Pick us up at Long John Silver, Drug Emporium & Los Arcos Mex Rest | COMMUNITY | 3
MARCH 2017
Volume 7, Issue 11
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
Spring is here, and for many of us that means Spring cleaning. Cleaning out closets, garages, finally getting rid of books you know you will never read or that one shirt you bought on clearance that you know you should not have. We begin to clean up the yard and pull out weeds and clean up our flowerbeds to prepare to put in beautiful new flowers that will bloom and make the yard look nicer. There is just something about Spring that makes The air seem crispier and clean, the sun shines a little brighter and you may seem to whistle just a little tad more. All of this is good for your home, your garage and your flowerbeds, and once it’s done you may even sit back and say, “Wow the house seems bigger, my yard looks beautiful”. It just makes you feel better, but in reality your house did not get any bigger at all and your yard just needed some TLC. If all of these things make you feel better, just think about Spring cleaning yourself! Yes, I know that may sound weird, but just think of your life. Are there things that need to be cleaned out? Maybe we all need to step back and look into our hearts and Spring clean some clutter that has been there way to long. Maybe we need to make our hearts beautiful again. If cleaning out our closets make us proud, make us not feel overwhelmed, then just imagine how we would feel cleaning out all mess inside of us. Spring cleaning never hurt anyone, in actuality it makes our burden feel lighter and puts a bigger smile on our face. Just think how taking that walk with your family in your neighborhood would feel when you get home and all the clutter is gone from the house. It’s the same with your heart. Now that should make the roses smell stronger and the breeze feel cooler and put a BIG smile on your face! It’s out with the old and in with the new. All things are possible with a little hard work and determination and of course with God. So take a little time to stop and smell the new roses you just planted, and if you haven’t done it yet, it’s never to late to start Spring cleaning your home, the yard and your heart. Enjoy the people that love you and make you feel good, get rid of those that just add clutter and make a mess. Life is too short to live with clutter. 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
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4 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Citizenship:
What’s Holding You Back? By Angela Remus | Immigration Case Worker - International Rescue Committee According to recent data from the United States Census Bureau, over 1,000 residents of Abilene and its surrounding communities are eligible to apply for citizenship. However, while the majority of green-card holders want to become US citizens and have no plans to return to their country of origin, many do not complete the naturalization process. ~ Naturalization is easier than you may think.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS • The appli-
cation for naturalization consists of an application, biometrics screening, interview, and exam on US history on government. Many people are intimidated by the prospect of an interview and exam. However, the exam consists of only 10 questions, and you can study possible questions in advance. The interview will consist of simple questions about you. In some cases, the interview and exam can even be completed in your native language, or waived entirely. Agencies like ours can help you complete the application process, determine what requirements you will need to meet for the interview and exam, and provide
classes to help you prepare for the exam.
COST • Many people cite the application fees as
a barrier to applying for citizenship, but the fee may be more manageable than you expect. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services charges a total of $725 to complete an application for naturalization, but you could be eligible for either a complete fee waiver, or a reduced fee of $405. The opportunity to request a reduced fee was introduced in December 2016. Agencies like ours can help you determine if you are eligible for a fee reduction. During tax season, many people will use the money they receive in their tax return for the application for naturalization. Remember, the fees will only increase in future years.
THE BENEFITS of CITIZENSHIP • Being
a citizen will allow you to obtain a US passport and travel outside the United States, vote in local and national elections, access new benefits, and petition for new types of family members to immigrate to the United States. There are also economic benefits. According to the New Ameri-
cans Campaign, citizens earn an average 8 to 11 percent more than green card-holders. Naturalized US citizens are also protected from deportation. Although green card-holders are called legal permanent residents, citizenship provides a much more permanent status. The International Rescue Committee offers highquality, affordable immigration legal services and citizenship assistance in 24 cities across the United States, and one of our offices is located in right here in Abilene. Our comprehensive immigration services are provided by fully qualified IRC staff accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice. Spanish is spoken. Given political uncertainties and the benefits that citizenship affords, we encourage you to consider naturalization. Consult an authorized legal service provider, and see if naturalization is the best step for you.
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COMMUNITY
LOCAL PEOPLE AND EVENTS
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
Making Abilene Home
Roberto Ruiz and his family made sacrifices in order to achieve a posting at Dyess Air Force Base. By Sandy Lowe | HispanicLife Magazine
Even though he spent his school years in Mexico, Roberto Ruiz was always interested in serving in the United States military. He was born in Chicago, where his dad worked for Pepsi Cola as a mechanic.
to get through the year apart. “I received a thirty-day furlough,” he says, “which was great. But it was so hard to leave again.” By this time Roberto and Angelia had two children, Julissa and Alejandro. Both are now teens and students at Cooper High School.
“He didn’t really like the area,” Roberto says, “and he was concerned. So he sent me back to San Luis Potosi, Mexico to join his family and experience Mexican culture.”
Dyess Air Force Base was one of Roberto’s top three choices for his Texas posting and the family moved to Abilene in February 2007.
Roberto lived there until high school graduation. During that first college year he visited a military recruiter without mentioning it to his family. He chose a “delay program” which allowed him four months to wrap up school, visit family in Mexico and take trip with his parents and sister. In March 1997, Roberto headed for boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
“Six months after we came here we had a church family,” Roberto says. The family worships at St. Vincent Catholic Church. “My wife had made lots of friends. Anywhere you go in Abilene you get that friendly smile, especially if you’re in uniform. I lost count of how many meals people bought for us.”
In the meantime one of Roberto’s school friends had also returned to the U.S. Angelia’s parents had wanted her to learn Spanish, so they sent her from Houston to San Luis Potosi to live with family. They met in middle school and she returned to Houston shortly after. But they kept in touch and married in 1998. After boot camp Roberto transferred to Wichita Falls for technical school, where he specialized in aircraft water and fuels systems maintenance. He received orders for Misawa, Japan, but on the day he was to leave his orders were changed to Omaha, Nebraska. He and Angelia lived there seven years.
Robert officially retired from the Air Force on February 10, 2017. The printed program from the ceremony shows a long list of medals he has received. But now he’s looking toward the future. “There are opportunities to stay in the same career as a civilian,” Roberto says. “I’m weighing my options and may go back as a civil service worker on the base. But nothing is solid right now.” Ruiz on deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
“It allowed me to improve my skills level and only allowed one ten-minute phone call a move up in my career field,” Roberto says. week.”
“Retiring was a rough decision,” he says, “but as the kids have grown up it’s been harder and harder for me to pick up my bags and leave for six months. I couldn’t have done twenty years without my wife.”
It also resulted in a number of deployments, After graduating In 2006 Roberto deployed to Korea for a boot camp in 1997 the first of which came in 1998 to Kuwait and year with the incentive of receiving his prefSaudi Arabia for four months. No matter what career choicerence for his next posting. He and Angelia es he makes, Roberto attests that his family and were eager to return to Texas. Their parents “It was totally different then,” Roberto says. the Air Force have supported him well. were nearing retirement and planning to move “It was after Desert Storm. There was lots of back to Mexico. A post in Texas would allow damage and we were still rebuilding. We were them to live closer to family. But first they had
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HispanicLife Media
Rhythm & Blues Festival
. Advertise Today! Call (325) 518-7091
Hondo Henderson. Firefighter Henderson joined the Abilene Fire Department in December of 1999. He is certifed as an EMT-Paramedic, Master Firefighter, Fire Instructor I, and Hazardous Materials Technician. He is currently assigned to Engine 6, A shift. Congratulations to Firefighter Henderson.
April 28th - 30th
Samantha Fish and Albert Cummings will return to Abilene for encore performances at the 2017 Key City Rhythm & Blues Festival Last year, the Rhythm & Blues Festival raised $50,000 for the United Way of Abilene’s 25 community partners. Now, there are 27 community groups that will benefit. New to the Abilene stage this year are Malina Moye, a top female guitarist who combines rock and soul; Jimmy D. Lane, who has played with Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Van Morrison, guitarist Jonny Lang and more; and Damon Fowler, a Louisiana musician who blends roots rock with blues. Fish grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, “where jazz meets the blues,” and was introduced to Abilene at the 2016 festival.
Lt. Jim Campbell began his career with the Abilene Fire Department in December of 1999. He is currently certified as a firefighter basic, hazardous materials technician, and EMT-Intermediate. Jim is currently serving as the Lt. on Engine 5 C shift as part of the Haz Mat team.
Cummings, who also performed last year, cites Stevie Ray Vaughan as an early influence on his music. Lane, Cummings and Moye will perform April 28; Fowler, Lane and Fish will play April 29; and the New Light Baptist Church Choir will sing on April 30. Local artists will play both nights, but names have not yet been announced. Last year, the festival moved from Frontier Texas! to the Festival Gardens in Nelson Park to accommodate a larger crowd. Another new thing last year was the addition of the Gospel Brunch on Sunday. The changes were well-received, with festival proceeds nearly doubling the $26,000 raised at the inaugural event in 2014. All events take place at the Festival Gardens (across from The Abilene Zoo)
General admission tickets cost $25 for oneday attendance; $40 for April 28 and 29; and $60 for all three days; receive a 25 percent discount on general admission tickets if purchased by using the code “early” through March 10. Weekend VIP admission, which includes access to the VIP tent with food, beverages and soft seating on Friday and Saturday, costs $250. A child’s brunch ticket costs $15. Tickets may be purchased at keycityblues.com at 325-677-1841 or at the United Way office at 240 Cypress St.
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)
Firefighter Justin Ray joined the Abilene Fire Department in May of 2013. He is certified as a basic firefighter and an EMT-Paramedic. Justin is currently assigned to station one on A shift.
Construction of Abilene Zoo Bond Projects to Begin Soon
Pick us up at Law Enforcement Office & Cisco College | COMMUNITY | 7
By Brooke Crum | Abilene Reporter-News
Throughout the year, visitors to the Abilene Zoo will see major construction projects in the works as the city moves forward with the 2015 bond issue. The Abilene City Council on Thursday approved a contract with the Crowe Group to complete the projects for $2.3 million. Construction should take an estimated 320 working days to finish, barring inclement weather. The bond program includes five projects for the zoo, including a new African lesser flamingo exhibit that will greet visitors as they enter the zoo and a new giant anteater exhibit. The $80.7 million bond program also provides funds for renovations and expansion of the jaguar facility, adding off-exhibit space for breeding and rearing the endangered cats. Additionally, it provides for a new bird rehabilitation facility with room for the birds to fly around as they recover. Lastly, the fishing pier will be rehabilitated to provide access for guests with disabilities. To save money, staff will develop and install the pool for the flamingo exhibit, which will represent a “significant savings,” said Wayne Lisenbee, capital improvements director. The bond issue provided $1.03
million for the projects, with private donors contributing $1.5 million. Part of the donations came from the Abilene Zoological Society, which contributed $76,000, and the Grover Nelson Foundation, which donated $117,182. “Because of the additional funding, the vast majority of what was in the original design has been saved,” Lisenbee said. Councilman Steve Savage said he has seen quite a bit of progress at
the zoo that was done by staff. “My kids love that fish pier,” Councilman Bruce Kreitler said. Savage responded, “I’d like it more if we could fish off it.” “How about hunt ducks?” Kreitler said with a laugh. Mayor Norm Archibald said the best thing about these bond projects is that they will bring people back to the zoo. “We look forward to a greater and better zoo,” Archibald said.
In other business, the council approved a contract for another bond project — the rehabilitation of Hardwick Road from Beltway South (FM 707) to Antilley Road. The initial cost estimate for the street project came in at $1.2 million, but the city did engineering of the project in-house to save money, said Michael Rice, public works director. The city received four bids but recommended Contract Paving Co. for the project. The council awarded Contract Paving with a $903,477 contract to complete the project in 100 working days, beginning this summer so that construction will not interfere with Wylie schools, Rice said. Lastly, the council authorized the purchase of a new crematory unit at the Abilene Animal Shelter. The city received two bids. Justice Construction provided the low bid of $126,362, which includes both installation of the incinerator equipment and modifications to the existing structure to accommodate the new unit. The shelter’s current crematory unit was installed in 1987. It is used to dispose of euthanized animals, deceased pets and roadkill. The city cremates about 8,100 animals a year.
Food and Hope Event Saturday, March 25th • Noon to 9 p.m. Global Samaritan Resources, 2074 N. 1st St.
Write and draw messages of peace, hope, friendship and love on 2,400 boxes of fortified food. Global Samaritan, using the U.S.. Air Force ‘space available’ program, is sending the food to sustain refugees in Northern Iraq until they can return to their homes. Suggested sponsorship is $50 per box, but no donation is required to write and draw on boxes. Open to the public.
8 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
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Pick us up at Hernandez Bakery, Mr. Jiffy & Daniela’s Tex-Mex Rest | COMMUNITY | 9
Abilene Cashes In On ‘Nickel’ Investment By Abilene Reporter-News
The transformation story of downtown Abilene has many “We did it!” stories. We turned an eyesore of a railroad right-of-way into a park-like setting that offers trees and sculptures. We turn a dilapidated hotel into a museum.
selves to him in a big ol’ Texas way.
The multi-talented Mr. Joyce has been back here several times, including as a featured artist for the Children’s Arts and Literacy Festival that has evolved as has numerous whimsical sculptures place about downtown. Who knew 20 And we had the idea of turning an or more years ago that Abilene would abandoned corner auto garage into become the Storybook Capital of Texthe National Center for Children’s as. Illustrated Literature, thanks largely to a book written and illustrated by We like to make clear that the center is a guy from Louisiana who’d never something Abilene absolutely doesn’t been here. This month, the facility more often called “the nickel” — say NCCIL fast — celebrates its 20th anniversary of being incorporated as a nonprofit. Has it been open that long? Four years before the center opened at a former auto repair garage, then-Mayor Gary McCaleb read “Santa Calls” to elementary school students. The story about youngsters who venture to the North Pole after being invited to do so by Santa himself is fun stuff enough. But their leader, Art Atchinson Aimesworth, was from Abilene. Three years after the paperwork was completed, the Rhodes building of the 1920s was brought back to life as a destination point for fun and recognition of the best authorillustrators in this country. Before that, the first of what would be many sculptures was erected in Everman Park — “Childhood’s Greatest Adventure,” based on the book. William Joyce had no ties to Abilene. The name sounded right to him, as he’d later explain: “By chance I set my book ‘Santa Calls’ there. The main character’s name was Art Atchinson Aimesworth and I wanted him to wear a cowboy hat. So obviously he couldn’t be from New Jersey or Boca Raton. Abilene, Texas, fit like a four Beaver Stetson. It sounded just right.” We, in turn, roped and tied our-
you’ll see Pokémon Go! fans (or you did last summer), you’ll see people walking dogs or with each other, you’ll see people on their way to eat or to have a drink or to an event. Twenty years ago, downtown Abilene just coming back to life. We now consider the NCCIL and the Paramount Theatre and the Depot area and The Grace Museum and other places part of a vibrant city center landscape. But it took effort and imagination to pull off a rebirth. Once dusty downtown became delightful downtown. The NCCIL is not just for children. It’s also for the kid in us, the one who read many of these books or had the books read to them.
need. Stay with us. Abilene would be here without the arts. The city, anyway. Exits off the interstate. But our community is greatly enhanced by the arts. So much so that we cannot imagine the Abilene we know today without the arts. Want to sell Abilene to someone who doesn’t live here? Tell them about our wealth of arts and how we’ve developed downtown to be a place for kids. The fountain and the parks and the Seuss sculptures and a dinosaur atop a roof. The southeast corner of our convention center soon will be home to more sculptures. We’ve improved lighting, illuminating trees to create a sort of evening fantasyland. You’ll see families, you’ll see skateboarders, you’ll see weddings, you’ll see people taking photos of each other,
We only can imagine what the NCCIL can become in the next 20 years. Perhaps its mission expands; as we bring more artists to town to celebrate their work, they will see firsthand that our dedication to promoting children’s illustrated literature. Perhaps Abilene becomes their second home. Some people turn their garage into another room. Maybe we add to our “garage?” Why not us? After all, Santa called on a rootin’ tootin’ young man from right here to save the day. Why not be the Storybook Capital of the United States? Enjoy our stories today about the NCCIL, both starting on the front page and in the Life section. And if you’ve never been to the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, here’s your invitation.
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Quality Childcare Every Day
9
Day Nursery of Abilene has a new look and continues its long-term commitment to quality childcare services By Sandy Lowe | HispanicLife Magazine
You know Day Nursery of Abilene, whose first center opened in 1973. Day Nursery now serves 500 children, ages birth to ten, in three licensed facilities. But you might want to be prepared for a new Day Nursery look.
are low-income. And we want quality care for ers will take place at the Abilene High School all children.” West Cafeteria.
That quality is ranked by the Texas Rising Star (TRS) program, the state’s rating and improvement system for childcare. All three “One of the goals that came out of our 2015 Day Nursery centers have received the state’s Board retreat,” says Cynthia Pearson, presi- highest rating, four stars. dent and CEO, “was to make sure we’re branding properly.” Day Nursery of Abilene has also partnered with Abilene Independent School District for Branding for organizations means the right ten years to offer a School Readiness propeople are being reached with the right message in the right way. Day Nursery surveyed parents, donors and community members to find out what mattered most to them. Parents, for example, wanted more information about the staff that cares for their children. So each Friday on their Facebook page Day Nursery features individual staff accomplishments like perfect attendance or achieving Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials. The new look including a fresh logo and updated colors also came from the survey results. It is being phased in during 2017 and will appear across all signage and printed pieces including brochures, newsletters and the website. The updated graphics will encourage people to take a second look at Day Nursery of Abilene. That second look is important because Day Nursery has a lot to offer. Day Nursery’s mission is to provide affordable, quality childcare for a diverse community. “Many of our families are low income,” Cynthia says. “Although all children are welcome, affordability is important for those who
The 24th Annual Mexican Dinner will offer enchiladas, rice, beans, salad, chips and hot sauce. Taco Bueno provides the ingredients at cost and has for the last fifteen years of the event. Volunteers roll enchiladas, serve and make desserts that are offered for an extra charge. Ballet Folklorica dancers will provide entertainment. Parents and Board members are both asked to buy or sell a set number of tickets, which can be purchased for $7.00 each. Tickets at the door are $8.00. Businesses can also sponsor a table of ten for $150. Please call (325) 673-1110 for more information or go on-line to Day Nursery’s website, daynurseryabilene. org.
You can help by attending the dinner and of course, donations are welcome at any time. So are gram for its preschool volunteers. The national Fosage children. A recent ter Grandparents program, grant from the Texas administered through the Education Agency (TEA) Abilene State Supported Livthrough AISD is one of ing Center, provides senior only twenty-three in the adults who rock and feed state, and will allow that babies and are sometimes program to expand. paired with a child who needs a special dose of love All these programs require and support. If qualified, the volunteers community financial support. Day may also receive a small stipend. Nursery receives community investment funding through United Way of Abilene but Day Nursery of Abilene may have a new look, also holds fund raisers in order to continue but that new look will only call attention to the meeting their goal of offering affordable care. quality care for children that’s been improving On Saturday, March 25, one of those fundrais- our community for forty-four years.
Mockingbird Movies: “Hail Caesar!”
March 13 at 2:30PM, Mockingbird Branch Library Movie Summary: Follows a day in the life of Eddie Mannix, a Hollywood fixer for Capitol Pictures in the 1950s, who cleans up and solves problems for big names and stars in the industry. But when studio star Baird Whitlock disappears, Mannix has to deal with more than just the fix.
Night Flix: “Deepwater Horizon”
March 16 at 6:00PM, South Branch Library Movie Summary: A dramatization of the April 2010 disaster, when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
Teen Flix After Hours: “I Am Number Four” March 17 at 5:45PM, South Branch Library Movie Summary: Aliens and their Guardians are hiding on Earth from intergalactic bounty hunters. They can only be killed in numerical order, and Number Four is next on the list. This is his story.
Family Flix: “The Jungle Book” March 18 at
3:00PM, Main Library • Movie Summary: After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of panther, Bagheera, and free-spirited bear, Baloo.
Teen Flix: “Men in Black” •
March 21 at 4:30PM, Main Library / Movie Summary: Based on a comic book, this film chronicles a police officer who joins a secret organization that polices and monitors extraterrestrial interactions on Earth.
12 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
24th Annual
XICAN DINNER MEFUNDRAISER
Benefiting Day Nursery of Abilene Saturday, March 25th, 2017 · 4pm-7pm Abilene High School West Cafeteria (2800 N 6th St) Serving: Enchiladas, rice, beans, salad, chips, and tea
Tickets: $7.00 (in advance) or $8.00 (at door) Children’s tickets: $5.00 (sold only at the door) Desserts and take-out meals will also be available
daynurseryabilene.org AB-1508308
(325) 673-1110
Pick us up at Drug Emporium, Monterrey Mex Rest & Lytle Land & Cattle | COMMUNITY | 13
Mo’ better news:
Singing Target Employee Is a Classic
Relief House Manager/Direct Care • Assist Resident in Personal Care, Medication Supervision, Meal Preparation and Household Tasks. • Documentation and Communication Skills A Must • HS Grad or Equivalent
By Greg Jaklewicz | Abilene Reporter-News
• Prior Experience Preferred, But Not Required
ing his time, he puts a little bit of himself and a more contemporary riff into his songs. After all, he also likes Bruno Mars, Miguel, Chris Brown and others.
If you go to the local store at just the right time on just the right day, you may be lucky enough to hear Maurice Reed. He doesn’t whistle while he works. He sings.
So Tim and Erin Palmer are in the store and they hear singing. It’s not the soundtrack to their date night, like this was “La La Land” set in Abilene. It was Maurice. Or “Mo” (nickname given him). Or “Stann” (Yes, two n’s and his middle name because officially, he is Maurice Stanley Reed IV).
“Hey Maurice, I’m Tim. You have a beautiful voice, man. Would you sing for my friends on Facebook?” Reed laughed and broke into some Sinatra, “You Make Me Feel So Young.” “You make me feel so young. You make me feel as though spring has sprung and every time I see you grin, I’m such a happy individual.” The video was posted and it was a hit like, everywhere. How could you resist a happy guy singing a happy song? That’s another good story. He was at the Mall of Abilene last month during auditions to support two friends, sisters Paige and Bailey Hafner. He also knows former Idol Monique Rosario Goff, who chided him for not entering. She ignored his excuse that he’d been sick and “couldn’t hit a note.” C’mon, Maurice. Finally, he said, “OK, I’m down for it.” Last guy in. Since this was not planned, he had no backing track. So, he launched a cappella into a standard, “My Funny Valentine.”
As for singing at work, it’s too quiet at Target and singing makes whatever he’s doing more enjoyable. Maurice Reed, a finalist in the 2017 Abilene Idol contest Saturday night, has gained social media fame after he was recorded singing at work at Target.
“Some like, some don’t,” he said, shrugging. Palmer did.
“I’d never met him. He came up to me and asked me to sing. I was like, ‘Who is He said he surprised himself. “I hit the notes he?” Palmer said he heard Reed and he and his pretty good, and I could barely talk,” he said. wife searched for the source. Good enough to make the finals. And guess what? The Hafner girls are in the finals, too. “Erin said ‘Don’t follow him!’” he said. “I’m pretty extroverted and we followed him to the “Yeah, Paige Facebooked me and said we all toy section. Everywhere he went he was singmade it,” he said. ing something. There was joy infused in his day. He loves Frank Sinatra but he bring an Maurice, who’s 23, is from St. Louis, via Ten- R&B spirit to it. Standards with a twist.” nessee. He was attending college in Chattanooga when his money ran out. Out-of-state Second to the last to audition, Reed is first up tuition is a killer. Saturday. He’s aware that he has to make his performance on a big stage signature so the He moved here, where a hometown buddy is judges and the audience, which texts its vote, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base. His plan will remember him after No. 15 has performed. was to work a year or two, save money and go back to college. He got a job at Target about But he’s almost 6 feet 4 inches tall and has an six months ago. easy smile. He performed at a wedding with He has done several jobs, but currently he’s Goff, getting everyone’s attention when he did the guy in charge of seasonal promotions. Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” No wonder she wanted He’s Mr. Easter Bunny right now. him to audition for Idol. “The interior designer,” he said, laughing. He’s not going to Mars, though. He’ll do “My co-workers have been really supportive. something by Michael Bublé, he said. Not tellI love the people here.” ing what, though. Reed enjoys the classics — he grew up with a father who’s an old-school fan. The Sinatra tune that Palmer recorded was one of his dad’s favorites. He played it so often, “the words were driven into my head.”
But he will do it his way, which would make Sinatra proud.
“I will mix it up. I don’t want to stay true to (other artists) because that’s them and that wouldn’t be me,” he said. “I want to be how He’s cool with Dean Martin, too But, this be- I am.”
EOE
Apply In Person: 3602 N. Clack • Abilene, TX 79601 Monday-Friday 8am-5pm
This music thing is not going away. An artist at heart, Reed was studying graphic design and advertising at Chattanooga State. But he’s also thinking music production as a career. He loves that live sound. Chattanooga is just over 100 miles northwest of Atlanta, a big music town. So there’s that option in his life, too.
Tim Palmer heard him. The local singer-musician-songwriter was in the store last fall. Date night with his wife. If you have young kids, you understand. Even just the two of you going to Target is big fun.
Palmer could not resist Facebook Live-ing Reed because ... he was good. Tap “Go live.” Tim Palmer - Listen to this dude singing in Target! So...
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Things are humming along at Target. And the remodeling is going well, too.
14 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Abilene First Church of Nazarene
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Pick us up at Primetime Family Entertainment, Sears Rec Center & Kentucky Fried Chicken | COMMUNITY | 15
FACES OF DYESS
King of “The Lift” Airman serves up a positive attitude at flight kitchen inside Dyess hanger By Airman 1st Class Quay Drawdy | 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs, Dyess Air Force Base
In the back of a massive hangar packed with B-1B Lancers, maintenance personnel and the dull smell of grease is a door leading to a winding hallway. The stink of oil fades as the door shuts and is replaced with a delicate aroma of cooking meat and warm ovens. The hall lets out to a small open area with walls lined with B-1 mascots and tailflash replicas framed in black. Airmen with worn reflective belts and boots stained nearly black with hydraulic fluid gather their food and wait in line at a register run by the very chipper “King” of the Lift.
though, I stopped to look at all of the people sitting down eating the food I helped serve. Those maintainers, construction workers, crew chiefs and others that can now go out and do their jobs, fixing those planes, dropping bombs and protecting our country wouldn’t have eaten without people like me doing what I do. Everyone has their part so why not play mine?”
An outgoing personality can leave a lasting impression, especially when it comes from a member of the junior enlisted tier. Maintaining that energy, though, can be tough without the The Lift is an extension of the Longhorn Din- right motivation behind the individual. ing Facility, placed in the back of one of the hangars on the flightline. Its purpose is to provide Airmen working on the B-1 and C-130J aircraft with a close-by version of the DFAC. This gives them access to warm meals they may have otherwise not had time to get. Enter Airman 1st Class Malik King, 7th Force Support Squadron food service apprentice with a bright smile and a grateful view on life.
the people closest to them, namely their coworkers and supervisors. The positive attitude is not only pleasant to have around, it can also be infectious. “King is the kind of Airman that self-motivates and takes the initiative,” said Staff Sgt. Marie Brown, 7th FSS food services shift leader. “You would never know if he was having a bad day unless he told you. He left any outside problems at the door and was a pleasure to work with.” When not working at The Lift, King exercises leadership skills as council president of the support the men and women who fight for and protect our country.” Goals can be established early on in a career and often help set up a path for progression. A desire to succeed is an absolute must in achieving them and, when paired with the willingness to work toward them, are a positive influence. “I want to stay enlisted and I definitely aim to push past 20 years,” said King. “It’s been a great ride up to now and I have no complaints. I do want to try to get back into SERE at some point soon, too. It’s what I signed up to do in the first place and I promised myself I’d try. Being in services is a great way to help and protect people, but I’m a physical person and, if I could go back, I would in a heartbeat.”
“I’m thankful of where I came from because it made me who I am,” said King. “People always ask me, ‘Why are you always so happy,’ and it’s just because I’m grateful for what the Air Force has given me.” King grew up as one of four children, two older brothers and a younger sister, raised by a single mother in Cleveland, Ohio. While she did her best to provide for them, keeping clothes on their backs and food in their mouths was a struggle. “My dad left when I was about eight years old and, since then, my mom has been raising us from being underfoot small children to grown adults,” said King. “She’s done a lot to give us a good life, y’know, a better life than what we had growing up.” Originally enlisting to become a survival, evasion, resistance and escape instructor, King was reassigned after failing the swim portion of the course. The change from SERE to a career in services originally left him unsure, but he attacked the possibilities that came with the switch.
While career progression is a heavy focus, the pursuit of education was not lost to King. With plans to work toward his Community College of the Air Force degree underway, he intends to wrap up something he never really had an opportunity to work on back home.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Malik King, 7th Force Support Squadron food service apprentice, stands in The Lift at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, Feb. 8, 2017. The Lift is a flight kitchen located just inside a hangar off the Dyess flightline. Its purpose is to provide maintainers and aircrew, who may not have time to go to the Longhorn Dining Facility, with access to hot meals and snacks. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Quay Drawdy)
“All I have now is my mom and sister to protect,” said King. “If this is my way of defending them, then I’m going to make the best of this defense that I can. I can help provide for others that protect the country they live in, so “At first, I was definitely devastated,” said that’s what I’m going to do.” King. “[The Air Force] gave me services and, at first, I was definitely skeptical. I asked my- When a person is excited about what they’re self, ‘Why am I even doing this?’ One day, doing, their motivation is most noticeable to
Soulfire Café. “I do my best to make sure Airmen have somewhere nice to hang out when they’re not at work,” said King. “It’s a type of spiritual resilience provided through the chapel. We talk to the Airmen and ask how we can make it better, and they give us plenty of good feedback, so we’re always trying to improve it and make it better. It’s just another way I can
“Because I was raised in a big town, I never really needed, or got, my driver’s license,” said King. “Just recently, I passed the drivers course and just have to wait for that to come in the mail. Once I have it, I plan on using my tax return to help me get a car and then I can focus on my CCAF.” With all the positivity surrounding him and his future, King says he owes it all to the Air Force. “I’m just grateful for what [the Air Force] has given me,” said King. “A roof over my head, free food, free healthcare and free education. I’m thankful for it all.”
16 | COMMUNITY | 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
Myrtle Lee Levels McGee, 77, of Abilene, passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2017. Myrtle was born August 16, 1939 in McCaulley, Texas to Lottie Jackson and John Levels. She moved to Abilene as a young child and attended Woodson Schools. Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mom, Grandmother, Auntie, Turtle, Granny Myrtle and Friend are just some of the titles she acquired over a lifetime of befriending, mothering and loving those she encountered. In her careers as a custodian at Highland Church of Christ, cook at Abilene State School, Dyess AFB and Abilene Adult Daycare, a caregiver for disabled young adults and a foster grandparent, Myrtle touched the lives of everyone she met with her friendly, outgoing and nurturing spirit. Besides being a fantastic cook, Myrtle was also known to be a shark when playing bid whist, spades and dominoes.
a Moment in our arms... a Lifetime in our hearts... She brought light and life wherever she went. Myrtle met the love of her life Cornell McGee, Jr. in 1972 and was the mother of three wonderful children. Mrs. McGee was preceded in death by her parents, John and Lottie Levels; her husband, Cornell McGee Jr.; son, Eric Rayford; and siblings, J.C. Levels, Richard “Dickie C” Levels and Johnnie Mae Brown. Myrtle is survived by her children, Priscilla Rayford of Abilene and Cornell McGee III and wife, Tara, of Southlake, Texas; four grandsons, Everett Rayford, J’Noah Rayford, Myles McGee and Cornell McGee IV; five great-grandchildren, Anastacia, Alexye, Zoei, Aaliyah, and Everett II; two sisters, Linda “Kitty” Ward and husband, Thomas, of Strong, AR and Doretha Schaffer of Abilene. Because of her love of the Lord and her salvation in Christ Jesus, we are assured that she rests in Jesus. As I Thessalonians 4:13-18 says, “The dead in Christ will arise first, and we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to join Christ.” We will see her again.
Forge, Inc. in Mansfield, Texas. He loved to laugh and was always being a jokester every chance he got. Jesse was always getting to know someone new, he knew no strangers, whether a new neighbor or just someone at the store. He was an awesome grandpa, his granddaughters were the world to him. Mr. Jimenez was never at a loss for words when it came to his grandkids, that is all he talked about. Him and his wife loved to go to Kiowa Casino and play the slot machines. Jesse had a big heart and loved his family dearly, he will be missed by all who knew him.
Jesse Jimenez, 62, of Abilene, passed away Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at a local hospital.
Survivors include loving wife, Margie Jimenez; one son, Raymond Sandoval (Wendy) of Greenville, Texas; two daughters, Petra Vigil (Tommy) of San Bernadino, California and Kristen Ramirez (Ben) of Abilene; four brothers, Robert Jimenez (Pat) of Arlington, Texas, Marcus Jimenez (Rachel) and Joe Jimenez, all of Mansfield, Texas and Tony Jimenez of Abilene; five sisters, Anita Martinez (Manuel), Ruth Flores (Cande) and Connie Guerrero (Al), all of Abilene, Rebecca Solis (Jorge) of DeSoto, Texas and Linda Ramon of Burleson, Texas; and four grandchildren, Mya Ramos, Jullisa Ramos, Kloe Ramos and Alyssa Myers, Riley Sandoval and Ryland Sandoval.
Mr. Jimenez was born March 02, 1954, in Abilene, Texas to Benito and Isabel Jimenez. Jesse worked for many years as a Maintenance repairman for Trinity
Mr. Jimenez was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters, Isabel Jimenez, Gloria Portillo and Amelia Rosas; two brothers, infant, Jose Jesse Jimenez and Benito Jimenez, Jr.; and sister-in-law, Virginia Jimenez.
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Paulino Gomez, 66, of Abilene, passed away Monday, February 06, 2017. Mr. Gomez was born June 22, 1950, in Loraine, Texas to Guadalupe and Telesfora Gomez. He was a wonderful father, grandfather, friend and a very inspirational person. Paulino enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, loved all his nephews but, his favorite was Ricky Gomez. Paulino had a talent for working on cars but his passion were his roosters, he will be sorely missed. Survivors include five sons, Guillermo, Lucas and Paulino Gomez Jr., all of Abilene, Stevie Gomez of Waco and Justin Williams (Samantha) of Abilene; one daughter, Valerie Gomez of Waco; two brothers, Guadalupe Gomez (Maria) of Abilene and Rudy Gomez of Bakersville California; six sisters, Elfida Leyva (Guillermo) of Odessa; Nellie Bermea (Juan) of Dallas; Delia Daniels (Mitch), Connie McNay (Larry), both of Weatherford; Victoria Mercado of Bakersville, California and Lisa Alvarado of Phoenix Arizona; ten grandchildren, Pacho, Mino, Nani, Wanderlei, Soso, Valeria, Anastacia, Layla, Savannah and Rhigo. One great grandchild. Mr. Gomez was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Lou Gomez; his father, Guadalupe Gomez; a brother, Jimmy Gomez; two sisters Irene Villegas and Lydia.
Pick us up at Communities of Abilene FCU, SBDC & Lytle Land & Cattle | COMMUNITY | 17
Citizenship:
What’s holding you back? By Angela Remus | Immigration Case Worker, International Rescue Committee
According to recent data from the United States Census Bureau, over 1,000 residents of Abilene and its surrounding communities are eligible to apply for citizenship. However, while the majority of green-card holders want to become US citizens and have no plans to return to their country of origin, many do not complete the naturalization process. Naturalization is easier than you may think.
The application process
The application for naturalization consists of an application, biometrics screening, interview, and exam on US history on government. Many people are intimidated by the prospect of an interview and exam. However, the exam consists of only 10 questions, and you can study possible questions in advance. The interview will consist of simple questions about you. In some cases, the interview and exam can even be completed in your native language, or waived entirely. Agencies like ours can help you complete the application process, determine what requirements you will need to meet for the interview and exam, and provide classes to help you prepare for the exam.
Cost
Many people cite the application fees as a barrier to applying for citizenship, but the fee may be more manageable than you expect. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services charges a total of $725 to complete an application for naturalization, but you could be eligible for either a complete fee waiver, or a reduced fee of $405. The opportunity to request a reduced fee was introduced in December 2016. Agencies like
High-quality, low-cost immigration services.
The IRC in Abilene. 1) Green card services
2) Citizenship 3) Family petitions
Se habla español Call +1 325 675 5643 for appointments 3305 N. 3rd St. ♦ Suite 320 ♦ Abilene, TX 79603 Recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals
ours can help you determine if you are eligible for a fee reduction. During tax season, many people will use the money they receive in their tax return for the application for naturalization. Remember, the fees will only increase in future years.
The benefits of citizenship
Being a citizen will allow you to obtain a US passport and travel outside the United States, vote in local and national elections, access new benefits, and petition for new types of family members to immigrate to the United States. There are also economic benefits. According to the New Americans Campaign, citizens earn an average 8 to 11 percent more than green card-holders. Naturalized US citizens are also protected from deportation. Although green card-holders are called legal permanent residents, citizenship provides a much more permanent status. The International Rescue Committee offers high-quality, affordable immigration legal services and citizenship assistance in 24 cities across the United States, and one of our offices is located in right here in Abilene. Our comprehensive immigration services are provided by fully qualified IRC staff accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice. Spanish is spoken. Given political uncertainties and the benefits that citizenship affords, we encourage you to consider naturalization. Consult an authorized legal service provider, and see if naturalization is the best step for you.
City of Abilene Evening Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 1st 7 p.m. Lee Sports Complex at 1318 N. Pioneer Dr.
Children ages 12 and younger and their families are invited to hunt for 20,000 eggs. The Easter Bunny will also make an appearance for photos.
18 | COMMUNITY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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EDUCATION
LOCAL SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY NEWS
A Day at The Capitol Support still strong for Communities in Schools programs By Terry Johnson | Executive Director, Communities in Schools Big Country
Every legislative year, all 28 CIS programs that serve students across the great state of Texas come together for a ‘Day at the Capitol’ to conduct meetings with the legislators representing our local districts.
he was once a Site Coordinator for CIS in San Antonio and believed in the effectiveness of the program because he saw how he was able to make a difference in the lives of the students. He also put an emphasis on the bi-partisan support that CIS receives from the On Feb. 8 we all arrived on the south steps of legislature. The fact that CIS funding is supthe Capitol wearing red shirts to share the collective impact we made on at-risk students during the 2015-2016 school year. And what an amazing day it was!
ed our very own Rep. Stan Lambert leading the House floor.
When the Senate and House finished their work on the floor, all CIS supporters conducted approximately 150 meetings with their legislators for the remainder of the day. Legislators heard about the collective effort of CIS across the state. Successes from the program included 463,583 families served, 93,529 students case managed, 16,736 volunteer mentors Approximately 250 proud connected to students, 942 CIS supporters were in attencampuses served and 146 dance. Some were students, school districts served. some were volunteers (Board Student outcomes from Members and mentors), and the program for case mansome were administrative aged students included leaders. It was evident that 99% stayed in school the support base for CIS is (grades 7-12), 95% were vast and diverse. promoted to the next grade (kindergarten - grade 11), The day began with a rally 95% of eligible seniors where CIS students sang the graduated, 94% targeted national anthem and shared for social services met CIS representatives visiting with Rep. Stan Lambert are, from left, Chance Kilpatrick, Kaitlin Winegeart, Justin Whiteley, Peter Jang‐Minsuk, Terry Johnson, Christian Clyburn and Kelsey Phillips. testimonies about the many goals, 89% improved ways their lives had been academics, and 92% imchanged through support from the program. ported equally in the Senate and House base proved their behavior. bills reflects that our legislative leaders believe One student was a CIS alumna who is current- in the success of our students who face signifi- The main message that CIS representatives ly in her senior year at the University of Texas cant barriers to academic achievement. wanted to communicate to their legislators is at Austin. She told the crowd that her home that we are thankful for their support. They help life in San Antonio was so negative that she At the conclusion of the rally, everyone filed make the Texas CIS network the strongest in would have never graduated from high school into the Capitol gallery to represent CIS in the the nation, which includes 161 programs across if it were not for the support she received from Senate and House chambers. Resolutions were 25 states. Texas CIS programs have impacted CIS. To have successfully made it out of high read and filed for CIS during both sessions. hundreds of thousands of students since 1979 school and about to receive a college degree is In the Senate session, Senators Taylor, Uresti, and it’s because great legislative leaders have beyond her wildest dreams. Huffman, Campbell and Mendez, in addition to understood the need for underserved students Lt. Governor Patrick, made endorsements on to have access to integrated supports on school The rally also included a warm welcome from the effectiveness of the program. campuses. Rep. Diego Bernal who represents District 123 covering San Antonio, Balcones Heights and In the House session, Rep. Parker provided an To spend a full day sharing this story at our CapCastle Hills. He shared with the crowd that endorsement. A special treat for the day includ- itol made it an amazing day!
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Rescue the Animals, SPCA 698-7722
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20 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Abilene 5th Grader Wins Grand Champion Steer Steer sells for $106K By Will Jensen & Jamie Burch | KTXS
An Abilene fifth grader has a big head start on paying for college thanks to 1,300 pound steer. She won top honors at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo this weekend. (GALLERY) Aven Horn, an 11-year-old Taylor Elementary student, competed with her 18-month-old steer Prince and beat out 1,300 others for the title of Grand Champion Junior Market Steer. “It’s amazing,” Horn said. “I can’t believe that it happened.” This sign at the Horn family ranch in Jones County fittingly reads “home of champions.” Horn worked with Prince there for a year to get him ready for the competition. “[I was] washing him, feeding him, making sure he’s healthy,” Horn said. She also had to train him to stand still. “His attitude was perfect,” Horn said. “He acted great for me. He had a lot of muscle. He was fat. The judge really liked that kind of quality.”
All the hard work led up to the judge designating Prince as the winner Friday by slapping him on his backside. “When your child gets that slap, it’s an exciting moment, but it’s also emotional, and you’re so, so proud of them and their efforts,” said Brek Horn, Aven’s mother. Prince brought in $106,000 at auction, and Horn isn’t stopping there. She’s getting ready to take another steer to a show in Austin in a couple of weeks. It’s hard work she loves that can come with a big pay-off. “[I have] so many thoughts, thankfulness, blessed, can’t believe people would do that to help me for my education,” Horn said. Horn plans to attend Texas A&M University. She wants to pursue a career as a livestock photographer.
MAKING
A+ DIFFERENCE
Pick us up at Monterrey Mexican Restaurant, H.E.B. & CISCO College | EDUCATION | 21
MEET
LINDA LOZANO NAME: Linda Lozano CAMPUS: Adult Education/Alta Vista TITLE: Secretary/Data Entry TIME WITH AISD: 25 years; 14 years with Special Education and the last 11 years with Adult Education. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? WHAT SCHOOL DID YOU ATTEND? I’m from Abilene. I attended Fannin, Mann, and Abilene High. I did not graduate from high school, but obtained my GED in 1990 from the Adult Education Program. TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY: My father was from Anson, and my mother from Loraine. They were married for 63 years and are both deceased. I am the youngest of six children. I have two brothers that live in Abilene and a sister that lives in Dallas. I have a brother and a sister that have passed away. I have one daughter and a niece that I have raised since she was six years old. TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOURSELF: Something interesting about myself is how I came full circle with education. I quit school, came back to school, obtained a GED, and am now working for AISD in the program that gave me the second chance at receiving an equivalency to a high school diploma. There are times that I see a student struggling and almost ready to give up, and then I share my story in hopes of motivating them. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? I enjoy meeting different people from all walks of life. Everyone comes
March 2017
with their own individual story and what brought them here, including me. It is very rewarding to be able to see them achieve something that they may otherwise have not had the opportunity to achieve if it was not for this program. WHAT THE BOSS SAYS ABOUT HER: “Linda Lozano is a dedicated employee that wears many ‘different hats’ at work. She is committed to helping the teachers meet the needs of the students and to helping the students be successful as they pursue their education. She is usually the first person to greet the many individuals that call or come to Alta Vista to inquire about GED or ESL classes. She is a professional that works diligently at her craft. She also works additional hours on Tuesday and Thursday nights when classes are meeting. Her knowledge of adult education makes her a valuable employee and someone that the team at Adult Education depends on. It has been a privilege to work with her these last five years.” ~ Mignon Lawson, Adult Education Supervisor.
Meals on Wheels Volunteers of the Month PAT DULUDE & KATHY FOIL
Pat and Kathy deliver a route together every Friday. They have delivered for several years, Pat starting in 1993, and Kathy joining her in 2008. Kathy also delivers a different route on Tuesdays with her husband Bobby. When Pat is away on “Granny Duty” as she calls it, Kathy holds down the route! Pat travels frequently to visit her kids and grandkids, often to take care of the grandkids while the parents are working. Pat says she delivers because she loves to give back to her community and can see the benefits from their service. She also says when her and Kathy are finished delivering they feel blessed. I know both Pat and Kathy have formed relationships with the clients they deliver to, and those are the best kind of volunteers to have!
22 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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T.S.T.C. Culinary Arts Graduate Finds His Passion in the Kitchen By Amanda Sotelo | Texas State Technical College
Sweetwater native Marc Silvas went off to Texas Tech University to study to be a pharmacist but soon realized he was on the wrong career track.
means a lot to me that they cared about my development and always pushed me to do my best.” Ultimately, Silvas said he would like to teach others and also help them find success in the culinary industry in addition to someday owning his own butcher shop.
“I wasn’t enjoying it and I couldn’t see myself being a pharmacist for the rest of my life,” said Silvas. “So I found myself back at home and working at my family’s restaurant thinking about my life and doing some soul searching.”
In the meantime, Silvas is preparing for his Certified Pastry Chef exam in July. He already holds two additional certifications: Certified Executive Chef and Chef de Cuisine.
The 27-year-old’s family owns a Tex-Mex restaurant in Sweetwater called Casa Morales. It was originally opened by his grandfather in 1980 in Rotan, Texas. After retirement his family moved the business to Sweetwater in 1990, where they have served the community since. “I was in the kitchen cooking when I realized, ‘Why not pursue a career in the culinary world?’” said Silvas. “I’m a restaurant kid, I’ve done this my whole life and I’m good at it.” Silvas said that was the best decision he had ever made. After completing program prerequisites and applying for the culinary program, he got accepted. He graduated from the TSTC Culinary Arts program with an associate degree in 2011. “My time at TSTC was great and it prepared me and paved my way for the job I have now,” he said. Silvas currently works with Texas Tech’s hospitality services as an Executive Chef for Top Tier Catering, the university’s in-house catering company. “Getting this job was definitely a whirlwind of emotions for me because I received the offer before even receiving my degree,” Silvas said. “It all happened so fast, but it’s like I say, you get what you put into something. And I gave everything to be successful in the culinary program.”
David Deason, Silvas’ supervisor and associate managing director of Hospitality at Texas Tech said he was impressed with Silvas the first time he met him. TSTC Culinary Arts graduate Chef Marc Silvas is living his dream as the Executive Chef for Top Tier Catering, Texas Tech’s in-house catering company.
The executive chef said the education and training he received at TSTC is invaluable. He said the real-world experience of running a lunch and dinner service as a class for the college and community was instrumental in his success. “During this time we would all shift restaurant roles,” he said. “So one day I was cooking, the next bussing tables and the next working as wait staff. It’s important to learn every role and TSTC provided that experience.” Silvas credits much of his success to two of his instructors Chef Sandy Davis and Chef Coby Baumann. “They invested so much of their energy and time in me and my success,” said Silvas. “It
“Marc is so young, but so talented in the kitchen,” Deason said. “He has worked side by side with some of the best trained chefs from one of the biggest culinary institutes and he is respected by all. He definitely has a bright future and a home here with us as long as he wants to stay.” Silvas said he wants current or future TSTC students to always find networking opportunities. “Get involved in your community, no matter your major,” he said. “Sometimes it’s about who you meet and know that will give you your break. I know it definitely made a difference for me when I met my current boss at an event I was cooking for.” For more information on TSTC Culinary Arts call 325-670-9240.
24 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Become a Texas Teacher with McMurry’s FasTrack Program Registration is now open for McMurry University’s FasTrack program. FasTrack presents an exciting opportunity for anyone who has a bachelor’s degree and is seeking Texas teacher certification. Coursework begins May 15 and can be completed during the summer. Additional options are available for fall and spring semesters. Prerequisites for the program including a 2.75 GPA and passing a content test, The state of Texas requires a meningitis shots for those under the age of 30 or a booster shot within the past five years. Applicants will need to present a transcript for evaluation
Spotlight on Craig Middle School
Tipping The Scales for Students Program helps create supportive environment for children By Abilene Independent School District
the fluorescents are covered with magnetic filters. Calming scenes of waterfalls, aquariums, or other natural wonders are displayed on the Promethean Board accompanied by spa-like music from the speakers. Subtle, pleasing scents are detectable from an essential oil diffuser.
In the early months of Summer 2015, Dr. Dan Dukes, principal of Craig Middle School, found himself like many other campus administrators across the naton— wrestling with how to efficiently and effectively address the rise of severe mental health and behavioral issues affecting stu- Students have personalized their own cubicle spaces with drawings, photos, and other touches. dent populations. A group of tables makes a common area where Craig Middle School had, in previous years, students eat communal meals and meet for social worked with its most severe students utilizing skills group once a week. various programs with varying degrees of success. For the upcoming school year, Dr. Dukes and his administrative team decided that they would implement not only a Tier 1 level of support through the use of Conscious Discipline within all classrooms, but also a specialized therapeutic program benefiting students exhibiting chronic mental health issues. With this goal in mind, the Therapeutic Intervention Program (TIP) was born and today is in its second successful year of implementation.
at the time of initial meeting with the director of the FasTrack. Once coursework is completed, students will be eligible for a teaching internship or for student teaching. For more information or to schedule a meeting, contact the FasTrack director Dr. Gae Lynn McInroe at mcinroe. gae@mcm.edu or 325-793-4960 or certification officer Mike Thomesen at thomesem@mcm.edu or 325-7934863.
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
The TIP unit functions as a collaborative composed of students, educators, families and mental health stakeholders who work in partnership to create a supportive environment for students with mental health diagnoses. TIP strives to prepare students to reintegrate into the traditional classroom as appropriate with individualized support and instruction. This support includes Conscious Discipline, Restorative Justice and other evidence-based practice methods. Mrs. Lorrie Renfro serves as the Therapeutic Intervention Teacher with Mrs. Ann Callaway as the paraprofessional. Mrs. Susan Cronan works alongside Mrs. Renfro as the Mental Health Coach for the unit. When you walk into Mrs. Renfro’s therapeutic classroom, a tranquil feeling overtakes the senses. The lights are dimmed, but not dreary, as there are soft illuminations everywhere;
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Both women believe that their efforts are a labor of love. The reward for their work comes when they see the positive steps a student makes or a child who was not social at all suddenly comes out of his/her shell. TIP serves both general as well as special education students. The amount of time students spend in the classroom is tailored to fit the needs of each individual student. All referred students that have been accepted into TIP receive crisis intervention and case management services through Mrs. Cronan, the mental health coach. However, only students classified as “TIP Intensive” are scheduled to take classes within the TIP classroom. A student who is not scheduled into the classroom is considered, “Consult Only.” Mrs. Cronan’s role is to coordinate a continuum of services with any outside providers a student may have, as well as to assist students in crisis situations that
On the walls are affirmative quotes reinforcing may arise. Conscious Discipline to help students remind themselves of self-worth and character. Students are encouraged to set short-term goals for themselves so that they can expeThere are beanbags, stress balls, kinetic sand rience success and increase their sense of trays, as well as a yoga ball for students who accomplishment. Additionally, Mrs. Cronan need sensory items in times of crisis. also works with many community stakeholders in mental health as well as parents, Next to both Mrs. Renfro’s and Mrs. Callaway’s caregivers and other educators to look for opdesks are chairs where students may come and portunities to increase assistance for students visit should they need assistance with the on- within AISD. line curriculum program, Edgenuity, or just a friendly ear to listen. Over the past two years, everyone involved at Craig Middle School—from teachers to At times, Mrs. Renfro finds herself managing the custodians—have played a role in makstudents working on up to six different subjects ing TIP successful. With the implementation at once, while handling a student in crisis and of the District-Wide Behavior Support Comjuggling real-time teacher collaboration for stu- mittee, the future can only look brighter for dents. Mrs. Callaway is often doing the same. students everywhere.
Pick us up at China Star, Abilene Public Library & Martinez Barber Shop | EDUCATION | 25
Friends of ACU Library Raising Funds for Reading Gallery By ACU News
Jay Moore, author of Abilene History in Plain formation into the city it is today. He has Sight, will be featured speaker at the Friends produced documentaries on local history and of ACU Library’s spring banquet on March was named the 2013 Outstanding Teacher 30 at 6 p.m. in ACU’s Hunter of the Humanities for the State of Welcome Center. Texas. This year’s event will support Tickets cost $40 for individuals. creation of the Reading ComTable sponsorships are $1,000 and mons, a book gallery and readinclude a table of eight, event recing room to be constructed in the ognition and four autographed Jay Brown Library. Molly Scherer, Moore books. communications and development officer for the library, said Friends of ACU Library was the reading commons will serve to “cultivate founded in 1966 and helps raise funds for leisure reading by promoting books that are equipment and materials to enhance the uniwidely recognized as bestselling and criti- versity’s library. cally acclaimed.” Click here to purchase tickets or contact At the banquet, Moore will discuss Abilene Mollie Scherer at mas16e@acu.edu or 325history in the 1950s-60s and Abilene’s trans- 674-2340 with questions.
5 Students Qualify for National Conference for Future Educators
Five AISD students are headed to Arizona this summer after finishing among the top participants at the Texas Association of Future Educators state conference in Arlington. From left: Israel Yolou, Jalen Wright and Noah Watson of AHS, and Rebecca Desrochers and Hannah Tollison of Cooper will compete this June in Phoenix against other national qualifiers. Yolou, Wright and Watson earned their trip to nationals by placing in the top five in Impromptu Lesson Planning. Desrochers was a top-five finisher in the Exploring Non-Core Careers event, and Tollison qualified in Children’s Literature K-3. Sponsors for the group are Holly Woodard of AHS and Cheryl Barber of CHS.
26 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
8 Health Science Students Advance to State Competition in April By Abilene Independent School District
Eight Abilene ISD health science students are headed to Corpus Christi this April to compete in the 2017 Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) State Conference.
Kari Brokovich
Five Holland Medical High School students and three students from Abilene High School advanced to the state meet to be held April 1-2. Winners in Corpus Christi have the oppor-
Kari Brokovich Kari Brokovich of Holland HOSA was the first AISD student to qualify in December by recording one of the top scores in the Area on the Healthcare Issues Exam. Also, Hailey Elders and Allen Meza of Abilene High will be recognized at the state event for receiving the Barbara James Award, given to HOSA members who earned more than 100 hours community service. The other five students earned berths to state by finishing among the top competitors at the HOSA Area Conference held Feb. 3-4 in Copperas Cove. Holland’s Jessica Roberts captured the Area championship in Personal Care and Abilene High’s Sydney Contreras received a gold medal in Interviewing Skills. Alianna Richardson of Holland placed second in Physical Therapy, and the Holland team of Julissa Ruiz and Daniella Hernandez advanced by finishing third in CPR/First Aid.
Two other students placed at the Area Conference but did not qualify for state: Holland’s Makenna Wells, tunity to compete in the HOSA International 5th in Nursing Assisting, and Catalina Gonzales Conference in Orlando, FL, in June. of AHS, 4th in Medical Art Poster. From left: Makenna Wells, Catalina Gonzales, Julissa Ruiz, Daniella Hernandez, Alianna Richardson, Jessica Roberts, Sydney Contreras
Grace celebrates Youth Art Month Youth Art Month is a National event celebrating the great artistic talent of the youth in our communities. For many years the Grace has displayed artwork from all over the region. Students from Sweetwater, Jim Ned, Anson, Merkel, Wylie, Clyde, Abilene public and private schools as well as homeschool students participate each year. This is not a juried show - all submitted artworks are displayed. Last year more than 750 pieces were displayed. The Grace Museum, 102 Cypress Street. For more information visit www.thegracemuseum.org.
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Two McMurry Students Receive Dr. Sandra S. Harper Women’s Leadership Scholarship
Pick us up at La Familia Mexican Restaurant & YMCA on State St. | EDUCATION | 27
By Gary Ellison | Associate Director Communications, McMurry University Juniors Symphony Muñoz and Chandi Chandler have been selected by McMurry University to receive the Dr. Sandra Harper Women’s Leadership Scholarship for the 2017-18 academic year.
The Dr. Sandra S. Harper Women’s Leadership scholarship was established in 2014 in honor of the inauguration of Dr. Sandra S. Harper as McMurry University’s 12th president. A $5,000 scholarship was awarded in each of the past three years to a female stu- Juniors Symphony Muñoz Chandi Chandler dent at McMurry who has excelled in the classroom and who has distinguished herself were twenty-six applicants this year for the through service on campus and in the Abilene two scholarships. community. Muñoz is a junior honors student from MoDue to the generosity of event sponsors and nahans, Texas, majoring in sociology. Among attendees at the annual Women’s Leadership her leadership positions are McMurry StuLuncheon, the University was able to award dent Government Senate, NCAA Student two $5,000 scholarships for the 2017-18 aca- Athlete Advisory Committee vice president, demic year, one to a traditional age student Sociology Club secretary, and Delta Beta and one to a non-traditional student. There Epsilon chaplain. She has served as youth
intern and volunteer piano player at Aldersgate UMC and as a volunteer at the Swenson Haunted House and the DRI Pumpkin Patch. Muñoz was honored as Outstanding Sophomore Sociology Major, and her future plans are to attend law school. Chandler is a junior honors student from Abilene with a double major in physics and mathematics. Active in the Society of Physics Students, Chandler was selected to represent McMurry University at the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics. While a student at Cisco College, she was selected to participate in a field study at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. She has served as a peer tutor in mathematics and English, and as a single mother of three sons, Chandler has served as a parent volunteer at their schools and as a Cub Scout den mother.
28 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
McMurry hosts V.A.S.E (Visual Art Scholastic Event)
Breaking Through Exhibit McMurry University’s Gypsy Ted Gallery is hosting the V.A.S.E (Visual Art Scholastic Event) Breaking Through exhibit through March 24, 2017. A closing reception will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. Friday, March 24. The artwork, created by young, talented high school art students who competed in the annual F.A.S.E. competition, obtained a “4” in the V.A.S.E competition. These students did not advance to the state event, but did impress the jurors with their unique creativity and execution. The show was curated by both Jennifer Nichols and Yoleny Palacios. Gallery hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or by appointment. For any inquires please contact Student Gallery Director Yoleny Palacios at palacios.yoleny@mcm.edu or call 325-260-2232. The Gallery is located at Hunt Street and Sayles Blvd.
READ TO A DOG Wednesday, March 15, 2017 Abilene Public Library Mockingbird Branch, 10:30 a.m.
One of our most popular programs is back. . . The TailWaggin’ Tutors will provide the dogs and we’ll provide the books. This program is designed to offer a stress free zone for kids to practice their reading skills by reading to these friendly therapy dogs. Free.
Texas Craft Beer & Music Festival Saturday, March 25th / 2 PM - 8 PM • San Angelo River Stage
Join us for our 1stAnnual 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
Cooper’s Cougarettes Bring Home State Dance Title By Abilene Independent School District
The Cougarettes took home the Texas State Champion title for their division, a first in the 41-year history of the CHS squad, at the Texas Showcase of Champions Dance Competition Feb. 25 at The Colony. The team entered four team routines and 16 solo routines for evaluation and competed with 44 other dance organizations. The entire contest had over 348 dance entries who are placed into divisions based on team size, not school enrollment, and included teams from Grapevine, Lewisville, Frisco Centennial, Little Elm, Euless Trinity and Keller Timber Creek. The Cougarettes received a total of 36 awards based on their performance quality, technical execution and academic achievements.
medal for their solo performances. Kelsey Little, who is also the team captain, was named a solo finalist and performed during the awards ceremony for final placement. Little received 2nd runner-up for Senior Solo Finalist.
In addition to all the trophies and plaques, the Cougarettes have been invited to be feature performers in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and half-time performers in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. Invitations to these events are coveted and awarded based on merit and performance ability. Since February 2016, the Cougarettes have received a total of 93 awards at dance camps and competitions, as well as multiple feature performer invitations to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Buffalo In addition to the prestigious honor of being Wild Wings Citrus Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. named large division state champion, the Cou- The team will be performing with the Cooper garettes also received three other elite honors. Cougar Band in Hawaii over spring break. The team was awarded the Showcase Elite Award given to the highest scoring entries The Cooper Cougarettes are a group of 9thof the competition. Only five other groups 12th grade students who not only perform received this honor. The Cougarettes were at football, basketball games and pep rallies named 2nd Runner-Up Grand Champion, but are also community minded. They serve which combines all entries and awards the throughout the year at the elementary schools top scoring entry. Each routine is scored on and other community venues encouraging a 100-point scale, and only two other entries excellence and a strong work ethic. Through received a higher score average than Cooper dance the girls learn grace, coordination, dediwith two points separating the top three en- cation, hard work and discipline. These skills tries. The State Champion Award of Academic will continue to influence the Cougarettes as Excellence was also bestowed upon the Cou- they leave high school and enter college, the garettes for their overall team GPA of 3.81. professional world and lead their future famiThis is the second competition in a row the lies. A Cougarette will be recognized by her excellence in each area of her life, her dediteam has received this award. cated work ethic to each detail and her bright Other awards received by the Cougarettes are: smile and manners. To be a Cougarette is to be · 3 Outstanding Performance Quality Awards a part of a 41-year tradition of excellence and to be a lifelong member of a treasured sister· 4 Outstanding Choreography Awards hood. · 3 Outstanding Technique Award · Outstanding Precision Award The Cougarettes are under the direction of · Texas State Contemporary Champions Kimberely McMillon, who has been with the · Texas State Novelty Champions team since August 2015. · Texas State 1st Runner-Up Military Champions · Texas State 2nd Runner-Up Pom Champions · Super Sweepstakes - 90+ average on all 9 scoresheets CALL US TO ADVERTISE (325) 701-9505 All 16 Cougarettes entered into solo competitions received Superior ratings and a gold 209 S. Danville, Suite B-103 Email: info@hispaniclifemedia.com
Pick us up at Texas Cosmetology School, Mr. Gatti’s & La Popular Bakery | EDUCATION | 29
Your
Meet Caroline Enrollment Counselor!
“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
Pick us up at Golden Chick, Enterprise Bldg. & Armando’s Mexican Restaurant | EDUCATION | 31
CALF 2017 registration is open
Festival Will Bring Garth Williams Characters to Life By Sidney Levesque | Abilene Cultural Affairs Council
A pig whose best friend is a spider. A trio running from the Big Bad Wolf. And a white mouse named Stuart Little who struggles to live in the large world of his normal sized family. These are a few of the colorful characters of iconic artist and author Garth Williams that will be brought to life for the 6th Annual Children’s Art & Literacy Festival this summer. Williams was an inspiration for many generations of artists. His work lives on in international best-sellers “Charlotte’s Web,” “Stuart Little” and the “Little House on the Prairie” series. He wrote and illustrated a dozen Little Golden Books.
The CALF 2017 website is live and registration is open! Save 30 percent by registering before May 15. Festival passes get you into all activities except the workshops, which fill up fast!
CALF 2017 JUNE 8-10
Sign up for those when you register. Go to www. abilenecalf.com to register and see a complete list of activities!
The CALF will feature original Early registration: artwork by Williams at an exhi$7 children, $12 adults bition at the NCCIL. Experience Register before prices three days of fun starting with a go up May 15! Storybook Parade, costume contest, artist’s talk and book signing Thursday, June 8. That night, the new Adamson-Spalding Storybook Garden will CALL US TO ADVERTISE open filled with Williams characters. All (325) 701-9505 day Friday and Saturday, June 9-10, enjoy 209 S. Danville, Suite B-103 dramatic readings, Paramount movies, live Email: info@hispaniclifemedia.com animals, crafts, balloons, magic shows, train rides and more.
32 | EDUCATION | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
FAITH&FAMILY A Letter for Your Future Son-In-Law
SPIRITUAL AND FAMILY ADVICE
By Mark Merrill | Helping Families Love Well
There’s a letter you need to be prepping in your mind, no matter how old your daughter is. Whether she is years, months, weeks, or days away from getting married, you are going to want to clearly communicate some key things to the man who will become her husband. And M a r riage is a I think a letter is a great way to do it. holy union, a covI can tell you from my recent experience of enant, between God, you, giving my daughter, Megan’s, hand in mar- and your wife—a union established to glorify riage to an awesome young man, Hampton, God. When you become one, you become one that the time prior to the wedding you have spiritually, physically, emotionally, and in evhis attention like no other time in his life. It’s ery other way. You share in worshipping God; a time to share with him wisdom, encourage- you share your emotions, your hearts, your thoughts, your hopes, your dreams, and you ment, love, and hope for the future. freely share your bodies with one another. My letter to Hampton was for his eyes only, but below is a letter I’ve crafted for you as an As you grow as one, it is vital for that growth example that you can use for ideas. Make it to be grounded on trust. And let me tell you a your own. The reason I’m giving this to you secret: trust is the key to real, deep and satisfyis because I recognize how difficult it can be ing intimacy. to think through what’s most important to convey. I hope this letter can jumpstart your think- As we have grown as one in our marriage, we ing and your heart as you prepare your letter of have learned to enjoy the presence of each other– even without words– over the years. Have hope for your future son-in-law. you ever noticed when you meet a couple that’s been married for years that they start looking Dear ____________, similar, can finish each other’s sentences and Congratulations! The excitement of life for a thoughts, and even know what to order for the young, newly married couple…what can com- other? It’s real and all part of the oneness you pare with that? I recall how the excitement and will find in each other. discovery of living and loving together makes And don’t you love it when you see older couyou feel like your marriage is invincible! ples holding hands and loving on each other? But there are some important things I have You can…you will…be that couple, as you perto tell you about the years that lie ahead of severe and grow older together. But there are you and some of it won’t be easy. You will days coming that will test your confidence that read this and think “Your problems are yours, you can become one of THOSE couples… not mine…that will never happen to us.” But I know, without a doubt, that dark days and When the kids are keeping you up because bright rays of hope lie ahead of you if you’ll they’re sick or disobedient…when the toilet is overflowing at 3 a.m., or when the dog makes persevere. a mess on your carpet… These are the kinds You will find through the years that in spite of days that will annoy you. When those days of the challenges that will come, there will be come, stick with it and keep striving to love moments of immense contentment and joy, just each other well. That’s how you will experience greater oneness in your relationship. as you imagine them as a newlywed. And you know that whole “the two shall be- But there will also be darker days than that… days when one of you has serious health iscome one flesh” thing? That is God’s doing.
sues, when financial challenges are weighing heavily upon you, or when other serious matters seem to be a roadblock for your future relationship. Maybe you’ll even look across the table at each other and wonder “Who are you, and what have you done with the spouse I married?” You will have moments where you think “this is too hard, she is too unreasonable, and our life is too painful.” Let me tell you something: We’ve walked together through valleys in our marriage and family, including painful times. And each time we had to ask ourselves, “What do I do with this?” The answers weren’t always obvious or easy, but I can say that walking through all that together with God, and with one another, has made our life and marriage sweeter because we persevered through the difficulty and pain. I’m able to see now that sometimes unexpected blessings come from the hard times. The suffering and pain we encountered on our journey have actually made our marriage stronger. So in your darkest days, remember this: There is great hope for the future of your marriage. How do I know? How can I be so sure? Because we’ve experienced it in our own marriage. And, more importantly, because God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:11), “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” May you experience great hope, amazing joy, abundant blessings, and enduring love in your wonderful life together. Yours Truly,
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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
34 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Saturday, April 22 • 6:30 AM - 12 PM
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Pray, Serve, Forgive …
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3 Powerful Words for 2017 By Kristie Carpenter | Blended Mom Moments
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
2017. A New Year. A New President. New emotions about our country and our lives. I watch and read stories about protests and marches, riots and rebellions. And somewhere in the recesses of my slightly off kilter brain, I am thinking about how our political system can be somewhat compared to our blended families. I know this is a stretch ... but please bear with me as I attempt to gather the thoughts in my head and convey them to you for consideration. My first husband - who won my vote - was back in 1985. He did well during his term as my husband and leader. There were ideas and suggestions that were voted into laws. Then there were other times my input was vetoed. There were times that I was a devoted follower of this leader, and then, unfortunately, other times when the thought of impeachment swirled around in my head. He was “in office” for 10 years. Through those years, we gained knowledge, strength, wisdom - and a couple of kids. We learned how to work with each other and also how to disagree with each other and yet still be married. His presidency - term in office - our marriage - ended in 1996 with his death. The next man was “voted in” in 2004. This presidency was going to look very different than the previous one. This new guy came with two of his own children, plus two grandkids that would live with us as well. This leader had been impeached three times before. He had a different way of governing ... a different way of leading ... a different way of confrontation. Through all the negatives, through all the insecurities of the future, through all the numerous times my step daughter’s kids came home with lice, I hung in there. I voted this man and family into “office.” I would see it through. As I look back at both marriages - or regimes - I found some things done well. Let me share with you three tips that worked. Interestingly enough, these tips effectively apply to your reactions to our nation’s leadership. First of all, PRAY. First Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. What this implies to me is that my talk and my thoughts are to be shared at all times with God. When we consistently bring our marriages before God, we are more likely to seek His ways of
responding to our husbands. Pray for your husbands. First Timothy 2:1-2, tells us to pray and intercede for kings and all in authority - that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Pray for our nation. Second of all, SERVE. Matthew 20:28 tells us that Jesus came to earth not to be served, but to serve us. He deserved to be waited on and adored. He deserved obedience and compassion. He deserved mankind to fall at His feet and worship. And in John, chapter 13, we see this Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords - taking a pan of water and a towel and washing off His disciples’ dusty, dirty feet. We have much to learn about life and how to treat each other just from this passage. Gently and humbly serve your husband. Gently and humbly serve others. Third of all, FORGIVE. You are not perfect. You can thank Adam and Eve for that! Don’t expect your husband and family - and even your country’s leaders to be perfect either. So you are going to want to be ready to forgive as well as ask for forgiveness. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “… for if you forgive others when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” So whether you are helping to lead a family or guide a nation, you want to use the best tips possible so remember to pray, serve and forgive. 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
(325) 6981-1118
2ndSaturday, Crawfish Boil March 25 at 2 PM 2588 E. Lake Road • Abilene, Texas
South Pointe Church is hosting two events at 3050 Buffalo Gap Rd on 03/25/2017. The 5K walk/run is the first event taking place and then brisket plates will be sold immediately following the 5K. This brisket will be so good that you may want to get multiple plates!
5K walk/run • You can pre-register for
the 5K here (http://theuncommonchurch. com/haiti-...). If you pre-register before 3/19 for the Early Bird Special it’s only $25. After 3/18 the cost is $35. You can read and sign for the waiver there as well. Take a look at the map in the photo’s section. The route will leave from South Pointe Church, go to and through Red Bud Park, and then turn you back to the church. There will be an officer escort for crossing the streets as well as a water station at the halfway point to keep you hydrated. We will have registration the day of the event starting at 8:30am. The race will start at 10:00am. Put on your running shoes and
come help us raise money for our mission trip to Haiti!
Brisket Plate Sale • Separate from
the 5K we will be selling brisket plates. Not only will this brisket be good, but maybe the best you’ve ever had. We will sell each plate at $15 and it will include brisket, beans, potato salad, onions, pickles, bread, tea/water, and of course something sweet for dessert. You may not be interested now, but when the smoker fills the air with the smell of a juicy and delectable brisket, you may change your mind. We hope to see you there. We will also have a blanket (made by a church member) being raffled, and some home decor items being sold. The organization we will use for this mission trip is Mission of Hope Haiti (http:// mohhaiti.org/). Our team of 14 people need your help! Thank you for being a part of our mission!
24th Annual
XICAN DINNER MEFUNDRAISER
Benefiting Day Nursery of Abilene Saturday, March 25th, 2017 · 4pm-7pm
Abilene High School West Cafeteria (2800 N 6th St) Serving: Enchiladas, rice, beans, salad, chips, and tea
AB-1508301
daynurseryabilene.org (325) 673-1110
Tickets: $7.00 (in advance) or $8.00 (at door) Children’s tickets: $5.00 (sold only at the door) Desserts and take-out meals will also be available
36 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
4 red flags to guard against.
Infidelity Doesn’t Just Happen. It Starts with These Subtle Warnings.
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By Zack Carter | Relevant
It was a bright, sunny Sunday morning and church service had just let out. A visiting pastor was showing off his new motorcycle to a large group from the congregation in the church’s parking lot. He rode around in circles, demonstrating its wide range of motion, and revved the engine to show off its power. A young lady in the crowd requested a ride. Without hesitation the young pastor agreed. She hopped on the passenger seat directly behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist while grabbing firmly. She rested her head against the upper of his back, while it was evident by the look on her face that she was trying her best to maintain her physical composure. The pastor took the young lady around the church’s block, and wasn’t gone more than three minutes. He returned to the large group, and the young lady hopped off. A few months later it was revealed they had had an affair together. The pastor opened up about the affair shortly after, disclosing much of it to his closest friends and colleagues. One of the first questions asked was when did he realize the interaction with the young lady was inappropriate. The pastor said that the moment she touched him; that is, the moment the young lady sat down on the motorcycle and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, he knew he would pursue an affair with her. A moment of touch ended in devastation for this pastor’s marriage and this young lady’s reputation.
Touch is not in and of itself evil, for as we know, babies need touch to grow and many men and women receive love and affirmation through physical touch, however, if not stewarded well, touch can send unintentional and undesired messages to the opposite sex. Not all communication is verbal. Similarly, as a married man or woman, though it takes time, you can train your eyes to avoid unnecessary eye contact with the opposite sex that may be on the prowl. Many would argue that they can individually control the messages they are sending to the opposite sex.
Unfortunately, they are wrong.
Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look at a woman lustfully. Similarly, as a married man or woman, though it takes time, you can train your eyes to avoid unnecessary eye contact with the opposite sex that may be on the prowl. Eye contact is important when carrying on everyday conversations, but monitor your gaze.
Though we can take every effort to be intentional with how we create our messages, we cannot control how someone is going to interpret those messages. Just as touch bridged the gap for infidelity to poke its nasty head in the case of the pastor and young lady, there are countless other nonverbal factors that if not stewarded well, Simply put, avoid giving the opposite sex the have the potential to lead to marital infidelity. kind of looks you only give to your spouse on Here are most important nonverbal commu- date night. nication channels and red flags you should be 2) Touch • Research has long supported the aware of. advantages of touch. Physically, touch can help 1) Gaze • We’ve all flirted with the oppo- decrease blood pressure, heart rate and mental stress. Emotionally, touch provides support and site sex at some point or another. encouragement in times of grief, as well as in Catching their eyes is sometimes a game. When times of joy. When touch is used improperly or one looks up at the suspecting gazer, often in vain, the individual receiving the touch may times they then immediately look down, only interpret it in a manner unintended by the giver. to look up again intentionally to let you know they notice you noticing them. Whether sitting Leaving your hand on the arm of a colleague or across the room or directly in front of them, co-worker of the opposite sex for a long period maintaining consistent eye contact can arouse of time during a conversation in your office may communicate emotional or sexual mesour emotions, both relational and sexual. sages that you would never dream of commuThis can be devastating to marriage when eye nicating to them intentionally or even verbally. contact is used to achieve these ends. This may cause you or the person you’re touchWhen manipulated, consistent eye contact with ing to have feelings or desires that are meant someone of the opposite sex other than a spouse exclusively for your spouse. If you’re not the may encourage an invite to chat. Once the two one connecting with the opposite sex through are together in a conversation, topics may begin your touch, that certainly does not mean they innocently, which once again, in and of itself aren’t connecting with you. is not immoral, but often times innocent topics lead to discussing topics that typically are re- Monitor your touch when talking with the opserved for spouses, such as feelings and desires. posite sex. Make mental notes of how often touch accompanies your words. Then, avoid This type of conversation is exponentially in- getting into these situations again by all means creased when conversation is taken to social possible. media and private chat conversations that pro3) Time Spent in Private Text vide a false-sense of security. Communication • Text communication As I’ve explored in a previous article, text com- provides a false sense of security; a blanket munication provides a false sense of security; almost, falsely protecting you from damages a blanket almost, falsely protecting you from to your real-world marriage. Time communicates; it can communicate desire, both through damages to your real-world marriage. emotions and sexual topics. So what can you do? Monitor your eye gaze. This is something I have had to work on simply Consistent text communication with the opposite sex says, “I really enjoy talking with with my observation tendencies. you.” This then is either innocently interpreted I’m a people watcher. Many of you may be or dangerously misinterpreted. It may not take as well. Be careful that your people-watching long to begin discussing topics that should only tendencies aren’t misinterpreted. As a married be discussed with your spouse. person, you have a responsibility to mind your You may be able to avoid connecting with eyes.
someone through text when talking about feelings and desires, but the individual on the other end of that conversation, whether single or married, may not be able to control whether they do or not. Avoid private text conversations with the opposite sex at all costs. Don’t even go there. Communication like this is a slippery slope. It is very hard to monitor your subtle emotional messages when sending and receiving private texts. It is equally hard to avoid temptation when in the middle of these consistent conversations. When you spend time talking with someone through text privately, it is easy to send mixed signals, whether emotional or sexual.
4) Your Heart •
Finally, check the status of your heart. Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard the argument too often that, “My spouse and I do what’s best for us.” No, with the nature of the human heart, you are evidently doing what’s best for you. Selfishness is why marriages fail, and why divorces often follow that failure. Consider it a red flag if you are or want to be married, but don’t find it necessary to monitor some or all of your interactions with the opposite sex. Have an honest conversation with yourself. Check your heart. Whether you are knowingly not monitoring your nonverbal communication with the opposite sex or whether you’re naïve, you are responsible for the words and messages you are sending. The nonverbal behaviors we receive and send also have the ability to snare the heart and soul of another. We’ve been wired by our Creator for both verbal and nonverbal communication with others, including the opposite sex. However, as we live in a fallen world, that communication with others cannot be done effectively or appropriately without strategy and intentionality. To respect your spouse fully, means to respect them with your words, with your actions, face to face and online, until death do you part.
Pick us up at Alliance For Women & Children, Mary’s Paleteria & H.E.B. | FAITH & FAMILY | 37
What To Do When Things Don’t Turn Out the Way You Thought By Mark Merrill | Helping Families Love Well
I had a hard phone call with a friend recently. He was reviewing his life and shared with me how “things haven’t turned out like I thought they would.” In my experience, this sort of comment usually means that the person believes their life should be better than it is, not just different. In this case, he had recently been looking back with disappointment after seeing other men he knows who have made a ton of money and a past girlfriend on social media who has a “perfect” family, causing him to wonder what might have been. It begged the question: What do you do when things don’t turn out as you thought they would? Then there was the woman who “always thought she and her husband would adopt children” but it turned out her husband did not want to. Or perhaps you’ll relate to couples I’ve heard commenting that one or both of them has a radically changed personality from the fun, loving early years. They thought that was the way it would always be, yet now one or both are chronically cranky or have lost enthusiasm for life. Maybe the job isn’t what you thought it would be. Maybe you’ve not met your financial goals. Maybe your spouse has been profoundly changed by a radical diagnosis like Parkinson’s. Maybe you never expected or wanted to move away from where you used to live, much less be where you are now. Whatever the what-if is that vexes you, for the sake of your soul and your marriage, it is critical that you address this kind of circumstantial
disappointment as soon as possible. Here are some important tips for you to consider when things don’t turn out as you thought. Give yourself an opportunity to grieve. Grief is not just for death. There are times when we grieve the loss of friendships, love, health, dreams, expectations…many things can be grieved. Giving yourself, and your spouse, permission to grieve is often an important step to healthy progress and growth. Don’t keep blaming others, especially your spouse. Assigning blame to others, especially your spouse, can be bitter cancer in your soul and marriage. It’s one thing to identify that someone is responsible for something that has altered your goals or plans, it’s another to let that determination consume your heart and your relationship. That does not end well. The real “blame” can often be a complex web of circumstances and decisions. Forgiveness is crucial to progress. Don’t keep blaming yourself. Maybe you look back and realize that something you did or didn’t do lies at the crux of your disappointment. It can be hard to forgive yourself. Again, identifying that possibility is different than obsessing over it. You may need to forgive yourself as much as anyone else. Accept what you cannot change. A widely known prayer attributed to American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr says, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.” It’s hard to change what we can when we haven’t figured out or accepted what can’t be changed. Letting go of what’s over and done is critical to embracing what can be possible in the future. Accept the lack of control of most things in our lives. Much of our disappointments stem from a false sense of control. When we can understand and accept that there is far less under our control than we probably wish, it becomes easier to own what little we can control. Share your disappointments with your spouse. Real and honest conversation with your spouse about your disappointments and theirs can revolutionize your marriage…but it must be done without blaming them. When you develop listening skills, broaden your empathy skills, and deepen your understanding of your wife or husband, you tear down walls you didn’t even realize you were building. Be open to counseling. Sometimes we need extra help. It’s hard to resolve complex emotions and circumstances that overwhelm us. Consider getting some external, objective help to sort through these issues. And don’t ignore the possibility that perhaps you both need some counseling.
38 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Getting Married
5 Things To Consider When Combining Your Finances By Andrew Sorensen
If you’re getting married this year, you should talk about combining finances. If you’re mulling getting married ever, you should talk about combining finances.
“And we’ve found that the couples that choose not to do that tend to struggle,” Jones said. If couples aren’t on the same page, it leaves room for miscommunication.
5. Combining finances can strengthen your relationship • Marty Walsh at Brown
& Tedstrom says in most cases, it’s inappropriate to combine accounts until you’re married, but once you are married, he thinks it can even If you’re already married, and don’t have Even though avoiding money talk might by- prevent arguments that don’t revolve around combined finances, you should talk about pass arguments now, Dave Henderson with In- money. combining finances. tegrity One Wealth Services says, “If you just Mixing your money, can “promote Beyond giving your spouse the legtransparency between the two spousup in your next argument, there are es,” he says, which leads to greater trust some really good reasons to comand relationship efficiency overall. bine accounts according to financial planners. Reasons to not combine money:
1. Experts say it makes longterm planning easier • Rebecca
Kennedy with Kennedy Financial Planning says it sets your relationship up for long-term success. “It’s so much more effective when you’re in the same boat, rowing in the same direction,” she said.
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All that said, combining accounts may not be best for you. “There are a few exceptions,” Walsh said. You’ve got baggage Kennedy says some couples wait if one party is bringing a large amount of debt to the altar that they’d rather take care of themselves.
It limits surprises 20 or 30 years down the road when one of you wants to retire to Costa Rica and the other put your head in the sand, and think it’s going partner thought you were sticking put forever to go away, the issue gets bigger, and bigger, It may be easier, she cautions, to tackle it toand ever. and bigger until it blows up.” gether, but that’s totally up to you.
2. Not all couples combine all ac- He thinks you should talk it out sooner than You’ve got anti-baggage (large bags of cash counts • Experts say many couples feed a later. stashed away)
pre-agreed upon amount into accounts that pay for fixed expenses like the mortgage or “Definitely before you walk down the aisle. “If someone receives a large inheritance or kids’ college accounts. And most people don’t,” he said. there’s someone coming into the marriage and wants to sign a pre-nup or things like that,” Beyond that, each partner is free to put mon- 4. Science backs this up • A 1990 sociol- Walsh says, you may choose to keep some acey into “slush funds” that they can spend on ogy study found combined accounts provides counts separate. whatever they please (we’re guessing within a built-in familial structure which cuts down reason). on room for ambiguity. Whatever you choose on combining funds, experts all agree that there’s firstly: no right an3. It can prevent future arguments • Further, the National Institute of Health did a swer. Secondly: it pays off in the long-term to Mike Jones at Northwestern Mutual is one study in 2010 finding low-income couples had communicate openly about where your financof a couple of financial planners who say an higher relationship satisfaction without the is- es sit and how that positions you as a couple overwhelming majority of their clients share sues raised by keeping closed books. for bigger purchases like a house, or long-term finances. goals like retirement.
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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.
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 acThrough her story, Jes- cepting atmosphere... I come home rejuvenatsica seeks to offer hope ed and look at everyday life with new eyes.” to the hopeless, grace Chelsea B to the shame filled, and restoration to the impure. “Each year I discover something new that God has planned for my life and that’s super excitRegister By Feb. 28 / after Feb 28 ing.” Kristen 4 people sharing a room $50 each / $70 3 people in a room $70 each / $90 “I love everything about retreat… Its good 2 people in a room $90 each / $110 medicine for whatever ails.” Teressa 1 person in the room $150 / $170 “As a college girl, it was a really sweet priviPay by credit card through eventbright (Cot- lege to be with so many various aged women tonwood Ladies Retreat) or send a check To who love the lord. It was relaxing, fun, and Cottonwood Church 273 County Rd 527, Dub- spiritually uplifting.” Rachel lin, TX 76446, with RETREAT in memo line. To
Please join us
Taylor Electric Cooperative’s
78th Annual Meeting April 13th, 10:00 a.m. - Noon at the Abilene Convention Center 1100 N 6th St. Abilene, TX 79601
10:00-11:00 a.m. Educational Booths Health Fair
11:00 - Noon Prize Drawings Business Meeting Lunch
*Members will have the opportunity to vote for their representative on the board of directors. Election closes at 12:30 p.m.
taylorelectric.com | 793-8500
10 Ways to Make Your Child Smarter By AllProDad.com
In her book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek makes the case that your younger kids need the opportunity to just be kids and that too many parents try to get their children to turn into academic geniuses at too young an age. In U.S. News and World Report, Hirsh-Pasek states: “We know a tremendous amount about how young children learn, based on 30 years of wonderful science. The research shows that real learning has to take place in context – and that play is the best teacher. Children learn a tremendous amount through everyday living: playing with other children, creating stories together, finding patterns in leaves, and figuring out that if there are four people coming for dinner, you need to set four plates, four forks, and four napkins. Young children can learn about physics with blocks. What they don’t need to do is go around reciting E=MC squared.” Let your kids just be kids. Here are 10 ways to help your children become smarter.
1. Snooze time • It is essential that chil-
dren get the proper amount of rest. Follow the recommendations of your pediatrician – at least eight hours per night. Not only will your kids be more alert and ready to learn, they will have much happier attitudes. Set a bedtime for your child and stick to it.
2. Exercise that brain • Your child’s
brain is like a sponge ready to soak up everything it comes across. Age appropriate games help stimulate his mind and develop skills. Board games, building blocks, puzzles, checkers, and chess are just a few examples of games that also build smarts. Encourage their curiosity.
3. Physical activity • Whether it’s orga-
nized sports or just playing in the yard, children need physical activity to stimulate their senses. A study by the University of Illinois concluded that fit children perform better academically. They also have higher levels of self-esteem and confidence. Get out there and play with your kids.
4. Music
Research from the University of Toronto showed that children who studied music have higher IQs as adults. Music feeds the soul and brightens imaginations. Music is a tremendous vehicle to open up your child’s mind to many new wonders.
5. Video games • There are many games on the market now designed to develop your child’s learning skills. They promote strategic thinking, creativity, and teamwork. Many video games have downsides obviously, but some can also be wonderful for developing motor skills and memory.
6. Nutrition • Your child needs to be fed
regular and nutritious meals. A steady stream of junk food creates children who are more prone to illness. They will also lack the proper nutrients, like iron, for healthy brain tissue growth.
7. Read • The most cost-effective and never-
failing way to grow your child’s learning abilities is encouraging her to read. Read to your child as early and as much as possible. Keep plenty of books in your house. Be sure to pick one up for yourself. Those little eyes are always looking to see what you are doing.
8. Stable environment • In order to achieve their very best, children need to feel secure. Give them a steady and reliable home environment. Think of your child before you act. She is delicate and should be treated as such. 9. Real-life experience • Make sure your
children get out and see the world around them. Take them to the park. Take them to the mountains, the zoo, museums, or the beach. Take them on a simple walk. Every single place your child goes is a learning experience.
10. Old-fashioned work ethic • Your
child will not be the best, the brightest, or the fastest in every aspect of life. We all have our talents and our weaknesses. Encourage your child to always try his best and work as hard as he can.
40 | FAITH & FAMILY | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
You’re Blessed if You Know Jesus Is the Son of God, But Don’t Pat Yourself on The Back By Chris DeLuna | Church of Grace
I woke up a little earlier today to get some reading done before a long day of work. As always, I had some thoughts so I wrote them out. YOU’RE BLESSED IF YOU KNOW JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD, BUT DON’T PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK Let me explain. There was an occasion wherein Jesus asked his disciples what “the word on the street” was about him, that is, what were people saying about his identity. Not surprisingly, and just like today, everyone seemed to have an opinion. The disciples told Jesus; “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:13– 14). All of the opinions had at least this in common. Jesus was rightly percieved as a religious figure. He was at least a prophet. Then Jesus turned his attention to his disciples asking, “But who do you say that I am?” (v. 15). Peter speaks up and gives Jesus the absolute right answer;“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Had we been Peter, we might’ve been compelled to pat ourselves on the back for passing this pop quiz. Why did Peter get it right when
so many seemed to had fallen short? Was Peter smarter? What was the difference? And then there is the fact that Jesus doesn’t even commend Peter for giving the right answer. Peter gets no praise from Jesus, but rather he makes known why Peter knows what he knows in contrast to everyone else. And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17–18) There it is. Peter only knew what he knew because God the Father had made it known to him. This same principle applies to everyone who knows Christ in a saving way. We know only what we know because God has taken initiative to make himself known to us. He sought us out. We didn’t “find Jesus.” He wasn’t the one who was lost. We were. Remember. The lay person in the pew came to know Christ in the same way the Dr. behind the pulpit did. God took initiative to personally make himself known.
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HEALTH&FITNESS
Couple Completes Successful (1) Year Fitness Journey Together By Jordan Zumwalt CPT, PES, FNS | Firehosue Fitness
and changes their priorities to reach their goals.
My name is Jordan Zumwalt. I’m a personal trainer at Firehouse fitness and have been lucky enough to get to know Laci and Jordan Brewer.
Laci has invested everything she has into this and has gotten nothing but returns. She made most of this progress while still being educated on the basics. Although we couldn’t be happier with her results, our goal for 2017 is to pick up the pace.
I’ve been even luckier to have them as my clients. Both are such kind and driven people. They started their fitness journey at Firehouse Fitness on February 18th, 2016. They both started at nearly 430lbs.
She lost at a little under 2 pounds per week. This year our goal is to drop 3-5 pounds a week. We believe that this will be no problem, now that she has more knowledge. Now she no longer uses hope as a tactic for her success. Success is now merely a result of her habits. Success is her lifestyle.
Jordan is one of the most genuine people I have ever met and works at a local Harley Davidson shop. This helps him correlate a lot of things; I tell him, since he is so mechanical minded.
I hope this inspires anyone reading this. I hope you now believe that you can do anything that you want. All it takes is patience and a methodical plan. Make your health a priority. Your body is your vessel. You only get one.
Our sessions are scheduled to be only 1 hour. Many times, we stay late and he picks my brain about stuff that most people would have no interest in, but he’s fascinated by. Often, we just talk about life and philosophical things that can help him continuously be successful and win mental battles he faces. This man is far from lazy. He burns 6,200 calories on average. I constantly must tell him to eat more just because he stays so active at work, on the elliptical, and learning new compound lifts. As of today, he’s down 90lbs.
February 9th was 9 days before the anniversary of the day that this couple started their fitness journey. her continuous thirst for knowledge of the human body and how to apply. Very rarely On this day, Laci Brewer officially dropped her do I get a client who not only invests cash first 100lbs. I could not be more proud of her and in to their goals, but also invests mentally,
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Find a fitness and diet plan that is sustainable and progressive. Any fad diet that vilifies a certain nutrient, or leaves you feeling deprived is not sustainable. Learn how to eat for your goals and smash them. When you want your goals as badly as you want air, you will be successful.
42 | HEALTH | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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Surgical Assistant is One-of-A-Kind in Abilene By Scott Kirk | Abilene Reporter News
Melissa Dulin is the only licensed surgical assistant in the Big Country but she’s ready to give up that distinction. It isn’t that Dulin, who works at Abilene Regional Medical Center, doesn’t like her job. Far from it — she’s passionate about what she does. It’s just that she’d like to see more licensed surgical assistants, of which she is one of only 600 in Texas. In fact, she agreed to be interviewed not to tell her own story, but to encourage others to become surgical assistants.
must learn to anticipate the surgeon’s needs and She said that many patients don’t embrace must help other members of the surgical team the idea of having surgery, even when they work with the surgeon as well. know it’s needed to restore their health or improve their quality of life. She said she She said making the surgeon’s job easier helps enjoys guiding patients through the process, to increase the possibility of a positive outcome answering their questions and explaining the for the patient. procedure to them and their families. “It’s better for the patient,” she said. “It’s all Dulin worked with Dr. Stephen Abernathy about the patient.” for 10 years and now works with surgeon John Cole at ARMC. “He’s a fantastic guy,” she said of Cole. “He’s an excellent surgeon and a wonderful person. I’ve been very fortunate to work with great surgeons who were good people.”
Surgical assistants are members of the operating room team. They help the surgeon with sponging, suturing, suctioning, holding retractors, staunching bleeding and treating wounds.
Cole said he hired Dulin at Abernathy’s recommendation.
From what one sees on TV, one might assume that all a surgical assistant does is hand the surgeon a scalpel upon request.
“I hired her before I met her,” Cole said. “It was a good hire. She’s fantastic.”
“I watch all those shows,” Dulin said. “I watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’” There’s a lot more to the job in real life, however. Dulin said her favorite part of the job is interacting with patients before surgery. “The part I like is I get to see the patients,” she said. “It’s a people thing for me.” Dulin started her medical career as an orderly at Hendrick Medical Center in 1989. She said she was never drawn to becoming a nurse, but the operating room was something else. “It was so fascinating to me,” she said. Sixteen years ago, she became a certified surgical assistant. Her job gives her a ringside seat to the operating room action. “I stand across from the surgeon,” she said. “It’s my job to make sure his job is easier.” The surgical assistant provides the surgeon with the extra pair of hands he or she needs. Dulin said it isn’t always possible for there to be a second surgeon in the operating room. Dulin said it takes time for a surgical assistant and a surgeon to become a team. The assistant
In reality, there isn’t much difference between what Dulin did as a certified surgical assistant (she became a certified first assistant in 2014) and what she does as a licensed surgical assistant, which she became last June.
As much as she enjoys being a surgical assistant, Dulin said she plans a career change at some point — becoming a physician assistant. She said she hopes that by then there will be other licensed surgical assistants, especially as people interested in medical careers become more acquainted with the job.
“You can’t appreciate something if you don’t Dulin said that many certified surgical assis- know anything about it,” she said. tants don’t see the extra accreditation as worth the cost. “It holds us more accountable,” she said. “And we need to be.” She said the role of a surgical assistant won’t be diminished by technology such as robotic surgery, although she said some of her colleagues at first feared that they would be phased out by such advances. Technology can’t replace the one-on-one relationship that the surgical assistant develops with patients, she said. “That’s the fun part,” Dulin said. “Well, maybe not the fun part, but it is the most rewarding part.”
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Study:
Caffeine May Lead To A Longer Life By Sean Rossman | USA Today
Perk up. That daily cup of coffee could guar- with gene clusters containing low levels of the antee many more mornings. inflammatory protein more often had family members who lived age past 90 years old. A Stanford University School of Medicine study found properties in caffeine may beat A robotic barista is now serving — really fast back an “inflammatory process” linked to Here’s where caffeine came in. The blood of cardiovascular disease and aging. the people with low levels of inflammatory Now, pause to take another sip. The school’s findings, published last month in the medical journal Nature Medicine, examined more than 100 people over a series of years. The university said the research found the inflammatory process was less prevalent in those who drank more caffeine. Lab experiments found caffeine “directly countered” the inflammatory process. Your morning cup of coffee is about to get more expensive David Fuhrman, the study’s lead author, said 90% of noncommunicable diseases — which aren’t infectious or transmissible — are tied to chronic inflammation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 75% of the world’s deaths are caused by noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Researchers studied gene clusters and found people with high levels of an “inflammatory protein” more often had high blood pressure and free radicals in their blood. Free radicals, the university said, can damage cells. Those
protein was found to be “enriched for caffeine” compared to the other group. Stanford microbiology and immunology professor Mark Davis put it best. “That something many people drink — and actually like to drink — might have a direct benefit came as a surprise to us,” he said. “What we’ve shown is a correlation between caffeine consumption and longevity. And we’ve shown more rigorously, in laboratory tests, a very plausible mechanism for why this might be so.”
44 | HEALTH | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Spiritual Heart Health
(3) Habits of a Healthy Heart By Steven Furtick Ministries
“I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end. I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!” (Psalm 119:112-116, ESV)
used by God, that is where it has to start. The writer of Psalm 119 seems to realize this and reveals three things you need to know when it comes to having a healthy heart.
Know What to Hate. “I hate the double-
minded, but I love your law.” (Psalm 119:13) Training yourself to hate the things that hurt you can be a powerful motivating force for change. For example, if you want to develop healthier habits, learn to hate the effects of the unhealthy ones. Learning what to love is crucial, but learning what to Over the course of history, God has used all hate can be just as important. types of people with all kinds of problems to do great things for His Kingdom. He used Know Where to Hide. people like David, an adulterer; Moses, an ex- “You are my hiding place ile; and Paul, a murderer of Christians. While and my shield; I hope in your word.” (Psalm there seems to be no limit to who God is will- 119:14) When things get difficult, we all have ing to use, the one kind of person that God has a hiding place that we run to, but where you consistently not used is someone who is living choose to hide makes all the difference. For half-heartedly. some, their hiding place is harmful and creates even more damage. Things like drugs and alI don’t know the current condition of your cohol, or even blame and bitterness, provide a heart, but if you want to prepare yourself to be temporary escape, but the relief is short-lived,
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and the damage it creates can be permanent. If you want to be able to weather the storms of life and keep your heart healthy, you’ll need to find a healthy hiding place. God’s Word, worship, or even the presence of people who build you up are good places to go.
Know How to Hope. “Uphold me accord-
ing to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!” (Psalm 119:16) Knowing how to hope is often the differencemaker for keeping a commitment. Most of us hope incorrectly because we expect things immediately. We let our hope expire before the outcome we’ve been praying for even has time to develop. Over time, the disappointment from unrealistic expectations can sometimes train our hearts to stop hoping. If you want a healthy heart, don’t put your hope in quick fixes. Anchor it in the bedrock of God’s promises.
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Pick us up at Abilene ISD, La Familia Mex Rest & Lytle Land & Cattle | HEALTH | 45
WHO: These 12 Bacteria Pose Greatest Risk to Human Health By Meera Senthilingam
Twelve types of bacteria were deemed “priorities” in urgent need of new antibiotics, according to a list released by the World Health Organization on Monday.
“The (drug) pipeline is practically dry,” Kieny said during a press conference, adding that new antibiotics are difficult to develop. She also highlighted the fact that antibiotics are typically used as shortterm treatment, not long-term, meaning they have The first list of its kind, it highlights bacteria that less market incentives to pharmaceutical compaglobal health experts believe pose the greatest nies. threats to human health. The WHO is calling on governments and pharmaceutical companies to Critical, High and Medium Priorities• The bacprioritize the development of new drugs against teria listed are divided into three categories based them. on the urgency with which new antibiotics are needed against them. They’re classified as critical, Factors used to determine the bacteria posing the high and medium priority. most risk included the levels of resistance seen already, the mortality rates of these bacteria to- “The top three (bacteria) have nothing to treat day, their prevalence out in communities and the them,” said Dr. Vicky Enne, a clinical microbioloburden they place on health systems. gist at UCL in the UK. Hospital Acquired Infections • Topping the list were bacteria classed as “gram negative” bacteria, which have already shown resistance to multiple drugs.
Though Enne did not help with the final list, she agrees that these 12 types of bacteria are the ones in need of most attention, adding that the top three types on the list currently require use of a less than ideal drug, known as Colistin, to treat them. “At These include Acinetobacter baumannii and the moment, (Colistin) is the antibiotic of last repseudomonas aeruginosa, which are predomi- sort ... but resistance is also becoming more comnantly linked to hospital-acquired infections or mon,” she said. infections in healthcare settings, such as nursing homes, and in patients who require equipment The second and third groups name bacteria that are such as ventilators or blood catheters, which can increasingly showing resistance against the main become contaminated. drugs used against them, but which still have a few options remaining. “These still have some drugs Enterobacteriaceae, which include bacteria such to fight them ... but doctors are being forced to use as E.coli and klebsiella, were listed third and last resort drugs because resistance levels are so also pose a greater threat in healthcare settings. high,” Enne said. “These bacteria are responsible for high mortality rates,” said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO’s assistant director-general for health systems and innovation. “New, effective therapies are imperative.”
Salmonella and gonorrhoea are included among those considered a high priority, as well as campylobacter and helicobacter pylori, which cause food poisoning and gastritis, respectively.
In the United States, one in 25 hospital patients are estimated to have at least one hospital-acquired infection, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Enne believes the drugs named in these lower groups also require the development of better rapid diagnostics so any resistance can be identified immediately, meaning drugs are not used unnecessarily. “This fuels more resistance,” she said.
Globally, antibiotic resistance has been seen in every country, according to WHO, and drugresistant bacteria are estimated to cause 700,000 deaths each year. If no action is taken, they are expected to kill 10 million people annually by 2050.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease showing extreme resistance today, with some countries reporting cases with total resistance. WHO agreed with TB being a lead priority but left it off the list as it has its own arm of specific research and development to address the issue.
The risk of death from a resistant pathogens is two to three times greater said Dr. Carmem Pessoa da Silva, coordinator of antimicrobial resistance at WHO.
The issue of resistance has received attention in recent years. It was addressed during the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 and an independent review on antimicrobial resistance, commissioned by the UK government, concluded last The top three bacteria listed have shown resis- year with a list of priorities to target the problem. tance against multiple antibiotics, including But new drugs are still yet to be identified. those known as carbapenems, which are considered to be the most effective against multi-drug “This shows that WHO see antibiotic resistance as resistance. a major global challenge. Hopefully this will focus efforts on these areas of greatest need,” said WHO has released its list in hope of guiding and Dr. Andrew Edwards, a molecular microbiologist promoting the research and development of new at Imperial College London, who believes governdrugs -- which can take as long as 10 years to ments must also set policies in place to support reach the market. drug development. “There’s no point having these drugs if there are no policies in place.”
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46 | HEALTH | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Remembering Dr. William Butler:
Abilene’s First Black Doctor By Brittany Pelletz | BigCountryHomePage.com
It sits on the corner of 7th and Mesquite in it was like back in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s Abilene. At a glance, it appears to be an ordi- here,” adds Monroe. nary older home. Dr. Butler helped end community-wide segIn the 1930s, it became home for Dr. William regation, “He served and did his practice priButler and his family. marily to the black community for African American blacks but he also had white, An“He purchased his home glo, and Hispanics that he did with I want to say, $2,000 serve as well,” says Penns. actually paid cash for his home back in 1932,” says Dr. Butler retired in 1945 and Andrew Penns, an Abilene it wasn’t until more than five historian. decades later that another black doctor practiced in the This story is about more key city. than owning a home. It’s about the man who lived inThere is now a historical side of it. Penns adds, “His marker in the front yard. It’s practice was initially at the there to honor the life and back of his home.” legacy of the man who served his community on the corner of 7th and Mesquite. Dr. Butler was the first black doctor in Abilene. “It was hard for blacks to get medi- Dr. Butler’s home now serves as the office for cal care. Blacks did not have the adequate fa- I-CAN, Interested Citizens of Abilene North. cilities of places they could go to get doctors’ I-CAN works to develop, maintain, restore, care,” says Penns. and enhance the Carver and Stevenson neighborhoods which are two of the first primarily He changed that. “We had our segregation black neighborhoods in Abilene. and all that but it wasn’t as bad as most places,” says Raymond Monroe, a family friend of the Butler’s. Penns says, “Dr. Butler was a great asset to this community.” “The young black kids, they don’t know what
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BUSINESS&CAREER Work@Hendrick JOB FAIR
Friday, March 31st from 3 to 6 pm | Auxiliary Conference Center • Shelton Building, 2nd Floor By Caitlin Richards | HispanicLife Magazine
Job-seeking professionals of Abilene and the Big Country will have the opportunity to discover what all Hendrick Health System has to offer at the first ever Work @ Hendrick Job Fair. The job fair will be held on Friday, March 31, 2017 from 3 – 6 p.m. in the Auxiliary Conference Center on the second floor of the Shelton Building at 2000 Pine Street. “There are so many different facets of Hendrick,” Nurse Recruitment and Retention Officer Missy Lewis said. “I like to think of it as a diamond. There are so many facets that sometimes you can’t really see them all until you look at them under the light.”
ers, almost like an informal interview process,” Lewis said. “First impressions always speak the loudest. So this gives candidates the chance to do so even before the interview.” There is no cost to attend the job fair. Attendees are encouraged to bring a resume and
The job fair will shine light on all the different positions available for Abilene professionals and job seekers. There will be hiring managers and representatives from 25 different departments present at the come and go event. Most of the time, when people think of working at Hendrick the initial thought is they must be a doctor or a nurse, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. From accounting and food services to information technology and environmental services, there are employees working to make Hendrick the great health care provider it is. “There are so many ways people can get their foot in the door and work towards their ultimate career goals,” Lewis said. “We wanted to increase awareness in our community of that and let people see all of the different things Hendrick offers.” Coming to the job fair not only gives professionals the opportunity to learn what jobs are available at Hendrick but the opportunity to put a face with the name on an application. “This is going to allow people who are seeking positions to meet face to face with hiring manag-
The job fair is also an opportunity for professionals to learn more about what it’s like to work at Hendrick by what they have to offer as an employer seeing first hand. “It is going to be an amazing opportunity for us to show off our place,” Lewis said. “We have such a unique work environment and I think this will give people the opportunity to see what we have to offer.” Hendrick is one of the largest employers of Abilene. They also frequently do market-wage analyses to make sure their wages are competitive. Lewis described the company culture like a family. She hopes attendees will see that in their interactions with managers and representatives at the event.
“We are all striving for the dress same goal and that is to deliver quality health care professionally to make a positive first im- consistent with the healing ministry of Jesus to our pression. However, neither of these is required. patients,” Lewis said. “We all have that same goal in mind and I think it’s what makes us unique.” At the event, attendees will complete a simple reg- _________________________________________ istration form so they can be contacted about positions. Registering will also enter attendees to win For more information about the Work @ Hendrick Job Fair, door prizes. Attendees can go to www.hendrick- call 325-670-2291 or email mlewis@hendrickhealth.org. health.org/careers/careers.aspx to search current job openings. “If they have looked at positions they might be qualified for or are interested in, we can take them to those tables directly when they come in,” Lewis said. “We are also a nicotine-free campus. So if you use nicotine of any type now is a good time to quit.”
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48 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
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(TEN) Smart Insurance Tips for 2017
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By Lacie Glover | NerdWallet
Insurance is a financial safety net for when life just doesn’t go your way, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it when things are going well. Here are 10 things you can do in 2017 to strengthen your net and avoid common insurance claims. 1. Make a home inventory... After a fire or natural disaster, you want the insurance claim process to go as smoothly as possible. Making a list of items in your home before a disaster occurs helps guarantee you won’t forget to claim anything, but 48% of homeowners say they don’t have an inventory, according to the Insurance Information Institute. 2. Read your insurance policies...The key to making a claim is understanding your policy. For auto and home insurance, look for the policy’s declarations page. For health insurance, look for the summary of benefits. Make sure you understand the limits and deductibles of each policy, along with the copayments and coinsurance for health insurance. 3. Quit smoking...If you smoke, your insurers want you to quit. Both health and life insurance typically cost less for nonsmokers, and your health plan might even help by paying for counseling and medication to help you quit. If you’re shopping for life insurance, you need to be smoke-free for at least a year to get nonsmoking rates, says Robert Wolfe, managing director of United Capital, a financial advising firm. 4. Improve your credit...Bad credit may be having a bigger impact on your car insurance bill than you realize. Credit history can impact your car insurance rates more than your driving record, according to Consumer Reports. Only
California, Hawaii and Massachusetts ban the too much, according to industry research group practice. The worse your credit, “the higher the LIMRA. risk your insurer sees you as,” Wolfe says. If someone depends on you financially, consider 5. Stop leaving the keys in your getting life insurance quotes. A policy might be car...One in eight stolen cars is a “freebie” cheaper than you think. for the thief, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Auto theft with the keys or 8. Tell your life insurance benefian electronic fob inside the car is up 31% since ciaries about your policy... Letting 2013, with a car stolen this way every 6 1/2 your life insurance beneficiaries know where to minutes. claim money if you die seems simple enough. But $8.8 billion in life insurance benefits are If you don’t have comprehensive coverage and unclaimed nationwide, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Part of the reason is that those who are owed money don’t know about the policies or where to find them. Your beneficiaries don’t need a policy in hand to make a claim; they only need to know which insurer you bought from. 9. Don’t overexert...If you plan to get in shape after the New Year, ease into your routine slowly. “Unintentional overexertion” is one of the top three causes of injuries that land your car is stolen, you’ll have to buy another car adults in the emergency room, according to the with your own money. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ER visits are rarely cheap, so don’t let getting fit 6. Stay in the kitchen while you’re lead to extra bills. cooking...You can help avoid the time loss and frustration of a common insurance claim by 10. Download your insurers’ apps staying in the kitchen when you cook. Currently, 46 states allow drivers to provide electronic proof of car insurance during a trafCooking fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires, fic stop, according to Property Casualty Insuraccording to the National Fire Protection Agen- ers Association of America. That means you no cy. Out of all cooking fires, unattended cooking longer have to remember where you put your was by far the leading cause. paper insurance card. Some auto insurers will even let you start a claim and see your policies 7. Find out the real price of life in- on their apps. surance...The biggest reason 64% of consumers with some or no life insurance don’t purchase more is because they think it costs
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Innovative Tigé Boats Rides the Waves of Success In State-of-The-Art Inboard Boat Production
Pick us up at Alfredo’s, Mr. Gatti’s, H.E.B., Albertson’s & The Whitten Inn | BUSINESS | 49
By Justin Jaworski | Connection, Abilene Chamber of Commerce
Over the past 25 years, Abilene’s economy has grown in diversity by leaps and bounds. What was once an oil/gas and military community is now home to more than ten other major industries. One of these industries is very uniquely represented by one company, Tigé Boats. Pronounced, “Tye-guh,” or as the company says, “when you buy one you can pronounce it however you would like,” finds is beginning 1991 in California, but in 1994 the company moved its headquarters and manufacturing facility to Abilene, Texas. First located in a facility of Highway 83/277, Tigè opened its doors in Abilene with 35 employees. Just a few years later the company moved to another facility off Business Highway 80 where it grew its operations again and the number of employees rose to 80. Then in 2003, the company made plans to build a new facility on Highway 36, where the company resides today. This new plant is cited as “the world’s most advanced inboard manufacturing facility” in its 130,000 square-foot, threebuilding complex that was designed and built specifically for their state-of-the-art, highquality inboard boat production. The complex includes a product development and engineering facility dedicated to the creation of new Tigé boat designs and technology. The manufacturing facility includes innovative features and engineering designed to optimize the composite boat-building process, promote environmental responsibility and ensure absolute quality of the Tigé product.
Tigé builds each boat, by hand; yes, by hand. Using the most advanced tools and techniques, each boat is built in a three-stage process: 1) shell mold, 2) painting and 3) assembly. The process begins by blowing fiberglass into a mold as production linemen work the material to carefully craft an exact shell design for one of the ten available models. Once the shell is constructed, the unit is moved into the second stage, the painting process. The shell is prepared with meticulous attention to detail. Every inch of the surface is worked until it is smooth as glass and then painted. Though the company offers a number of popular paint schemes, the color options are “infinite,” according to the company, allowing the customer the opportunity to create their own look.
The concept was designed as a way to provide an endless wake to surf on. Many companies have engineered a boat to accomplish this task. However, Tigé has engineered the best boat design for wake boarding. The company’s patented AVX Surf System featuring Surf Link™ gives the surfer full wave control via a remote control.
This means the untethered surfer behind the boat can control the length, height and intensity of the wake being created by the boat with no intervention from the driver. This lets the driver focus on the boat and the surfer focus on surfing. It’s this type of innovation combined After painting, the boat is then moved to as- with a truly stunning design that has catapulted the company into sembly where the success over the past engine, upholstery, 25 years. instrumentation and remaining parts are put Throughout this time, together. It this prothe company has crecess, the heart of this machine is installed, Ford’s all-new Indmar ated a lot of buzz. In fact, the National MaRaptor Series motor. This 6.2L V8 produces a rine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has whopping 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet recognized Tigè 10 times with the prestigious of torque, making the boat a high performance CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) Award. The Marine Industry CSI Awards program honors machine on the water. participating manufacturers that actively meaOne may be left to ask, “So what makes a Tigé sure customer satisfaction and pursue continuboat special?” Unlike most high performance ous improvement to better serve the customer. boats, Tigé built this impressive machine for wake boarding. Never heard of wake board- Award recipients achieved and maintained ing? Wakeboarding is a surface water sport an independently-measured standard of exwhich involves riding a wakeboard over the cellence of 90 percent or higher in customer surface of a body of water, in this case, wake satisfaction over the past year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a produced by a boat.
new boat. That says a lot about the company’s dedication to product quality and the Abilene workforce that helped it achieve such a long line of recognition. It is estimated that the company generates $18.5 million in direct economic output each year. Spin-off businesses in the community will produce $8.7 million in economic output per year as a result of the local operations. In total, the company will support $27.2 million in economic output per year on average. Economic output is the value of goods and services produced in the economy and can be thought of as revenues for businesses. With such an enormous contribution to the local economy, it’s not hard to see why the company’s presence in Abilene is highly valued and why we’re happy to say their boats are, “Made in Abilene.”
50 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Top 3 Small Business Accounting Mistakes
By Sandra J Hastings | Hastings Professional Business Services, Hastingspbs.com Most of these small business accounting mistakes are simple to correct, but even easier to avoid once you’re aware of them. The top three mistakes that occur most frequently is failing to reconcile bank accounts on a regular basis, failing to apply payments to open receivables, and failing to back up data. Who isn’t pressed for time? Skipping routine accounting tasks sounds like it will save time but can end up wasting precious time later when errors force you to unsnarl accounting tangles. A common problem is failing to apply payments to open receivables. Many business owners simply record their bank deposits and fail to apply payments to receivables. This mistake leads to incomplete or incorrect accounting data, showing open receivables when they are in fact paid. A similar mistake is recording check payments without linking them to accounts payable. Often business owners wait until the end of the year to enter their data. Unfortunately, in their haste they fail to reconcile the bank accounts. Failing to reconcile the bank accounts can result in lost deductions and/or incorrect numbers. It is best to enter the activity as you go along, reconcile the bank accounts as soon as the bank statement is available. This will provide accurate cash balances and help avoid gaps in the information. Lastly, there is something that is common to all small business data, not just accounting data: failing to back up data on an external hard drive. Failing to back up ... on a regular basis can be horrific. Computers crash all the time, and usually when that happens most or all of the data input is lost and unrecoverable. To prevent this perform a back up daily, if possible, to an external drive or into “cloud” storage.
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Former Enchilada Express Employees May Not Get Paid By Lindsey Ragas | KTXS 12
Former Enchilada Express employees are left of delivery, we no longer had this market with without jobs and their final pay checks. Mexican food. After the success of Arrowhead, whom we ended up using, we saw a tremendous The restaurant closed without any warning decrease in delivery sales. This was 50% of our from the owner. “It’s done. He filed bankruptcy business on average and thousands of dollars a and shut the doors. Everybody is kind of left day that was no longer coming in. without you know not knowing what’s going on,” said former employee Karyn Dewitt. “We had the second store built in an area that was convenient for delivery, however not conThe store closed Monday afternoon and by venient for foot traffic. So in the evenings and Tuesday, employees received a text that the restaurant will no longer be in business. Some of the concerns employees have are whether or not they will get paid. “There’s people that are behind on their rent. There’s people you know behind on their bills. I mean, you expect to get paid what you work,” Dewitt said. Payday would have been on Wednesday, so employees will have to wait until then to find out because they have not had any communication with the owner, Chris Norton. “[I] pray that we get somewhat of a pay out of this…that our hard work just isn’t tossed to the side,” said former employee Chrystal Webb-Hughes.
weekends, there’s just not a lot of cars going through the intersection of South 27th and SayNorton, the owner of Enchilada Express, sent les. So when you trade location for delivery and us a statement saying there were several rea- lose, there’s not much hope. sons why he closed the business. Norton said sales were down and deliveries were down 50 “Recent restaurant studies have demonstrated percent. He also said high food and labor costs that having a drive thru for “fast casual” restauwere factors. rants is almost a necessity for survival with today’s spenders. So, Taco Bell and Taco Bueno, Webb-Hughes said they worked hard with what even whataburger, all need drive thrus for sucthey had to keep the business running. cess generally. “We weren’t fully staffed and we didn’t always “Enchilada Express not having opted for a drive have the proper items that we needed to com- thru might have been a huge mistake. pletely win a full service restaurant,” WebbHughes said. “However, I seemed to confuse everyone including myself with my concept. The name A ‘For Lease’ sign has been placed in front of worked right at the first store, take out and dethe building. livery only. Now me trying to for some reason add full service dining with full blown liquor Below is Norton’s full statement: permits and servers and hostesses and bussers? What was I thinking? I tried to fit a elephant (When asked if the employees would be paid, through a needle pin when I didn’t need too. we did not get a response back) Why did I do this? I am not even sure to this day. You would not believe how many people “There were several reasons I decided to close we had walk in and say what is this? Fast food the business,” Norton said. or a restaurant? Where’s your 99 cent menu, if you don’t have one we’re leaving. Or people “Sales had been down for a while as compared would call and say they are in the parking lot to normal. I started the company on the idea and can’t find the drive thru. So, concept con-
fusion, poor location ( in terms of where the population is growing north and far south abilene) no drive thru, and losing your delivery competitive advantage; you start to dial up some problems for yourself. “I can sit here and blame high food costs and high labor costs on the problem (which were very true) However, I will ultimately accept responsibility for not maintaining a successful business. I failed myself in that I did not take the time to hire the right employees at every level. Nor train them correctly, nor give them the tools they needed to succeed. This is probably the number one problem I have always had. An ineffective communicator expects what when preaching to others about communicating effectively? We lost a significant amount of business over the years as a result of poor customer service, order accuracy and order timeliness. “So after some time we just got behind on the bills. It blows my mind to see everyone so surprised. I preached all day everyday to everyone in the restaurant that we have to find ways to cut food cost and waste and significantly lower labor cost and theft or this place will close. I wasn’t just running my mouth for no reason. I was dead serious. Maybe now it is finally understood that I was not joking. “So at the end of the day, what was lost and what was gained? What was learned and what was not? What should I have done differently and what do I wish I could go back and change? These are the questions I will have to find the answers too in my journey through life. Enchilada Express was like my only child. I had given her the breath of life and raised her from an idea in a college classroom to a multimillion dollar business over 7 years. Closing the doors was the same as burying my only child. Complete devastation of the heart and soul doesn’t even begin to describe how I and we feel. “To summarize all this garbled mess which I know it is, correct grammar and punctuation is not high on my list of things that are important today. I hope this may answer some if not all of your questions as to why it closed. I cannot state how sorry I am for letting my old employees and customers down. I accept full responsibility that maybe and obviously I just wasn’t that good at my job. Which is the simplest way to put it. “I definitely wanted to thank everyone who helped this business run for as long as it did.”
Pick us up at Golden Corral, MCM Elegante and Long John Silvers | BUSINESS | 51
2 Technicians with Abilene Dealership Earn Top Honors By KTXS
Two technicians with an Abilene car dealership earned recognition as among the best of 25,000 in the country. According to a news release from Star Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM, Woody O’Dell and Ralph LaSalle were distinguished in the top technicians across the Mopar organization. O’Dell was rated in the top 27 and LaSalle made the top 100 while also earning a designation as a top platinum performer. Star says it is the only dealership in the U.S. to have two technicians rated as highly as O’Dell and LaSalle. A celebration will be held on March 16 at the dealership, and a plaque will be presented in their honor.
Food Protection Management Training Course Available to Food Service Establishments March 27th-28th
8:15 am - 5:00 pm
A two-day Food Protection Management training for food service managers in the Big Country area will be held March 27 and March 28, 2017. It will be held at the Taylor County Extension Office located on the Taylor County Expo grounds in Abilene from 8:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days. The training will allow food establishments to meet their certification requirements if they pass the exam. The exam being used is the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe exam. The class covers twelve food safety concepts related to personal hygiene, cross contamination, time and temperature, sanitation, pest management, foodborne illness and related areas. The course is sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Taylor, Jones and Haskell Counties. Cost for the class is $125, which includes the course book and exam. Registration deadline is Monday, March 6. Registration information is available by calling the Taylor County Extension Office at 325-672-6048. You may also access a downloadable registration form at http://taylor.agrilife. org. Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status.
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VA Enlists Help of Electromagnetic Head Device to Treat Veterans Battling Depression By Terace Garnier
Vietnam veteran Percy Jones is one of thousands who have served in the military and now suffers from depression. Jones fought his battle with depression for years and eventually began isolating himself, making matters worse. “I got angry easily and I was always very nervous,” Jones told Fox News.“I couldn’t sleep. I started drinking too much.It got to the point where I was suicidal. I just didn’t want to live.” It’s not just veterans who are at risk of depression, as 11,887 active duty service members received a diagnosis between January and May of 2016 alone. That number adds to the 774,000 veterans who received a possible diagnosis of major depression in 2016. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing a new option to help fight the disorder called Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or rTMS therapy. It’s a device that uses an electromagnet charged with electricity that is applied to specific points on the patient’s head. The powerful magnetic field can then affect the brain cells of the person suffering from depression. The VA purchased 40 rTMS devices to be distributed at facilities across the country. Jones is the first South Carolina patient to receive rTMS therapy. He began seeing Dr. Mark George, the man who invented rTMS therapy, and enrolled in a national trial at the Charleston VA. The
therapy involves up to 30 sessions over a six-week period. Jones’ treatments lasted 30 minutes per day, five days per week, for six weeks straight. Jones says he saw results shortly after enrolling in the trial. “In the first week and a half I could feel a difference,” Jones said. “I started realizing that I was myself again.”
“These symptoms tend to lessen or go away over treatment time,” Beaver said. “Seizure during treatment is the most serious known risk of TMS, and only a very few cases of seizure have been reported. There is little evidence of risk of seizures using TMS the way it is used for depression.” Most insurance companies do not cover the procedure, which could mean thousands in outof-pocket costs. Terrence Hayes, spokesman for the VA, said the department is currently working with various insurance companies to get better coverage. He said veterans will likely pay a small portion of the overall cost.
“The full course of therapy is variable and can cost between $6,000 and $12,000, depending upon the patient’s condition and the number Kate Beaver, a spokesperson for the VA in of sessions needed,” Beaver said. Charleston, told Fox News that 60 percent of patients that received the treatment for Twenty rTMS devices, costing up to clinical trials reported their depression im- $100,000, will be delivered this year proved or disappeared. and 20 more are planned for 2018. This decision came nearly three weeks after “Some patients who get well will stay well President Trump announced that it was indefinitely,” Beaver said. “Others may his top priority to ensure that veterans need ‘booster’ sessions from time to time.” get the care they need when and where they need it. Beaver said there are a few side effects that patients experienced during or shortly after getting the treatment: scalp discomfort, headache, facial twitching or pain which can be treated with over the counter pain medications.
Monday, April 3, 2017 Awards Luncheon
11:30 a. m. Hunter Welcome Center The Abilene Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is pleased to announce the presentation of the 2017 honorees of Women of Outstanding Achievement and the recipients of the Women of Promise and Courage scholarships. This year’s Women of Outstanding Achievement honorees are Katie Alford, Carol Bardin Hall, Dr. Sandra Harper, Nanci Liles, Carole Pickett, Donna Reiff, Karen Turner, and June Wideman. Each of these women has a compelling life story, and we are proud to honor each of them. You are invited to join us for our eighth annual luncheon honoring our 2017 Women of Outstanding Achievement and Women of Promise & Courage scholarship recipients. Reservations may be made on line at https://abilene-tx.aauw.net or by calling Betsy Miller 325-829-9445 / Ruth Ann Harmon 325-829-3217.
54 | BUSINESS | HispanicLife l Abilene/BigCountry
Connecting The Community of Abilene & The Big Country
Cinemark Set to Complete Construction on Abilene Theatre This Summer By Erica Garner | BigCountryHomePage.com
Construction on Cinemark’s new state-of- Another Cinemark representative told KTAB the-art theatre in Abilene is scheduled to be and KRBC this new Abilene location will be the first of its kind in Texas. It’s modeled complete this summer. after a theater in La Quinta, California and Crews began building the facility in Febru- will feature a wall-to-wall screens, extreme ary of 2017, and it should be finished in June digital surround sound, luxury lounge chairs or July, according to a Cinemark Representa- with foot rests, and a cafeteria-style concestive. A grand opening date has not been de- sion area with tables for seating. termined. The entire complex will have twelve screens, The Cinemark complex will span over and the ability to reserve seats will be avail100 areas off of E. Overland Trail in north able. Abilene.
• Full Service Medical & Surgical Facilities • State-of-the-Art Laser Surgery & Monitoring Equipment • Small Animal Hospital Facilities • Video Ear Scope • Geriatric Health Screening Available • Dental Care • Full In-House Lab For 1-Hour and 24-Hour Coggins Testing • K Laser Therapy (Laser Treatment) • Pain Management • Wound Healing • Rehabilitation
7550 Hwy. 83-84 South Monday-Friday 8-12:30, 2-6pm
Pick us up at Dairy Queen, First Financial Bank & Daniela’s Tex Mex | BUSINESS | 55
DUNGY DIARIES B y To n y D u n g y
During my coaching career, I always talked to my players about doing the right thing the right way. I wasn’t always certain I was getting through to some of the guys, including defensive end Regan Upshaw, who was known for his colorful personality. Years later, my family and I ran into Regan and his family when we all happened to be vacationing in Rome. After we had spoken for a few minutes, Regan told me that all the things I had tried to teach him about life were finally making sense. It may take time before the results of our leadership are fully known. Our talents and our treasures may pay dividends so far down the road we may never see the outcome. But with the faith that comes from doing the right thing at the right time in the right way, the mentor leader knows that the payoff will be great—and possibly eternal. Every leader speaks of his or her own vision, but mentor leaders keep their eyes focused well downfield, understanding that many of the most significant moments and effects of their lives will happen outside of the public eye—possibly even outside of their own field of vision. In other words, they may never know the full impact of their leadership. Here are 8 questions to ask yourself about how you are influencing people around you: 1. Evaluate your integrity: Are your actions consistent with your words?
2. Evaluate your impact: Are you making lives better? 3. Evaluate your perspective: Do you see people as central to the mission of your organization? Or do you see them simply as the mean- the fuel- to get your organization from here to there? 4. Evaluate your goals: Are you building relationships, or are you building a tower to climb to the top? 5. Mentor leaders see the opportunity to interact with people- and to build into their lives along the way- as part of the journey itself. How are you looking for ways to directly engage with and influence people? 6. How does your leadership style need to change so that people will flourish and grow around you? 7. You can lead from a position of authority, but the most effective leaders lead as they build relationships of influence. What can you do to move from an authoritybased model to an influence-based model? 8. Identify one person whom you can begin to mentor. Don’t look too far or hard. The opportunity is right in front of you- at work, in your family, or with a friend.