A publication of the Edinburg Housing Authority.
EL REFLEJO Volume 1 Issue 12
RODOLFO “RUDY” RAMIREZ Executive Director
December 2015
EHA celebrates its 3rd Annual Toy Drive with 509 smiles!
BOARD OF COMISSIONERS 2015 JOE RODRIGUEZ CHAIRMAN
ARMANDO BARRERA VICE-CHAIRMAN
EDUARDO GONZALEZ COMMISSIONER
ELIAS LONGORIA COMMISSIONER
JUAN GUZMAN
RESIDENT COMMISSIONER
Main Office
VOLUNTEERS- Participants of the 3rd Annual EHA Toy Drive gather to take a group picture before wrapping up the day of a succesful toy giveaway.
On Dec. 22 the Edinburg Housing Authority (EHA), in collaboration with the City of Edinburg Police Department, held its 3rd Annual Toy Drive. Over 500 toys were collected and distributed to children of the EHA developments.
Ciro Treviño Administration Building
910 S. Sugar Rd. Edinburg, Texas, 78539 REGULAR HOURS Mon.—Thurs. 8 a.m.—5:30 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
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FAMILY - Edinburg PD Officer Peña with a family from the City of Edinburg.
EHA was able to collect toy donations for every child, from ages 0-12, in all five of our developments. The EHA staff,
Youth Leadership Association (YLA), Edinburg P.D., members from Whiskey D. Band and other community members volunteered to gift all children a toy for this Christmas season. Our journey started at La Posada development, where parents with their children lined up to receive toys. Following, we caravanned to Lantana, El Jardin, Albores Courts and ended at Ramirez Apartments and in the same way children received their toys. When the event concluded at Ramirez, everybody and those who received gifts enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by residents from the Ramirez residency.
Along with all the volunteers the honorary Blue Santa and his helper accompanied us to donate toys to all of our children. This event would not have been possible without the help of the community. We would like to thank all those who donated toys or funds, volunteered and helped prepare everything for the giveaway.
GIVEAWAY - Rock and Roll James handing out a christmas toy to a young boy.
This month’s highlights * CMP, Wreath and Cards, Page 2 * EHA Toy Drive (Continue), Page 2 * Announcements, Page 4 * Elderly ceremony..., Page 3
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Due to the surplus of toys that were donated, EHA collaborated with Sister Norma Pimentel from Sacred Heart Church in McAllen to donate the remaining toys. The donations will help the Catholic Charities USA, a Catholic organization that works to help the less fortunate. Not only will toys be provided, but other necessities as well to refugees seeking
help this Christmas season. It’s like this that the gift of giving continues at the Edinburg Housing Authority.
CHURCH - EHA staff and YLA youth with Sister Norma Pimentel at Sacred Heart Church.
“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” - Ruth Carter Stapleton
GROUP - Residents, volunteers, EHA staff and the Edinburg PD participants come together to take a group picture after the toy give away at the Lantana development pavilion.
Congratulations! EHA Directors make a mark! Edinburg Housing Authority would like to congratulate Public Housing Director Liz Hernandez and Section 8 Director Olga Regalado for receiving their Certified Public Manager (CPM) certificates. Hernandez and Regalado accomplished this through the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley‘s (UTRGV) Continuing Education Program, a 14-month course which allowed them to receive their certifications. They are an excellent example of how EHA encourages the continuation of education.
Make a Wreath day!
Our interns have done it once again! To prepare for the holiday festivities they put together a Christmas Wreath Activity class at La Posada on Monday Nov. 23. The objective of this activity was to empower women to become self-sufficient by learning and developing their crafting skills. Beautiful and unique wreaths were created by the participants, which they got to keep and hang on their door as décor for the Christmas holiday.
Merry Christmas to our residents! With Christmas being around the corner, our agency decided to visit all of our developments, door to door, to wish our residents a Merry Christmas. Each resident received a Christmas season greeting card that was designed by two of our youth residents. On behalf of the Edinburg Housing Authority we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and we remind you to stay safe and cherish the moments you spend with loved ones! 2
Certificate award ceremony for the elderly at the Edinburg Towers
APPRECIATION- Elderly residents of the Edinburg Towers development pictured with interns, yoga and art class instructors, UTRGV Social Work Department Chair and Edinburg Housing Authority Executive Director.
On Tuesday, December 15, 2015, Edinburg Housing Authority (EHA) held a certificate awards ceremony for the elderly residents of the Edinburg Towers. The awards ceremony was due to the residents’ completion of art therapy and yoga laughter classes taught by certified instructors. These classes were sponsored by EHA, and organized and initiated by EHA-UTRGV Social Work interns, Sulema Razo, Amy Martinez and Joana Martinez. These courses, organized specifically for the elderly residents, took place over a seven month period. The yoga course took place in the summer from June to August and was conducted by instructor Laura Hawk. The art course, taught by Yvonne
Bollair, began in July and concluded at the beginning of December. Both courses took place in the community center at the Edinburg Towers. The awards ceremony began with an introduction by EHA Executive Director, Rodolfo “Rudy” Ramirez, who congratulated the residents for their completion of the courses and presented each resident a certificate of completion. Following, the instructors, Laura Hawk and Yvonne Bollair, received special certificates for their efforts and said a couple of words of appreciation. Also given a special certificate was Lorenzo Zavala, for playing music at the art therapy classes. The ceremony was followed by a small reception that included food, mu-
ON BEHALF OF EHA 3
sic and a raffle for the residents, instructors, interns and guests. EHA would like to thank the interns for organizing these courses and instructors for donating their time to helping our elderly residents. The success of this project couldn’t have been achieved without the efforts of the interns and instructors. EHA would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Sudershan Pasupuleti, Professor and Department Chair, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), for the ongoing partnership between the Department of Social Work and EHA. Congratulations to the residents for their success. At the Edinburg Housing Authority, every resident matters.
HOMEWORK HELP IS HERE!
EHA is glad to announce its homework help sessions! The sessions are from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Mondays at La Posada, Ramirez and Albores; Tuesdays at Lantana ; and Mondays and Thursdays at El Jardin. All students from EHA are welcome to attend the sessions and get help with their homework. Computers are available for students to use in the designated time slots and books available to check out. Please assure that your son/daughter brings their homework and any other materials they may need. If you have any further questions regarding the homework help session, please contact Araceli Porras @ (956) 383-3839.
EHA welcomes all housing students 13 to 19-years-old to join the Youth Leadership Association! If you have a child that would like to learn more about or be a part of the Youth Leadership Association, he/ she can contact Diego Oros at doros@edinburgha.org or call him @ 956-383-3839.
Do you know an Achiever?
Check out our new blog!
Along with redesigning our website, we have created the EHA Achievers Blog to highlight the outstanding efforts of students pursuing a higher education, outstanding residents and interns that come gain valuable work experience at our agency. To view the EHA Achievers Blog please visit http://mediaha.wix.com/ehablog. If you know any EHA students that are currently attending college or have attended, as well as any residents that are doing or have accomplished outstanding things, please contact us so we can feature them in the EHA Achievers blog by calling Juan Garcia at 956-383-3839.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS Resident Meeting
Rent Deadline
Interested in finding out what’s happening at EHA or your development? Come find out at our next Resident Meeting. Meetings are led by the Executive Director Rodolfo “Rudy” Ramirez and all residents are invited. Our next meeting will be:
Due monthly by the 1st, but EHA gives you until the 5th to pay in full. There is a $15 fee for late payments.
Community Service
Residents 18+ years old who are not exempt must volunteer 8 hours a month in order to comply with HUD’s Community Service Requirement.
Feb. 10, 2016 @10 a.m at Ramirez
Please make arrangements to attend and receive one hour of community service. 4
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