The 03-06-24 Edition of The Fort Bend Star

Meadows Place police chief marks three decades with the city

Driving a reporter around Meadows Place, it’s obvious that Police Chief Gary Stewart knows his community like the back of his hand. And well he should, having served the small Fort Bend County city for the entirety of his law enforcement career, now clocking in at 30 years.

Wedged between Stafford and the most southwestern edge of Houston, Meadows Place (population approximately 5,000) doesn’t often get a lot of attention. In fact, growing up in nearby Alief (he graduated from Elsik High School in 1986), Stewart didn’t know that the community, originally known as Meadows, even existed.

But in the late 1980’s, Stewart - then working as a firefighter with the Stafford Volunteer Fire Departmenthad a girlfriend who lived in Meadows Place. He’d been on a few ride-alongs with a fiend who was a sergeant in the Houston Police Department, and the law enforcement bug bit. (That girlfriend, Laura, ultimately became his wife. The couple wed in 1989 and celebrated their 35th anniversary in February. They have three adult children, all of them living in the Houston area.)

“The fire business kind of got me excited, I liked the adrenaline from it. And then after riding with (his HPD friend), I decided that’s, yeah, the career path I want to take,” Stewart said in a recent interview at his sparsely decorated office.

The Houston police department wasn’t doing a lot of hiring then, so Stewartworking both the Stafford VFD and another job - put himself through the police academy at Wharton County Junior College, graduating at the top of his class. That’s when the Meadows Place Police Department came calling.

“I did an interview and started here, and never left,” he said.

Missouri City author creates ways for children to engage with their communities

Newly published Missouri City author Jessica Young’s toddler-aged daughter is fascinated with potholes, sidewalks, busses, and just about anything else that is a part of city life.

When out driving with her mother, the youngster, named Harper Lee, would point to a pothole and ask “Why is there a hole in the road?” Or she would ask why a sidewalk ended so abruptly. Young, who works as the communications director for a Harris County

county commissioner, and has held other communications positions in governments, is a self-described “storyteller at heart.” She would answer Harper’s questions as they drove and the two began to connect over their shared interest of the role of government and how it works in the community.

Young quickly saw an opportunity. Why not write a book that a parent or caregiver could read with a child that teaches about how things get done in a city? The book could also discuss ways for citizens to express their ideas to their

elected officials.

Young’s first children’s book, “Millie the Mayor Baby,” published in late 2023, is the result of that idea. And she’ll be reading it at several Fort Bend County libraries on weekends in March to mark the celebration of an initiative created by the National Education Association, called Read Across America Week 2024. The NEA created the Read Across America program in 1998, and is the largest celebration of read-

Nobel Peace Prize winner and international education advocate Malala Yousafzai said she “was over the moon to finally to see this incredible school,” during a special visit and tour Sunday of the Fort Bend ISD campus in Richmond that bears her name.

It is the only school in the nation named for Malala, the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize, according to a story from the district.

“I could stand here for hours and hours because I don’t want to leave this school,” she said during a special program where she addressed an audience of about 400 invited students, teachers, parents, district leaders, elected officials and school board members – past and present. “I want to be a student again and learn with you all. I want to be part of the choir.”

When Malala entered the school auditorium with her father and local

education, human rights and community leaders who arranged her visit, she received a prolonged standing ovation.

The school’s inaugural principal, Lisa Langston, said that since Malala Elementary opened in January 2020, “we began to empower our students to understand they were not too young to change the world.”

Malala became a champion for educational access for girls when she was just11 years old in Pakistan, defying the Taliban which attempted to assassinate her when she was a teenager. She recovered and courageously continued her mission, winning the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17.

“I am in awe of your incredible achievements,” current Malala Elementary School Principal Donald Lam told her.

Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith told Malala, “Your story is astounding. Words cannot express what it

means to us for you to be here today.”

Board President Judy Dae presented Malala with a charm bracelet with a book, alphabets, and state of Texas charms attached, asking her to “think of us when you wear it.”

The school’s namesake vowed to return one day for another visit. She took a moment for a giant group photo with the entire audience behind her, and took several pictures with children who performed during the program.

Before departing, she told the students, “I want you to believe in dreams, believe in yourself and see yourself as a change-maker of today and tomorrow. You can do it. I can’t wait to visit this school again, and again, and again.”

Nobel Peace Prize winner and international education advocate Malala Yousafzai pays her frst visit to the Fort Bend ISD school that bears her name on Sunday.

Photos courtesy Fort Bend ISD

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai is pictured with the Malala Elementary School choir.

Photo

Man sentenced to 39 years for intoxication manslaughter

On February 21, a Rosharon man was sentenced to 35 years in state prison after pleading guilty to intoxication manslaughter in the drunk-driving crash that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old man in 2022, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. Judge J. Christian Becerra sentenced Josue Montes, 33, in the 434 th District Court in Richmond.

According to Alison Baimbridge, chief vehicular crimes prosecutor, Montes was traveling on FM 521 on Sept. 7, 2022 when he crossed over the center line into oncoming traffic, striking Yurvin Tejada, who was headed home from the gym. Montes was traveling at 85 mph when he crossed over the center line, according to prosecutors. The speed limit on FM 521

ing in the nation, according to the organization’s website.

Read Across America Week began on March 2, the birthday of children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel, popularly known as Dr. Seuss. It concludes on March 6. But the entire month of March is National Reading Month.

On March 9, Young will read at the Sienna Branch Library at 3 p.m.; March 16 at the Sugar Land Branch Library at 10:30 a.m.; and on March 23 at the University Branch Library at 1 p.m.

“When I had Harper, I was reading to her all the time,” Young said. She was always on the lookout for books at the library, and came across some books about topics that included coding for babies, and engineering for babies.

“I thought it was a cute concept,” she said of the books. “Being entrenched in local government, I found lots of opportunities where I could connect with my daughter.”

It’s taking something that’s complicated and making it understandable for children and their adults or caregivers, Young said. Whenever kids might ask “How does a pothole get filled?,” she knew she could answer that.

“It’s something we encounter every single day. I could explain about red lights and traffic engineers. There are

Montes had no recollection of the crash due to his intoxication level. Evidence presented by the State revealed the defendant had prior convictions for driving while Intoxicated in 2022, possession of a controlled substance in 2015, and served a three- year prison sentence for theft in 2012.

is 55mph. Tejada died at the scene from his injuries. Montes was transported to the hospital where he smelled of alcohol and had a blood alcohol level of 0.24. Two containers of alcohol were found in the defendant’s vehicle at the time of the crash.

“When a defendant like this proves to be a continuing danger to the residents of Fort Bend County, we will do everything we can to prevent that threat from continuing,” Baimbridge said in a news release. “With the sentence in this case, Fort Bend County is safer today.”

Intoxication manslaughter in this case is a first-degree felony punishable by 5-99 years, or life, in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Montes was not eligible to receive probation and must serve half of his sentence before being considered for parole.

so many elements of the city that touch our kids’ and adults’ everyday lives. I wanted to tell a story that would connect them and offer opportunities to connect with their child,” Young said. The book was a fun way to explain those concepts, she said.

Because March is National Reading Month, and she really wanted to bring her story to children, she thought there was no better way to do that than through the library.

Young said the kids sing and play games related to “Millie the Mayor Baby,” and during one activity, every child gets a chance to pretend they are the mayor. They write letters to elected officials saying what changes they would like to see in their communities.

Young then sends pictures of the letters to the officials.

“I hope this book will allow kids to connect with parents,” Young said. “The

kids can see that no matter what age they are, they can have a say in their community,” she said. She would like for Millie to explore different ways of helping out in the community in future books.

The book also tells kids that no matter what their chosen career fields are, that they can play a role in their local government.

“No matter what age you are, you’re allowed to contact your mayor, your city council, your elected officials and have a say in what you want the future of your community to be,” said Young, who added “if I can be the bridge between the kids’ voices and opinion and vision and connect them to local government, that’s what I want to do,” Young said.

Dayna Worchel is a freelance writer based in Sugar Land.

In the 30 years since Stewart joined the force (he rose from patrol officer to lieutenant and became chief 12 years ago), he’s seen the abuttting part of Houston became much more troubled, and says that’s where most of the crime that afflicts Meadows Place originates.

“We’re in a metroplex, basically. Since everything grew around us, we get a lot more transitory population that travel through. So crime patterns change, most of our criminals come from Houston. A lot of criminals come through, they don’t see where their city lines end and others begin,” he said. Today, the force has 25 officer positions, all of which are filled, which Stewart said is unusual for police agencies right now.

Stewart said his department has an average response time of two minutes, which he said is widely known outside the city. “We’ve had criminals tell us that if they’d known it was Meadows Place, they would have gone somewhere else, because the reputation is we have a two-minute response time,” he said. Law enforcement has changed quite a bit in the three decades he’s been on the job, Stewart said. “Back then, we didn’t have cell phones, we didn’t have in-car camera systems, we didn’t have body cams, we didn’t have any of the technology that we have now. In fact, our radios weren’t that great. I had to move my patrol car just so I could hit the tower to contact dispatch,” he said.

Like other agencies, Stewart said, the Meadows Place police force has to continually keep up with changes in the criminal laws enacted by the Texas Legislature.

As to an overall policing philosophy, Stewart said, “I believe that law enforcement is ever-evolving, and you’ve got to be able to adapt and change with the times. And you’ve got

to be able to serve your citizens where they need you and how you need them. That’s the most important thing - making sure you’re committed to service.”

Stewart said that policing in a small community like Meadows Place has certain advantages.

“When you serve a smaller community, you’re held more accountable, which I like. We have a great relationship with our citizens. They love us. They treat us very well,” he said. “The nice thing about a small community, too, is that you get to know your constituents really well. And that also helps in crime detection. When you see something out of the ordinary, you can get out and investigate a bit.”

As for disadvantages, Stewart said smaller departments lack the resources that larger ones do, especially when it comes to the most advanced technology. “We are fortunate enough to have a good grant writer, so we got a lot of our technology through grants,” he said.

Among the technologies the department has deployed in recent years is an array of FLOK cameras, which read license plates of cars entering the main arteries of the city and alert the department if a vehicle is being sought for some reason.

As one of his proudest accomplishments, Stewart - who also serves as the city’s emergency operations coordinator - points to the city’s combined Emergency Operations Center and training facility, which he and Mayor Charles Jessup came up with during a breakfast meeting at the Kelly’s Restaurant on West Airport Boulevard. The city’s emergency services department was looking to build a new building. Stewart proposed that the EMS take over a small building used by the police department adjoining the fire station (which is owned by the Stafford Fire Department) and build a new building for

the EOC. The modern facility - which officially began operations just two days before Hurricane Harvey made landfall in 2017 - acts as a training facility not just for Meadows Place agencies but others across the region and state.

Stewart said that while he thinks about retirement from time to time, he’s in no hurry.

“There are some projects that I’ve gotten started that I’d like to see through, and make sure I’ve finished those before I leave,” he said. Among those projects is the intensive process the force is currently undergoing to receive accreditation from the Texas Police Chiefs Association, which Stewart said is not that common among the state’s police agencies.

“You’re trying to do the best processes of Texas police agencies. Right now, we’re going through each policy, and making sure that we are committed to doing those best practices, even implementing new ones that address things that maybe you’ve not done before,” he said. Stewart said he and his department’s officers take great pride in working with the students at Fort Bend ISD’s Meadows Elementary School, which he called “the heart of our city.”

“We’re very involved with the school. Our officers are there a lot in the school talking to the kids and are very active with them,” he said.

Another point of pride for Stewart during his three-decade-long career is the fact that many young people who grow up in Meadows Place choose to return.

“I have seen families that had kids and watched them grow up, and then move on and then come right back and say I want to raise my family. Being a part of that is a good feeling, because they know it’s a safe place. You know that you’re meeting those needs. They love the city and they do have trust in their police department to keep them safe,” he said.

Leonela

Jessica Young reads her book “Millie the Mayor Baby” to a group of youngsters during a recent appearance at the San Francisco Nativity Academy in Houston. Contributed photo

Josue Montes, 33, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for intoxication manslaughter in the vehicular death of Yurvin Tejada, 19, in 2022. Courtesy Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Offce

God Bless Texas: Celebrating Texas Independence Day in style

Photos by Ken Fountain

Cookie Joe’s Dancin’ School in Sugar Land held an event called “God Bless Texas,” celebrating Texas Independence Day, on Saturday. The event featured students dancing in a variety of styles, including Jazz and ballet, all to popular songs about Texas. The event also featured kids’ games and activities.

Advanced tap students perform to “Cotton-Eyed Joe” as the

Texas” event.

Young students perform to “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

Kids play the “Cookie Walk” game inside Cookie Joe’s Dancin’ School.

Students perform to “Hello Texas.”

Jazz dancers perform to “Boogie Back to Texas.”

Jazz students perform to the song “El Tejano.”

LYNN ASHBY Columnist

By Lynn Ashby ASHBY2@COMCAST.NET

THE FRONT DOOR –

Someone just rang my doorbell. I open the door and there stands a guy dressed in a too-small Stetson, bandana and has his Levi pant legs tucked into his boots. No Texan does that. A woman standing beside him is wearing something out of Dale Evans circa 1950. “Gut effnink,” he says. “I yam Billy Bob Haystack und dis ist my gal, Brandi Iron. As vellow Texas, vee come to varn yew aboot danger votink Bideen fer prezedent. Dat vill gif yew da shinjels.”

Oh Lordy, they are back. You remember Aleksandra Yuryevna Krylova and Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik. True story: they came to Texas in 2016 and again in 2020 and, using phony

The Lone Czar State

names, PayPal and fake emails, got Texans to fight one another, demonstrate, and counter-demonstrate to help Donald Trump get elected President. “Go avay, I mean go away. You two clowns are so inept the feds even know your names.”

I slam the door without telling them that they and their cohorts have actually been successful in spreading troubles in Texas. In 2015 the Kremlin gremlins hatched opposition to the annual military exercise, Jade Helm 15, getting the more gullible among us, a majority, to fear Jade Helm was a ploy by President Barack Obama to confiscate our howitzers, militarily seize the state and set up FEMA concentration camps. One poll found that one-third of Republican primary voters believed the government was trying to take over Texas. In May 2016, they staged a rally outside the downtown Houston Islamic Da’wah Center, which attracted about a dozen people, bearing flags of the United States, Texas and the Confederacy, to protest the “Islamization” of Texas.” But more than 50 counterprotesters also showed up. So there were two opposing rallies at the same time at

the same place. Unfortunately for the Kremlin, no riot ensued.

The idea is to take an already divisive issue among Americans and exploit it, and their current target is right in front of us: the border immigration. Wired magazine quoting Logically, which uses artificial intelligence to track disinformation campaigns, reports that since January, state-run Russian media such as Sputnik and RT have repeatedly supported Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for defying the federal government and running the border as he sees fit. Logically reported much of the recent Take Our Borders Back convoy which drew in anti-migrant dissidents and conspiracy theorists, happily disseminated additional Russian disinformation.

Our fellow Texan, Elon Musk, on February 2 posted on X (formerly known as Y): “Biden’s strategy is very simple: 1. Get as many illegals in the country as possible. 2. Legalize them to create a permanent majority – a one-party state.” Musk, himself an immigrant with citizenship, should know that noncitizens can’t vote and it currently takes at least a

decade for an immigrant to achieve citizenship.

The dispute over migration to Texas leads us to the next obvious target: secession. “The idea of targeting highly contentious U.S. domestic issues and amplifying them via their own channels – it’s the standard Russian playbook for disinformation,” Kyle Walter at Logically told Wired. “Of course there’s already a controversy at the border and there’s things going on.” Samuel Woolley, program director of UT-Austin’s propaganda research lab, told The Dallas Morning News. “But I think what you see Russia doing is stoking the fire by bringing up things related to Texas secession and the idea that America is falling apart.”

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and prime minister, posted on X: “Establishing a People’s Republic of Texas is getting more and more real.” Russian lawmaker Sergey Mironov even offered Texas help: “If necessary, we are ready to help with the independence referendum. And of course, we will recognize the People’s Republic of Texas if there is one.” But they still show their ineptitude: A Russian front, the

Texan Independence Supporters, claimed: “We are a Texan organization, not Russian. We can definitely assure ya’ll [sic] that we’re not Russian.” Tilt! Ya’ll? It’s y’all, Russkies. In the 2016 election, Russian operatives pushed the idea that Sen. Bernie Sanders had been cheated out of the Democratic nomination, leading to a significant drop in popularity for eventual nominee Hillary Clinton. It helped secure Trump’s narrow victory. Gen. Michael Hayden, former head of the CIA and an expert on all things sneaky and Russian, flatly says the Russians got Trump elected President. Gen. Hayden also may solve a mystery: “The most benign explanation as to why Trump seems to not criticize Putin is a phase from the Soviet Union: polezni durak, ‘the useful idiot,’ the sort of person the Kremlin secretly held in contempt but went all out to exploit.”

Here’s an interesting bit of new news: The House GOP members were set to investigate Hunter and Joe Biden for receiving $5 million each in bribes. This came from an “unimpeachable source”: Alexander Smirnov, an FBI informant. Alas, now Smirnov

turns out to be a serial liar who admits he got this false information from – ready? – the Russians. We don’t have to be paranoid to think we may have a polezni durak in our midst. Somebody suggested he trusts Vladimir Putin more than the “lowlifes” who work in U.S. intelligence. Somebody ordered Republicans in the U.S. House to withhold aid to Ukraine. And so long, NATO. Who likened his $355 million fine to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny? “We’re both victims.” How did the Kremlin feel about the outcome of the 2016 election? On the night of Nov. 9, 2016, the feds were listening in as the head of Russia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, a Kremlin front, received a message from New York: “Putin has won.” Wait, my doorbell is ringing again. It’s them. I say, “Unless you want to end up like Alexey Navalny, tell me who is the polezni durak, a Russian agent but is too dumb to know it?” Burchik squirms, then sobs: “I can’t tell you his real name, but he goes by the cover of Tucker Carlson.”

Ashby spreads truths at ashby2@comcast.net

Answers found in this week’s Classified section

“Skip the skip, up the road / Off to school you go / Don’t be a bad boy Johnny / Don’t you slip up or play the fool”Men at Work, “Be Good Johnny”

It was a warm day in 1975, and I don’t know that I’ve ever been so excited. As I packed my things, I made sure not to forget what I needed most: trick soap, sneezing powder and fake poo. These items were essential because the coming weekend promised me company with five other fifth graders, all friends and classmates. In this case, it had been determined that Bart, an 11-year-old who had been to one and all a source of humor and chaotic energy, would be our target. He was unpredictable and

Skip the skip, up the road

humorous. We loved him, but wanted to use him as a pin cushion for our childish pranks. I had gotten swept up by the national bussing controversy. Bussing was created as a way to encourage racial diversity and a more evenly distributed integration of services and resources by a federally mandated policy-blender. The idea was to provide buses so that little children from white communities could go to schools with little children from predominantly black ones, and vice versa. It ultimately failed. But In my case, it meant a 30-minute ride to what was known as a skiddish neighborhood. The school was John McClaren Middle School. It was in an area they called “The Projects”, due I suppose to the prevalence of government-funded housing and substandard infrastructure. It was overwhelmingly poor, unmanaged and dangerous, at least according to my mom.

Going to school by bus meant waking up earlier. But that very requirement led to me meeting a really great man. His name was Raymond Smith. He was my 4th grade teacher and he was gay. Back then, a former Florida beauty pag-

eant winner and singer turned conservative voice initiated an anti-gay campaign. Because of Anita Bryant, gay people all over the country were suddenly villains, all of them sinners and a camouflaged danger to children.

Mr. Smith was not one of them. Yet what he did for us would be looked upon with suspicion today. Every Friday he led us to a public swimming pool if we were “good”. I don’t know how he or what he said to get approval.

Mr. Smith also took seven of us to his cabin two hours north called Cloverdale. It was an idyllic spot, with a cozy cottage next to a beautiful stream. And even though we never released our gags on Bart, we had a glorious time. Much of what Mr. Smith did for us would never fly today. And yet there are so many things today that had no business in the ‘70s.

My son worked at Fort Bend ISD for three years. He recently discussed the things which led to his anxiety and hopelessness while there.

He was responsible for the daily management and education of special needs middle schoolers. He told me stories about how the

system seems to be failing students. He describes one boy who was aggressive and constantly combative. The child’s behavior often necessitated police to get control. In one instance, the boy was so distraught he was placed in a quiet room, accompanied by my son. As the two sat there, the middle schooler began punching and biting to get out. He caused bite marks and bruises. In another case, a child with severe sensitivity to light and sound went ballistic because another kid slugged him.

My boy never complained to me, but displayed obvious signs of severe job related stress: weight loss, stomach problems. There was a general sense of under-the-surface anxiety and frustration. He recalls feeling helpless due to the lack of resources and support. He got into education to help kids. In the end he couldn’t. He tried flying a plane without wings, and it drove him nuts. He finally quit after watching the kids in his charge suffer. He was certified to educate them, but nothing prepared him for the reality of his charge. I pulled up my suitcase along the curb to the waiting car. It was a 1974 Dodge

Dart, forest green. We piled in and I scored the front passenger window. As the AM radio belted out Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom”, we took off, with the jolly Ray Smith at the wheel.

Thing is, I don’t remember school being a place where the kids were underserved and hampered by behavioral demons. Granted, I do remember Mr. Smith “escorting” Ronnie Pettway by the back of his collar out of the class and downstairs to the principal’s office. Because of Mr. Smith’s size and strength, Ronnie looked more like a wet Muppet under his grip, wiping out bookshelves and desks as he tried futilely to get free. Yes, things could get physical in my day, if you pushed too hard.

My son seemed unable to tell me why all of his reports and requests for help were ignored. Could it be related solely to cost?

Is it a case of priorities? Are parents expecting too much from public education? All we seem to be hearing about these days relates to banning books and pedophile indoctrination. Why aren’t we hearing about the behavior problems that include 5th graders hitting teachers?

MARK GARAY Columnist FORTBENDSTAR. COM • 713-371-3600 OPEN NOW! For tickets, visit sugarland.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629

Mr. Smith was a wonderful teacher. But not perfect. And yet he never suggested or did anything out of bounds. He was an inspiration and made us laugh most days. He was reliable and attentive. He even printed special script and designed a custom book spine for me when I wrote a story about a boy and a talking bear who stumble on a 70-foot spider web. He didn’t need to do that. It was on his own time at home. But he knew it would encourage me. He was right. He knew education was so much more. And I wonder if today, we may have lost that. Have student needs been properly addressed in Fort Bend County?

Column veggies

As promised, in perhaps the greatest ever television musical appearance in Britain. Edgar Winter from Beaumont, Texas tears up three instruments. Check out the video at https:// tinyurl.com/y9h7twdf and tell me what you think.

Garay, a retired television news professional and Sugar Land resident, can be reached at MarkGaray426@gmail.com

Generously supported by The City of Sugar Land Public Works Department

Be a raindrop, plunge into the water cycle and see if you can make a clean run to the ocean!

METHODIST CHURCH

CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND

• 281-980-6888

A United Methodist Community

3300 Austin Parkway • Sugar Land, TX 77479

Rev. Dr. Daniel Irving, Senior Pastor Sunday Schedule

9:30 am Blended Worship

9:30 am Sunday School for all ages 11:00 am Traditional & Contemporary Worship www.christchurchsl.org

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

• 281-240-3195

502 Eldridge Rd. -Sugar Land, TX 77478

Reverend Dr. Fred Seay, Pastor Sunday Worship In Person 11:00 am / Nursery Available Worship Online on YouTube www.fpcsl.org

Preacher Sunday Bible Study 9:30 am Sunday Worship 10:30 am Wednesday 7:00 pm www.staffordcoc.com

Scripture of the week

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

- MATTHEW 7:7

HOPE FOR THREE TEEN HUDDLE

Is revving up for its annual Car Wash for Kids sponsored by Sugar Land Baptist Church and OCuSOFT on Sunday, April 7th, at C & C Dental, 17003 SWF, Sugar Land from 10 am to 2pm. Student volunteers promote awareness, acceptance, and inclusion for their autistic peers. Donations from this FREE, Eco-friendly, waterless car wash impact local families. This Eco-friendly car wash is free, but donations are welcome. Ready to lend a hand? We need volunteers ages 12 and over. Choose from two shifts or stay all day. Volunteer now and be part of something meaningful. Register today at www.hopeforthree. org/events.

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

OF FORT BEND

The League of Women Voters of Fort Bend, a nonpartisan organization, will provide voter registration and education events prior to the Feb. 5 deadline to be a registered voter in the March 5 Primary election. Locations, dates, and times include: (1) Wednesday, 1/24 -- Fort Bend YMCA, 4433 Cartwright Rd, Missouri City 7:30am - 12:30pm and 5 - 7pm; (2) Thursday, 1/25 -- First Colony Library 3:30 - 5:30pm; (3) Sat., 1/27 -- Cinco Ranch Library 10:30am - 1:30pm and University Branch Library 11am - 2pm; (4) Tuesday, 1/30 and Wednesday, 1/31 -- WCJC Sugar Land, Brazos Hall, 9am - 2pm; (5) Thursday, 2/1 -- ThriftWise, 501 Hwy 90E, Richmond -- 10am - 1pm. Register to vote, update your current voter registration, and get nonpartisan voting information at any of these events, or contact lwvfortbend@gmail.com.

NO HOCUS POCUS IN MUSIC MAGIC CLASS FOR

6 & 7-YEAR-OLD BOYS!

Young boys need music in their life for mental, physical and emotional growth and the best place to receive quality music instruction is with the Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas! They ofer Music Magic, an eight-week music enrichment class for six and seven-year-old boys. The Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas, currently in its 42 nd season, brings music alive with the use of movement, musical games, singing and other child-centered activities. Boys learn about pitch matching and rhythm awareness in addition to developing large muscle coordination, increased focus and better musicianship. Music Magic helps boost brainpower, sparks creativity and forges strong connections with others. No auditions are necessary for the class – just a love of music and singing! Serving as Music Magic director is Founder and Artistic Director William R. Adams who leads this class on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. – 7:15 p.m., beginning March 19 and ending May 14 at the First United Methodist Church Missouri City, 3900 Lexington Blvd., Missouri City. Music Magic will then sing at the Fort Bend Boys Choir’s annual Spring Concert on Saturday, May 18! Classes are limited in size so please call the choir ofce at (281) 240- 3800 to pre-register or visit their Music Magic web page at https://fbbctx.org/our- programs/music-magic/. Be sure to stop by their Facebook page for the latest on the Fort Bend Boys Choir's Music Magic class and the organization's public performances.

AMERICAN LEGION POST 942

311 Ulrich Street, Sugar Land meets the fourth Tuesday of each Month at 7:00 pm. All Veterans are welcome.

LOVING FRIENDS IS A GROUP OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO ARE WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS THAT MEET MONTHLY FOR LUNCH, FRIENDSHIP, AND SOCIALIZATION Lunches. are planned for the fourth Tuesday of the month at various local restaurants. Please contact Bobbie Tomlin at {281} 967-0718

For more information about us and to learn about this month’s planned lunch. We hope to meet you soon.

QUAIL VALLEY GARDEN CLUB

The Quail Valley Garden Club is very busy, not only with meetings, but with some fun “stuf” for our members and the community. Please fnd our fall schedule of events that the QVGC will be involved with this fall leading up to the holidays.

FBJSL IS ACCEPTING CAF GRANT APPLICATIONS

We provide grants of up to $5,000.00 to charitable causes serving Fort Bend County with requests to fund a critical need, pilot a program, or expand a signifcant service to the community. If your agency or organization is interested in applying for a CAF grant, please visit the Request Support page of the FBJSL website (www.fbjsl.org/request-support). All applications should be submitted via e-mail to brccom@fbjsl.com.

THE SANCTUARY

FOSTER CARE SERVICES

We are a child placing agency that provides wrap around care support for foster children and foster families. We provide free therapy services, 24 hr. crisis intervention, respite/alternative care services and community-based support. For more info, www.sanctuaryfostercare.org

ALIEF AARP CHAPTER 3264

Meets the frst Thursday of every month at 10:00 a.m. at Salvation Army Church, 7920 Cook Road, Houston, TX 77072. Educational Program/ Entertainment at each meeting. Bus Trips every month. Seniors 50 and above invited. Call 281785-7372 for more information.

SUGAR LAND ROTARY CLUB

Sugar Land Rotary Club, the nation’s oldest community service organization, wants you to be its guest at a meeting that could turn out to be the best ft for getting involved with a local, nonpolitical, humanitarian service organization with a global presence to satisfy your passion. We’re on a quest for new members! Call or email Dean Clark, 469-850-2424, dean7351@gmail.com. We’re a friendly group that meets once a week for lunch.

FT. BEND ACCORDION CLUB

Meets on the 4th Sunday of every month from 2:pm - 4:pm at: CHRIST CHURCH SUGAR LAND (in the Chapel) 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77479 FREE and Open to the Public! We welcome everybody! If you play accordion, beginners to professional and would like to play Call, Text or email: Vince Ramos Cell: 281-204-7716 vincer.music@gmail.com.

LITERACY COUNCIL OF FORT BEND COUNTY

We enhance lives and strengthen communities by teaching adults to read. We need your help. Literacy Council is actively recruiting Volunteer Tutors to provide instruction for English as a Second Language (ESL) Levels 0-5, three hours a week. For more information, call 281-240-8181 or visit our website www. ftbendliteracy.org.

JAM WITH SAM

Join Sam Grice Tuesday evenings at 6:30 for a casual evening of music. We play a variety of music including bluegrass, country, gospel and some western. We request acoustic instruments only please. We welcome both participants and music lovers who enjoy listening to good live music. There’s no charge and we welcome beginners and gladly ofer gentle assistance. We meet at First Presbyterian Church, 502 Eldridge Rd, Sugar Land. Please call Sam at 832-428-3165 for further information.

GIVE A GIFT OF HOPE

Give a Gift of Hope one-time or monthly. Your help provides access to therapies and services children with autism might otherwise go without. Please consider Hope For Three in your Estate, Planned, or Year-End Giving. Register now, or learn more about exciting events: www.hopeforthree.org/events.

DVD-BASED ADULT SUNDAY

SCHOOL CLASS WITH NO

HOMEWORK REQUIRED

Weekly class designed to help you understand and appreciate the Bible by giving you a better sense of the land and culture from which it sprang. The class meets at 9:30 am every Sunday at First Presbyterian of Sugar Land (502 Eldridge Rd.). For more information call 281-240-3195.

EXCHANGE

EXCHANGE, America’s Service Club, always welcomes guests and is in search of new members! Various Fort Bend clubs exist and can accommodate early morning (7 a.m.), noon and evening meeting time desires. For more info, contact Mike Reichek, Regional Vice President, 281-575-1145 or mike@reichekfnancial.com We would love to have you join us and see what we are all about!

MISSOURI CITY AARP CHAPTER 3801

Meets the second Monday of every month at 11:30 a.m., at 2701 Cypress Point Dr., Missouri City Rec Center. Lunch, education, and entertainment. All seniors over 50 invited. For more information, call 713-859-5920 or 281-499-3345.