News

The month of March is Women’s History Month. Baylor University will recognize and celebrate contributions from women with several upcoming events that include a recital, reception to celebrate the women who are part of Baylor faculty, a multicultural women's symposium, and reflections on women's history.

Baylor University hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Memorial to Enslaved Persons on Feb. 23, 2024 at Founders Mall.

November marks a special time of the year when the United States celebrates Native American Heritage Month. This month-long observance is an opportunity to recognize and honor the rich history, diverse cultures, and enduring contributions of the Indigenous peoples of North America.  

Throughout Waco, you can find strong examples of Solid Gold Neighbors, citizens and business leaders working in our 5 areas of focus. These people exemplify the work we support in the areas of economic development, health, education, cultural wealth and city growth. We wanted to take a moment to highlight women working in our community making a difference.

When you think of solid gold, what do you imagine? A deep, enriching material that is more valuable and prized than any other possession. That is why Baylor aims to be a solid gold neighbor. The relationship between Baylor University and the community of Waco is one that is incredibly valuable.

Baylor University’s mission is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community, and Alpha Lambda Delta, a student group on campus, is doing just that.

Cesar Chavez Day is an American national commemorative holiday aimed to celebrate the birth and enduring legacy of the American civil rights and labor movement activist Cesar Chavez, on March 31st.

Quality professional development is a high priority for Waco ISD and that was witnessed as 150 Waco ISD early childhood educators and EOAC/Head Start gathered to learn together from Conscious Discipline expert, Kim Jackson.

The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce hears often from employers about their needs whether they range from access to new customers or training for existing employees. Over the past year, however, employers have changed their tune. Talent is the buzzword du jour! As the great resignation commences following the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses small and large began to experience difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees. The Greater Waco Chamber, in partnership with the City of Waco, McLennan County, and a half dozen employers came to the rescue with an exciting new initiative entitled inWaco!

What began as Negro History Week in 1926 has since grown into a national celebration of the successes, perseverance, and hopes of black people. The vision of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and his Association for the Study of African American Life and History foresaw not the designating of black history to a specific timeframe but the weaving of this history into the mainstream story of America. Nevertheless, in 1976 Negro History Week expanded into the Black History Month we acknowledge today. Each year during the month of February we recognize leaders, scholars, activists, entertainers, and trailblazers, illuminating the experiences of African Americans across generations.

Lunar New Year, or known in China as Chinese New Year, is one of the most beloved and joy-filled holidays in Chinese culture. It is the equivalent of American Thanksgiving and Christmas combined! Growing up in China, I remembered the entire city and every household being covered with red colored decorations - from red lanterns to red paper hangings and more.

This November join us in celebrating Native American Heritage Month and the vast contributions made by this community of people towards the advancement of our country. President George H. W. Bush first declared the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month, now referred to as Native American Heritage Month, in 1990. This bill honoring America’s indigenous people is a landmark in history, serving as a significant step in acknowledging the complex history and society that has shaped North America.

Baylor University is thrilled to invite the community to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Formally recognized as the period between September 15 to October 15, this month honors the contributions and cultures of Hispanic and Latino Americans.

Use your voice to determine how the City of Waco uses funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. In response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this act is providing direct relief to citizens and local governments. The City of Waco is receiving $34.7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and is planning to spend $17 million to assist local businesses and households.

The Magnolia Market, a Waco landmark and excellent source for life and home décor, is teaming up with the Waco Downtown Farmers Market this summer. The Famers Market will set up shop at the silos under the historic barn on select Wednesdays, providing the community with a safe and fun outdoor shopping experience. The Farmers Market vendors vary, however products on offer have included beautiful flowers from Bloom Waco, tasty dairy products from Brazos Valley Cheese, fresh produce from Richardson farms, and a variety of other vendors. As shoppers stock up on fresh produce, they can enjoy the summer weather and a nice relaxation area adjacent to the market.

Every year on June 19, the nation comes together to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday. Juneteenth celebrates African-American freedom and achievement while promoting ongoing self-improvement, community building, and respect for all people. Today, you can find people celebrating Juneteenth throughout the country and internationally. However, the origins of the holiday will forever be Texan.

The month of May marks Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Guest author Jaja Chen of Waco Cha shares Perspectives from AAPI Waco Small Businesses.

We know them and love them – Baylor alumni-owned businesses in our communities across the nation. Perhaps the corner boutique, grocery, or business development group, regardless of the industry, daily, Baylor alumni working in all fields fling their green and gold daily by applying the lessons and leadership skills learned at Baylor to their work.

Greeting everyone with a smile, Jo Spark is known for bringing positivity to the classroom, along with an infectious love for children’s literature. I experienced all of this within moments of meeting her on a typical day at Alta Vista Elementary School in Waco, Texas where she serves as a Master Teacher.

It may appear passe to say something is ‘better, cheaper, and faster’ as a means of communicating a value proposition, but Baylor’s partnership with My Labs Direct is just that. By building a full-scale testing facility within the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), COVID-19 testing on the campus of Baylor University is occurring a rapid speed and scale. When the decision was made to invest in the long-term assets of a testing facility a much larger opportunity was taking shape. That opportunity was to increase the capacity of and direct access to high quality, affordable, and quick test results for the broader community.

With the temperatures in Central Texas 60 and climbing, it’s hard to believe that just one week ago, Waco was in the midst of a historic winter storm, impacting residents city-wide. The ice may be gone, but in the wake of the storm traces linger, as local residents work to repair homes and gain access to basic needs. To meet these needs, the Waco Foundation alongside the City of Waco have launched the Winter Storm Community Relief Fund.

Effective leaders possess many qualities, some of which include vision, empowerment, and empathy. When a pandemic hit our community last spring, community leaders rose to the occasion to leverage a skill of leadership: communication.

Lack of capital is a major barrier for small businesses to succeed and thrive. Startup Waco has partnered with Kiva, the largest crowd-lending platform in the world, to provide an innovative solution to increase access to capital for small businesses here in Waco—making it one of 30 hub cities in the nation and the first in the State of Texas to offer this program.

February marks Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements of African-Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.

Since 1972, The Art Center of Waco has existed to serve as a creative force in the community for teaching, displaying, promoting, and preserving vital and diverse visual arts that enrich and inspire us all. Through a non-profit lens, they aim to enrich lives by deepening understanding, exploration, and appreciation through engagement with programs, exhibitions, collections and collaborations. As an art leader, The Art Center purposefully and intentionally works to build a community rich with art, culture, diversity, and education.

For years, the Waco-McLennan County Libraries have served the community with four branches throughout the greater Waco area. The libraries strive to be a vital organization that is an integral and valued part of the community of McLennan County.

Over the past few years, Baylor’s Philanthropy and Public Good course has engaged some of our brightest and most promising students into the process of doing “the most good”. You might ask yourself, how does one define “the most good” and where would one start in the process of actually doing this work. In our class this fall, we challenged our sixteen students with these same questions while giving them literature, stories, and even a podcast to contextualize the question…oh and we gave them $90,000 to steward and nearly fifty grant applications from local nonprofits to consider!

Weekly, we are taking you behind the art – meet the businesses and artists who played an integral role in our 2020 “Art of Homecoming” activation. This week, we are featuring Waco Escape Rooms and Waco Cha!

2020 saw record voter turnout across our country for an unprecedented election that saw national, state, and local races all on the same ballot. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, “[the] number of voters who cast ballots in the three-week Texas early voting period this year surpassed the total number of Texans who voted in all of 2016." Within McLennan County, 80,705 people voted early in the 2020 elections, including 10,337 who voted by mail. It is a number significantly higher than the 34,960 voters who cast early ballots in the 2016 presidential election and the 80,544 total votes cast in 2016 by McLennan County residents. Many factors contributed to this record turnout; however, we would be remiss if we failed to highlight the work of our local chapter of the NAACP led by Dr. Peaches Henry and their efforts to bring Souls to the Polls to vote in the 2020 election.

Weekly, we are taking you behind the art – meet the businesses and artists who played an integral role in our 2020 “Art of Homecoming” activation. This week, we are featuring Cultural Arts of Waco and Lula Jane’s!

Located on the Baylor University Campus, the Mayborn Museum Complex, a natural science and cultural history museum, welcomes visitors from across Central Texas. The campus community, alongside local school groups, families and more, can be seen exploring and enjoying the many exhibits on display, from permanent installations featuring themed discovery rooms to travelling exhibits. Guided by their mission and vision, the Mayborn aims to serve the community with distinction by providing greater opportunities for all to learn and grow, and has launched programs to support those goals—like the Mayborn Reach Out programs.

The passing of a torch is a seminal moment in many people’s lives that we often take for granted. This month, November, many changes are occurring in our lives, in our communities and in our country. When we look back upon a season, I hope that we may reflect upon those things, those moments that were good, that challenged us, and that ultimately created positive change because isn’t positive change the purpose of leadership? Leaders play many important functions in our society, but in our community, leaders are positioned to facilitate impactful change for the common good. Mayor Kyle Deaver, today I would like to say THANK YOU for your leadership and THANK YOU for the positive, impactful change you have made in Waco!

Weekly, we are taking you behind the art – meet the businesses and artists who played an integral role in our 2020 “Art of Homecoming” activation. This week, we are featuring Startup Waco and Keep Waco Beautiful!

Entrepreneurs, like all living and breathing things, need certain resources to survive and thrive. The breadth of the resources necessary for an entrepreneur to survive, however, cannot be handled by just one person or organization. It is often said in the entrepreneurial world that a founder of a new business needs to know how to do about fifty things well in order to successfully launch a startup, however, the average entrepreneur possess the knowledge and skill to execute three to five of those necessary items. Therefore, an entrepreneur needs an ecosystem around him or her to supplement, complement, and fill the gaps. Enter LaunchWaco.com!

Join us weekly as we meet the artists and businesses behind the Art of Homecoming mural installation.

Many organizations have worked to support those in need during COVID-19. When a generous donation was provided from Baylor Scott & White to the men of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity at Baylor University, they worked diligently to create a distribution plan to provide a much needed home for 21,600 bottles of individual hand sanitizer across our city. The primary focus of their distribution efforts was connecting to the city’s local non-profits and communities of faith so that each organization could then distribute them to the people and families that they serve.

September 15 through October 15 marked the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2020. While Covid-19 altered the opportunity to have as many in-person events as in past years, it did not stop the celebration of the Hispanic Community!

"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced," wrote the late American author James Baldwin. With this premise, our office is excited to embark on a new initiative to raise awareness of injustices within our community.

Last year, in a partnership the first of its kind, Common Grounds—along with other local favorites within the extended Common Grounds brand family—set up shop in the Bill Daniel Student Union Building campus to accommodate increasing appetites for their offerings, particularly from the on-campus community. This trailblazing partnership with Aramark paved the way to the University’s latest collaboration with Baylor Dining, Revolve.

Known as a top tourist destination within the state of Texas, whatever you are looking for, you can find it in Waco. Whether you are a local or are just visiting, shopping, dining and entertainment options abound to suit any taste. The variety of options is no accident – over years, individuals, nonprofits, and the city itself have explored avenues to cultivate our city, pouring efforts into supporting all who call Waco home.

Startup Waco, a partner of Baylor University, is a local nonprofit whose purpose is to help create and sustain an ecosystem of entrepreneurship in order to help businesses start, build, grow, and ultimately thrive in Waco. In its first two years of existence, its already become a hub of activity, programs, resources, and connections to help small businesses and startups. Today, we recognize Startup Waco’s IncubateX254 program for truly innovating how it approaches business support.

The Waco Culture Guide highlights the districts, affinity groups, businesses, history, and more of Waco's communities of color. The vastness of Waco's Cultural Wealth is often missed by those new to the city. This is especially true for the faculty, staff, and students of color who make Waco home during their time at Baylor. With the Waco Culture Guide, we hope to provide a snapshot of the diversity present throughout Waco to the Baylor community and all who view it.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the contributions Americans tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South American, and the Caribbean’s Spanish-speaking nations have made to American society and culture. The observance was born in 1968 when Congress authorized the president to issue an annual proclamation designating National Hispanic Heritage Week. Just two decades later, lawmakers expanded it to a monthlong celebration, stretching from September 15 to October 15.

The Junior League of Waco is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. As they begin their 85th year in our community, one can see their contribution stamped across the community - typically in respect to spaces that benefit and provide value to the lives of women and children.

Sixteen years ago, Kennedy Sam moved to Waco from Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, she lived near Grant Park with its beautiful gardens and artwork. Nearby, the Aquarium, Planetarium, museums, and other cultural attractions helped shape her value for the arts. When asking Kennedy about the impact of her childhood, she shared the following, “as I look back and now find myself advocating for the contributions those institutions bring to a community, its undeniable that God’s hand was in motion aligning my life experiences and values, preparing me all along to work in my community supporting the arts.“

Volunteerism not only helps our city but it creates community – a core trait the Waco Founder Lions Club has demonstrated since their establishment in 1916. For 104 years, both local and worldwide chapters of the Lions Club meet together for fellowship and service.

In honor of Women’s History Month earlier this year, we visited virtually with Waco Women throughout our community. Here are their stories. In their own words, we asked them to share about the work they do, the women who inspire them, and why they love Waco.

August 13, Baylor hosted the President's Community Prayer Walk on Racial Equity, Change, and Healing. During this virtual event, Baylor and Waco faith leaders collectively prayed against the racial injustices plaguing our campus, community, and country. Through these prayers, we asked for God's covering of our local faith community and faith leaders, students, faculty and staff of local educational institutions, and the greater Waco community.

The mood of city, some say, is displayed through its artists. If that’s true, then Waco remains a ‘city with a soul’ as a #wacosafe chalk art mural campaign kicks in full gear this summer. When Creative Waco Executive Director Fiona Bond talks about these murals, her face lights up and her passion for art, collaboration, and community shine!

Located at the intersection of Franklin Drive and 8th Street in downtown Waco, Union Hall is home to various restaurants capable of satisfying the hunger of all who visit. Included in the mix of flavors to enjoy is Wings of Waco. Serving good wings and great hospitality, Wings of Waco is the brainchild of Chef Kemar Ballentine-Harris. With a mission to become the premier spot for wings in the city, Wings of Waco offers a selection of a dozen delicious flavors to coat your wings in.

Cultural Wealth is a term reasonably unknown to most, first used by Dr. Tj Yosso when describing the students of color he worked with, and the skills and strengths that they possessed during their university experience. Cultural wealth is defined as “an array of knowledge, skills, abilities, and contacts possessed and used by Communities of Color to survive and resist racism and other forms of oppression.” Within our office, we have expanded this term to mean how we celebrate and advance communities of color.

Developing culturally relevant methods that include informal learning strategies help teachers obtain a broader understanding of student communities and develop an appreciation for the dynamic wealth of knowledge students bring into the classroom (Banks & Banks, 2016; Moll & Gonzalez, 2004).

A healthy community requires many entities working simultaneously and together in synchrony. At Baylor, we feel honored to connect with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, healthcare agencies and nonprofits that are advancing the needs of our community members - through creating awareness around food insecurity, supporting needs in maternal and child well-being, and creating access to healthcare we are grateful to take part in watching Waco identify and strive to meet the specific needs of our city.

Baylor is home to thousands of bright minds working diligently to learn the necessary skills to build a better world. Included in those leaders of both today and tomorrow is Lauren Vo.

At Baylor, our primary role is to educate and equip minds to provide bright opportunity and advancement in an ever-changing world. In the same light, it is an honor to support our local school districts and education focused non-profits because they are impacting one of the most valuable assets our city has: its future leaders, workforce and community members.

Summertime is here, and with it comes a taste for frozen treats and sweet eats to beat the Texas heat. Luckily, Waco is home to not one but two Helados La Azteca locations to satisfy your taste for something fresh, frozen, and delicious!

Ever since I set foot on campus as a student in 2011, my free time has been dedicated to exploring the city, getting acquainted with the shops and local haunts that housed hidden treasure awaiting discovery. I have bookcases at home lined with some of these very treasures, from art prints acquired from Congress Clothing to a mug collection that reads like a passport to the city’s many coffee shops. Even much of my furniture has been lovingly sourced from local resale and antique stores. Each item tells a story from the city – stories of entrepreneurial-minded individuals pursuing passions, stories of the past—these stories represent a broad movement of creators, innovators and artists working side by side to propel a then-slumbering downtown into a bright future.

Justin Rice represents a growing number of young leaders who have taken up the mantle of being the change they would like to see in the Waco community. Working with numerous boards and organizations such as the Waco NAACP, Waco Young Professionals of Color, Central Texas African-American Chamber of Commerce, and the local chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Justin is known for his analytical thinking and steadfast dedication towards causes that advance Cultural Wealth. Justin is a proud alumnus of Baylor University where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

When you think of economic development, what comes to mind? Is it shiny buildings peppering the skies of metropolitan areas? Is it suburban sprawl with mini-malls and chain restaurants? When I think of economic development, two things come to mind.

The beauty of Baylor will forever lie with the diversity of background, culture, and thought displayed on campus daily. This diversity is exemplified through our international student population and the various home countries of our global scholars. According to a recent survey by the Center for Global Engagement, there are 931 international Students at Baylor, representing 83 different countries. Asian countries make up 4 out of the top 5 countries where our international students arrive from, showing how strong Baylor's presence is in that part of the world

The Waco COVID Communications task force, comprised of local city officials, business leaders and health experts recently launched the Waco Safe Program, a two-way community pledge promoting sanitary practices and proactive measures dedicated to slowing the spread of COVID-19 throughout Waco. The pledge commits both businesses and visitors to, in good faith, adhere to local rules and health guidelines to curb the growth of the disease in our community.

Have you ever found yourself struggling to connect into the business or nonprofit community in Waco? Perhaps you've wanted to explore entrepreneurship, network with others in your industry, or learn how to support nonprofits? A new site, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to be your hub of connectivity as the community migrates back to a new normal.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, personal protective equipment including medical-grade masks have been hard to come by. One local Baylor graduate—Suzi Elnaggar—has stepped in to fulfill the need for quality masks locally. Waco Masks for Hope sells masks “buy one, donate one” style – for every mask sold, local nonprofits and healthcare workers receive masks distributed through the Waco McLennan County Emergency Center, or through a direct request. Proceeds are donated back to local organizations.

Every year on June 19, the nation comes together to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday. Juneteenth celebrates African-American freedom and achievement while promoting ongoing self-improvement, community building, and respect for all people. Today, you can find people celebrating Juneteenth throughout the country and internationally. However, the origins of the holiday will forever be Texan.

Many believe that the strongest educator a child will have is their parent. This philosophy is core to Waco ISD’s Parents As Teachers (PAT) program, designed to equip families with tools to ensure our youngest community members are Kindergarten ready.

For the past four years, Dr. Iliana Neumann of Waco's Family Health Center has maintained a steady, calming, and energetic presence within the Waco community. Medically trained in North Carolina, Dr. Neumann currently serves as the faculty physician at the Family Health Center where she teaches current residents, in addition to her work as a physician, seeing patients for a range of services both in and outside of the hospital setting. Outside of her career in medicine, she serves with numerous boards and organizations such as United Way, Transformation Waco, and Greater Waco Legal Services. She does this all with the support of her family, her husband, Leo, and two beautiful children Sofia and Leo, who inspire her to dream bigger every day.

Families are important, they shape and mold us throughout life. STARRY Counseling in Waco holds that in the forefront and focus as they make themselves available to nurture children, strengthen families and restore hope.

Small businesses are the heartbeat of America and over the past few decades have been the primary net job creators. Small business owners often play leadership roles in communities as employers, donors, civic and nonprofit leaders, and rocks of strength for generations of families. Over the years, I have observed significant disparities in who has access to start small businesses and the capital to grow them. In lieu of this our partners at the Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce has pulled together a new fund aimed at helping to start, build, and grow the next generation of minority owned business in McLennan County.

After news broke that classes would shift online for the remainder of the semester, Baylor University and the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing donated critical medical PPE to Baylor Scott & White Health and the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. The donation included over 2,000 face masks, 9,000 gloves, 200 isolation gowns and 24 cans of hand sanitizer foam.

Throughout May, we have celebrated Asian-Pacific Heritage Month during each Cultural Wealth Wednesday. Still, there are many stories and contributions made by this community that we have yet been able to tell. To learn more about the impact that Asian-Americans have made on our country, we encourage you to view the recently released PBS docuseries Asian-Americans.

Bienestar Latino Mental Health Coalition is a small, yet growing group of mental health professionals, pastors, church staff, social workers, artists, grassroots activists, case workers and social work professors who care deeply about and are committed to the Latino and Spanish-speaking community here in Waco.

Home to gifted artists and artisans, if you visit Waco’s small shops and boutiques, you can find locally made goods and artwork to suit any taste. Tourists and locals alike purchase wearables, crafts, fine art and more throughout our city’s many shopping districts and seasonal markets. While restrictions on the economy continue to ease in the wake of the shelter in place orders that shuttered businesses March through April, Waco’s community of makers moved online to sell their goods and creative services. Spearheaded by Creative Waco, in collaboration with over 15 community partners, makeitinwaco.com represents the community at its best and provides a one-stop shop for all of your favorite local gifts and gear. If you don’t see what you had in mind, don’t worry, the website even handles commissions!

Routinely, we highlight the work of Solid Gold Neighbors working in our city, individuals, organizations and businesses that strive to make Waco a place where all can thrive. Even during a pandemic, there is work to be done in our community. Today, we take a look back at some of our Solid Gold Neighbors, and what they are doing to address needs during COVID-19:

During the 1950s Baylor formed a relationship with Hong Kong Baptist University, leading to an increased amount of Asian student access to the campus. The creation of a professor exchange program was established soon after to solidify the partnership between the two institutions. This was a strategic move since it allowed both universities to exchange scholarships as well as culture.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have a rich heritage spanning thousands of years, and have played an integral role in shaping our nation's history. Established in 1992, the month of May is designated as Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Hero is a word we use, perhaps, too haphazardly at times. While it is special to recognize someone that makes an impact in our lives or the lives of others, a hero is someone that goes above and beyond. A hero is selfless; someone who risks their comfort, health, and safety for another. Often, a hero does this without formal recognition or reward. I say this to take a moment and recognize heroes in our community, our healthcare workers. During this time, many of our business and education sectors have had to take a slight pause or shift gears to a virtual environment all the while healthcare workers are on the front lines doing extra shifts, staying away from family, and getting sick themselves all for the sake of us and our health.

Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated on May 5 in parts of Mexico and the United States? The day commemorates the victory of the outnumbered Mexican army over the French army at the 1862 Battle of Puebla during the Second Franco-Mexican War.

Nothing is more inspiring than seeing a community rally together in a time of hardship. In the wake of COVID-19, Businesses throughout Waco have united together to help our city thrive. Today, we recognize the work of several Waco businesses making a difference.

Jade Duong of Elegant Nails & Spa believes the best way to describe the business she co-founded a decade ago is as a family. From their employees to their clients, they treat everyone who walks through the doors as a member of the Elegant Nails & Spa family. It is a feeling reciprocated by her customers during COVID-19 as they have continued to support the business by ordering products and sending messages of encouragement. Highly appreciative of the support of her customers, Jade sought out ways to do her part and help those who have helped her.

On any given day – matters of poverty and hunger are complex. Tackling these issues during a global pandemic can prove even more challenging, as economic circumstances and school closures change the way many access meals. Despite these unprecedented circumstances, The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty remains committed to tackling these issues head-on. By combining research and expertise with programs, the Baylor Collaborative is doing what they do best – ensuring access to nutrition for communities most in need.

Throughout March, Women's History Month, we virtually visited with Waco Women throughout our community. Here are their stories. In their own words, we asked them to share about the work they do, the women who inspire them, and why they love Waco.

When the call came that restaurants would need to shut down in-person dining, many business owners felt immediate devastation. They knew that with the pandemic hitting Waco, people would stay indoors and limit engagement outside of their homes. The most obvious evidence to support this hypothesis resided in the immediate lack of paper goods and dairy at local supermarkets!

Today we are glad to shine a bright light on a non-profit organization that is stepping up to serve the Waco-McLennan County community. Although the YMCA of Central Texas typically works hard to help our community members build muscles in the weight room and on the playing fields, you might not be aware that they are more than just a gym! And, although their members are still being offered avenues to achieve healthy living, youth development and social responsibility to impact their overall wellness virtually during COVID-19, they spent this past week flexing a different muscle that demonstrates their commitment to many of our community members.

Founded in May 2019, Keep Waco Loud aims to empower and support Waco's music, art and comedy scene. Husband and wife duo, Jacob Green and Katie Selman, formed the organization after noticing a gap in local musical programming. Since their formation, they have rallied local musicians, comedic minds and more in support of their cause – not only enabling more performances around town, but bringing awareness to Waco's local talent across a variety of mediums through website highlights, including song of the week!

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we virtually visited with Waco Women throughout our community. In their own words, we asked them to share about the work they do, the women who inspire them, and why they love Waco.

Have you ever dreamed of being a Disney Imagineer? Do you wear Mickey Mouse socks to work and doodle his caricature during important meetings? Now is your chance to live vicariously through your children or just be a kid again yourself with a few resources from the Walt Disney Company. During this season, many parents are juggling working from home, managing the household, and using materials from our local school to homeschool. I myself am supporting my family as best I can, and I was recently sent a few fun resources from our partner at the Disney Institute, whom we host trainings with on our campus each year. Below is a summary of three amazing resources for the whole family to enjoy to be creative and learn from!

Museums and community cultural institutions are an essential part of Waco's city life. Representing entertainment and education woven together, these places fulfill a unique space in the educational ecosystem – providing avenues of engaged learning for lifelong learners of all ages. Baylor itself is home to two on-campus museums, the Martin Museum and the Mayborn Museum, as well as Armstrong Browning Library and the Texas Collection, housing items of historical significance and resources for further education. While many have visited these locations in person, many more may visit and explore these resources online! Looking to learn while at home? Consider the following resources.

Working a farm in the modern era presents difficulties, profit margins are thin and work is strenuous. Doing so in a way that regenerates the soil is even more complex. World Hunger Relief Inc. is committed to doing just that, promoting good stewardship of the land while sharing fruits of that labor with the hungry and malnourished. Chartered in 1976 by real estate developers with the heart of God's people and the land, World Hunger Relief Inc. is a Christian nonprofit committed to the alleviation of food insecurity & malnutrition through regenerative agriculture & community development. Through farm field trips, WHRI provides visitors with the opportunity to pet pigs, milk goats, pull eggs from nesting boxes, and harvest fresh produce, often for the first time! WHRI staff members and interns facilitate these hands-on experiences, oftentimes taking this real-world knowledge with them when they leave, applying these skills internationally

This January, our office, Baylor's Office of External Affairs, partnered with the Baylor School of Music to recognize three programs that make music accessible to the local community. For many, these programs are a first glimpse into the world of music and the joys music provides participants and audience members alike.

The YMCA means many things to many different people. For me, it's a place of firsts. It is where I first learned how to swim and dribble a ball. A space where I first discovered the value of teamwork, discipline, and friendship. These firsts not only pertain to me but many Wacoans, providing memories for a lifetime. With three branches located within our city, the Y directly impacts over 20,000 people annually through its various memberships and programs. The Y's programs focus on youth development, healthy living, physical fitness, and improving quality of life. From Women on Weights, Nutrition Counseling, Teen Strength & Conditioning, MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition … Do it!), and the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program, and many more, Y programming equips the community with vital building blocks for life.

Every day on the commute to work I pass Waco's Sculpture Zoo installation—28 distinct sculptures of animals trailing Brazos River through Cameron Park and I pass 1,000 Hopes for Waco, a mural of a stylized paper crane taking flight from downtown streets – located on the corner of University Parks Drive and Jackson Avenue. The Sculpture Zoo broke ground in 2019, and serves as a welcoming guide through Cameron Park up to the entrance of Cameron Park Zoo. The mural came to life in 2018, painted on the side of one of Waco's then-newest downtown retail developments. These works of art not only fascinate visitors to our city, but draw Wacoans downtown to explore our city center in new ways. As the city continues to develop rapidly–from infrastructure to industry – so does the local arts scene, through public art, festivals and events.

A Wacoan interested in pursuing engineering as a vocation can gain their first two years of fully transferrable course work across the state of Texas locally, which enables them to achieve a high level of learning in a flexible way. They offer an open-enrollment program that encourages anyone with a love for math and science to consider the profession. Small class sizes allow them to recognize and individualize the program to build a strong foundation that other programs can build upon. Dr. Mike Thompson, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Baylor University stated, "It has been my pleasure to meet with faculty from the MCC Engineering program on several occasions, and I'm very impressed with their dedication and enthusiasm. It has been very gratifying to see well-prepared MCC engineering students successfully transition to Baylor to find both academic and career success."

"I love being able to educate our community on how they can join the fight against human trafficking and be advocates for the people who need us," shared Bronda Hayes, volunteer with Unbound. Unbound, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of human trafficking, activates communities to fight human trafficking through prevention & awareness, professional training, and survivor advocacy.

Every child needs a constant within their life. With STARS Book Clubs, you could be just that for a student within the Waco community. STARS Book Clubs are a city-wide mentoring movement of volunteers. These volunteers from local churches partner with Prosper Waco and Waco ISD to invest in the future of our city through the power of reading and relationships. Weekly book clubs pair mentors with groups of two to three elementary-aged students that meet once a week during lunchtime, where they talk and read fun books together.

December 2019, Baylor's Diana R. Garland School of Social Work alongside Baylor's Office of External Affairs honored the BEAR Project as a Solid Gold Neighbor. The BEAR (Be Emotionally Aware and Responsive) Project, a collaboration between Baylor and Waco ISD, seeks to engage schools and families in the development of internal and external emotional resources that contribute to the social and academic success of children and, ultimately, strengthen Waco's schools, families and community. Healthy communities are the product of healthy relationships. Healthy relationships require trust, commitment, hard work, and the development of skills that equip people to cross boundaries and bridge gaps. The BEAR Project aims to help build rich learning environments where all can thrive and grow. Kids need to stay in the classroom in order to learn and improve academically. BEAR Project staff teach pro-social skills and emotional and behavioral regulation to students with the aim of functioning well in a classroom environment.

It's common to recognize the value of real-world experience, applying what you learned in school at a job. However, when it comes to philanthropy and leadership for non-profit organizations, it's more challenging to get the education you need prior to having the opportunity to apply it. I have seen firsthand how this is not only a detriment to the organizations and recipients of their services, but a liability to public servants in leadership as well. Baylor University has developed a class that most ideally addresses this critical need through it's "Philanthropy and the Public Good" course. Students in this class not only receive critical training so that they can lead effectively, the added bonus is that through their grant awarding process local non-profits have the opportunity to engage with some of Baylor's most talented students. This bridges the gap between the University and community while providing significant resources to fund key local initiatives, each supporting at least one of the Solid Gold Neighbor pillars.

On the first Tuesday of every month, lively chatter fills the atrium of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. Individuals greet one another with handshakes and warm smiles as they cross the room to their seats. The Waco Young Professional Group is about to commence their monthly Lunch Connection where members receive wisdom from Waco's business leaders, learn about the city's growing infrastructure and, most importantly, build meaningful relationships with one another.

Recognizing others and their service to Waco is a part of who we are. Our office, Baylor's Office of External Affairs, is inspired to lead, support, engage, and celebrate the collective impact of Waco and Baylor. Together, alongside countless individuals and organizations, we make our city the best it can be, as we live, dine, work and play here. Celebrating that impact is a joy! We look forward to sharing more stories as 2020 progresses—we can't wait to see what the new year has in store for our community.

At Baylor Law, shepherded by faculty and staff experts and local volunteer attorneys, law students receive hands-on experience while making a tangible impact through a variety of legal clinics focusing on improving the lives of distinct and vulnerable populations in a variety of areas of expertise. Through these clinics, students, faculty, staff, and volunteers have dedicated countless hours of pro bono legal services to McLennan county residents. This fall, in the first ceremony of its kind, Baylor's Office of External Affairs partnered with Baylor Law School to recognize the faculty and staff members responsible for launching these clinics, along with those who currently lead the programs, continuing Baylor Law’s legacy of service. Here is a look back at Baylor Law's 2019 Solid Gold Neighbors:

Greater Waco Legal Services (GWLS) was founded in 2017 to provide legal services that give individuals opportunities to grow healthier, further their education, and experience financial security. GWLS plays a significant role in creating lasting solutions to complex and systemic problems through strategic partnerships, including the Medical-Legal Partnership with the Family Health Center and the School-Legal Partnership with Transformation Waco and Grassroots Community Development. When asked about his why he invests his time in Greater Waco Legal Services, Kent McKeever, GWLS founder, replied, "MY clients. No doubt about it. I am honored to know each one of my clients. I love getting to build relationships with them because I learn so much about life, hope, God, and love through them, whether they realize it or not! They teach me so much about perseverance, resilience, and dignity in the face of overwhelming obstacles, oppression, and dehumanization...[We] provide such a needed service in this community. It's an honor and a privilege to be doing this work in Waco-McLennan County right now. There are so many wonderful things going on here, and I am thrilled to be a part of it!"