2009 – October
January – February - March – April – May – June – July – August – September - October – November – December-General & On-going
Announcements:
Weatherization funds available for low income families – The EOAC has been approved for a large amount of funds to do weatherization of homes for low income families. They will be looking for families to serve with the expanded program. For more information , please contact Bobby Dieke, Weatherization Director, EOAC, 500 Franklin Av. 76701, 254-753-0331 Ext. 203.
Job opening at Planned Parenthood – Full time position as a Bilingual Clinical Assistant available. Requirements:• Any combination of education and experience equivalent to a high school diploma; additional education preferred, Customer service skills, Bilingual – Spanish/English (preferred) For a full job description including information about how to apply, click here: Bilingual Clinical Assistant job.
Are you a reading tutor? Would you like to become a reading tutor? The Greater Waco Community Education Alliance is working to align everyone who is doing reading tutoring in Waco to effectively help all children read on grade level by the time they reach the third grade. Committed volunteers are needed to read in the afternoons, at least two times per week. One hour a day between 3:-5:30. Tutors may read on consecutive or alternating days of the week. Volunteers will attend a one-time training and receive a background check. For more information contact Ashley Weaver 254-666-9797 or Ashley.Weaver@hotmail.com.
Keep up with the McLennan County Hunger Coalition on Facebook. Join the group: McLennan County Hunger Coalition.
October 1 – Operation Christmas Child Countdown Party. 6:30-8 PM, Highland Baptist Church, 3014 Maple Ave., Waco. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse. Shoeboxes filled with items for children are delivered around the world. It is estimated that each box affects 10 people. The boxes are delivered to areas where there is a pastor or a missionary, so there is always follow-up for all children that receive boxes. Whether you are an OCC veteran or just interested in learning more about it, join us for the Operation Christmas Child Countdown Party to kick off this year’s campaign to collect boxes in central Texas. Doors will open at 6:30 for snacks (sponsored by Chick-fil-a) and socializing. The program will begin at 7:00. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Debbie Quarles by phone at 254-399-9201 or email at: emaildq@hotmail.com .
October 3 – Hooray for Health. Time: 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Place: Indian Springs Park. Hooray for Health! Is a FREE Health Fair for Central Texas families that includes: Teddy Bear Clinic, Bicycle Rodeo, Bounce Houses, Health Care Education and Awareness, Immunizations, Health Screenings, Nutrition and Safety Screenings. Lots of fun! Be sure to bring your Bicycle and Teddy Bear! For More Information: Call (254) 753-6002, ext. 223 or click here for a flyer: Hooray for Health.
October 3 & 10 – World Hunger Relief/TSTC Gardening Workshops – The World Hunger Farm and TSTC are teaming up to teach you how to garden more successfully. Cost for the series is $96 per participant, limited to 15. For a flyer, click here: Gardening Workshops. For more information Contact Melissa Curtis at 867.3113 or visit www.waco.tstc.edu/coned/ .
October 4 – Gospel Live featuring The Soul Stirrers, Benefiting Talitha Koum Nurture Center. 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. The Phoenix Ballroom 401 South 3rd Street. Reservations: $25. Tables for 8: $300. Very few entertainers can lay claim to having a 75-year history, being inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and having an entire genre of music named after them, but the Soul Stirrers can! And they’r bringing to Waco a full hour performance of Gospel Music. Featured performers will include Keron Jackson, Cherry Boggess, The Tuckers with Holly Tucker and Baylor’s Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir. For reservations visit www.TalithaKoum.org/GB or call 753-1144.
October 6 – Baskets of Hope Fundraiser for Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) - 6:30 PM, First Baptist Church Woodway, 101 Ritchie Rd, Waco. – Baskets of Hope is a fun evening with a meal and beautiful themed baskets donated by businesses and groups throughout McLennan County. It is an informal evening in which our guests spend time eating and participating in a silent auction of these baskets. It’s a great time to visit with friends and do some shopping. During the evening, a brief program includes three or four of our graduates sharing their stories to give our guests a clear picture of the ways in which women who participate in our program are making positive lifestyle changes not only for themselves but for their families and generations to come. For more information about attending, donating a basket or becoming a sponsor please contact Pam Mohundro at 254-757-0416 or pam@cwjcwaco.org.
October 8 - McLennan County Hunger Coalition (MCHC) meeting - 11:45-1:00, Caritas of Waco Conference Room, 300 S. 15th. A coalition of representatives of food pantries, feeding programs, governmental agencies, faith-based organizations, businesses, and interested individuals committed to solving the problems of food insecurity and hunger in the local area, the MCHC meets monthly, usually on the second Thursday of each month. Anyone who has an interest is welcom. For more information contact Esther Morales at 753-3545 or foodoutreach@grandecom.net.
October 10 – Garage Sale Benefitting Avance Waco. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 4817 Lockwood Drive. For more information or to arrange for donation pick-up, contact Avance Waco by phone at 254-296-0449.
October 10 – Cogdell UMC Harvest Festival and garage sale and clothing sale. 7:30am to 3:00pm, Cogdell United Methodist Church, 1201 W. Highway 6….near the intersection of Highway 6 and Bosque (behind the Hillcrest Clinic. BBQ lunch available from 11am to 2pm. Event includes huge garage sale, clothing sale, bake sale and antiques and collectibles, bounce activity for kids. Many clothing items under $1. Business suits for men and women $2 – $3. Money raised supports missions and ministries of the church. Half price starts at 1 pm; “bag sale” prices start at 2 pm. For more information, please call the church office between 9am and 1pm at 772-9549.
October 12 – First day of Family Abuse Center/Meyer Domestic Violence Center Crisis Hotline Training. 4709 Bosque, The Onward & Upward Building. Training is six sessions; attendance is required at all six sessions. Dates and times: October 12, 5:30 – 9:00; October 15,5:30-9:00; October 17, 9:30-3:00;October 19,5:30-9:00; October 22,5:30-0:00;October 24,9:30 am-3:00. Mondays & Thursdays: dinner served. Saturdays: lunch will be served. For more information contact Dinah Husbands by email at: volunteer@familyabusecenter.org or phone at 254-772-8999, Ext. 2240.
October 13, 14, 15 – Care Net Volunteer Training. 5:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. The purpose of Care Net is to provide compassionate care, practical help, and accurate information to men and women facing unplanned pregnancies or past abortions; to promote premarital abstinence; and to do these so as to draw people unto the Lord Jesus Christ to bring Him honor and glory. For more information about volunteering, including a volunteer application, please visit the website: Care Net Volunteer. For questions, please contact Janie Martinez, Education Coordinator, by email at Janie@carenetofcentraltexas.org or phone at 254-772-8270
October 13 – NeighborWorks® Waco Annual Breakfast Banquet and Tour of Home Sites. 7:30 am Ridgewood Country Club, 7301 Fish Pond Road. No cost to attend the breakfast or tour; table sponsorships are available (seating 
for $100 each. This year’s keynote speaker is Jayna Bower, Director of NCHEC – the nation’s largest provider of training and certification for housing and community development practitioners. For a flyer, click here: NeighborWorks Breakfast and Tour of Homes. Reservations required – please call 752-1647 or email cklawetter@nw-waco.org.
October 15 – “Sweet Sounds” fundraiser for Meals On Wheels. 7:00 PM. Texas Scottish Rite Library & Museum, 2801 West Waco Drive, Waco. Meals On Wheels cordially invites you to attend our 10th annual benefit Sweet Sounds, featuring The Midway High Chamber Singers. Cost: $25.00 per person. Mail checks to: Meals On Wheels, PO Box 85, Waco, Texas 76703. Or Reserve in person at 501 W. Waco Dr. For more information call 254-752-0316.
October 15 – Join us as we Celebrate! Centex African American Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting & Awards Banquet. 6:30p.m., Baylor University – Hankamer School of Business, Cashion Building, 5th floor. Tickets are $30 each. A table of eight may be purchased for $225. Join us as we share the Chamber’s vision and recognize individuals/businesses in our community. Help us honor a great citizen of Waco, Rev. Robert Gilbert, who helped our community become a better place to live. He was also the first African – American to graduate from Baylor University. Keynote speaker will be Harry C. Alford, the President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. For tickets or more information contact any Centex Chamber Board Member or call (254)-235-3204.
October 16 – World Food Day/ Fast of Caring – 12:15 p.m. – 12-45 p.m., Heritage Square, 3rd street and Austin Ave, downtown Waco. Organizations in Waco are teaming up to fight hunger. Join the McLennan County Hunger Coalition as they commemorate World Food Day with a Fast of Caring. The focus will be on children’s hunger concerns and will also feature the ‘kick-off’ of the Texas Hunger Initiative, an effort to end food insecurity in Texas by 2015. Participants are asked to (1) skip lunch and (2) donate what you would have spent on the meal to the McLennan County Hunger Coalition and its efforts to fight hunger and food insecurity in McLennan County. For more information contact Kenneth Moerbe by email at kpmoerbe@grandecom.net.
October 16-17 – Walking Alongside: Addressing Poverty in Community Ministries. This workshop hosted by the Center for Family and Community Ministries in the Baylor School of Social Work will introduce church leaders to resources that have been prepared to help congregations engage in new ministries. Churches will have the opportunity to plan how to establish or improve their ministries for community transformation. Contact Kimberly Schlesinger at 254.710.3854 or Kimberly_Schlesinger@baylor.edu for more information or check our website: www.baylor.edu/cfcm.
October 18 – Habitat for Humanity Informational Meeting (Spanish). 3 pm at the Habitat Office, 220 N. 11th Street. Looking for an affordable opportunity to buy a safe, decent home? Wait no more: attend one of our informational meetings. For more information contact Habitat for Humanity Waco by phone at 254-756-7575 or email at info@wacohabitat.org. Visit their website at: www.wacohabitat.org. For a flyer listing the dates for additional upcoming informational meetings, click here: Habitat Info Meetings (English), Habitat Info Meetings (Spanish).
October 18 - Waco CROP walk. Registration begins at 2:00. Step-off is at 3:00. Starting at Bledsoe Miller Park, the 5K walk will take place along the scenic Brazos River. Join us for an afternoon of fun! There will be live music for everyone! Three-fourths of the proceeds from the CROP walk will go to Church World Service (CWS) a world-wide relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry. One-fourth of the proceeds will go to Caritas of Waco. For more information call Linda Freeto at Central United Methodist Church: 420-2862 or LFreeto@CentralFaith.com. To visit the Crop Walk website, click here: Waco CROP walk.
October 23 – Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition Meeting – New Date and location! 11:45 AM. Heart of Texas Region MHMR located at 110 S. 12th St., Waco. No cost to attend. Join us to stay involved with what is going on in Central Texas to serve the homeless. Lunch will be provided by Living Word Church of God in Christ. To RSVP for lunch, please call Chelle Samaniego at 254-750-5967 or send an email to ChelleS@ci.waco.tx.us.
October 24 – Legal Assistance Project Bake sale. Time: 9am – 2pm. Place: Bellmead Walmart. For more information contact Francine Lumbard by email at legalassistanceproject@yahoo.com .
October 24–”Classie Ballou & Oldies Too” Dance and Silent Auction Fundraiser for the Community Race Relations Coalition (CRRC). 7 PM – 10 PM, VFW 6008, 725 Sun Valley Blvd, Hewitt. Tickets: $20, or $125 for tables of eight. To download a “save the date” flyer, click here: Classie Ballou & Oldies Too flyer. For more information, contact Jane Derrick by phone: 753-6920 or email: pjderrick@aol.com.
October 24 – Education Alliance Faith-Based Day of Service. As part of the Education Alliance, faith-based organizations from Waco and the surrounding area are working together to do much needed service work at area education institutions. On October 24 we will gather to do painting, landscaping, carpet removal and other important work for Brazos Middle School and Avance Waco. For more information, or if your faith-based organization would like to get involved, contact Kevin Harrison at Victorious Life Church by email at: pk@vlcwaco.com.
October 26 – Greater Downtown Waco Plan Workshop. 5:30pm-8:30pm, Waco Outreach Foundation (Phoenix Ballroom), 401 S 3rd St. Downtown is on the brink of a renaissance and we need your participation to ensure a very bright future for Waco’s urban center. It is important that many people be involved and those who have an interest in poverty should make sure their voices are heard too. The planning area includes East Waco and North Waco, both areas with multiple economic challenges. This fun and interactive event is designed to bring the Waco and the surrounding community together to realize a collective vision of what downtown Waco is to become. The result will be the Greater Downtown Waco Plan that will be the foundation that will shape a successful, vibrant future. For more information or to register, visit this website: www.imaginewaco.com.
October 27 – Greater Downtown Waco Plan Workshop. 5:30pm-8:30pm, City of Waco Multi-Purpose Center (on Quinn Campus), 1020 Elm St. Downtown is on the brink of a renaissance and we need your participation to ensure a very bright future for Waco’s urban center. It is important that many people be involved and those who have an interest in poverty should make sure their voices are heard too. The planning area includes East Waco and North Waco, both areas with multiple economic challenges. This fun and interactive event is designed to bring the Waco and the surrounding community together to realize a collective vision of what downtown Waco is to become. The result will be the Greater Downtown Waco Plan that will be the foundation that will shape a successful, vibrant future. For more information or to register, visit this website: www.imaginewaco.com.
October 29 – Day of Remembrance sponsored by Family Abuse Center/Meyer Domestic Violence Center. Time: Noon -1:00. Place: Waco Suspension Bridge. As a way of remembering and honoring victims of domestic violence there will be a balloon release to honor each victim of domestic violence who was killed in Texas the past year. Refreshments will be served. For more information contact Dinah Husbands by email at: volunteer@familyabusecenter.org or phone at 254-772-8999, Ext. 2240.
October 29 – Legal Assistance Project: Free Senior Law Forum. 9 – Noon. Area Agency on Aging New Road facility, 1514 South New Road, Waco. Refreshments provided. Participants will learn about advance care planning, wills and probate, Medicare, and guardianship. You will also receive forms such as the Medical Power of Attorney and Advance Health Directive which can be self-completed without the aid of an attorney. For more information contact Francine Lumbard at (254) 757-3401 or email legalassistanceproject@yahoo.com. For directions call 292-1800.
October 30 – Christians for Peace Move Night and Discussion on the Dream Act. Time: 6:45 pm. Place: Waco Habitat for Humanity Office,11th and Columbus. The movie will be Abandoned: The Betrayal of America’s Immigrants which illustrates the impact of U.S. Immigration Laws on the Lives of Immigrants. The Dream Act is a proposed lawproviding a route to residency for immigrant children. For more information call 254-754-5942.
October 30 – AVANCE Fall Festival. Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Place: St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 305 N 30th St. Waco. The AVANCE Parent/Child program is considered a pioneer program in the field of parent education. The program predominately serves low -income Latino families in underserved communities and focuses on parent education, early childhood development, brain development, literacy, and school readiness. Avance-Waco has assisted parents in their journey to become the first and most important teachers, advocates and positive role models for their children. For more information or to inquire about volunteering or making donations, please call (254) 296-0449 Sylvia Cash, Program Manager, at (254) 296-0449.
October 31 – Fall Festival. Time: Noon – 3:00 p.m. Place: Calvary Baptist Church, Bellmead, Family Life & Ministry Center, 910 E. Loop 340. The FLMC is the building next to the church, both are located between A&S Auction and Orchard Lane. There will be games, prizes and more. It’s fun and, best of all, it’s FREE!
October 31 – Third Annual Speak Up for Kids CASA 5K Race and 1 Mile Walk with Children’s Spooktacular. Time: registration begins at 6:30, race at 8:00. Place: Indian Springs Park. Cost: 5K – $25, 1 mile walk – $10. The 3rd annual Speak Up For Kids CASA 5K Race and 1 mile walk raises funds and advocates for CASA of McLennan and Hill Counties whose volunteers speak up for abused and ne-glected children. It is proudly presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and is supported by Texas CASA and the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children. Proceeds from this 5K event benefit CASA of McLennan and Hill Counties in their efforts to recruit and train CASA volunteers. Click here for entry form: Speak Up for Kids 5K. For more information please visit www.casa5k.org or call CASA of McLennan and Hill Counties at 254-752-9330.
October 31 – Kids Fest sponsored by Acts Christian Fellowship. Time: 6-8 pm. Place: Acts Christian Fellowship parking lot, corner of 13th and Mary Streets. Food, fun and Games for all ages. Free for everyone! A safe alternative to trick-or-treat for children of all ages! Activities to include: cup cake walk, moonwalk, face painting, ring toss and Candy! Candy! Candy! To participate in Trunk-R-Treat or to Volunteer or make food or other donations, or for more information, call 759-1800.