Free! Take One
The
COMMUNITY Always Good News! Press
ISSUE 101 MARCH 2021
Monte Alto Elsa Edcouch La Villa Alamo Donna Weslaco Progreso Mercedes VIDA Receives $75K From The Meadows Keep Elsa Foundation Beautiful
INSIDE
Keep Elsa Beautiful has been established to promote goodwill and reward exemplary lawn care in the community. The purpose of the program is to recognize neighbors who demonstrate above-average efforts in maintaining their property, thereby contributing to the overall appearance of the community at large. This is a great award and the program is administered entirely by volunteers. For the months April through October, the Keep Elsa Beautiful Committee will choose a lawn that best typifies the qualities of: uniqueness, beauty, appeal, and consistency with the guidelines. Since the Keep Elsa Beautiful Committee will mainly deal with “curb appeal,” nominations will be for front and side yards jointly, as well as the exterior of the house. The Committee will select one residential yard and one business yard during the first few days of each month. The winner of the Yard of the Month will be provided with a decorative yard sign for display indicating their winning yard, as well as a posting and photo on our community website and newspaper. Yard of the Month Guidelines • All residential and business
Ministry Pg.2
The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the Meadows Foundation. The funds will train low-income women in high-demand jobs. Algur H. Meadows established General American Oil Company of Texas in 1939. He then led it to become one of the nation’s most successful independent oil-and-gas-production companies. Meadows and his wife, Virginia, returned their blessings by establishing The Meadows Foundation in 1948. The Foundation continues to enrich the lives of Texans in the areas of arts and culture, civic and
See ELSA pg.5
Knapp Receives “Business of the Year” Award
public affairs, education, health and human services. “The Meadows Foundation is one of our integral partners,” said Priscilla Dinn Alvarez, executive director of VIDA. “The Foundation Board recognizes that sustainable economic growth is only possible with a well-educated, well-trained populace, and they generously support our efforts to take unemployed and underemployed residents of the Rio Grande Valley out of poverty and into high-demand, high-paying jobs.”
Become Motivated
Pg.3
Edcouch-Elsa I.S.D.
Pg.4
E-E I.S.D. CTE
Pg.6&7
Farm Workforce Act
Pg.8
E-E FFA
Pg.9
IDEA
Pg.10
STC Dance Program
Pg.11
Classifieds
Pg.12
Funds will allow low-income See VIDA pg.5
Spamer: Why we love doing business in Weslaco
Moving Mexican customs operations to the U.S. side of Progreso International Bridge will speed up the time it takes trucks to cross the bridge, thus creating a saving on distribution costs. This is the view of Joaquin Spamer, president of Commodities Integrated Logistics (CIL). Because goods can cross at Progreso more rapidly and at less cost, the Mid Valley area can expect to see a “boom” in warehouse and logistics business, he predicted. The predictions were made at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, held to celebrate a new cold storage Life-saving care by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals facility in Weslaco. The facility is has resulted in Knapp Medical Center being named the “Business of being utilized by Robinson Fresh, the Year” by the Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce. a Fortune 200 company. CIL is The “Business of the Year” award recognizes the unselfish service, care doing the packing and logistics. and compassion that healthcare heroes at Knapp Medical Center have “Why did we choose to do it in provided to members of the community during the COVID pandemic. Weslaco? We love Weslaco. It has The courageous champions at Knapp have helped save many lives been proven time and time again during this difficult time for our community. Physicians, nurses, that it is a great place to do busirespiratory therapists and other Knapp staff have been recognized by ness,” Spamer said, in his remarks many patients, families, and community groups for their amazing care, See KNAPP pg.5
from the podium. Spamer said Weslaco is the location for most of his company’s business operations. “We have the Progreso Bridge, which is going to have, with the changes they are making, the Mexican customs house and the U.S. customs house, both on the U.S. side. Once they have finished with this project Weslaco is going to boom. It is going to take off. They are going to be able to cross produce through Progreso really fast, and you have your warehouses in Weslaco. It is going to make a lot of sense. That is what we are banking on.” Interviewed after the news conference, Spamer was asked why he made the remark about CIL loving Weslaco. He replied: “It is right in the middle of the Valley. It is close enough to the Pharr Bridge. We have the Progreso Bridge close by. We are very close See WESLACO pg.5