September, 2005
Community E-Newsletter 

For more information visit our
website: www.civicengagement.com
 

September 16th -- We the People: Celebrate our Constitution, its Rights and Liberties.

 
Please Join the entire UTB Campus Community Friday, September 16th at 11:50AM in the SETB Lecture Hall for an hour-long student-led celebration called "We the People: A Celebration of the United States Constitution, its Rights and Liberties".  Sign a replica of The United States Constitution and celebrate our nation’s most treasured document with Kenmont children’s choir singing patriotic songs, the presenting of colors by the Rivera High School Color Guard, the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, Kids Voting USA Brownsville video, reflections on citizenship by new U.S. citizens, the “Go Vote” song performed by COACH, and join with the rest of the nation in recitation of the Preamble precisely at 1:00PM. Download a Flyer in Acrobat: http://www.civicengagement.com/library/constitutiondayflyer.pdf        See you there!!!

El '16 de Septiembre' -- Ozanam Center Micro-Enterprise Venture with Wal-Mart.

  
The Center is partnering with Brownsville's homeless shelter, the Ozanam Center, to help them build capacity in microenterprise development to raise funds for their on-going operations.  Beginning Friday, 16 de Septiembre, beginning 10AM, Ozanam will be selling 300 dozen DELICIOUS "low carb" tamales at $5.00 per dozen in front of the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 3500 West Alton Gloor Blvd, Mr. Jorge Montiel General Manager.  All profits will assist in building capacity for future sales and to help sustain the shelter.  Special orders can be made by calling telephone 831-6331. Click Here for Flyer.

September 6th-- 'Buena Vida Compassion Center' Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony.

 On Tuesday morning, September 6th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the Buena Vida Housing Development, located at 97 Miraflores. Despite the hot sun and high humidity, many turned out to celebrate the opening of the Buena Vida Compassion Center, a facility that will be utilized by citizens of the Buena Vida barrio that will offer a variety of services in wellness, education and micro-enterprise training. The Compassion Center features a 'restaurant quality' kitchen for residents to create and sell food products to the community. The Compassion Center started with a dream by the Buena Vida Resident Association (BVRA) to have a place in Buena Vida for greater opportunities. The BVRA, with the guidance and support of the Brownsville Housing Authority, applied for a Compassion Grant F.I.T.ness (Families in Transition) Network sub-award in January 2005. Residents were offered grant-writing and non-profit financial management workshops to better organize their vision of creating a one-stop social services center and a location for a micro-enterprise opportunity.  In April 2005, a sub-award community review panel awarded the BVRA a F.I.T.ness Network sub-award in the amount of $28,664.00 to make their dream come true. The Brownsville Housing Authority provided in-kind services as a match for the sub-award.

Kenedy-CCE Scholars Named for 2005-2006.

Competition for the $2,000 scholarship was rigorous.  At the end of the application and interview process, a community-campus panel named the following students as Kenedy-CCE Scholars:  Mr. Joshua Caldwell (Communication-Government), Ms. Sheyla Garcia (Psychology), Ms. Janine Martinez (EC Ed 4th), Ms. Brenda Mascorro (Psychology), Ms. Carolinia Rodriguez (Biology), Mr. Joe Lee Rubio (Business), Ms. Margarita Saenz (Bilingual Ed), Ms. Ana Trejo (Government), Mr. Thomas Clayton Wilson (Communication.  Congratulations!

Professor James O. Allsup named Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow.

Professor Allsup, who recently joined the UTB/TSC Department of English & Communication, has accepted a position as Faculty Fellow with the Center.  Professor Allsup has an extraordinary gift for relating campus to community, and brings to UTB/TSC his wide-ranging experience as both scholar and teacher. He has been a Fulbright Scholar at the U of Bonn, a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Cornell, an NEH Fellow at Princeton. And he has taught at a wide array of American colleges and universities: as far west as the U of Hawaii; as far east as Florida Atlantic U. As a scholar he is known for his graceful style, evident in two books: THE MAGIC CIRCLE and SYMPHONY NUMBER ONE. As a teacher he is known for his engaging mix of wit, empathy, idealism, and evangelical intensity.  Professor Allsup received his BA from Baylor U, MA from Cornell, and PhD from U of Minnesota.