13 minute read
EXPERIENCE LIBERTY HILL
The Venmo Challenge
Last Fall, a woman in Tennessee went viral on TikTok, asking followers to Venmo her any amount of money so she could leave a good tip at a struggling restaurant. After sharing a $3,000 tip with three servers, she continued her fundraising efforts... and started a trend.
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Venmo is a mobile app that does not charge a service fee to facilitate peer-to-peer money transactions.
BUT WAIT...
In Liberty Hill, after a long year managing lockdowns, anxiety, and myriad needs, Pastor Shayne O’Brien and RockPointe Church’s creative team challenged members to do the same. They were asked to give $50,000 to help individuals and families for Christmas. The team had some families in mind with specific needs for their physical and emotional health but the church response was greater than what anyone might have expected.
The church collected donations through the app to help individuals and businesses struggling to survive during the slowdown. Worship leader Adam Stone said, “During the pandemic so many people needed help. Instead of being overwhelmed with the great need we tried to focus on helping those we could in big and small ways. If God put them in our path, we helped them through the Venmo challenge.”
Having received a little celebrity help to overwhelm the coffers—actor Brian Baumgartner, (Kevin on NBC’s “The Office”), Chuck Norris, and Santa, helped the church family raise $62,657—the generosity continued well beyond the Christmas season.
Among the beneficiaries of their holiday campaign was a man who received a dental makeover to improve his health, and hope to improve his career prospects. Another family was able to travel to Colorado to share snow with their two sons born with cystic fibrosis. Among the other 200plus stories are families who received hope and help for adoptions and new homes.
RockPointe Pastor Shayne O’Brien and a few team members in Louisiana, helping rebuild after Hurricane Laura.
THERE’S MORE...
Not content to stop with one great holiday success, the church initiated a new campaign; to raise $25,000 between Easter and Mother’s Day to help The Yellow House Foundation build a new home.
The Yellow House Foundation (YHF) is a non-profit, volunteer-driven, and free program that provides 12 Step Programs for recovery of alcohol and substance abuse in Leander, Cedar Park & surrounding Williamson County area.
Due to the growth of the area and an increase in the number of sufferers seeking support they are working to expand their capacity beyond their current 43 meetings per week. “Helping people and their families have the tools to heal from life’s hurts is our passion and our purpose.” Says Pastor Shayne O’Brien. True to form, the church hit their goal and kept going beyond $25,000.
photo courtesy Adam Stone
WAYS TO GIVE
RockPointe Church hopes to create a ripple effect of good, not just within their church but across the nation. “There is so much opportunity, whether it is to help a neighbor down the street with a utility bill, a teacher at the school, or a single mom who is doing this thing on her own. Our pastor always says ‘do for one, what you can’t do for everyone’ and we live by that at RockPointe.”
Church leaders are not managing campaigns at this time but they encourage everyone to find ways to help anyone in need. All it takes is a quick ‘ask’ about a potential benefactor’s Venmo name. Think of it as a 21st century—and digitally secure—version of “Brother, can you spare a dime?”
Love of Outdoors— Guaranteed
THIS ORGANIZATION CARES GREATLY ABOUT FAMILY VALUES AND MAKING SURE OUR YOUTH HAVE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES WE CAN GIVE THEM, BOTH IN AND BEYOND OUR MONTHLY GATHERINGS.
THEY HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO MANY GREAT THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
For Hill Country Bowhunters, hunting is optional
~Offutt Family foundation Over the past few decades, children’s relationships with the great outdoors and nature has changed dramatically. The national panic about kids spending too much time indoors has become so extreme that the crisis even has a name: Nature Deficit Disorder.
Fortunately, one local organization is working hard to change that. Hill Country Bowhunters is a family-oriented group of volunteers who care greatly about family values and making sure our youth are introduced to outdoor activities—including, but not limited to archery. They provide opportunities for our youth to participate in activities not in front of a screen while coming together with family and friends in a safe outdoor environment .
Kids adapt archery skills but also learn responsibility by maintaining their equipment, practicing often, and being a supporting member of the organization through volunteer work.
ACTIVITIES
One of the larger activities HCB organizes is a group hunt and camp outing for the kids and their families at Arrowhead Ranch. Volunteer Caren Hasty says, “It is a great way to strengthen families and share our message about the positive effect of outdoor activities on children. It’s a time to unplug and leave the stress of school and life behind them for a while. Each kid not only gets to enjoy exploring the ranch with family and friends, but they also get to harvest an exotic animal from a pre-selected list provided by the ranch owners.” After hearing about the amazing things this organization is doing in Liberty Hill, HCB was awarded a $5,000 Community Builder grant from the Offutt Family Foundation and R.D Offutt Company.
BE A PART OF IT
Albert Hasty, President of Hill Country Bowhunters says, “We are always searching for new places for the kids. If you are a land owner and are interested in helping us by offering the youth a place to hunt, fish, or simply spend the afternoon learning about the outdoors, we are eager to hear from you.”
HCB hosts eight 3D archery tournaments annually and all proceeds are directed to the youth hunt program. Scan the code if you are interested in sponsoring, volunteering, becoming a member or to sign up for a tournament.
ADVERTORIAL COURAGE CHEER & DANCE UNITED
The strong sense of family and community fostered by owners and coaches Justin and Lauren Johnson is just part of what gives the 200-plus athletes and members at Courage Cheer & Dance United a sense of confidence and trust.
COACHES
Their love for and accomplishments in gymnastics and cheerleading led the Johnsons to open the gym in 2011 with a goal of training elite-level athletes. Lauren, a former teacher, says, “This is like no other sport—it’s art and athleticism at its best.”
They also went above and beyond to be certified to provide supportive child care for rural and lower-income families. Justin says, “We have a great Summer Day Camp with themed classes, plus open gym nights and birthday parties. During the school year we will grow to 250 kids, and our after-school kids receive the same quality training as our competitive athletes. We also plan to restart our Friday Night lockins for the next school year.”
Lauren agrees, “The gym is like a family; we treat every kid and parent like a member of our own family. We want each to feel the love we have for the sport and the athletes. I can’t wait to get there every day to help them do things they didn’t think they could. We push them to push themselves mentally and physically and, of course, to have courage.”
ATHLETES
The gym’s competitive reputation is as big as Texas. Having cheered and danced against teams around the nation and the world, they are running out of room to display the awards. Most recently all four competitive all-star cheer teams took 1st place at The Open Championships held in Orlando, FL.
Athletes come from all over, drawn by word-of-mouth praise and for opportunities to condition, travel, and even earn college scholarships. Several members of their co-ed teams are multi-sport athletes, gaining strength and balance to improve performance in everything from gymnastics to football.
Lauren is pleased that cheerleading continues to evolve as a sport, and teaches athletes the importance of team work and improving all skills, not just tumbling and stunting. Plus, cooperation and effort from every member is critical. Much of cheerleading is about uniformity, so each person is expected to perform at the same level as the rest.
THERE IS NO BENCH IN CHEERLEADING
At Courage, growth is for everyone, from tots to teens to grownups, who wish to grow in all aspects of fitness, dance, and cheer.
The Johnsons are doing private evaluations this month with an eye toward selecting teams at the end of Summer. Lauren adds, “Everything is bigger in Texas, including the pride we have in our cheerleaders.”
ALL-STAR • CHEER • AFTER SCHOOL COURAGE NINJA • TUMBLING COMPETITIVE CHEER & DANCE • TOTS 134 JONATHAN DRIVE • 512-289-4616
by Charlotte Kovalchuk • charlotte@lhtxdigest.com
Thanks to a wonderful school district, restaurants, as well as parks and a splash pad, Liberty Hill is already well on its way to becoming a lifetime destination.
Ayoung town of 4,000, Liberty Hill is still stepping into its identity while preparing for the growth that is visible from its home at the intersection of State Highways 29 and 183. “Economic development is like a wave that’s coming,” Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Matt Powell says. “The wave is passing through Cedar Park and Leander and you can just see it on the horizon. What can we do today to start paddling so when it arrives, we’re in the best position to surf it?”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Liberty Hill EDC has been working to answer that question since the early 2000s. Formed just after Liberty Hill was incorporated in 1999, the seven-member team is on a mission to transform the community into a lifetime destination with a vibrant downtown and an abundance of local shopping options.
Part of that goal includes changing Liberty Hill’s status as a bedroom community by bringing primary jobs to the area—everything from retail positions to manufacturing and professional desk jobs.
Matt says, “I believe we can do our part to help raise the quality of life here while providing protections to areas like downtown that we want to see prosper.”
Matt says, “Liberty Hill is being filled with people that are seeking a better life for themselves and their families. They are seeking good schools for their children, they’re seeking a place to live, a place to raise their families.” The EDC’s next step is commissioning studies to learn what types of businesses the organization and City want to recruit, as well as how to diversify jobs while preserving Liberty Hill’s character and uplifting current businesses. “We want to attract new businesses but also be an excellent support network for businesses already here,” Matt says.
One challenge in recruiting businesses is Liberty Hill’s population of just a few thousand. “It’s obviously hard for businesses to commit until the rooftops are there, and it’s hard to get rooftops until there are businesses. It’s the chicken and egg deal,” says Jace Mattinson, chief financial officer of Higginbotham Brothers.
courtesy LibertyHillWorks.com
L-R: Eric Bailey, John Clark, Jamie Etzkorn, Adrienne Hughes, John Johnston, and Michael Helbing sit on the Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation board of directors.
But the hardware giant decided to build its 40th location in Liberty Hill anyway, drawn by the area’s growth potential and lack of competition. The company had already bought land off Highway 29 when the Liberty Hill EDC reached out, asking how the organization could help speed up the process. Impressed by Liberty Hill’s vision of embracing smart growth, Jace and his team opened Higginbotham Brothers in Liberty Hill in October 2020. Thanks in part to a small jobsbased incentive from the EDC, they ramped up hiring faster than expected in their first year. “Our sales tax revenue is staying in the local market instead of a neighboring city like Leander, Cedar Park, or Georgetown,” Jace says.
SHOPPING LOCAL
The EDC hopes to promote that local shopping goal by launching a Buy Local program to encourage residents to keep their dollars in Liberty Hill. “Liberty Hillians are especially proud of their town,” Matt says. “If we give them local options, done respectfully, they will shop there to support their own community. They will be proud to shop local.”
Some businesses coming to town include Heritage Ridge, Tex-Mix, and Golf Cart King. Heritage Ridge is the ownership group of a large retail complex near Liberty Hill Junior High and are currently negotiating contracts with multiple shops and restaurants. Their incentive from the EDC is for enhanced water and wastewater infrastructure and to add a hike and bike trail along the back of their development. No incentive dollars are going to any end user, Matt says.
Tex-Mix provides concrete services throughout Central Texas and are moving their professional and sales offices to Liberty Hill in the Vista at 29 retail and office complex currently under construction. Golf Cart King will be building a manufacturing and distribution center, as well as the headquarters for the company, behind the QT.
Matt calls these business deals collectively transformative. “The generation of new dollars for the city will total over a million dollars per year once these projects are all open and operating, not to mention the new jobs being created in the city—white collar to blue collar to retail,” he says.
To learn more about the Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation, visit LibertyHillWorks.com.
