{"id":223,"date":"2019-11-24T16:24:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T16:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/txmosponsored.wpengine.com\/?p=223"},"modified":"2020-07-09T21:23:24","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T21:23:24","slug":"faces-of-optimism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/faces-of-optimism\/","title":{"rendered":"Faces of Optimism: Community Builders"},"content":{"rendered":"
Six Texans creating optimism in their communities\u2014with the help of the communities themselves.<\/h5>\n

Optimism isn\u2019t just a state of mind, it\u2019s a practice. But seizing an opportunity to improve things can rarely be done alone. Texans work together every day to help their neighbors, respond to disaster, and build brighter futures. We\u2019ve spotlighted six Texans creating optimism in their communities\u2014with the help of the communities themselves.<\/p>\n\t

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Matthew Smith: Coordinator of Affective Education, Elementary Counseling & Behavioral Services, Humble Independent School District<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

Matthew Smith<\/h4>\n

Positive thinking is a cornerstone for the counselors of Humble ISD. \u201cAt a very early age, we want students to think optimistically,\u201d Smith says. The district\u2019s focus on optimism is sustained from kindergarten all the way through high school. When Harvey struck the Gulf Coast, that same optimism extended from the classroom to the real world. And while Humble ISD\u2019s attention to optimism and other life skills has seen disciplinary referrals reduced by nearly half in some schools, the chaos of the storm required even more hard work. Now, to be better prepared for the future, Smith\u2019s team is working with local faith-based groups to create a community counseling response team. Teacher training sessions are now organized around the theme, The Power of Possibilities. \u201cIf that\u2019s not optimism,\u201d Smith says, \u201cI don\u2019t know what is.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Sheila Lowe: Executive Director, Bastrop County Long Term Recovery Team<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

Sheila Lowe<\/h4>\n

First there was the Bastrop County Complex Fire, the most devastating wildfire in state history. It was followed by massive floods, more fires, and more floods. In the last ten years, Bastrop County, just east of Austin, has been forced to take proactive measures to abate natural disasters. \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of become subject-matter experts, unfortunately,\u201d says Sheila Lowe. Her nonprofit grew from the needs of affected residents.\u00a0The work they do goes far beyond what was required during the initial cleanup efforts.\u00a0With state and county officials, the team is now a permanent part of the area\u2019s response to natural disasters, and a model for other communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never want to be victims,\u201d she says, \u201cbut we have to know it will be better on the other side.\u201d By investing in a group of dedicated case workers, Lowe\u2019s team is building lasting resilience in the Bastrop community. \u201cYou can\u2019t stop the floods from coming, but we can lessen their impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Commander Scott Holt: Waco Police Department, Hurricane Harvey volunteer<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

Commander Scott Holt<\/h4>\n

When Commander Scott Holt met up with some of his fellow Waco police officers late one summer evening, the trickle of information about the hurricane barreling toward the Texas Coast was beginning to flood in. Holt and his comrades made a quick decision to make the trek into the heart of the storm to help the communities being affected. \u201cI think optimism is contagious, \u201d he says, and the proof was at a gas station in Temple, where a legion of volunteers\u2014some of whom Holt didn\u2019t even know, who\u2019d heard about the officers\u2019 journey on social media\u2014formed a massive relief caravan within a matter of 12 hours.<\/p>\n

Before Holt left, his daughter slipped him a handwritten note. \u201cI hope you don\u2019t get hurt,\u201d she wrote, \u201cbut I hope you help other people that need it more than you do.\u201d Buoyed by his daughter\u2019s encouragement, the team spent days in Conroe, sleeping on floors, being fed by locals. \u201cPeople lost it all, but good came out of it,\u201d Holt says. \u201cWe came together to the good of mankind. It\u2019s was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Ricky Ramirez: Teacher, Canyon Middle School (El Paso)<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

Ricky Ramirez<\/h4>\n

\u201cI want to change the narrative for northeast El Paso,\u201d says Ricky Ramirez, El Paso ISD\u2019s 2018 Secondary Teacher of the Year. He grew up in that part of the city, and teaches at the same middle school he attended when he was young. Ramirez grew up with five siblings, all of whom were cared for by a mother with little formal education. Now the family counts four bachelor\u2019s degrees, two master\u2019s degrees, and a Ph.D. among their ranks, with two siblings still in college.<\/p>\n

The best way for me to give back to my community was to be a teacher,\u201d Ramirez says. Last year, a\u00a0speech<\/a>\u00a0he gave to new El Paso teachers went viral. In it, Ramirez shared stories of helping students in the classroom, in sports, and in life. He teaches, he says, to pass on the ways he was\u00a0helped, both inside and outside the classroom.\u00a0\u201cRelationships come before content,\u201d he says.\u201cYoung people are tough, but they need advice, direction, and a sympathetic ear. That\u2019s where you make a lasting impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Jane Hervey: Founder, #BossBabesATX<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

Jane Hervey<\/h4>\n

Austinite Jane Hervey started Boss Babes ATX, a nonprofit community of artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs focused on gender equality, in 2015. After a few years, the work was taking its toll. But before she threw in the towel, Hervey made the decision to calculate the organization\u2019s impact. What she found was that the programs, meetups, and opportunities the group provided had injected nearly $1 million into the Austin-area economy. That was enough to keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurvival is on the line for a lot of these entrepreneurs,\u201d Hervey says. \u201cThis not only makes them visible, but it changes the cultural conversation.\u201d When it comes to driving that change, she says it comes down to constant conscious choices to be resilient. \u201cWhen we stand up and speak out, we inspire people to listen,\u201d she says.\u201cI have to be an optimist every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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Jimmy Kendrick, Mayor of Fulton, Texas<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n

Jimmy Kendrick<\/h4>\n

When Hurricane Harvey slammed into Fulton, the storm didn\u2019t discriminate in its affect. \u201cI lost half my house,\u201d says Kendrick, \u201cand I\u2019m rebuilding from the ground up.\u201d Faced with massive and long-term devastation, Kendrick knew the community would have to work together to support each other, not just in the immediate aftermath, but in renewing businesses, rebuilding homes, and stabilizing the local economy. \u201cIt scared each and every one of us,\u201d he recalls. When an outpouring of support came from across the state and the country, he says they found the energy\u2014and the optimism\u2014to make recovery a reality. \u201cTexans were helping Texans, citizens helping citizens, being good neighbors,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Even as recovery efforts continue, he\u2019s working on passing on the lessons learned from Harvey to help other communities affected by natural disasters.<\/p>\n

Photos by Darice Chavira and Hannah Vickers.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Optimism isn\u2019t just a state of mind, it\u2019s a practice. We\u2019ve spotlighted six Texans creating optimism in their communities\u2014with the help of the communities themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-optimist-case-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}