I got a similar response when I asked, “How many of you are Indians fans?” Then I said, “Tomorrow, some of you are going to be celebrating because your team won the championship. Some of you will be sad and disappointed that your team did not. But at the end of the day, no matter who wins or who loses, you’ll still be Christians. You will still be members of the body of Christ, and you will still be part of the Church.” I went on, “In a few days the Presidential election will occur, and many of us may have different political preferences. And at the end of the day, some of us will celebrate and some will be disappointed. But we must remember that our hope is not in the institutions of man, nor in a candidate or political party. Our hope is in the hope of glory, Christ Jesus. When the election is over, we will still be Christians and, as such, should reflect Christ even in our differences. Will we still be Christlike and love those who may disagree with us?”
A Return to Civility & Character
One of the biggest challenges in our society today is the lack of civility and character we display in our disagreements—even in the Church. I’ve never seen so many people who are so adamant and opinionated—politically and otherwise—that they allow their preferences to divide their families, their friendships, and even their churches. It’s painful and heartbreaking, especially from those representing Christ, on both sides of the political preference spectrum. The only unshakable kingdom is the Kingdom of the Lord, and we the Church must still love each other in our disagreements if we are to help others find their place in the Kingdom. John 13:35 says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” How can we lead others to a relationship with God if we can’t get past our own differences?
A Church United for a Nation Divided
In Mark 10:9, we see Jesus teach, “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” This passage applies to the context of marriage, but it is clear that God is the one who brings the Church together and woe unto the man or woman who causes dissension and separation in the Church. Proverbs 6:19 lists one who sows discord among brethren as one of seven things God despises. We must walk in Christlikeness, crossing racial, denominational, and political barriers to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We need to love with the love What more do we need? Every decision, every of Christ; it’s the only way we can help others direction, and every circumstance that we may find hope in Christ. go through—be it difficult or great, challenging or victorious—the Lord Jesus Christ is the hope Only a Church united can bring hope and heal- of glory in us. No matter what, we know He’s ing to a nation divided! with us, He’s engraved us and inscribed us on His hands. We belong to Him and His power A New Season dwells in us. There’s nothing to fear when we Around each New Year, I always spend time recognize His commission and His anointing. seeking the Lord, away from media and other distractions, to really listen and process what A Deep Work in Our Hearts He seems to be saying for the next season. And We need to be a people seeking consecration, we have definitely entered into an interesting asking and believing in faith for Him to do a season. work in us and get the rubbish out of our hearts. We must be sure to have proper perspectives; Last year, I sensed 2016 would be a time of re- keep proper perceptions; be in proper alignenergizing, refocusing, and recalibrating, and ments, agreements, and associations; and keep I believe that season is not over yet. In fact, I right attitudes. believe it is needed now more than ever. And after we’ve allowed Him to do a deep I believe God continues to say to His Church: work in our hearts, sowing seeds of faith through simple obedience, He will pour out His 1. Stay Low: Keep a posture of humility. rain and water the seed. We need to draw from 2. Draw Near: Stay close to His presence. the well that never runs dry, because it comes When we’re permeated by His presence, the from a source of water—Living Water—that hope of glory, Christ Jesus, becomes a part never ceases. of us, and the power of God in us can work through us. Let’s stay in prayer and fix our eyes on the 3. Incline Our Ears to Hear: When that mo- Lord. As in the days of Esther, God can hear ment comes and the Spirit of Lord speaks, we our prayers and expose the works of darkness must obey and move quickly. and the evil intent of Haman. The Lord can turn what has been meant for harm and turn it to our In Isaiah 43:1 we read this wonderful message, good. “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Is- Psalm 61 reminds us that when our hearts are rael, ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have overwhelmed, we should be led to the Rock called you by your name; You are Mine.’” that is higher than us. From the shoulders of the Lord, we can see with a different perspective.
The Lord is still bigger than any disparaging voices or giants in the land. Let us not be discouraged or disillusioned, lest we become distracted from our destination and our primary calling. This calling is to be the good news, bring the good news, and broadcast the good news gospel.
Be, Bring, Broadcast Good News!
and the
Be, bring, and broadcast the gospel! Gospel means good news. With all the negative news we hear daily, may we be the bearers of good news! If we as the Church are going to see lasting impact in our generation, then we must be the tangible expression of the gospel, be willing to bring the gospel of good news to so many who desperately need it, and passionately broadcast and proclaim good news in and through our lives. We need good news in a world of bad news. Be it, bring it, and broadcast it by the way you reflect and represent the Lord in your life. I want to give this special note to church shepherds and Christians who are called to be ambassadors for Christ: Rather than fall into the trap of venting our personal divisive opinions, shouldn’t we be cognizant of the need to unite the Church and help bring healing? At the end of the day, we are to be Christlike even in our disagreements and our public discourse. Maybe Solomon’s wisdom would be helpful. Who are those who really care about the baby (flock) versus those who would rather cut the baby in half just to win the argument? We all need God’s grace. Let’s not miss our moments of opportunity to reflect Christ even when we disagree. The world is watching. Even more is the One watching who called us into the ministry. Be the Gospel.
Lift Jesus higher, lift Jesus higher—for all the world to see! Let our (the church‘s) light shine, that people may see our good (tangible) works in such a way that it brings glory to our Father in Heaven.
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When my husband and me fight it gets ugly. How do we change this pattern? By FamilyMatters.net
I like this question, because it’s right out of the playbook of just about every family I know, including our own. All couples fight. All couples fight. Anybody who says otherwise is not dealing with reality. Oh, every once in a while, you hear somebody say, “We’ve been married 28 years, and we’ve never had a disagreement.” When I hear those rare statements like that I think, “Well, then one of you is unnecessary here. Somebody married a clone of themselves.” Because when you have two people that are very different and are from different backgrounds, and they’re waking up under the same blankets, and they’re sitting across from each other at meals, and creating kids, and co-mingling assets, you’re going to have conflict. That’s normal. And when you have kids in there, you’re going to have conflict.
.” or, “you never . . .” because, well, you cannot defend them. You want to deal with the person’s behavior, not their character—whether it’s your spouse or a kid. Deal with their behavior, not their character.
Two more rules. We’ve found that in any kind of conflict—usually one’s fighting the facts of the conflict, one’s fighting the feelings. And so, when we’re getting nowhere, my wife and I think, “OK, time out. Let’s separate the facts from the feelings here and let’s deal with them individually.” Because in the facts, you may not owe an apology, and on the feelings you owe a big one, and vice
But you see, we have found that it’s better if you know how to have conflict in a proper way. We call these the rules of a fair fight. And there are some basic things that we can do when we’re having conflict that can make sure that it does not get the best of us—turn toxic—and bring the worst out of everybody involved.
Here are some basic things. First of all, no name calling. You don’t put people down. You don’t work them over with profanity. No name calling. Keep your volume at a conversational level. I remember one time our two older kids were having a conflict, and my wife had them sit down on the couch in the family room. And she was in the kitchen fixing dinner, and she had the radio on there, and she was listening to it. And she said, “Now, listen, if I can hear you kids over this, you’re too loud.” And she didn’t let them get off the couch until they’d resolved it. So, no name calling. Keep your volume down. Deal with one issue. Not many. When you throw a bunch of them out there, they just get all mucked up. And so just one issue at a time. And avoid generalizations like, “You always . .
versa. And when we find that we resolve these things separately, then we’re more able to see the thing from the other person’s perspective. And the last rule of the fair fight is that you want to aim at unity not victory. The last thing you want to do is win a battle or an argument with somebody you love. The reason why wives don’t want to win arguments with their husband? Simple. If you win an argument with your husband, guess what you’re sleeping with tonight? A loser. And you know what, if you keep winning those battles, he’s going to start thinking he’s a loser and really start acting like one. No. You want unity, not victory. And when you let these rules of a fair fight guide you, not only can you resolve conflict well, you can show your kids how to do it, and bring a lot more peace and harmony into your home.
40 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
HEALTH&FITNESS
Unusual Technique With Unusual Results ‘Dry Needling’ at Abilene Regional Medical Center can make the difference between achy joints and ease of motion. Florinda Gill relates her experience. By Sandy Lowe | HispanicLife Magazine
Florinda Gill plays tennis twice a week, walks half an hour a day and regularly plays nine holes of golf. You wouldn’t expect that from a person with knee problems. She has had arthroscopic surgery on both knees to repair a torn menicus but the left knee continued to give her problems. To try to postpone total knee replacement surgery, she started receiving what is commonly called the “rooster comb” shot.
for the treatment of diseases. It’s a modern, science-based intervention for the treatment of pain and dysfunction in musculoskeletal conditions such as neck pain, shoulder impingement, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, knee pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, or low-back pain.”
Ken also taught Florinda exercises to do at home that keep the joints supple. “Yesterday my partner and I played tennis against two younger girls,” Florinda says. “I did a lot of running and my knees were hurting. I did my exercises and stretches and they really loosened up. This morning I had no pain.”
Another difference in the Dry Needling therapy is that the needles are occasionally con- Reducing pain and returning patients to their full nected to an electrical unit that sends pulses range of activities is what the ARMC Outpatient The shot inserts lubricant into the knee to ease of energy into the tissues. While Dry Neepain and movement but can only be taken ev- dling is a little out of the ordinary, the mediery six months. And the benefits for Florinda cal community generally accepts it. only last about four months. In between, she receives Dry Needling treatments at the Abilene Regional Medical Center Outpatient Rehabilitation Department. The Outpatient Therapy Department employs four full-time physical therapists and two part-time therapists who are also professors at Hardin-Simmons University. Ken Wheeler, supervisor of Outpatient Therapy for ARMC, calls Florinda “an all-star tennis player.” He graduated from McMurry University, received his doctorate in Physical Therapy from Hardin-Simmons University and studied ‘Dry Needling’ in his postgraduate fellowship at the American Academy of Manual Therapy. “Pain and movement were a problem,” Florinda says. “I always had to have medicine. My joints felt so stiff. But after the first treatment I walked smoothly without any pain. It was a miracle!” Dry Needling is a form of therapy in which fine needles are inserted into myofascial trigger points (painful knots in muscles), tendons, ligaments, or near nerves in order to stimulate a healing response in painful musculoskeletal conditions. While Dry Needling sounds and looks like acupuncture, Ken says it takes a more Western approach. The treatment has been used in the United States for about the last fifteen years. “Dry Needling is not acupuncture or Oriental Medicine,” Ken says, “because it doesn’t have the purpose of altering the flow of energy (“Qi”) along traditional Chinese meridians
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“There are multiple people in town that do it,” Ken says. “I’ve not found any physicians have concerns, as long as it helps patients. And patients are surprisingly open to it.” Ken also emphasizes the importance of manual therapy and exercise for the very best results. Florinda generally comes in twice a week for three to four weeks. Those appointments include Dry Needling and manual therapy for the full range of motion in her knees. “We see patients one hour at a time,” Ken says, “and the dry needling takes about fifteen or twenty minutes so we have lots of time for regular therapy.”
Physical Therapy Department exists for. It’s no wonder that when her friends complain about pain, Florinda encourages them to call Abilene Regional Physical Therapy.
42 | HEALTH | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Courtesy of: HispanicLife Magazine
To place your loved ones obituary or to honor them with a special message, please contact our offices at: (325) 701-9505 Email: info@hispaniclifemedia.com
Benjamin “Benji” R. Cisneros, 63, of Abilene, passed away Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at a local hospital. Mr. Cisneros was born October 07, 1953, in Abilene to Martin and Raquel Cisneros. He served honorably in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Benjamin loved taking his grandchildren to the beach. If anyone was looking for Ben, they knew where to find him, at the beach. He enjoyed spending time with his family and was always willing to help anyone. He will be remembered as a caring husband, father, grandfather and a great friend. Survivors include by his wife, Debbie Cisneros; three sons, Benjamin Cisneros Jr, Joshua Cisneros and Joseph Arellano (Valerie Camacho), all of Abilene; three daughters, Monica Arellano of Florida, Naomi Cisneros
a Moment in our arms... a Lifetime in our hearts... (Florentino Gonzales, Jr.) of Florida and Marisa Gonzalez of Abilene; nine brothers, Martin Cisneros (Linda) of San Antonio, Samuel Cisneros of San Angelo, Ruben Cisneros of Abilene, Daniel Cisneros (Irma) of San Angelo, Adam Cisneros (Juanita) of Abilene, Ricardo Cisneros (Terry) of Abilene, Neftali Cisneros of Abilene, Rene Cisneros of Abilene and Michael Cisneros of Dallas and Joey Cisneros (Tamara) of Dallas; three sisters, Melinda Cisneros Ramirez (Tommy) of Abilene, Cecilia Cisneros of Abilene and Jessica Cisneros (Beau) of Mississippi; 19 grandchildren, Alexis Cisneros, Scott Corley Jr., Jeramiah Arellano, Destiny Cisneros, Sydney Corley, Mercedes Gonzales, Liam Cisneros, Gabriella Gonzales, Mya Cisneros, Larry Gary III, Bradon Gary, Michael Gary, Hayden Cisneros, Isabella Gonzales, Tatianna Gary, Maraya Borrego, Joshua Cisneros Jr., Dennis Arias and Florentino Gonzales III. Mr. Cisneros was preceded in death by his parents Martin and Raquel Cisneros; one sister, Olga Cisneros; one brother, Robert E. “Bino” Cisneros; one son, Angel Cisneros; a grandson, Kyler Corley and three nephews, Roberto Cisneros, Michael D. Girtz Jr. and Alex Cisneros. Dolores Mary Besinaiz, 72, passed away Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at a local hospital. Mr. Besinaiz was born January 05, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois to John and Genevieve Morin Besinaiz. Dolores could be stubborn but was very nice most of the time.
She could talk on the phone to friends and family for hours if they would let her. Mrs. Besinaiz was a good mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a great friend. She would cook up some great meals up until she started becoming ill. There were no strangers, she loved everyone and will be sorely missed . Survivors include two daughters, Candie C. Bowles of California and Arlene Bowles of Chicago; four grandchildren, Ryan Frias, Lillian Medina, Justin Shakoori and Emily Cordova; and a very dear friend, Joe Vargas of Abilene. Mr. Besinaiz was preceded in death by her parents, John and Genevieve Besinaiz. Raul F. Torres, 77, of Abilene, passed away Sunday, January 29, 2017 at a local hospital surrounded by his loving family. Mr. Torres was born July 12, 1939, in Mexico to Manuel Reymundo Perez and Maria Aminta Torres. Raul was a member of St. Vincent Pallotti Catholic Church and was very committed to his faith. Mr. Torres served honorably in the U.S. Army from June 1, 1959 until May 31, 1965. Mr. Torres was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Married for 46 years to the love of his life, Emma Torres. Dedicated to his family, he was a hard worker, an avid reader and also had a love for science. He always knew knowledge was gained through reading. He arrived in
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the United States when he was almost seven years old, not knowing how to read or write, but he graduated and achieved an associates degree later, which just proves his great work ethic and the importance of education. He always pushed his kids and grandkids to achieve the same. He worked for the Texas Department of Transportation for a total of 15 years and retired as a radio repair technician. He loved attending his childrens and grandchildrens functions, especially sports related. He was definitely there number one fan. He lived a wonderful life and will truly be missed. Survivors include his loving wife, Emma M. Torres of Abilene; a son, Gabriel Torres of Abilene; three daughters, Michele T. Hernandez of Abilene, Elizabeth T. Adkins and husband, Thomas, of Sanger, Texas and Veronica Torres of Louisville, Texas; seven grandchildren, Rebecca Adkins, Christopher Adkins, Nathaniel Hernandez, Izak Hernandez, Anthony Hernandez, Matthew Hernandez and David Hernandez; and one sister, Eva Perez. Mr. Torres was preceded in death by his parents, Manuel Perez and Maria T. Cheslock; and two brothers, 19 month old, Hector Perez and 4 year old, Armando Perez.
Pick us up at Abilene ISD, La Familia Mex Rest & Lytle Land & Cattle | HEALTH | 43
THE BENEFITS of YOGA:
The best thing that ever happened to me By Haley Remenar | The Optimist, Abilene Christian University
My roommate and I tossed a coin to decide who would get the room with the biggest window. I won. Then I stole/”borrowed” her yoga mat and so I could practice yoga in front of that window everyday. But I promise, I really do love her.
and the inner ear. Before doing yoga, I would get really dizzy on roller coasters. But after doing yoga all summer, my inner ear was used to being inverted. I went on a roller coaster at Six Flags in Vallejo, California and walked off without stumbling.
I started practicing yoga during the summer because I was bored in Abilene and wanted to go to gym classes as much as possible. But now I do it because it really changed my life. Not to sound like an infomercial, but yoga helped me physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Before doing yoga, I would get stressed out from homework, jobs and social club events. Sometimes I would get so anxious I couldn’t sit still and my heart raced. But yoga taught me to breathe deeply and slowly. It feels like I can hold more air in my lungs now. I can calm myself down with just a few breaths -in through the nose, out through the mouth. I do this breathing technique all throughout the day and it puts me at peace. It also made it easier to fall asleep at night. Before yoga, I would go to bed and run through my day and my goals and my plans in my mind. But now I breathe deeply and go straight to sleep.
Many of my friends make fun of me because of the yoga stereotypes like the funny words, meditative “ohms” and flowery, spiritual language. But that’s not what yoga means to me. I don’t get on the mat looking for a new-age answer to life problems. Yoga does help with a lot of simple problems, but it’s not as awkward and weird as it sounds. Yoga tones your muscles, regulates your digestion, and helps you have better posture. Many of the moves put your head upside down so more blood flows to the brain, which is helpful when you have a lot of mental work to do. #finals. Repeating putting your head upside down and right-side up helps with balance
Yoga also helped me spiritually. I know it’s cliche, but it’s true. Before yoga, I hated sitting in silence and being still. Pastors and teachers say we need to be still as part of our worship, but I hated sitting still. I would blast worship music or read long Bible passages to fill up the silence. But when you do yoga, you focus on breathing and hold poses in silence for longer than you think you can. When you’re holding a pose, you have to push past the need to move on to the next pose. Doing this every day familiarized my brain with stillness. Now I can read a verse and meditate on it in silence for 15-20 minutes without getting distracted or feeling like I need to get up and do something. So before you write off yoga as awkward or weird, think of these benefits and give it a chance. It can really change your life. Namaste.
44 | HEALTH | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
No time for exercise?
Try Our Top 10 Tips! By American Heart Association
‘No time to exercise?’ Learn how to take 10! You found your keys. You found the motivation to clean out your closet. Now you’ve got to find 30 minutes in your day to get physically active — and there are plenty of easy, no-cost ways to do it. Think you don’t have time? You don’t have to do all 30 minutes at once. You can even get heart-healthy benefits if you divide your time into two or three 10- to 15-minute segments a day. “Building physical activity back into our daily lives is one of the great public health challenges of this century,” said Russell Pate, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Exercise at the University of South Carolina. “Our bodies were designed to be physically active, and they don’t do well with long-term exposure to sedentary living. Lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”
6. Tune into fitness during TV time.
Reject your inner couch potato. Walk, jog in place or use the treadmill at the gym while you watch your favorite 30-minute show.
7. Park and walk. How many times have
you circled the parking lot to find “the” spot? Spare yourself the stress and gain more energy by parking far away (or even in a remote lot) and walking farther to your destination.
8. Take the stairs. The elevator may go
up — but it doesn’t make your heart rate climb. Take the stairs instead. You may huff and puff at first, but over time, your body will thank you.
9. Dance! Do it in a ballroom, at a club or
Here are some of Dr. Pate’s tips for getting active:
1. Get out the leash and walk your dog. It’s a great activity for both man and man’s best friend. Your heart — and your pooch — will thank you!
2. Take your child for a brisk walk.
It’s an excellent way to get some one-on-one time (or one-on-three, depending on the size of your brood.) Spice up your routine by exploring new neighborhoods or turning your walk into a scavenger hunt.
3. Mall walk. Are you sweating (or shiver-
ing) at the idea of walking outside? Take a brisk stroll around your local mall instead. Window shop, people watch and give your heart a workout in a climate-controlled environment.
4. Join a team. Pick an activity you love
and round up some friends. Team sports can be fun — and keep you motivated and accountable.
5. Walk and talk. Even if you’re glued to
your phone for work calls, you don’t have to be glued to your seat. Make it a habit to talk and walk. Some workplaces have walking paths to make it even easier to burn while you earn.
even in your living room. You’ll burn calories and gain a new hobby.
10. Skip the cake, say goodbye to pie and take a walk after dinner. You’ll
get a reward that’s sweeter than dessert: more family time. If these ideas don’t work for you, find something that you enjoy. Ditching the excuses can be the first step to a healthier you. Of course, if you have an injury, talk to your doctor first to see if there’s a low-impact exercise you can do or find out if you should wait until you’re healed. And here’s more food for thought: “Our culture no longer requires us to be hunters and gathers, but our bodies still need the physical activity that is required by that way of life,” Russell said. So check out these tips to get moving today!
Know the ABCS of Heart Health this American Heart Month
Pick us up at Abilene ISD, La Familia Mex Rest & Lytle Land & Cattle | HEALTH | 45
By American Heart Association
Heart disease and stroke are the first and fourth leading causes of death in the United States. Heart disease is responsible for 1 of every 4 deaths in the country. For some groups, such as African Americans, the burden is even greater. As a nation, we can— and must—change these numbers. The good news is that heart disease and stroke can be prevented, and February—American Heart Month—is a great time to refresh your memory on the small but important actions you can take. The national Million Hearts® initiative is working to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. How can you reduce your risk? One way is to know your ABCS: - Ask your health care provider about taking Aspirin. - Make control your goal: if you have high Blood Pressure, work with your health care provider to get it under control. - Find out how to best manage high Cholesterol. - Stop Smoking—or don’t start.
A. B.
-Follow your health care provider’s instructions when it comes to taking Aspirin • Talk to your health care medicines provider and team to see if taking an aspirin - Measure your blood pressure at each day is right for you. home.
Blood Pressure Control
High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke. One in three American adults has high blood pressure—that’s about 70 million people. Unfortunately, less than half of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control. Work with your health care team to find out if you have high blood pressure. If you do, take steps to reduce it. -Get active by exercising for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. -Eat a heart-healthy diet that is high in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in sodium, saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol.
C.
Cholesterol • High cholesterol affects 1 in 3 American adults. Getting a simple blood test is the only way you can know if have high cholesterol. Your doctor can suggest steps you can take to prevent high cholesterol or to reduce your levels if they are high.
Learn more at Heart.org/HeartAttack.
©2016 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
S.
Smoking • Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease. If you’re a smoker, quit as soon as possible, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start. Get help from 1-800-QUIT-NOW or Smokefree.gov.
March th 1 1 9:30-12:30
103 Georgia ◘ Sweetwater, TX
Tickets: (325) 235-4104
Learn more about Million Hearts® and ways to protect your heart during February and throughout the year at millionhearts.hhs.gov.
46 | HEALTH | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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SAVE THE DATE:
‘Bent Wheel Bash 2017’ • March 4-5 2017 SharpeVision modern LASIK Texas XC Mountain Bike State Championship Series Presented by BikeTown By BentWheelBash.com
This year, our mountain bike race will be held the weekend of March 4-5. Like last year, the 12 & Under and 10 & Under age categories will race late Saturday afternoon, March 4. Everyone else will race on Sunday, March 5. The race on Saturday only affects boys and girls age 12 and under. If kids are racing in any category age 13 and up, they will race on Sunday. REGISTER AT:
https://www.bikereg.com/bent-wheel-bash
Once again, all proceeds from Bent Wheel Bash will benefit the Abilene Police Department. Make plans now to come out to Buck Creek Trails and race! ◙ Race Director ◙ Gary Fraser • (325) 677-2453 (BIKE ) biketownabilene@yahoo.com
. Advertise Today! Call (325) 518-7091
BUSINESS&CAREER
RPG Stands for ‘Great Service’ Ben Ramirez has owned ‘RPG Automotive’ for three years, but his business standards come from his life-time family background. By Sandy Lowe | HispanicLife Magazine
RPG Automotive will celebrate three years in business in March. Ben Ramirez started the shop on Chestnut Street and moved to the current location at 701 Oak a little more than two years ago. RPG stands for Ramirez Prestige Garage and provides full automotive service and repair. “I started learning to fix cars by fixing the ones I broke,” Ben says. “when I was racing or just a kid and being hard on cars.” An Abilene native, after graduating from Abilene High School Ben went directly into the automotive business learning his trade at various dealerships including Lawrence Hall Chevrolet and Arrow Ford. “I tried to pick up as much as I could,” he says.
other down a few blocks. But he sees a brighter Ben recently hired his first full-time employee, side to the situation. Elias Tonche, Jr., who is a childhood friend. Now that he has some help, he plans to expand his ad“There’s plenty of work to go around,” Ben says. vertising. “Jim Clark is just across the street but we’ve helped each other out.” “I was a one-man shop,” Ben says, “and word-ofmouth about my business kept me busy. I didn’t want to have to keep people’s vehicles too long.” That commitment to customer service is Ben’s first priority. He sometimes saves old parts he has replaced on vehicles and shows them to customers so they can see what needed to be replaced and why. “I’m dealership trained,” he says “and I want my customers to have quality work at a better price. I try to explain as much as I can. I don’t want anybody to leave here feeling confused or not knowing what they just spent $1,000 on.”
Ben’s parents Joe and Dorthy and his wife Kristen have been his mentors and supporters. RPG and Joe’s sheet metal fabrication business, Tin Benders, share a location. Dorthy works full-time for both Ben and During a cold spell this winFrom left to right: Elias Tonche Jr, Dorthy Ramirez, Ben Ramirez, Kristen Ramirez Joe. Kristen is a nurse at the Abilene ter, Ben received a call about State Supported Living Center but a family who was traveling she also helps when she can. Ben’s younger Ben has a son and daughter from a previous rela- through Abilene, They had recently had their brother Justin also works in the automotive field tionship. He and Kristen are also raising her three brakes replaced and one of the bolts fell out. He selling parts at Star Dodge. daughters. When he’s not working Ben spends was able to locate the specific bolt they needed at time with the family and plays Slow Pitch soft- the local Honda dealership, install it, check the “My father is extremely good at what he does,” ball. Because Texas winters are fairly temperate, other bolts and send them on their way to enjoy Ben says. “He’s probably the best in town. He’s his team is able to travel to various tournaments the rest of their trip. been a big inspiration in my life. My parents year-round including San Angelo and the Dallastaught me about determination and staying with Fort Worth area. “I try to treat people like I would my own daughit, as well as about hard work. They have been ters,” Ben says. a big help with my business and teaching me Ben’s favorite thing about his job is working with what it would take.” his hands and problem-solving. That “Golden Rule” of customer service sets RPG apart in Abilene’s automotive service inBen says there is a great deal of competition in “I work hard to educate myself daily on new dustry. Abilene in the automotive repair business. One technologies and keep up with what’s new in the shop stands just across the street and there’s an- industry,” he says.
48 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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Which Is Best for You?
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Term vs.Whole Life Insurance By Matthew Frankel | The Motley Fool
Many people want life insurance for the peace of mind it provides, but shopping for policies can get confusing. While there are more specialized types of life insurance than I could name here, the two main varieties you’ll find are term and whole life -- and there are many differences between the two. Here’s what you need to know, so you can make an informed decision for you and your family.
Term life insurance can protect your family -- for now You can think of term life insurance as temporary coverage, while whole life is permanent.
Essentially, your premiums stay fixed for a set number of years (the “term”), during which time your beneficiaries will receive a lump sum of money in the event of your death. If the policy runs out and you’re still alive, you have the option to continue coverage, but the premiums can increase rapidly. Many people find that continuing a policy beyond its term can become unaffordable quickly, so don’t plan on being able to keep it forever. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of term life insurance is the cost. Term life policies usually come with much lower premiums than whole life. I ran a quote for myself (mid-30s, nonsmoker) through State Farm’s website. For a 20-year term life policy with $250,000 in coverage, my premium would be just $22.85 per month. A whole life policy would cost $261.65 per month, or more than 10 times that amount. For this reason, term life policies are a popular option for younger individuals and families, who may not have much savings yet but want to make sure their loved ones are financially secure. In fact, 85% of the life insurance policies TIAA-CREF issues are term life.
As the name implies, a whole life policy pro- sider whether you’ll need life insurance in 20 tects you for your entire life. It’s also much or 30 years after a term policy expires. After more expensive for a number of reasons. all, the main attraction of a term life policy is that it’s an inexpensive way of providing fiFor starters, whole life premiums stay the nancial security before you have enough savsame forever -- even if you’re 100 years old. ings and other assets. Well, if you’re saving Unlike a term policy’s premium that can in- and investing responsibly, this may not be the crease dramatically after the initial term runs case in 20 or 30 years from now. out, a whole life premium is guaranteed for life. The premiums may seem steep to insure Looking at my example once more, you’ll a 35-year-old (and they are), but they’ll seem notice that the monthly difference in premilike a bargain for $250,000 in coverage on an ums between the whole and term life policies 80-year-old. is $238.80. If I simply buy the term life option and invest the difference, it could build Don’t forget about inflation, either. While the up quickly. Based on the S&P 500’s histori$261.65 premium in the previous example cal average returns, after 20 years my investmay sound ridiculously expensive when com- ment could be worth nearly $155,000. After 30 pared with that of a term life policy, a dollar years, it could grow to $428,000. Bear in mind, when you’re 80 won’t be worth the same as this would be on top of whatever other investa dollar today, so your premiums will seem ment accounts I have, such as a 401(k) or IRA. cheaper as time goes on. The point is that if you have $428,000 or more Plus, whole life provides a living benefit. That in savings, do you really need a $250,000 life is, as you pay your premiums, your whole-life insurance policy? I tend to lean in favor of carpolicy accumulates cash value. Your premi- rying a term life policy and maximizing my ums are invested and grow and earn dividends investments, and this is in fact what I do for as time goes on, and this value builds on a tax- myself and my own family. The goal is that by deferred basis, similar to an IRA or 401(k). the time my term life insurance policy expires You can also borrow against your policy if you when I’m 55, the death benefit won’t be nearly choose to do so, or you can cash out some or as necessary as it is now. all of its value. To recap, here’s a summary of the reasons you might want each type of life It’s all about your peace of mind insurance: While I completely agree with the assertion that term life insurance is sufficient for most Term Life Insurance Whole life insurance people, it’s still important to do what makes you comfortable. If you like the idea of hav-Cheaper -Builds cash value ing a fixed premium for your entire life and the -Straightforward, -Premiums will ability to borrow from or cash in your policy, easy to understand never increase there’s nothing wrong with shopping around -Just provides a death -You can borrow for whole life if it’ll help you sleep more benefit; no extras against the policy soundly at night. However, I believe those ex -Eligible to be tra dollars could be put to work elsewhere. paid dividends
Whole life insurance protects you An alternative to whole life forever and builds cash value Before you decide which is best for you, con-
Free Tax Assistance with the AARP February 1st - April 13th, Main Library Auditorium:10:00a – 3:00p Wednesdays and Thursdays; Mockingbird Branch: Fridays and Saturdays, 10:00a – 3:00p
Doing even simple taxes can be a chore, so let our IRS trained volunteers from the AARP help during this annual program. Bring your 2016 tax materials such as W-2 forms, Social Security cards and last year’s return for first-come, first served assistance. Some basic tax forms are freely available in the Information Services department in the basement of the Main Library. (FREE)
(325) 725-3728
Pick us up at Alfredo’s, Mr. Gatti’s, H.E.B., Albertson’s & The Whitten Inn | BUSINESS | 49
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) ◙ Abilene, TX By Angela Remus | Immigration Case Worker, International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee provides opportunities for refugees, asylees, victims of human trafficking, survivors of torture, and other immigrants to thrive in America. Each year, thousands of people, forced to flee violence and persecution, are welcomed by the people of the United States into the safety and freedom of America. These individuals have survived against incredible odds. The IRC works with government bodies, civil society actors, and local volunteers to help them translate their past experiences into assets that are valuable to their new communities. In Abilene and other offices across the country, the IRC helps them to rebuild their lives.
Who are refugees?
Refugees are people fleeing violence and persecution—in the Congo DR, Iraq, Burundi, and other countries in crisis. They are seeking safety and the chance to move their lives forward.
Why are refugees arriving in Abilene?
The United States has a long tradition of sheltering those fleeing conflict and persecution. Once refugees have been identified by the United Nations refugee agency and cleared for resettlement, the U.S. government works with the IRC and eight other national resettlement agencies to help them restart their lives in America. Out of the nearly 20 million refugees in the world, fewer than 1 percent are
considered for resettlement worldwide. Refugees may be placed in a city where they have relatives or friends, or where there’s an established community that shares their language or culture. Other considerations include the cost of living and a community’s ability to provide medical services. However, as legal U.S. residents, refugees may live in any city and state they choose.
•Reception & Placement Services •Intensive Case Management •Health & Wellness Services •Employment Services •Vocational Training •Short term financial assistance •Immigration Services •New Roots Community Gardens •Children & Youth programming •ESL classes •Volunteer & Internship programming
Refugees arriving to Abilene need assistance in learning to navigate the city and connect What services does the IRC provide with community. They are looking for ways to the wider community? to get engaged and to understand their new The IRC in Abilene works very closely with surroundings. the community at large in providing information, training, and language assistance. Every How does the IRC help refugees in year, the IRC holds approximately 60 comAbilene? munity presentations on refugees as well as Our programs are designed to ensure refugees training on working across language barriers. thrive in America—whether ensuring children The IRC’s volunteer and internship opportuare enrolled in school, adults become self- nities allow students and young professionals reliant through employment or starting busi- to gain work experience in a culturally diverse nesses, or families receive acute medical care setting. A number of employers in town look they need to recover from trauma or illness. to the IRC to fill entry level jobs in their busiThe IRC helps those in need to rebuild their nesses and the IRC provides support with new lives and regain control of their future in their hire paperwork and interpretation. IRC’s imnew home community. migration and youth programming are open to all immigrants in the community. Refugees are greeted and welcomed at the airport by IRC case workers and volunteers How can I help refugees in Abilene? to ensure their transition is as comfortable as There are many ways that you can get inpossible. The IRC also makes sure newly ar- volved with the IRC’s work in Abilene. You rived refugees receive: can: Our programs in Abilene include: Donate: Give a tax-deductible financial con-
tribution either via the website or sent to our office. Volunteer Process and Opportunities: Read the steps you need to go through to become an IRC volunteer and see our current list of volunteer opportunities. Internship Opportunities: See our current list of internship opportunities here. New or Gently Used Items Needed for Refugees: We’re collecting household supplies, school supplies, furniture, computers, and bikes for newly refugees. See how you can help. Spread the Word: Consider hosting your own Fundraising Campaign (on- or offline). Stay connected via our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, and ask others to do the same! Other Ways to Get Involved: Employ refugees or connect us to affordable housing options.
What do refugees contribute to Abilene?
Once they acclimate to their new environment, refugees often thrive and contribute to their communities, building careers, purchasing homes, starting businesses and gaining citizenship. For more information, contact: Angela Remus | Immigration Case Worker International Rescue Committee 3305 North Third Street Suite 320 Abilene, Texas 79603 | Rescue.org/Dallas 1- 325- 675- 5643
50 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
HELP COMBAT IDENTITY THEFT By Sandra J Hastings | Hastings Professional Business Services, Hastingspbs.com
The IRS, the states and the tax industry have joined together to enact new safeguards and take additional actions to combat tax-related identity theft. Many of these safeguards will be invisible to you, but invaluable to the IRS fight against these criminal syndicates. If you prepare your own return with tax software, you will probably see new log-on standards and additional security protection. The IRS also knows identity theft is a frustrating process for victims. If you become a victim, the IRS is committed to resolving your case as quickly as possible.
What is tax-related identity theft?
Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen Social Security number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. You may be unaware that this has happened until you e-file your return and discover that a return already has been filed using your SSN. Or, the IRS may send you a letter saying they have identified a suspicious return using your SSN. Know the warning signs! Be alert to possible tax-related identity theft if you are contacted by the IRS or your tax professional/provider about: • More than one tax return was filed using your SSN. • You owe additional tax, refund offset or have had collection actions taken against you for a year you did not file a tax return. • IRS records indicate you received wages or other income from an employer for whom you did not work. If you are a victim of identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission recommends these steps: • File a complaint with the FTC at identitytheft. gov. • Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud alert’ on your credit records: -Equifax, www.Equifax.com, 1-800-766-0008 -Experian, www.Experian.com, 1-888-397-3742 / -TransUnion, www.TransUnion.com, 1-800680-7289 Contact your financial institutions, and close any financial or credit accounts opened without your permission or tampered with by identity thieves. If your SSN is compromised and you know or suspect you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends these additional steps: • Respond immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided or, if instructed, go to IDVerify.irs.gov. • Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if your e-filed return rejects because of a duplicate filing under your SSN or you are instructed to do so. Use a fillable form at IRS.gov, print, then attach the form to your return and mail according to instructions. • Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paper.
HispanicLife Media
7 Resume Tips to Help You Land a Job in 2017
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By Nicole Fallon Taylor | Business News Daily Managing Editor
Your resume is likely the first — and possibly only — thing an employer will look at when deciding whether or not to interview you. Smart job seekers know this document has to make a good impression, especially because most hiring managers spend mere seconds assessing a resume. That’s why it’s important to strike the right balance: You want to put enough information to prove that you’re qualified, but you don’t want to bore the hiring manager with pages of useless bullet points and details. If you’re looking for a new job or just want to spruce up your existing resume, Business News Daily rounded up some of the best expert resume tips to help you stand out and land that interview.
Write a “career snapshot” summary
application,” added Dana Locke, certified professional resume writer (CPRW) and manager of the resume and research departments at Impact Group. “No need to totally reinvent the wheel if you have a strong resume that focuses on your accomplishments, but make sure the specific qualifications and keywords from that particular job posting show up in your resume.”
Go beyond your job tasks
Hiring managers don’t just want to read a list of your day-to-day routine; they want to see concrete examples of the difference you’ve made for your previous employers. Rangel noted that listing specific merits, rather than just your experiences, is more engaging to read. For example, “I have reduced operating expenses by 23 percent in six months” is much more interesting to an employer than, “I have 30 years of sales experience,” she said.
In recent years, career experts have urged job seekers to do away with the old “objective” statement and instead, include a brief summary Similarly, Cheryl Hyatt, CEO of Hyatt-Fennell or “career snapshot” at the top of their resume. Executive Search, advised including any promotions or recognitions you’ve received since “With the ‘career snapshot’ you present a your last resume update. “Integrate recent branding statement that briefly explains your achievements and awards into the existing forunique value as well as your skills and qualifi- mat,” Hyatt said. “Conversely, it may be time to cations. This would then be followed by a few trim off items you listed previously that are no bullet points that highlight your experience longer relevant to your focus. and your accomplishments,” said Tomer Sade, CEO of Wise Data Media Insights. “Whatever You shouldn’t ignore your skills section, either. you list here should be relevant to the position Sade reminded job seekers to list any industryyou’re applying to.” relevant apps or programs they’re familiar with, as well as find ways to incorporate examples of “The top third of your resume is prime resume their soft skills (e.g. work ethic, multitasking, real estate,” added Lisa Rangel, an executive reliability, etc.) into their job descriptions. resume writer and official LinkedIn moderator at ChameleonResumes.com. “Create a robust Use the right language stand out summary to capture the hiring manager’s eye.” Trite, lackluster descriptions of your job duties and accomplishment won’t do you any Watch your keywords favors when you’re writing a resume. Make If you’re applying to a larger company, be sure you’re using strong, action-oriented words aware that a real, human hiring manager may like achieved, created, improved and managed not ever even look at your resume if it doesn’t to describe your roles and projects, said Sade. fit the job criteria entered into their applicant This, he said, will make you sound confident tracking system (ATS). Trish O’Brien, vice while still imparting vital information. president of human resources at Caliper, emphasized the importance of adapting your re- “Try to avoid over-used, one-time trendy words sume to the position to increase your chances that … no longer have real meaning and don’t of getting through that initial screen. help differentiate you from everyone else,” Sade told Business News Daily. “Words such as “Make sure you’ve carefully reviewed the post- professional, results-driven and detail-oriented ing, and ... be sure to use the appropriate key provide very little helpful information. It’s betwords in your resume to get past the screener ter to use actual job titles than these words.” adapt your resume accordingly,” O’Brien said. “Be truthful, but understand that the first pass So how should you write about your career acon your resume is likely via an ATS.” complishments? Hyatt advised asking yourself “Customize your resume for every single job the following questions about a project to help
you list it on your resume: What planning was involved? How did you approach the change? How did you communicate with staff? What evaluation measures did you carry out once the project was complete?
List your social media profiles
It’s a well-known fact that many hiring managers today search for potential candidates on social networks. Save them a step by providing your profile links on your resume. Seasoned applicants with an existing professional social presence would do well to include URLs for their LinkedIn profile, Twitter account and blog, if applicable.
“If, and only if, your social media accounts are filled with professional posts pertaining to your industry, listing them on your resume can be advantageous,” said Richie Frieman, author of “Reply All [And Other Ways to Tank Your Career]” (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013). “They can show you have a strong network and are up to speed with modern-day marketing and communications practices. The hiring manager will see that you like to keep up with what’s happening, and that you care about learning more.”
Never lie on your resume
You might think there’s no harm in stretching the truth (or outright making something up) to catch a hiring manager’s attention, but any lie, even a small one, can come back to haunt you. “Even if you somehow manage to get past the background check with the lie in your resume intact, a serious problem still awaits you once you start the job,” Obeid said. “If you said you had certain skills or experiences on your resume, you can be sure your employer will expect you demonstrate those abilities on the job. But if you can’t really do what you said you could on your resume, then that will soon become apparent.”
Proofread, proofread, proofread
Triple-check your own work, and then have someone else look over your resume to ensure it’s 100 percent clean. There’s no room for sloppiness on your resume, said Obeid — a hiring manager might automatically dismiss your application if they spot a typo or grammatical error. “Make sure it’s error-free and easy to read. HR reps equate typos and errors with laziness,” Obeid said. “Use good English — the written word has a huge impact on the employer.”
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Pick us up at Golden Corral, MCM Elegante and Long John Silvers | BUSINESS | 51
CC’s Discounts CLOSING Abilene Store in March By Erica Garner | BigCountryHomePage.com
A discount store that’s served the Abilene community for years is closing its doors for good in March. CC’s Discounts on the 3200 block of N. 1st Street posted the following message to social media regarding their decision to close:
To all our customers and amazing employees, let me first begin by saying from the bottom of my heart – Thank you. Thank you for your patronage, thank you for your patience through the growing pains we went through and the growing of this business over the last 3 and a half plus years. And especially Thank you for all your hard work. It is with a heavy heart I announce we will be closing our doors forever. The industry has become a market of great competition and increasing difficulties in meeting my obligations to employees and customers. And for a series of minor mistakes made by me, the own- Liquidation has already begun. All inventory will be 25% off from February 8th - 11th, 50% er, the opportunity to continue is lost. off from February 14th - 18th, 75% off from The business will be liquidated and/or sold. February 21st - 25th, and 90% off from Febru100% of everything must go. Fixtures, inven- ary 28th - March 4th. ◙ Store equipment and tory, signage, carts, mannequins, shelving, safes fixtures will also be on sale from February 28th - March 4th. and all equipment.
Spread the
52 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Special Feature of HispanicLife Magazine
Love
Staple 6 Barn - Clyde, TX Imagine a quiet, unassuming country cedar barn, trees and just the quiet of country. You must love fresh air, fireflies, starry nights, and all the smiles you could ever wish to see on your family and friends’ faces. A rustic venue for people desiring unique West Texas charm. Tabb, DeeDee and Seth Scott created and maintain a quaint country barn for small to mid-size parties, weddings, proms, family reunions and any occasion you may need to meet and socialize. The barn was built with love and support from family members and by their very own hands on the land that has been in their family for generations. The Scotts wanted something special and distinctive - a different type of venue in which they could share the country feel of Texas. Barns are not just for tractors and horses anymore. Weddings, reunions, showers, birthdays, anniversary parties-- any reason to celebrate something meaningful come on to the Staple 6 Barn. For more information contact DeeDee at 325.669.0908. Look for us on Facebook and Staple6Barn.com where there are more pictures and history to be found.
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Pick us up at The Whitten Inn, China Star, Wholly Cow Burgers & H.E.B. | BUSINESS | 53
Marcus Lemonis:
Starting a Business Starts with Basic Math The star of CNBC’s “The Profit” knows a lot about business and entrepreneurship. Worth an estimated $3 billion, he’s the CEO and chairman of Camping World. By Kristen Castillo | MediaPlanet
On the TV show and in real life, Lemonis advises individuals on how to succeed in business. Over 40,000 applications come into the show asking Lemonis for help. His number one rule is being financially literate. “I don’t expect everyone to be a math genius,” he says. “But I expect them to understand basic principles of addition and subtraction.” Mediaplanet: What’s the biggest obstacle to financial literacy? Marcus Lemonis: Putting your pride aside is probably the biggest key. I reccomend getting financial advice from someone you trust, as well as from online resources, community college classes and the public library. The time that you take to study and learn those things will give you a significant leg up on the competition. MP: What impact is your show having on kids? • ML: We have a lot of young people watching our show. It’s exciting to know kids want to grow up to be in business. I think they’re realizing you can’t be in business if you don’t have basic financial literacy. MP: What’s the difference between saving and investing? • ML: I’m a big believer in saving money and I’m a big believer in having
reserves for rainy days. Savings is rainy-dayfor-the-future and investing is money that you can afford to risk. You can’t afford to risk savings in my opinion. Savings can help you if you need cash for an emergency like a job loss. In the case of saving and investing, I’m looking for you to save money to provide for your future, provide for a rainy day and I don’t ever think that money should be used for investing. MP: What’s the number one rule for investing? • ML: If you’re going to invest, you have to get comfortable with the idea that you could lose it. People should invest in assets like property or equipment, instead of ideas, which can be risky. For people who want to buy real estate as an investment, I suggest buying commercial real estate with solid tenants, which means you can collect rent on a steady basis. MP: You recommend not doing business with family and friends. Why? • ML: Investments don’t always go well but Thanksgiving always comes. I believe understanding numbers is a roadmap to success. For business owners, not knowing the basics will hurt their ability to make projections and grow the business. Without financial know-how, they find themselves out of cash and out of business before they even realize it.
54 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
New Restaurants Open for Business in the Big Country
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
SET YOUR SIGHTS ON FAST, EASY ACCESS WITH NEW
EYEPRINT ID
TM
By Amber Treybig | BigCountryHomePage.com
When it comes picking a place to grab a bite, the City of Abilene has every taste bud covered!
in town”, according to a few customers who have been multiple times within this week.
From Chipotle to Raising Canes, at least 8 new restaurants in the Big Country will open their doors to the public within the next few months.
“You know, I’ve had a little bit of everything and it’s all good!” Said Royce Clark.
Luigi’s Burgers and Subs located off of South14th in Frenchmen’s Creek Shopping Center, is just one new place to “dig-in” to a half pound burger that held their grand opening less then two weeks ago. “ We do half-pound patties ourselves as well as our buns and homemade pickles, they are all delicious!” Said Luigi Tetaj, the owner of Luigi’s Burgers and Subs. They also hand cut all of their fries and bake fresh buns each morning. “My mother used to be a baker for 45 years, so I’ve learned something from her”, continued Tetaj. They have already had loyal customers come back to try even more on the menu. “I had the Philly cheese steak last time and this time I got the burger”, said Casey McDermott. If you are craving something a little spicier, Sam’s Southern Eatery has you covered! Located off of North 1st, the new “Cajun-styled” restaurant has been said to have the “best seafood
Clark told KRBC that he has been there four times within the last week, and he has tried the shrimp, and said they are huge. “I’ve used to live in Louisiana for a short period of time, so the food is kind of like a Cajun style so I love it!” Continued Clark. Other restaurants soon to open include Chipotle which is located off of 3800 Clack Street, Raising Canes off of 1602 East Overland Trail, and Golden Chopsticks on 4300 block of Sayles. More local restaurants are also going to be opening up their doors like Potter’s Pizza, a family owned pizza-joint right off of Buffalo Gap on the 3802 Block and Nicky G’s Cuisine off of 4021 South 7th.
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Pick us up at Dairy Queen, First Financial Bank & Daniela’s Tex Mex | BUSINESS | 55
By Kristen Vanstrom | Business.com
Being a business owner is a dream of many; but a reality of only a few. Especially when it comes to actually making it in the small business space. It requires persistence, preparation and dedication. If your mindset is stuck in “no matter what, I’m gonna make this work!” then you might be ok. For the rest of you, who are looking for a little push in the right direction, here are some great tips.
Know your customers
This goes with any business, big or small. If you don’t know your target buyer, you’ll have a hard time establishing long-term customer relationships. You could spend months marketing to the wrong people. You might even push away customers simply because your promotional efforts are so off base.
age them to grow; both personally and professionally. Schedule quarterly one on ones. Sit down with each individual, and review their progress. Offer both positive and constructive feedback. Set goals, and match these with realistic incentives.
Keep a close eye on the competition
Should you live and die by what your competitors are doing? Absolutely not. But, you can’t also turn a blind eye to the progress of your industry as a whole. You don’t want to live your days keeping up with the Joneses, but you also can’t ignore what’s going on around you. This isn’t a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil type situation. Your competition could very well be thriving, and you need to know what’s giving them that spark.
Create an experience
It’s not only about what you’re selling, but also how you’re selling it. Let’s say you’re shopping for a new car. How would you feel if you drove up to a lot, and ordered the new vehicle, fast food style? You weren’t allowed to test drive or shop around. You couldn’t look inside any of the vehicles. You just had to take a stab at what you wanted, run your credit card and pull up front. That would be a total bummer. Shoppers want an experience. Depending on the item, there might be a bit of hand holding involved.
Money coming in doesn’t necessarily mean money going in your pocket. If you spend frivolously, you’ll pull the rug right out from underneath your business growth. One day, you’ll have cash; the next day you won’t. If you aren’t a huge fan of the accounting lingo, that’s fine. But hire someone who is. No matter what, you need to have a clear vision of your financials. Quarterly projections are an absolute must.
Treat staff like family
Create a long-term vision
Respect your employees and their time. Pay them fairly. Give them continuing education opportunities. On the same token, don’t let anyone take advantage of your generosity. Know when to draw the line. For example, if your inventory manager calls in once a week due to family emergencies; that’s definitely excessive. But, if on occasion, something urgent comes up, cut them some slack.
Set clear protocol from day one
If you don’t set expectations, you can’t expect greatness. Not everyone functions on the same frequency you do. Some people are perfectly content just getting by. If you want your employees to shoot for the moon, you have to create a motivational work environment. For example, let’s say you own a local bar and grill. If you’re constantly on your phone, texting friends and surfing Facebook every free minute you get; you’re setting a poor example.
Set time aside for one on ones
As a small business owner, you also have the opportunity to be a mentor. You can guide your employees, and encour-
Become one with your numbers (or hire someone who will)
Get as specific as possible. Where do you want your business to be in six months, one year, five years? •How involved do you want to be in the day to day operations? •What numbers do you want to hit, sales-wise? •How many people do you want to have on board? •If you asked a random stranger on the street about your company, how would they describe it?
Align with your core mantras
Not trying to get all hippy girl on you, but daily mantras are good to have in your back pocket. They help guide you during those off days, awful customer service experiences and more. When you’ve lost hope in being a business owner, they give you something to hang on to. Everyone looks to different sources for motivation. Figure out what makes you tick, and then jot down a few quick statements that inspire you. Now, don’t let all this overwhelm you. It’s meant to encourage. See, once you get your mind right, and embrace these thought patterns; the small business world is your oyster.
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