Sir Elton John Returns to INSIDE - The Villager · Sir Elton John re-turned to Austin for the...
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This paper can be recycled TPA TPA TPA TPA TPA TEXAS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION Presorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Austin, Texas Permit No. 01949 TheAustinVillager.com TheAustinVillager.com INSIDE RAPPIN’ RAPPIN’ RAPPIN’ RAPPIN’ RAPPIN’ Tommy Wyatt Tommy Wyatt Tommy Wyatt Tommy Wyatt Tommy Wyatt Vol. 41 No.23 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected] October 25, 2013 By Naomi Richard Sir Elton John Returns to the 8th Annual Andy Roddick Foundation Gala Sir Elton John Returns to the 8th Annual Andy Roddick Foundation Gala Sir Elton John re- turned to Austin for the Eighth Annual Andy Roddick Foundation Gala at ACL Live at Moody Theater on Oc- tober 17. The event sold out moments after ticket sales opened to the pub- lic. Elton was the head- liner in 2011 and this year he returned to a packed house sharing his timeless treasures of music. The gala serves as the chief fundraising event for the Founda- tion whose mission is to ensure youth in low-in- come communities have abundant oppor- tunities to reach their full potential, through educational and sports- based mentoring. Founder and Chairman Andy Roddick moved his Foundation to Austin in 2012 and is in full effort to build a Sports and Learning Center in East See RODDICK, page 2 Elton John Air Force Airman Letavion K. Williams gradu- ated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight- week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Williams is the son of Vivian McKenney and Lennie Williams, both of Austin. He is a 2012 graduate of Lyndon B. Johnson High School, Austin, Texas. A JAGUAR and an AIRMAN A JAGUAR and an AIRMAN Letavion K. Williams Texas Book Festival to Feature Local Author’s New Book Texas Book Festival to Feature Local Author’s New Book (Austin) - Shirley A. Hammond, contribut- ing writer for The Vil- lager Newspaper, will be a featured author at the Texas Book Festival on Saturday, where she will launch her new book “Xtreme Ride Wish: An Untwinnable Day.” The book will be available first as an ebook, but will also be provided as a recorded book and printed book. This project has been underway for over two and a half years. It is about a special dy- namic with the roller coasters at an amuse- ment park on a special day. The Fantasy Young Adult Fiction book has an interesting mix of highly engaging charac- See ROLLER COASTER QUEEN, page 2 DDCE Fall Lecture Series Slated for November 1 The Division of Di- versity and Community Engagement (DDCE) Fall Lecture Series will be held on Friday, No- vember 1, featuring Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, the Vilas Distinguished Professor in Higher Education at the Uni- versity of Wisconsin- Madison. Jackson will speak on “Ethnic and Racial Administrative Diversity: Understand- ing Work Life Realities and Experiences in Higher Education.” The lecture will be held on the University of Texas at Austin campus in the Main Building, Room 212 from 11:30-1 p.m. See JACKSON, page 2 SENIORS IN THEIR 80s AND 90s HELP NEXT GENERATION OF MOTHERS (AUSTIN) - Seniors at Austin’s Buckner Vil- las have found it in their hearts to give back and help out young preg- nant women, single mothers and poverty stricken families through a Baby Bottle Campaign for the Aus- tin Pregnancy and Re- source Center (APRC). APRC is a nonprofit or- ganization that works to meet the needs of fami- lies in the Austin com- munity. Over the course of a couple of weeks, the seniors col- lected change inside baby bottles, which they recently presented to Lori DeVillez, the ex- ecutive director of APRC. This is a truly See APRC, page 2 by Shirley A. Hammond The Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign takes place every Octo- ber, even though all throughout the year smaller campaigns are held. This year, a new program was launched in the fight against breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Campaign “Help Us Find The Cures,” which is a multi-pronged action plan to fight breast can- cer and shore up any deficits in research. It amounts to an accelera- tion of efforts to find cures and eliminate this dread disease. The campaign has some set milestones, and identified some gaps that need to be closed. According to the breast cancer campaign website, breast cancer is still the most common See GRANTS, page 7 (Austin, Texas) - On Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013 at 10am – 2pm, the Capital City Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinc- tion, a nonprofit com- munity service organi- zation, will hold its An- nual Games Day event at the Crown Plaza Ho- tel, 6121 IH 35. The re- ceipts from this fundraising event will benefit the Top Teens Scholarship Fund. Please join us for this day of fun, games and prizes. For tickets, con- tact Polly Street at (512) 928-1390 or any member of Top Ladies of Dis- tinction. There will be no door sales for this event. Come and join us November 2 nd as we “let the games begin”. Let The Games Begin! Bid Whist, Bingo, Bridge, Dominoes and Spades TCDJ bridges the gap between the APD and Austin’s minority population. See ELECTION Page 6 It is time to vote, but there is probably less interest in this election than we have had in a long time. The rea- son is that most of the items to be voted on are constitu- tional amendments. Unless you paid very close attention to the last session of the Texas Legislature, you have no ideas about the amend- ments. There is one election with candidates, but it only affects those living in State Representative, District 50 area. This is the position that was previously held by Mark Strama. There are four can- didates for the position; three Democrats and one Republi- can. Celia Israel (D) is best suited for the position. She has a long history of po- litical action in Texas and Austin. She says that she is running to show that Texas really does believe in free- dom, respect, tolerance, and opportunity. The City of Austin will have one item on the bal- lot, The Bond Election. It calls for the issuance of $65 mil- lion in Affordable Housing Bonds and Notes for con- structing, renovating, improv- ing, and equipping affordable housing in Austin. And while there are no specifics as how these funds will be applied, they will probably be used as the current rules are applied. While I do not favor giving the city a blank check to use in any way that they choose, we all know that there is a rapidly growing need for affordable housing, because of the urban removal that is currently going on in the city. We need to support these Bonds and Notes now and then continue to be pro- active in seeing that they are used in the correct way. There are also 9 Constitutional Amendments on the ballot. All of the amendments seem reason- able, except Prop. 6, that calls for the creation of a State Water Implementation Fund. This issue will open the doors for all kinds of cor- ruption and misuse. Vote for all of the Amendments except Prop. 6. This is our opportunity to show Texas how intelligent we are in seeing through shams. Austin congregation contributes $6,000 to Austin education See HT Page 3 CARY witness a 43% diminution in juvenile crimes across Texas. See COUNCIL Page 7 It’s Time To Vote!!
Transcript of Sir Elton John Returns to INSIDE - The Villager · Sir Elton John re-turned to Austin for the...
This paper canbe recycled
TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION
Presorted StandardU.S. Postage Paid
Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949
TheAustinVillager.comTheAustinVillager.com
INSIDE
RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’Tommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy Wyatt
Vol. 41 No.23 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected] October 25, 2013
By Naomi Richard
Sir Elton John Returns tothe 8th Annual Andy
Roddick Foundation Gala
Sir Elton John Returns tothe 8th Annual Andy
Roddick Foundation Gala
Sir Elton John re-turned to Austin for theEighth Annual AndyRoddick FoundationGala at ACL Live atMoody Theater on Oc-tober 17. The event soldout moments after ticketsales opened to the pub-lic. Elton was the head-liner in 2011 and thisyear he returned to apacked house sharinghis timeless treasures ofmusic.
The gala serves asthe chief fundraising
event for the Founda-tion whose mission is toensure youth in low-in-come communitieshave abundant oppor-tunities to reach theirfull potential, througheducational and sports-based mentoring.
Founder andChairman AndyRoddick moved hisFoundation to Austin in2012 and is in full effortto build a Sports andLearning Center in EastSee RODDICK, page 2Elton John
Air Force Airman Letavion K. Williams gradu-ated from basic military training at Joint Base SanAntonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in militarydiscipline and studies, Air Force core values,physical fitness, and basic warfare principles andskills.
Airmen who complete basic training earnfour credits toward an associate in applied sciencedegree through the Community College of the AirForce.
Williams is the son of Vivian McKenneyand Lennie Williams, both of Austin.
He is a 2012 graduate of Lyndon B. JohnsonHigh School, Austin, Texas.
A JAGUAR and anAIRMAN
A JAGUAR and anAIRMAN
Letavion K. Williams
Texas BookFestival to
FeatureLocal
Author’sNew Book
Texas BookFestival to
FeatureLocal
Author’sNew Book
(Austin) - Shirley A.Hammond, contribut-ing writer for The Vil-lager Newspaper, willbe a featured author atthe Texas Book Festivalon Saturday, where shewill launch her newbook “Xtreme RideWish: An UntwinnableDay.” The book will beavailable first as anebook, but will also beprovided as a recordedbook and printed book.This project has beenunderway for over twoand a half years. It isabout a special dy-namic with the rollercoasters at an amuse-ment park on a specialday.
The Fantasy YoungAdult Fiction book hasan interesting mix ofhighly engaging charac-
See ROLLERCOASTER QUEEN,
page 2
DDCE FallLecture Series
Slated forNovember 1
The Division of Di-versity and CommunityEngagement (DDCE)Fall Lecture Series willbe held on Friday, No-vember 1, featuring Dr.Jerlando F. L. Jackson,the Vilas DistinguishedProfessor in HigherEducation at the Uni-versity of Wisconsin-Madison. Jackson willspeak on “Ethnic andRacial AdministrativeDiversity: Understand-ing Work Life Realitiesand Experiences inHigher Education.” Thelecture will be held onthe University of Texasat Austin campus in theMain Building, Room212 from 11:30-1 p.m.See JACKSON, page 2
SENIORS INTHEIR 80s
AND 90s HELPNEXT
GENERATIONOF MOTHERS
(AUSTIN) - Seniorsat Austin’s Buckner Vil-las have found it in theirhearts to give back andhelp out young preg-nant women, singlemothers and povertystricken familiesthrough a Baby BottleCampaign for the Aus-tin Pregnancy and Re-source Center (APRC).APRC is a nonprofit or-ganization that works tomeet the needs of fami-lies in the Austin com-munity. Over thecourse of a couple ofweeks, the seniors col-lected change insidebaby bottles, which theyrecently presented toLori DeVillez, the ex-ecutive director ofAPRC. This is a truly
See APRC, page 2
by Shirley A. HammondThe Breast Cancer
Awareness Campaigntakes place every Octo-ber, even though allthroughout the yearsmaller campaigns areheld. This year, a newprogram was launchedin the fight againstbreast cancer. The BreastCancer Campaign“Help Us Find TheCures,” which is amulti-pronged actionplan to fight breast can-cer and shore up anydeficits in research. Itamounts to an accelera-tion of efforts to findcures and eliminate thisdread disease.
The campaign hassome set milestones,and identified somegaps that need to beclosed. According to thebreast cancer campaignwebsite, breast cancer isstill the most commonSee GRANTS, page 7
(Austin, Texas) -On Saturday, Nov. 2,2013 at 10am – 2pm, theCapital City Chapter ofTop Ladies of Distinc-tion, a nonprofit com-munity service organi-zation, will hold its An-nual Games Day eventat the Crown Plaza Ho-tel, 6121 IH 35. The re-ceipts from thisfundraising event willbenefit the Top TeensScholarship Fund.Please join us for thisday of fun, games andprizes. For tickets, con-tact Polly Street at (512)928-1390 or any memberof Top Ladies of Dis-tinction. There will beno door sales for thisevent. Come and join usNovember 2nd as we “letthe games begin”.
Let TheGamesBegin!
Bid Whist, Bingo,Bridge, Dominoes
and Spades
TCDJ bridges the gapbetween the APD
and Austin’s minoritypopulation.
See ELECTIONPage 6
It is time to vote, butthere is probably less interestin this election than we havehad in a long time. The rea-son is that most of the itemsto be voted on are constitu-tional amendments. Unlessyou paid very close attentionto the last session of theTexas Legislature, you haveno ideas about the amend-ments.
There is one electionwith candidates, but it onlyaffects those living in StateRepresentative, District 50area. This is the position thatwas previously held by MarkStrama. There are four can-didates for the position; threeDemocrats and one Republi-can.
Celia Israel (D) isbest suited for the position.She has a long history of po-litical action in Texas andAustin. She says that she isrunning to show that Texasreally does believe in free-dom, respect, tolerance, andopportunity.
The City of Austinwill have one item on the bal-lot, The Bond Election. It callsfor the issuance of $65 mil-lion in Affordable HousingBonds and Notes for con-structing, renovating, improv-ing, and equipping affordablehousing in Austin. And whilethere are no specifics as howthese funds will be applied,they will probably be used asthe current rules are applied.
While I do not favorgiving the city a blank checkto use in any way that theychoose, we all know thatthere is a rapidly growingneed for affordable housing,because of the urban removalthat is currently going on inthe city. We need to supportthese Bonds and Notes nowand then continue to be pro-active in seeing that they areused in the correct way.
There are also 9Constitutional Amendmentson the ballot. All of theamendments seem reason-able, except Prop. 6, thatcalls for the creation of aState Water ImplementationFund. This issue will openthe doors for all kinds of cor-ruption and misuse.
Vote for all of theAmendments except Prop. 6.This is our opportunity toshow Texas how intelligentwe are in seeing throughshams.
Austin congregationcontributes $6,000to Austin education
See HTPage 3
CARY witness a 43%diminution in juvenilecrimes across Texas.
See COUNCILPage 7
It’s TimeTo Vote!!
Page 2 ~ October 25, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com
THE COMMUNIQUÉ
Austin. Roddick started his Foundation in2000 and since then over $11 million has beenraised to empower youth in the Austin and SouthFlorida communities.
“I am thrilled to have long-time friend andphilanthropist Elton John return to Austin to helpus achieve our goal of raising over $1 million inone evening,” said Roddick.
The gala included a red carpet for arrivals,cocktail reception, dinner, exclusive live auctionsand a concert by Elton. To learn more about theFoundation, visit http://arfoundation.org/
Andy Roddick
Andy RoddickFoundation Has
Raised over $11M
Ph
oto Cred
it: Naom
i Rich
ard
continued from page 1
ters; including TheLady in LuminousBlue, The Lady Who Sitson the Porch, Gavin, amystery lad, The WiseOne and The Mites ofSorrow.
The book has 4 in-ternal gray scale illus-trations, and three ofthem are available with-out shading for coloringpages.
Hammond, whostates that The Titan atSix Flags over Texas isher favorite rollercoaster, indicates thatthe book was im-mensely fun to writeand that everythingcame together to makeit into a book worthreading and sharing byall age groups. She hasbeen dubbed the RollerCoaster Queen, becauseshe amassed a wealth ofinformation about rollercoasters around theworld while writing thebook.
The first group ofchildren that she read to
The Roller Coaster Queen continued from page 1
in Pleasanton, TX attheir intermediateschool on 10/11awarded her with thun-derous applause aftershe read three excerpts,showed them the bookcover and illustrationsand then taught themthe roller coaster clap.
On Friday, October25, she will read to chil-dren at the Boys & GirlsClub in San Marcos, TXduring their StorybookParade. In addition tothe reading segment,children will dress uplike their favorite bookcharacter and competefor prizes.
All this leads up toSaturday, October 26,where she will have atable for the hours of1:00pm-2:00pm andagain from 3:00pm-4:00pm on ColoradoStreet at tables 301 and302 respectively. Shewill give sighting clues,hold a drawing to giveaway a book, sell theebook, read excerpts
and visit with peoplewho want to knowabout this book. Otherauthors will havescheduled time blocksat the Texas Associationof Authors (TAA) table,as well.
There’s power inhyper drive roller coast-ers. And it’s not justabout G-forces. In anunidentified town dur-ing a particular day, allthe xtreme coasters atthe theme park grant areversal of one act.
Two boys in par-ticular are at the themepark to reverse an an-cestors’ act. That’sGavin, and one mysterylad. They, as well as allother riders, have tomake their reversal pleaat a precise momentduring the ride in orderfor it to take.
Each ride has dif-ferent dynamics - cork-screw turns, loops, re-verse movements, andmore. But all xtremerides grant a reversal
opportunity on this day,with a few conditions.
On one super busyday, many townspeoplepull out all stops in aneffort to get their rever-sal granted.
There is plenty ofhelp, but will the ridersrecognize and accept it?Is there a common de-nominator that bringssuccess to some? Whowill be victorious? Andhow?
If you’d like toschedule her to read toyour group, or to talkabout writing and pub-lishing books, contacther at 512-937-4287 [email protected].
Shirley A. Hammond
The event is freeand open to the public.Parking is available bythe hour in the San An-tonio Garage, at 24th andSan Antonio streets.
Jackson also servesas the coordinator forthe Higher,Postsecondary, andContinuing EducationProgram and as a fac-ulty affiliate for Wiscon-sin Center for the Ad-vancement ofPostsecondary Educa-tion. In addition, hefounded and serves asdirector and chief re-search scientist ofWisconsin’s Equity andInclusion Laboratory(Wei Lab).
Jackson’s central re-search interest has beento explore workforce di-versity and workplacediscrimination in highereducation. More re-cently, he has focused on
Jackson is heavilyfocused on
workforce diversitycontinued from page 1
Dr. Jerlando F. L.Jackson
interventions designedto broaden participationfor underrepresentedgroups in the scientificworkforce. He is creditedwith over 100 publica-tions and 175 presenta-tions.
amazing projectsince seniors in their80s and 90s are doingtheir part to help thenext generation of moth-ers when they need itmost. Additionally, theorganization reliessolely on donations tosurvive.
“The mission of theAustin Pregnancy Re-source Center is verydear to my heart,” saidJudy Jackson, a residentat Buckner Villas. “I goto the yearly fundraisersand donate funds tosupport the organiza-tion on a regular basis.Lori has fulfilled a needin the Austin commu-nity and the organiza-tion has been able tosave babies, save theunborn and save fami-lies. I think it is reallyspecial what APRCdoes. I have two chil-dren, and I cannot imag-ine what it would havebeen like to raise them
APRC looking to help new mothers withnecessities continued from page 1
Residents at Buckner Villas present donations they collected in babybottles to Lori DeVillez, the executive director of the Austin Pregnancy Re-source Center. Photos courtesy of Buckner Villas
by myself or if I had toraise them in a difficultsituation. Babies are soprecious. Nothing givesme more joy thanknowing I am support-ing couples or singleparents prepare for thebirth of their child.”
Currently, theAPRC will take thefunds they receivedfrom seniors at BucknerVillas and use themoney to help run theirclothing boutique. Theboutique providesmothers with clothing,diapers, wipes andother basic essentials.APRC is most in need ofwipes and diapers insizes 3, 4 and 5, as ba-bies do not stay smallforever. The money willhelp purchase theseitems. Often times,mothers face difficultdecisions like choosingbetween putting foodon the table and sup-plies like diapers or
wipes. APRC looks tomake those decisionseasier by providingfamilies with things theyneed. APRC has 12 lo-cations in Austin andhelped 2,200 people in2012. The demand con-tinues to grow.
“I think it is won-derful that singlewomen are getting sup-port that they desper-ately need,” said Jack-son. “Some of the girlsare so young and theAPRC gives them finan-cial support, moral sup-port and all the basicessentials they neednecessary to care fortheir families. I wishthere were 100 more or-ganizations like APRC.They do so much goodfor the community.”
“It is wonderfulthat seniors at BucknerVillas hosted their ownBaby Bottle Campaign,”said Lori DeVillez.“Their contribution will
be very helpful. Weseek to provide familieswith anything they needsuch as diapers, wipes,clothing, strollers, blan-kets, bassinets and food.We work with peopleto develop a plan to getthem out of the crisisand then we supportthem along the way. Themajority of people thatcome in are single moth-ers, but we will serveanybody in need. Wehelp them throughoutthe pregnancy and evenafter the baby is born.”
If you are inter-ested in sharing thisstory or setting up aninterview with aBuckner Villas residentwho has been involvedin the Baby Bottle Cam-paign or setting up aninterview with LoriDeVillez, please contactLauren Witt [email protected] via phone at 214-890-7912 extension 42.
Open House for Women and Children’s ShelterAustin and Travis County residents are invited to attend an open house from 5 to
7 p.m. on November 4th to learn plans to renovate and expand the Women and Children’sShelter.
Voters approved $3.8 million in bond funding in 2012 to improve the existingshelter located at 4523 Tannehill, operated by the Salvation Army. The informationalmeeting is open to the public and will take place in the Precinct 1 Richard Scott Buildingmeeting room at 4717 Heflin Lane, Austin.
Attendees will learn about plans to improve the facility, ask questions and providefeedback.The project aims to offer the follow benefits:
· A safe place of respite for women and children;
· A place of assistance for attaining and maintaining self-sufficiency; and
· A natural setting that fosters awareness, healing and growth.
The first phase of the planning process consists of a facility assessment and aconceptual design.
For more information please contact Filip Gecic at 512-972-5602.
Early Voting BeginsOct. 21 for Nov. 5General/Municipal
ElectionsFMI:austintexas.gov
www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 25, 2013 ~ Page 3
CHURCH & TOWN BULLETIN
Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax 512-478-1892
Sunday Services Worship Service 8:00 A.M. Sunday School 9:00 A.M. Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M. Worship Service 11:00 A.M.
WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M.Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709
Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875
Dr. Ricky Freeman, Pastor
Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church 5900 Cameron Road Austin, Texas 78723-1843
(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax Web Site - www.themount.net
WORSHIP SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.
“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18
A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor
True Hope Apostolic ChurchThe Apostle Gerald E. Loveless, Senior Pastorwww.thcm.org 8863 Anderson Mill Rd.
Austin, TX 78653
512-744-5851 Cell
512-547-HOPE Church
512-767-4979Assistant, Elder Walker
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 4509 Springdale Road Austin, Tx 78723
Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281Christian Web Site-
THE PLACE WHERE WE STEP OUT ON FAITH.COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH US
Sunday School 8:45 a.m. Praise and Worship 10:15 a.m.Wednesday Bible Study 12:00 p.m.and Praise /Bible Study 6:30 p.m.
(to include Children’s Choir Rehersaland
Bible Study with age appropiate Activities)
Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor
Agape Baptist ChurchIn “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)
AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love Heexhibited is Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you.
For there is no greater love!
Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM
Mid-Week Service Thursday: Praise,Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PMCall 454-1547 for Transporation
Website www.agapebcaustintx.orgRev. H. Ed Calahan
Pastor
Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road
Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Life Group 6:00 P.M.
Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727
Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims
Damon LuckettSales Consultant
Charles Maund Toyota8400 Research Blvd.
P.O. Box 1608Austin, TX 78758
(512) 458-2222damon_luckett@
charlesmaundtoyota.com
7801 N. Lamar Blvd,Suite D 102,
Austin, Texas 78752
Worship: Sunday--10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Tuesday Bible Studies--7:30pm - 9:00 pmFriday Prayers--7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
The Church of Pentecost, USA Inc,Austin offers a wide variety of opportuni-ties for children, youth, adults, and olderadults to be involved in worship, spiritualgrowth, education, community outreach,and making a tangible difference to thosein need in our community. You too, canmake a positive difference in our commu-nity through your prayers, your presence,your gifts, your service, and your witness.Tel: 512 302-1270
Leading People to Experience God’s Love, Know Jesus Christ & Grow in His Image
The Church of Pentecost
Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751
Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am
Romans 5:1 Therefore,having beenjustified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
This life, therefore, is not righteous-ness, but growth in righteousness; not health,but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest,but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be,but we are growing toward it. The process isnot yet finished, but it is going on. This is notthe end, but it is the road. All does not yetgleam in glory, but all is being purified.
--- Martin Luther
Kenneth Hill, Pastor
DOUBLE
GROCERY“R”
450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.
*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out
1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023
Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.
Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org
Globalizing the Gospel
A Ministry That Ministers
Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor
OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH
206 W Main St Ste 108Round Rock, TX 78664-5874
512-368-5770 (Office)512-335-1963(Fax)
[email protected] Cogdell
Insurance Agent
The bills don’t stop whenyou’re sick or hurt and
have no income statefarm.com
INSURANCE THAT IS!
Richard Glasco, Agent11824 Jollyville Rd
Suite 300Austin, TX 78759-2300
(512) 250-5533
Ask me about DisabilityIncome Insurance the
State Farm Way.
HEALTH?HOW’S YOUR
Call for details on coverage, cost, restrictions and renewability
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
*Home Office: Bloomington, Illinois
Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
SpearsSpearsSpearsSpearsSpearsLaLaLaLaLawwwww
Wes SpearsAttorney
Personal Injury,Criminal andFamily Law
512-696-2222512-687-3499
401 Congress AvenueAustin, Texas, 78701
Suite 1540
*Austin and Kileen | *Principal Office
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Felix Bamirin, Pastor
GRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCHExperience Grace For Life
(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building, behind Wells Fargo)
Call: 682.472.9073 l Email: [email protected] lVisit: www.gracewaycca.org
JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758
SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.
Wesley United Methodist ChurchMembers Donate $6,000
to Huston-Tillotson University
(AUSTIN, Texas) —Wesley United Method-ist Church membershonored Huston-Tillotson University’sfounding during theirannual University Dayworship on Sunday,Oct. 20. Members do-nated $6,000 in supportof the University. Theworship service fea-tured the HT concertchoir, under the direc-tion of Dr. GloriaQuinlan, and remarksby President and CEODr. Larry L. Earvin. Pic-tured left to right are:Pastor Sylvester Chase,former HT President Dr.Joseph T. McMillan,Earvin, Dr. Thomas O.
McDowell, Mr. WillieEverett, and Dr. W.Charles Akins.
The anniversaryobservance will con-tinue during the Char-ter Day Convocation onFriday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m.in the King-SeabrookChapel with Dr.Julianne Malveaux asthe guest speaker.
Two higher educa-tion institutions—Tillotson Collegefounded by what is nowthe United Church ofChrist, and SamuelHuston College,founded by The UnitedMethodist Church—will be honored duringthe convocation.
Family Life International Fellowship
Convocation Event 7Nov – 9NovFamily oriented event hosting national andinternational participants in Austin, Texas
The Family Life International Fellowship, Inc.(FLIF) will hold its annual Convocation, 07 – 09November 2013 at 6510 Berkman Drive, Austin,Texas 78723. FLIF was formed to serve familiesand the Convocation is a family oriented event thatbrings together participants locally, nationally andinternationally to celebrate, offer support, presentbest practices and facilitate the strength and conti-nuity of the family in the United States and abroad.Day sessions will provide participants with thetools to minister to families. There will be dancepraise teams, singing praise teams, choirs, com-bined choirs, Gospel bands, Gospel rap artists, steppraise teams and much more.
For more information about FLIF or this eventvisit www.famlif.org or call 512-454-6510.
Who: Family Life International Fellowship, Inc. (FLIF)What: FLIF Convocation Sessions and Celebration EventsWhere: 6510 Berkman Drive, Austin, Texas 78723When: Thursday, 7November2013 8am – 9pm Friday, 8November 2013 8am – 9pm Saturday, 9November 2013 8am – 12noon
All are welcomed to participate.There will be food, vendors and music.
2013Convocation | Consecration
Treats inThe Trunk
Thursday, October 316:30 p.m. - 8:30 p,m,
Hosted byOlivet's Ministries
1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702
FMI: ContatcPastor Fleming
Angel NightObservanceOctober 31, 2013
6PMMt. Sinai Missionary
Baptist Church5900 Cameron Road
Austin, TX 78723FMI: 512.451.8080
www.themount.net
GracewayBible Study
Learning at Jesus FeetThursdays @ 7:30 pm
12424 ScofieldFarms Drive
Austin, Texas 78758FMI:
www.gracewaycca.org
Fall FestivalSave the date for the
DC Annual Fall Festival!Enjoy a Christian
alternative to Halloweenon October 31st
from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.at David Chapel.
The DC Fall Festival isour annual community
event that offers games,music, food, and
lots of candy!
The success of the FallFestival depends on
your generosity in timeand donations. Pleaseconsider volunteering
and donating.FMI: davidchapel.org
YOUTH BRIGADEYouth of Today
Hope of Tomorrow Black RegistryBlack RegistryBlack RegistryBlack RegistryBlack Registry
Page 4 ~ October 25, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com
Kiara MyersVista Ridge High School
Relieving StressDeria Good
Daily Middle School
Halloween Dance
Hi everyone! This weekon October 21st is the Scholas-tic Book fair. The book fair startsat 8:00 and ends at 4:00p.m.Make sure you go betweenclasses or or get a pass fromthe teacher. This week on Oc-
tober 25th is the HalloweenDance, the Haunted house willbe there and will cost 1$ to getin. In the middle of the dance,there will be a surprise perfor-mance so stay tuned.
The Dance will start at6:30 and will end at 8:00. TheDance will cost 5$. That's allfor this week until next week!
Darius HatcherHarmony Academy
Fallen Warrior Memorial
In November 2004, thecitizens of Pflugerville honoreda local Marine who gave his lifein service to his country. After hisfuneral, grateful citizens won-dered if Pflugerville had lost oth-ers in defense of freedom, butthere was no public record of
local soldiers lost in combat. Agroup of citizens met in Janu-ary 2005 to plan a way to me-morialize their sacrifices. Oralhistories were researched, anda memorial was designedbased upon this research.Thus, the Pflugerville FallenWarrior Memorial was created.
The Fallen Warrior Me-morial is prominently located inPflugerville Park. Life-sizedbronze sculptures of three gen-erations of warriors stand infront of a granite pentagon uponwhich will be engraved thenames of our Fallen Warriors.Limestone amphitheater-styleseating provides the backdropfor the pentagon and sculp-tures. Landscaped walks invitevisitors into the memorial.
The weight of the schoolyear is definitely picking up andall those struggling to surviveknow the pressure all too well. Iknow as a high school studentthat it is awfully easy to getcaught up in homework andshut out the world, but there hasgot to be a way to take a breakfrom the burdens of school andits negative connotations. For-tunately and oddly enough, Ihave found refuge in the prac-tice of yoga.
Sparking my interest, Idiscovered the diversion in thesummer when noticing the
growing popularity of yoga stu-dios around Cedar Park. I toldmy mom about my curiosity andthen we proceeded to sign upfor weekly classes at a local stu-dio. I fell in love immediately withthe feeling of serenity and calm-ness, forgetting about myworldly problems for just anhour. The meditation time waspriceless and provided a senseof peace unlike any other expe-rience in the small, soothingroom.
Ironically, I have not beento a class in over six weeks be-cause every Wednesday thereis always something impedingmy attendance. It’s quite frus-trating how school has come tooverrun the lives of committedyouth. I have finally found mystress reliever, but my persis-tence in school changes myoptions from going to yoga tojust getting in a power nap tosurvive a night of homework.Hopefully, one week, I will beable to work up the motivationand return to yoga and find bal-ance once again in my life.
Camari StiggersElgin Middle School
Jasmyn PattersonReagan High School
Why No One "Won"
Just after midnight Thurs-day morning, President Obamasigned a bill to end the 16-daygovernment shutdown and ex-tended the debt limit just in timeto avert a fiscal crisis.
It was good news for hun-dreds of thousands of fur-
loughed federal employeeswho began returning to workThursday morning. But as thesmoke begins to clear, there’sno question: There were farmore losers than winners in theshutdown of 2013. And its long-term effects on the nation’seconomy, tourism, veterans andthe country’s most vulnerableAmericans definitely left a mark.
Last week was a full ofchallenges and achievements.The PSAT was given to allfreshmen, sophomore and jun-iors. Personally I found the testpretty easy, but the challengewas the amount of time given.Also the Blue Jester (Reagan’sdrama club) performed theirrendition of The Odd Couple.
Being a Blue Jester my-self, I would have to say it wasan amazing show and I enjoyedparticipating. We got a lot ofgood feedback. This past Fri-day the Reagan raider varsityfootball team won their firstgame to Lanier high school. Weraiders are so elated for varsity,they have worked hard and theydeserve it. We have never gaveup faith, quotes many students.Aside from the win my heartgoes out to Lanier high schoolfor the loss of Adrian Alvaresz.
This situation has re-minded me to cherish thepeople around me and alwaysshow people you care. I ampraying for his family, his schooland the whole ASID district. RIPAdrian Alvaresz.
Last Week Recap
Go Scotties
This Friday we had a peprally, it was so fun. When we gotto the gym there were cheer-leaders dancing by the doors.Because I am a seventh graderI sat on the bleachers becausesixth graders have to sit on thefloor. We have a contest to seewhich grade has more spirit atthe pep rally. This is when thecheerleaders do a cheer and
every grade takes turns makingas much noise as we can.Whoever makes the most noisehas ownership of our schoolspirit stick until another gradelevel wins. So needless to saythe seventh graders won thespirit stick; BAM!! The othergrades tried to say the seventhgraders cheated, but how canyou cheat in a screaming con-test?
Until next time stay safe!
De’Ja HillLamar Middle School
Erika LipscombManor Elementary
Red Ribbon Week
At school we are doing aweek full of stuff. On Monday21st,it is sock day where wewear all kinds of crazy socks.After that there's a pajama daywhere all the 4th graders wear
pajamas. Wednesday is jerseyday where all the kids wear jer-seys.
Then on Thursday wewear pink and on the final dayeverybody is going to dress upas their favorite book character.This is going to be very fun,I can'twait!
Losing WeightMontrae Nelson
Riverplace Elementary
There are a lot of peoplewho are overweight and it ishard for them to eat healthy andexercise. I know it's hard be-cause my mom makes me eatvegetables I don't like but theyare good for me. I take vitaminseveryday and go outside andplay because its good for myheart.
Do you know how to loseweight? You have to changewhat you eat by eating morehealthy food and less bad foodslike a lot of stuff with sugar,grease and salt. There is some-body named Bill Fyffe. He issomeone who has lost weight.Bill let me interveiw him aboutlosing weight. He was over-
weight and his doctors told himhe had to lose weight or hewould get type-2 diabetes. SoBill ran four miles a day over thesummer around his neighbor-hood. He started in January2013 and since then he has lost90 pounds!
When my mom came topick me up from school and shesaw Bill she was shocked andsaid he looks really good! Mybrother and I told her he lost alot of weight over the summer.Bill is a good man and he ishappy to share with others howhe lost weight. Bill Fyffe is myP.E teacher and I would like tothank him for telling me abouthis weight loss. I am also gladhe chose to lose weight to behealthier because he is one ofthe best teachers!
Summer Down Under 1
This past summer I washonored to be able to travel withPeople to People Student Am-bassador Programs all the wayto Australia. This was a greatexperience for me and I wouldrecommend this to all studentswho are invited to travel.
For my next few articles Iwill be writing about my bestexperiences from the trip. Forthis article I would like to tell youabout the Sydney OperaHouse, The Australian Instituteof Sport.
The Sydney Operahouse is one of the most famousif not the most famous spec-tacle in Australia. It was a bigdeal for myself and all of theother students that I traveled withto see the opera house. Theoutside is much better than theinside in my opinion. The the-aters inside were very nice and
Wesley DickersonCedar Ridge H.S.
were very large. The biggestone was my favorite just be-cause it was so big. While onthe private tour we got thechance to learn how the operahouse was built. This was veryinteresting to me because theSydney Opera House is so oddlyshaped that it seems nearly im-possible to build. An interestingpart of the opera house is that ithas a children’s theater wherekids can attend parties andplays just for them. The onlything I could think about washow cool it would have been if Ihad my birthday party at theSydney Opera House.
The Australian Institute ofSport was our next stop. I washappy to be getting out ofSydney because my roommatehad not been the best. His hy-giene was very sub par and hesnored like a lawn mower. TheAustralian Institute of Sport orthe AIS, located in Canberra thecapital of Australia was one ofmy favorite stops. The AIS iswhere all of the AustralianOlympians train, being anathlete this was very interest-ing to me. We were able tosee the pool, the weight room,the volleyball court and thegymnastics gym. All whilelearning cool facts aboutAustralia’s top athletes.
Andrae HatcherHarmony Academy
Shelter Volunteers
The Plugerville AnimalShelter is looking for energeticvolunteers to help out with allthe animals at the shelter. Theanimal shelter helps out hun-dreds of dogs, and helps to findthem great homes. But while
they are at the shelter they alsoneed to be taken care of. Satur-day, October 26, 2013 from 9a.m to 2 p.m at the PflugervilleJustice Center Courtroom, at1611 E. Pfenning Lane appli-cants can come in to sign up tobe an animal shelter volunteer.
Volunteers walk dogs,clean kennels and cages, so-cialize animals, and assist withadoption events and promotionof the shelter. In order to be-come a volunteer, you must be16 years of age or older (parentconsent sheet must be signedif under 18), attendance at aPAC Volunteer Class is manda-tory, a background check andfingerprints are required for allpolice department volunteers.
Aubri Allen-BrentDel Valle High School
Suicide Prevention
Hello and this week weare going to talk about a veryIMPORTANT topic and that issuicide. Last week a young manfrom Lanier killed himself. Sui-cide is 100% preventable if youknow anybody that is looks de-pressed or even sad all the timeyou should maybe consult theminto talking to a consoler or atrusted adult.
Here are a couple of factsabout suicide.
· Suicide is most com-mon cause of death for theages 15-24 years old
· Almost 7% of highschool students have a suicide
attempt· Over 14 % have had
suicidal thoughts· There are 50 – 200
attempts of suicide before theyare successful
The suicide hotline cananswer any of your questions orthoughts about suicide. Thenumber is 1-800-273-TALK(8255). They even have awebsite if you don’t feel like talk-ing you can talk to an onlinecounselor about your prob-lems.
The site is www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.Stand up. Reach out. And re-member suicide is 100% pre-ventable. Until next timeGOOOO CARDS !
SaNaya WhiteCedars Academy
Breast Cancer Awareness
October is designated asNational Breast Cancer Aware-ness Month to help in raisingawareness and educatingpeople about breast cancer.Breast Cancer is a complexdisease with no known singlecause. Breast cancer is a typeof cancer originating frombreast tissue. Most humancases occur in women but male
breast cancer can also happen.The first noticeable
symptom of breast cancer is typi-cally a lump that feels differentfrom the rest of the breast tis-sue. More than 80% of breastcancer cases are discoveredwhen a lump is felt. The earli-est breast cancers are detectedby a mammogram. Lumpsfound in lymph nodes locatedin the armpits can also indicatebreast cancer. The character-istics of the cancer determinethe treatment, which may in-clude surgery, medications(hormonal therapy and chemo-therapy), radiation and/or im-munotherapy.
There has been a lot ofhelp but there is a lot more todiscover and learn. Keep your-self healthy and see your doc-tor for regular check ups.
www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 25, 2013 ~ Page 5
YOUTH BRIGADE
Jory HendersonAnderson High School
Who’s Got Spirit
It seems like every otherhigh school but mine has hadtheir homecoming so far. Butthe wait is over! Anderson highschool is having their home-
coming game against AustinHigh and the dance on Satur-day the 26th of October. Lead-ing up to the day of the gameand dance on Saturday the stu-dents, teachers, and staff are allencouraged to take part indressing up for each specifiedtheme. Monday is safari day,Tuesday is nerd day, Wednes-day is Hawaiian shirt day,Thursday is twin day, and finallyFriday is blue and gold day!This should be a fun filled weekwith everyone's school spirit onan ultimate high. I'm looking for-ward to it all.
Adrian JacksonHarmony Academy
HSANA Fun Week
For the week of TuesdayOctober 22 - Friday October 25,2013 Harmony Science Acad-emy North Austin will be cel-ebrating homecoming andhonoring Red Ribbon Week.
We are very excited forhomecoming week and RedRibbon Week, getting to wearclothing other than our uni-forms. On Tuesday we will wearboots, the boots are to symbol-
ize" kick your boots to drug"s .Wednesday we get to wear dif-ferent color shirts to bringawareness to different cancers,each grade has a retainer color.8th grade have blue for ColonCancer, for 9th grade theygreen for Kidney and Lym-phoma, for 10th grade they havewhite for Lung Cancer, for 11thgrade they will wear lavender forto show support, and 12th gradethey will wear orange forLuekemia. On Thursday we getto wear caps to put a "cap" ondrugs and on Friday we get todress as our favorite scarystorybook character to "scareaway drugs".
We will have lots of con-test for best dressed and awardsfor creativity. We plan to have agreat time, saying no to drugsand bringing awareness tomany other cancers.
On Friday October 18,2013 Highland Park had their1st basketball game. I washappy to find out that I madethe team. On our first gamewe won 22-0. Practices areheld on Tuesdays afterschool and the games will beon Tuesdays or Fridays.
On Saturday October19, 2013 the Capital CityBearcats Juniors played
against the Kyle InvadersRed. We played in Kyleand it was there Homecom-ing. We defeated the Invad-ers and the final score was12-0. On Saturday October26, 2013 the Capital CityBearcats will be having theirHomecoming at McCallumHigh School. I am very ex-cited and I am looking for-ward to another great win.
Until next time be blessand safe.
HomecomingTrenton Leary
Highland Park Elem.
Imani DempsDel Valle High School
This week school wasokay. Our lunch is still thesame. I really need tutoringso I can pass but I'm gone
stay after school Monday andTuesday so I can pick up mygrades. When i checked mygrades on Monday I was onlyfalling physics and Spanish.On the other hand the reasonI'm do happy is because I gota job. I have been wanting ajob since my birthday. Nowthat I have one I'm just happy.
I start this Wens-day Ican't wait. But I just need toremember that school comesfirst. So I can't let this jobmake me loose focus.
I’m Happy
Averill ToppsPease Elementary
Latrice LipscombManor High School
Manor A.C.E Drumline
Being on the Drumline isnot only fun to be apart of butthe opportunities are endless.On October 19th Drumline wentto Houston to march in the pa-rade. It was so much fun being
there. When we got there wemarched in the parade then wewent to view the band sectionof the college. We also watchedthem go over the show. After thatwe went to the game and satnext to the band. The whole ex-perience was so much fun! Ilove being in the A.C.E Drumline.
The Red Ribbon Rally
On October 18, 2013,the Pease Elementary6thgraders went to the RedRibbon Rally that was held atthe State Capitol to show oursupport for not doing drugs.The Red Ribbon Rally startedin Calexico, California whichwas the hometown of EnriqueCamarena, a Drug Enforce-ment Agent, who was kid-napped and killed by drugtraffickers. People from hishometown wore red ribbonsin his honor.
The red ribbons be-came a symbol of reducingthe demand of illegal drugs.In 1985, a congressman andteacher from Californiastarted “Camarena Clubs” inhigh schools which led toparent teacher organizationsacross different states wear-ing red ribbons in October
and November. President BillClinton made the Red Rib-bon Rally a nation-wide ser-vice effort.
The Slogan for the Aus-tin rally was ‘’I Mustache YouNot to Do Drugs.’’ We weregiven black mustaches anda t-shirt that had the sloganwritten on it. When the 6thgraders got to the capitolthere was a police officer whocalled himself Mr. Ice. Mr. Icetalked to everybody at therally about how drugs arebad. According to the DrugEnforcement Agency and theFamily PartnershipAssociation,and the FamilyPartnership Association, ap-proximately 80 millionpeopleparticipate in the Red RibbonRally events every year. Therally was a lot of fun and weall learned about Untilnext time,
Go Pease Bobcats
Well nothing much is
Jada DempsDailey Middle School
Education
Zyon HillReagan High School
PSAT Test
This week the students atReagan High took a test calledthe PSAT. Since Reagan is acollege prep school all studentsin the ninth through the eleventhgrade takes a test to see how
much you have learned and re-tained. Taking this test everyyear help to prepare students totake the SAT when they becomeseniors. Every student’s per-sonal goal should be to improvetheir scores every year.
Taking this test also al-lows colleges and universitiesto track your scores and decideif they want you to attend theirschool. So, if you do well onthis test you should expect toreceive mail from various col-leges and universities request-ing that you become a studentat their school.
Until next time, Zyon
Zachariah WashingtonCedars Academy
Ms. Veronica Rende
I am writing about thiscertain person because sheis one of my favorite teach-ers, guess why she is wellspoken, responsible, funnyperson. Well she is my Sci-ence teacher and I respecther and honor her skills. I
love the way she says thingsand breaks it down into aneasy way to understand.
For example last weekwe were talking ChemicalCompounds we all lookedconfused until she gave us apicture and example on howto make one. That’s why sheis the best teacher I couldever ask for!!!!!!
Halloween
Tierra GoodDailey Middle School
At Dailey Middle School
we want to make Halloween funfor us students. First, we arehaving a haunted house thatcost two dollars to get into. Thehaunted house was made byour very own drama club. It willbe open after school and inlunch. After that, we are havinga Halloween dance. It costs fivedollars to get into the Hallow-een dance.
Students can wear cos-tumes or regular clothing thatthey wear at school. . To all theDailey Middle Schooltimberwolves. Have Fun!
Jaquarry WilsonLBJ High School
After the college centertook most of the seniors ona trip to Houston, Texas tovisit Texas Southern Univer-sity on Friday October 18thon their Tiger Day, it was onlyright that TSU come and visitLBJ. On Monday, October21st, TSU made the first stopof their bus tour. They visit
TSU Bus Tourschools all around Texas topersuade recruit students toattend the University whoseprestigious pharmacy schoolis known to have had overthirty percent of black phar-macists in America as gradu-ates.
They showed a shortfilm that covered how life wason campus. They had thepresident of the universitypresent at the showcase aswell. He talked about howhe'd assist every student inneed with both academicstandpoints and financial. Af-ter attending, I realized thatTexas Southern University isdefinitely a school I'd con-sider going to.
going on at school. Thisschool year, my grades arenot looking so good. I'mstruggling in classes but myteachers are pushing mehard to get me were I needto be. Most likely they’regoing to put me in tutorials.But I'm ok with that. I just hopeit doesn't affect my volleyballpractice.
Boy StowawayGenesis StiggersElgin Elementary
A nine-year-old boytraveled in a plane in Minne-sota by himself without aticket. CNN says the Trans-portation Security Administra-tion, as well as airport officialssay they are investigating tofind out how he got pass se-curity. When the planelanded Child Protective Ser-vices took care of him. Aspokesman from Minneapo-lis-St. Paul International Air-port said the flight crew tookappropriate actions to ensurethe boys safety so the storyhas a good ending.
Delta Airlines, inwhich the boy traveled, hasa policy that says children 5through 14 can travel alone,
but an employee will walkthem to their seats. US Newsreports that since the flightwasn’t sold out a worker onthe plane became suspi-cious when they realized theboy wasn’t on the list of unat-tended minors. Apparently,the boy was at the airportmost of the day, hanging outnear the luggage carousel,and eating at an airport res-taurant. Once he evengrabbed one of the bagsfrom the carousel, askedsomeone to hold it for himwhile he went to the bathroomand ditched the bill and left.The next day the boy re-turned to the airport made itpast security and got on theplane.
Now that’s a smarthitch hiker!
Sarah RobertsonPioneer Crossing Elem.
Halloween Safety
This week is PioneerCrossing Elementary Falldance and we get wear ourcostumes to the dance. I am soexcited about this party eventhough I’m still not sure aboutmy costume, but I need to makea decision quick. For this article,I wanted to talk about Hallow-een safety.
Safety is very important,not only concerning your cos-tumes but the items that you re-ceive when you go trick or treat-ing.
Here is so Safety tips.Make sure all costumes
are flame retardant. Make sureyou can see and be seen. Ex-pand the eye holes in commer-cial masks to improve periph-
eral vision.Ensure that each person
going trick-or-treating has aworking flashlight, flamelesscandle, or light stick.
Tell the children to re-move their masks and look bothways before they cross a street
Never let a group of chil-dren trick-or-treat alone. Adultsupervision is a safety “must”during Halloween.
Tell Kids to stay away fromcandles and jack-o’-lanternsthat may be on steps andporches.
Their costumes couldcatch fire if they get too close
And the biggest rule thatkids hate is: Do Not eat yourcandy before your parents lookat all the candy!
Hope everyone have asafe Halloween BOO!
Several journalism stu-dents competed at the TexasAssociation of JournalismEducators convention overthe weekend and returnedwith numerous awards.Award winners includedSydney Anthony, Ameer Jo-seph, and Ameer Joseph forphotography; BellaHernandez for entertainment;Nathan Way for sports, MadiMcVan for features; NyssaKruse for page design; KaylaMeadows for editorial;Sophia Espinoza, Hiep Ly,and Katelyn Hodges for year-book.
Alon RodgersHendrickson Highschool
Prestige photographywill be on campus Oct. 28and 29 to take senior por-traits. Seniors will be photo-graphed during their Govern-ment or Economics classes.They will take 6 shots, a mixof tux and cap & gown for nocharge. Students need to becamera ready from the neckup on the 29th--Prestige willprovide everything else. Ifyou have any questions,please see Mrs. Riemer atk a r i . r i e m e r @ p f i s d . n e tSchool pictures will bepassed out during scienceclasses. Re-takes will be inthe PAC lobby all day onOctober 30th for those whomissed picture day or whoneed to have a picture re-done.
Events this week areDistrict Swim Meet at RoundRock, Volleyball vs. RoundRock, Football vs. RoundRock, Cross Country Meetat Old Settlers Park
Senior Photos
www.TheAustinVillager.com
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Page 6 ~ October 25, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com
CITY ~ STATE ~ NATIONAL ~ WORLDJade, Garry and Judge Williams Addresses The Community
by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
Jade Chang Sheppard and Garry Brown Vanessa Pinkard and Judge Yvonne Williams
On October 20th,2013, some members ofthe greater CentralTexas African commu-nity had once again theopportunity to hearfrom some candidatepresent at the event. Al-though, the Africancommunity had invitedseveral candidates, only
Jade Chang Sheppardrunning for TexasHouse District 50; GarryBrown running forTravis County Commis-sioner Precinct II, andJudge Yvonne Williams(Judge of Travis CountyPrecinct 1) who is run-ning for re-election werepresent at the event.
Furthermore, therewere a diverse group ofAfrican communitycivic leaders and busi-ness owners. Somemembers of the AfricanDiaspora who attendedthe event included Mr.N’dri (President of theIvorian Association);Felix Bamirin (Pastor ofGrace Way Church; Mr.Foadey (President ofthe Togolese Associa-tion); Oyen (Presidentof Born Great Founda-tion) and Elom Tsogbea local business ownerin the Austin area.
At this event, theparticipants had the op-portunity to listen. Notonly did they listen tothe candidate but alsothey asked some ques-tions to the candidates.Moreover, the partici-pant also learned some
new information re-garding the electoralprocess. For instance,Daniel mentioned thatthe event “he learnedthat legal resident of theUnited States can do-nate and also volunteerfor various campaign.”
Although all thecandidates and electedofficial were invited,only three came to theevent. As a result, theaudience had an oppor-tunity to hear from Jade,Garry, and Judge Will-iams. First of all, Jadementioned that she isrunning for the TexasHouse District 50 be-cause it would allow herto give back to the com-munity.
In addition, shementioned that she“would bring fresh newideas” that can help
Texas move forward.Secondly, Garry Brownrunning for (TravisCounty CommissionerCourt II) spoke to theparticipant and men-tioned that he is theonly candidate who hascounty experience andas result he is the mostqualified for the job. He
mentioned that it is im-portant to vote forsomeone who don’tneed on the job train-ing.” And finally JudgeWilliams who came to-ward the end of theevent had the opportu-nity to greet and meetsome African commu-nity leaders.
Judge Brown Runs for Re-Electionby Tsoke
(Chuch) Adjavon
On October 17,2013 Judge CliffBrown held a kick offre-election campaignin the heart of down-town Austin. In frontof family, friends,candidates and otherelected official JudgeCliff Brwon men-tioned that he wouldseek a second term.Judge Cliff Brownwas first elected in2010 as a TravisCounty District Judge.He was first electedwith a very wide mar-gin by the TravisCounty voters. So far,Judge Cliff Browndoes not seem to havea challenger.
Prior from beingfirst elected as judge ofthe 147th DistrictCourt, Cliff Brownserved as the PoliceMonitor. As theMonitor, he has madecrucial balancing actsbetween justifiable
and non-justifiableuses of force by theAustin Police Depart-
ment. In other words,he has helped bridgethe gap that exists be-
tween the Austin Po-lice Department andthat of Austin’s mi-nority population.Moreover, his experi-ence as the policemonitor has helpedhim bring “fairness” tothe District Court.
As the Judge ofDistrict 147, JudgeCliff Brown has over-seen criminal cases.The 147th DistrictCourt is one of theseven criminal courtsin Travis County. The147th District Courtdeals with serious felo-nies cases such as mur-der, sexual assault,family violence andchild abuse. As a re-sult, Judge Cliff Brownis the most qualifiedcandidate for this po-sition.
Judge Cliff Brown and his wife at an re-election campaign.Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
Voters Should TakePart in Early Voting
Once again, Central Texans will be going tothe polls and vote on some wide ranging issuesand candidates. During the midterm election, thevoter turnouts are very low due to the fact peopleare not voting for the “president.” However it is im-portant to turn out in large numbers due to the factthat there are several proposition and local candi-dates who are on the ballot. Moreover, thesepropositions on the ballot and the local candidateson the ballots will have an impact on Central Texas.
Moreover, early started on October 21, 2013and will end on November 1, 2013. According toexpert, people should early vote because it offersa lot of flexible and also it tends to be less crowded.During early vote people can go vote at any poll-ing places within the County of resident. For in-stance, if one live in North Austin then he or shecan vote downtown Austin. In addition, the wait timeduring early voting is very minimal.
Finally, there will be numerous items on theballot. On the ballot there will be 9 proposed Con-stitutional Amendments item on the ballot. Theseissues range from military veterans to water issuesin the State of Texas. In the Northern section ofTravis County, the voters will be voting to elect thenext Texas House of Representative District 50member. In this race, the voters will have to choosebetween three democrats and a republican on theballot. In the city of Austin, the voters will vote towhether or not the city should build more afford-able housing.
by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
FELAFUNKYPICNICDANCEPARTYIn conjunction
with DiverseArts,E x tr e m e 2 1 2 . c o m ,Cazamance Cafe andTKO Advertising,Afrobonics.com isthrowing a daytimeparty, Fela Funky PicnicDance Party, to cel-ebrate the life andbirthday of Fela Kuti, the
godfather of afrobeat.The party's featuredperformers, DJCG, HardProof Afrobeat, DJMahealani, andaquaman chill,
October 26th from4 - 10 p.m. at KennyDorham's Backyard,1106 East 11th Street.Tickets are $8 for adultsand children under 12are free. A portion of theproceeds will go to ben-efit Ballet Afrique
For more informa-tion, call 512.477.9438or visit www.facebook.com/events/634630773225721
www.theaustinvillager.com THE VILLAGER/October 25, 2013 ~ Page 7
CLASSIFIEDS ~ PUBLIC INFORMATION
City of AustinPurchasing Office
EMPLOYMENT/PROPOSALSPUBLIC INFORMATION
FOR SALE /FOR RENT/BIDSMISCELLANEOUS
The City of Austin Purchasing Office invitesyou to view current bid solicitations at https://www.c i . au s t i n . t x . u s / f i nanceon l ine /vendor_connection/solicitation/solicitations.cfm.Vendors are encouraged to register on-line in theCity’s Vendor Self Service System. Once yourcompany is registered, you will receive notifica-tions about new bid opportunities. For addi-tional information regarding current bid opportu-nities or Vendor Registration, please call the Pur-chasing Office at 512-974-2500.
For information on the City of Austin’s Mi-nority Owned and Women-Owned ProcurementProgram and the certification process, pleasecontact the Small & Minority Business ResourcesDepartment at 512-974-7600 or visit their websiteat http://www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
Austin Travis County IntegralCare is currently seekingapplications through an openenrollment process for the Requestfor Application (RFA) shownbelow:
Preadmission Screening & Resident Review (PASSR)
The open enrollment process beganOctober 14th the deadline to submitan application is October 29, 2013.Please click on the link below todownload the RFA and follow thesubmission instructions in the RFA.http: / /www.integralcare.org/?nd=provider_rfaIf you have any questions regardingthe RFA, please send an e-mail [email protected].
Austin Travis County IntegralCare is currently solicitingproposals through a Request forProposals (RFP) process for RealEstate Brokerage Services. RFPsmay be mailed or sent electronically,by contacting Arianna Franz [email protected] or (512)440-4062 beginning October 21,2013. The deadline to submit aproposal under the RFP is 4 p.m.on November 11, 2013. HistoricallyUnderutilized Businesses, includingMinority-Owned Businesses andWomen-Owned Businesses, areencouraged to apply.
Austin Community CollegeDistrict is requesting proposalsfrom firms for the purpose ofselecting providers for District-Wide Environmental Health andSafety Training Classes under anIndefinite Delivery-IndefiniteQuantity (IDIQ) Contract.
Request for ProposalNo. 924-14002RW
All proposals must be submitted tothe Purchasing Department by nolater than Thursday, November 14,2013 at 2:00 p.m., Central Time.Proposal packages are available onthe ACC Purchasing website athttp://www.austincc.edu/purchase/. In addition, the proposaldocuments will be available in theACC Purchasing Office betweenthe hours of 9 am and 4 pm,Monday through Friday (512) 223-1044. All responses must be sealed andreturned to the ACC PurchasingOffice, ACC Service Center, 9101Tuscany Way, Austin, Texas 78754,by the date and time indicated above.Electronically transmitted responseswill NOT be accepted unlessotherwise stated in the documents. The ACC Board of Trusteesreserves the right to reject any and/orall responses and waive all formalitiesin the solicitation process.
AUSTIN COMMUNITYCOLLEGE
Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.
6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed
EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V
New Jobs for theWeek of 10/20/2013
Assistant III, AdministrativeRiverside CampusMonday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$2,256-$2,820/Monthly
Job# 1310027Assistant, Senior Student Financial
AidPinnacle CampusMonday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.occasional evenings
and weekends$2,369-$2,961/Monthly
Job# 1310028Clerk, Duplication/Mailroom
-PT-(60%)Riverside CampusMonday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$1,060-$1,326/Monthly
Job#1310029Provost/Executive Vice President
for Academic AffairsEastview CampusMonday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.Salary Commensurate
Upon Experience.Job# 1310020
Specialist, CenterFredericksburg
Monday-Friday,8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
$2,879-$3,599/MonthlyJob#1310030
Specialist, Recruiting/AdvisingHighland Business Center
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
$2,879-$3,599/MonthlyJob# 1310024
Supervisor, Building ServicesRiverside CampusMonday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$2,256-$2,820/Monthly
Job# 1310026Supervisor, CenterSan Marcos CenterMonday-Friday,
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.$3,499-$4,374/Monthly
Job# 1310031
Matous Construction, Ltd. issoliciting WBE/MBE participationfor the following project: COA –Facilities and Force Main Services,IFB 6100 CLMC 464. BID DATEAND TIME: 11/7/2013 @10:30AM. QUOTES ARE DUENO LATER THAN 10:00AM on11/6/2013 via fax 254.780.2599 oremail estimating@matouscon struction.com.
form of cancer. Onthe site, they indicatethat in the last 20 yearsawareness has in-creased, and early de-tection has improved.This signals that thefight against breast can-cer is a winnable one,and that the dedicatedmonth and efforts onseveral fronts is pro-ducing results. Still,it’s an ongoing fight.
People can showsolidarity and supportby wearing pink, sup-port the cause usingsocial media, subscribeto the newsletter, helpfund the research, playan active role in re-search as a participant,
GRANTS AREAVAILABLE FOR
WOMEN WHODETECT LUMPS
Continued from page 1
help raise funds, andmore.
As the monthcloses out, there is aPaint The Town Pinkevent, where cities allaround the country arelighting up buildingssuch as city halls andother venues with pinklights. Student all overare doing their part byparticipating in fundraising events at vari-ous campuses. Chal-lenges, walks and runs(and even skydives) arealso common.
Some people maynot know that some lo-cations of Planned Par-enthood offers clinicalbreast exams, as part of
the Susan G. Komengrant funding program.Similar grants areavailable for womenwho detect lumps dur-ing the recommendedmonthly self-breastexam. Such grants willcover the individualfor 30 days of care (abridge of care); whilethey transition to othermedical care for whichthey qualify.
To participate in aMaking Strides Walk,visit the websitemakingstrideswalk.organd enter your zip codeand city. For more in-formation on breastcancer, visitwww.cancer.org.
The latest reportsfrom the Texas Depart-ment of Safety UniformCrime Reporting showsa 43 percent decrease inarrests for violent crimesamong youth, age 20 andyounger over the last 5years. These crimes in-clude murder, man-slaughter, forcible rape,aggravated robbery, andaggravated assault. Evenin the last year, there hasbeen a 16 percent de-crease of these crimesamong youth, comparedto a 5 percent drop in vio-lent crimes among allages (according the FBI’s2012 Unified Crime Re-port). And compared toa 26% decline in youtharrests over 5 yearsacross the state of Texas,the 43 percent decrease inTravis County is very fa-vorable.
“This is extremelygood news,” said StanKnee, CARY BoardChair, and former Aus-tin police chief. “I havebeen volunteering withCARY for the last twoyears, and knew thatCARY was making animpact on youth vio-
Council on At-Risk Youth(CARY)Seeing Declines in
Youth Violence Arrestslence. These reportsconfirm the value ofCARY’s work in Austinarea schools.”
CARY works withan average of 600 youtheach year in eightmiddle schools and theAlternative LearningCenter. These are chil-dren who have been introuble for violent orabusive behavior inschools, but have not yetbeen arrested. “Schooldisciplinary acts arepowerful predictors offuture delinquency andcriminality,” statesAdrian Moore, CARYexecutive director.“Over half of all bulliesare predicted to haveone criminal court con-viction by age 24, and 40percent will have threecriminal court convic-tions.”
CARY uses a com-bination of individualcounseling and a two-semester-long aggres-sion replacement train-ing curriculum calledPeaceRox with these stu-dents. Parents are in-volved, as well. At theculmination of the year,
students complete a so-cial service project.PeaceRox teaches socialskills, anger manage-ment and empathy.CARY works withyouth at a stage whenintervention is mostsuccessful and thestudent’s school andlearning experience canbe turned around.
Recent indepen-dent evaluation of theprogram shows thatCARY students performmuch better than a con-trol group of similar stu-dents not enrolled inPeaceRox. Eighteenmonths from the begin-ning of the program,CARY students had bet-ter grades and schoolattendance, fewer seri-ous behavior incidents,decreased drug abusereferrals, school sus-pensions, and removalsto Disciplinary Alterna-tive Education Place-ments (DAEP) and Ju-venile Justice AEPs. Itis evident from the ar-rest data that fewer ar-rests are being madeamong young people inTravis County.
Travis County CommissionersCourt Calls fCalls fCalls fCalls fCalls for Centror Centror Centror Centror Central Healthal Healthal Healthal Healthal Health
BoarBoarBoarBoarBoard ofd ofd ofd ofd of Mana Mana Mana Mana ManagggggererererersssssAAAAApplicapplicapplicapplicapplicationstionstionstionstions
(Travis County) –The Travis County Com-missioners Court seeksapplications from quali-fied individuals to serveon the nine-memberBoard of Managers of theTravis CountyHealthcare District (Cen-tral Health). The term ofClarke Heidrick, a TravisCounty appointee to theBoard, ends on Decem-ber 31. Mr. Heidrick iseligible for reappoint-ment; however, it is theCourt’s policy to seekapplications from asmany qualified commu-nity leaders as possible.The appointee will servefor a term of four years,from January 1, 2014,through December 31,2017. The deadline forapplications is 4:00 p.m.on Friday, November 15,2013.
Central Health’s
mission is simple – andvital: to create access tohealthcare for those whoneed it most. Ratherthan directly providinghealth care services,Central Health has de-veloped a unique ap-proach of contractingwith a variety of provid-ers to meet the healthcare needs of eligibleresidents. Also, CentralHealth owns UniversityMedical CenterBrackenridge (UMCB), anationally recognizedLevel 1 Trauma Center.In 2012, Travis Countyvoters approved a taxincrease to allow CentralHealth to redesign andtransform health caredelivery in CentralTexas.
The CommissionersCourt is looking for thefollowing qualities in itsappointee to the Central
Health Board of Manag-ers: A) provide excep-tional vision, possessexcellent business andadministrative skills,and be active in commu-nity affairs; B) add valueto a team effort andwork with all CentralTexas health care pro-viders; C) reflect theoverall geographic,gender and constituentdiversity of the County.
The Commission-ers Court has approvedan application packet,which includes infor-mation about theagency, detailed in-structions, and an appli-cation form. Further in-formation, and thepacket, may be ob-tained by calling (512)854-9754. The deadlinefor applications is 4:00p.m. on Friday, Novem-ber 15, 2013.
Thinkery Hosts Job Fair Oct. 26 at SEDLMuseum hiring 100 part-time positions
Austin, TX – The Thinkey is looking for creative, enthusiastic people whovalue the joy of learning to join our Direct Service Staff. The Thinkery invitesinterested applicants to a job fair on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at theSEDL Building located at 4700 Mueller Blvd.
The museum is hiring 100 part-time Direct Service Staff members. These po-sitions will provide visitors services and deliver museum programming, such asdaily activities, workshops, birthday parties and camp. Direct Service Staff hold asignificant responsibility to enrich the visitor experience so that every visit to theThinkery is educational, fun and memorable.
Interested applicants must bring a resume and be prepared to share theirskills and qualities. Thinkery representatives will provide more information aboutthe positions; and computers will be available for online application submissions.Who: Thinkery, the new Austin Children’s MuseumWhat: Direct Service Staff Job FairWhen: Oct. 26, 2013, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.Where: SEDL Building, 4700 Mueller Blvd. **Note: Job Fair is not at the museum**
We want YOU!AdvertiseWith The
VILLAGER
Oct. 26.2013 6PM - 9PM@ Rosewood Park 1182
North Pleasant Valley RoadAustin, TX 78702
Halloween atRosewood
Page 8 ~ October 25, 2013/THE VILLAGER www.theaustinvillager.com
PROGRAMS ~ AWARENESSMusic and Movie at the Park By Shirley A. HammondMusic and Movie at the Park By Shirley A. Hammond
AUSTIN - Movie and Music at the Park was amajor attraction, as many people converged uponthe mid-town venue to enjoy a triple treat lastweekend. Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphithe-ater was the happening place on Saturday, Octo-ber 19, when people flocked to the parkgrounds,found a good patch of land for a blanket or chairso they could enjoy a line-up of music along witha Disney movie and an extra treat. The fact that itwas a Disney production didn’t deter people fromall ages from joining in the fun.
The McCallum Fine Arts Orchestra providedmusic that complemented the fascinating movie,“The Princess Bride.” This is the 4th year of themovie/music mix at Mueller. The event, which
began a little after dusk (after 6:30pm) was remi-niscent of the days of the drive-in theaters; wherethe big screen awaited the right degree of dark-ened sky before cuing up to show the featuredfilm. Lots of mature adults were there, as werefamilies with children.
It seemed to be the mix of events all under oneumbrella that compelled a huge crowd to make theirway to Simond Avenue and Aldridge near theThinkery and jockey for a good viewing spot. Greatviewing spots were plentiful, as the ground abovethe movie screen was actually a slope, enablingpeople to look down at the screen, the way one doesat a movie theater. Some people staked good spotsand sat on the concrete landscaping bordering tree
planters for a more elevated view.Parking was on all sides, as was seating. There
is a landmark roundabout 4-way merger near the slotof land used for the event, and it continued to flowwith traffic for quite a while. Some people had topark a good distances away from the venue and walk.
Viewing of The Princess Bride was completelyfree of charge. Donations to benefit the OrchestraPerformance Fund were accepted.
There was even a compelling montage imageprovided by Media Technologies as a part of theproduction. Local food vendors like Papa John’sPizza brought their wares to the venue so thatpeople could have tasty wares while they enjoyedthe show.
A crowd gathers to enjoy a movie outdoors. Photo credit: Shirley A. Hammond
CASTING TEENATHLETES FOR
PARAMOUNTPICTURES
FEATURE FILM
CASTING TEENATHLETES FOR
PARAMOUNTPICTURES
FEATURE FILMAUSTIN - Vicky Boone Casting is conduct-
ing a state-wide search for athletic male high schoolstudents to play two lead roles in an upcomingParamount Pictures film. This film, Men, Women,and Children, is co-written and directed by Acad-emy Award-nominated Jason Reitman (Juno, Upin the Air and Thank You for Smoking). The castincludes Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner andRosemarie DeWitt.
At this time, we are conducting a state-widesearch for the following teenage roles: TIM: Age15-17; Caucasian or Hispanic. Tall and athletic.Quiet, handsome and thoughtful. Ideally over 6’2”feet tall with broad shoulders. Tim used to be thestar of the football team. No football is requiredfor the role. DANNY: Age 15-17; African-Ameri-can. Likeable quarterback of the JV football team.His head is lost in football.
Interested parties are encouraged to email aphoto and their age to casting director Vicky Booneat [email protected]. Please list the charac-ter name “TIM” or “DANNY” in the subject line.If cast, compensation will be on the scale of pro-fessional actors.
The film shoots in Austin later this year.
TRAVIS COUNTY DEPUTIZES
RECORD NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERSTRAVIS COUNTY DEPUTIZES
RECORD NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS
Austin, TX - Al Bingham was sworn in Satur-day, Oct. 20 as the 2,000th Volunteer Deputy Regis-trar, a record in an odd-numbered year. Al is a re-tired veteran and has lived in Travis County for 22years. “Voting is a right we all struggled for and asgood citizens it is something we should do,” AlBingham said. Travis County Volunteer Deputy Reg-istrars help engage citizens in the democratic processby registering voters in their neighborhoods and atcommunity events. To become a volunteer, individu-als must be eligible to register to vote and attend aone-hour training session. Regular training sessionsare held the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 a.m.,12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Travis County TaxOffice. Additional training sessions for 10 or morepeople are available upon request.
“Registering to vote is a responsibility of citizen-ship,” said Bruce Elfant, Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar. “We are grateful thatmore than 2,000 citizens share this belief and areworking to encourage all citizens to participate in ourdemocracy. We have registered over 20,000 new vot-ers this year thanks to the help of our volunteers.”
To find out more about becoming a volunteer,contact the Tax Office at 512-854-9473 or go to:
http://www.traviscountytax.org/goVotersVDR.do.
Public Health Information SharingPublic Health Information Sharingby Shirley A. Hammond | follow her on twitter.com/@xtremeridewish1
AUSTIN - Peoplelike Michael (Mykey)Arthrell show up withpublic health informa-tion during many gath-erings of large massesof people around thecity. Most recently, I en-countered him at the 31st
KAZI birthday celebra-tion at MYEC. He wasunder a tent outsidehanding out his card,and distributing protec-tion packs to any whowanted them. Follow-ing are some of myquestions and his an-swers about his work asa Public Health Pro-gram Specialist II as anAustin/Travis CountyHealth & Human Ser-vices employee in theCommunicable DiseaseUnit/HIV PreventionProgram. What is thenumber one focus ofthe public health pro-gram, and why?
Our programaligns with ourdepartment’s mission topromote and protect thehealth of our commu-nity through the use ofbest practices and com-munity collaborations.Our programmatic goalin the communicabledisease unit is to ensurehealth equity, educateand inform the publicin order to prevent thespread of communi-cable diseases. Wheredoes your job take you,besides events like the
one where I obtainedyour card?
We encounterpeople where they live,work, learn and play.This means testing athotels where sex work-ers do business; the cor-ner stores whose cus-tomers might be low in-come and without trans-portation; bars on 4th or6th street and commu-nity centers. Some of themore surprising placesare local churches thatrecognize the need toknow your status re-gardless of the stigma oftesting. We also go tolocal bath houses formen and test there. Doyou encounter peoplewho proclaim that theyare celibate, but youfeel like they need theinformation anyway? Ifso, why?
Even though some-one is not at risk for HIVthey can certainly bepart of the solution. It’simportant for everyoneto know their status andtesting provides thatknowledge. The moreinformed and educatedeach of us becomesabout sexually transmit-ted infections (STI) —thebetter are chances are toimprove outcomes, re-duce the burden of dis-ease in our communityand improve the qualityof life for all who livehere. Is it consideredirresponsible in medi-
cal circles for someoneto be sexually activewithout protectionagainst disease? If so,how do you get thatmessage across?
People have theright to consensual, funand above all— safe sex.And for all individualswho are sexually active,particularly youngpeople, STI screeningand prompt treatmentare critical to protect aperson’s health and pre-vent transmission toothers. Is it okay to beinsistent of your pointsabout AIDS/HIV edu-cation?
HIV has been an is-sue for 30 years. Treat-ment and early detec-tion have come a longway—but it’s importantto remember that livingwith HIV/AIDS re-mains a serious andcostly path. Our healthdepartment estimatesthat in 2011, 3,673people in Austin/Travis County were liv-ing with HIV; 78,556with herpes simplex vi-rus type 2 and 257,832people living with hu-man papilloma virus(HPV). In the UnitedStates alone, an esti-mated 19 million newSTI infections occur eachyear. Education andprevention remain thekeys. How do you con-vey your messages withthe right level of ur-
gency?Outreach and edu-
cation form the founda-tion of our communi-cable disease preven-tion programs. Our goalis to constantly reachout to people with accu-rate and useful informa-tion. Our objective is toprompt them to take ac-tions (testing and/ortreatment) that will im-prove and protect themand others. We are al-ways concerned aboutthe potential impactsthese diseases have ona person’s quality of life.What attracted you tothis job?
I want to dedicatemyself to something thathas a lasting impact onour community; ensurehealth equity and makea real and positive differ-ence in this community.What is your back-ground, including edu-cation and experience?
I graduated fromEvergreen State Collegein Washington Statewhere I studied educa-tion and social science. Ihave worked for 12 yearsas a crisis and risk reduc-tion counselor. In thattime I have worked threeyears at SafePlace, sevenat the 211 Crisis ClinicSuicide Hotline in Olym-pia, Washington andover two years with Aus-tin/Travis CountyHealth and Human Ser-vices Department.
Historic Employment ResliliencyHistoric Employment ResliliencySince 1954, the earliest year for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has consistent unemployment
data by race, the unemployment rate among African-Americans has averaged 9.9%, almost twice thenational average.7 In the August 2013 unemployment report published by the Bureau of Labor Statis-tics, the rate was 13% among Blacks, compared to 7.3% as the national average.8 Contrary to popularbelief, Blacks’ unemployment today is not significantly different than it has been historically. In spiteof these numbers, Blacks have demonstrated a resiliency in coping with tough economic times.
Employment Status %Total Blacks 16+ % Black Females 16+
Employed 51% 52% Unemployed 11% 10%Armed Forces 1% NA
