Winter Echo 2022

Holiday Holiday Helpers

From the Publisher’s Desk

It’s cold outside (or at least I hope it still is by the time this magazine comes back from the printer,) but this edition will warm anyone’s heart.

In the middle of the year, when we had a planning meeting to discuss upcoming sections and, specifically, the focus of this edition, we really wanted to do something that we hadn’t seen showcased recently.

It’s easy to do warm, fuzzy stories of happy times in people’s lives.

Unfortunately, the holiday season is not warm and fuzzy for all. Life continues, even through the holiday season, and when you are facing hardships already, it can enhance the struggles.

For that reason, we decided to focus on the people in our local communities that take time to see the true reason for the season and make it their mission to brighten as many faces as possible.

Unfortunately, there is sometimes a negative stigma related to people using these community resources. A commenter on our Facebook page said it best: “Struggling should never be shameful, it’s a part of many people’s lives and it’s where I found my strength … It’s that appreciation that has allowed me to unselfishly help others and fill me with the need to always pay it forward.”

I would like to be clear in stating: if you are in a tough position this year and need some support to get your family through, I hope you have the courage to reach out to the organizations on the following pages. Asking for help is one of the strongest, bravest things a person can do. You are loved and valued.

To the volunteers that spend all year preparing for this season and those who spend the season giving without asking for anything in return, thank you — you are truly one of a kind.

If you are looking for a way to give back this season, we hope you will reach out the organization that speaks the most to your heart, whether it is among these pages or not.

Our hope is that by sharing these stories, we can inspire readers to help their neighbor out and show others that there is no shame in needing help.

Stay warm and have a wonderful holiday season.

Photo credit: Morgane Le Breton. Ym4my-Xj8EY. Unsplash

Ashley

Ashley Kontnier

Dare to Dream:

Austin Angels program mentors adopted youth

By Amira Van Leeuwen

Javelynn Chadwick went to church one Sunday where she was taking notes on the sermon. At the end of the lined paper, it asked, “What is God telling you today?”

She scribbled her response: They are the right family, you belong.

Javelynn had been in the foster care system for three years before Athene and Brendon Chadwick adopted her. After her adoption, Austin Angels gave Javelynn a mentor, Conner Board, through the Dare to Dream Program, which aims to provide oneon-one mentorship and guidance to youth in their accomplishments of developmental milestones.

Board began working with the Austin Angels Dare to Dream Program in August 2021 and was matched with Javelynn based on common interests; they both enjoyed outdoor activities and had a strong connection with their faith.

Athene said Javelynn’s been fortunate to have groups like Austin Angels that can give her extra support.

“Sometimes they would go to places, other times they would go upstairs and play guitar and sing Taylor Swift songs,” Athene said. “It also gave Javelynn someone to look up to, like a big sister.”

Board said that Austin Angels is really good about partnering people intentionally and giving

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Minutes after the judge signed off (via Zoom) on Javelynn’s adoption. “We were all super emotional, and it was a very moving legal proceeding,” Athene said. “Even the judge got choked up.”

a lot of support to their mentors through extensive training.

“I think it’s really amazing that they really take into consideration what each child needs and who can be the best mentor for them,” Board said.

One of Board’s most rewarding memories was being able to be a part of Javelynn’s adoption process.

When the Chadwicks first met Javelynn, she was 13, and they were not allowed to tell her they were looking into adoption. The couple just said they were foster parents who wanted more experience before their first placement.

“By the end of the first day, I was like, ‘We love her. She should stay forever,’” Athene said. After their initial meeting, the couple eagerly returned to their caseworker’s office and said they would love to continue getting to know Javelynn more.

Once Javelynn learned that the Chadwicks would adopt her, she felt excited. For her, being adopted meant she finally had a family that cared deeply for her.

“She was just so over the moon,” Board said. “It was really cool to see her grow and I feel like she’s gained so much confidence over the past year, not just from mentoring, I think just from being with her family, with the Chadwicks, in having a permanent home and a really amazing mom and dad.

For Javelynn, having Board as a mentor and friend has been helpful for her.

“She always gives me advice,” the 14-year-old said.

Javelynn said Board had helped her through feelings of stress and depression; the two would also do outside activities including hiking and tennis.

“She just shows so much kindness and love to everyone that you’d just never know that the world hasn’t always been kind to her,” Board said. “She just loves everyone really big, and I think that’s amazing.”

For more information about how to donate to the organization, visit https://www.austinangels.com/donate.html.

The Chadwicks attended a monthly gathering for the Embrace Ministry that their church offers for foster/ adopt families. Typically, children play together while the adults discuss an array of educational topics. It also provides a time for fellowship. “That particular day we were celebrating National Adoption day, and one of the members, an adult who was adopted as a child [and] is a photographer took Christmas pictures for anyone who wanted to have them done,” Athene said. “Javelynn was the one who suggested we all wear ugly sweaters.”

Javelynn with her 4-month-old puppy, Fozzie, who will be trained to be an emotional support dog for her.

product of Barton Publications

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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“By the end of the first day, I was like, ‘We love her. She should stay forever,’” Athene said.

Holiday Calendar

Dripping Springs

2023 Polar Bear Splash • Jan. 1, 10 to 11 a.m. James Adkins Pool, 1100 W. Center St. Santa Rides in Kyle • Dec. 13-15

Holiday Hair with Santa • Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lehman High School Lobo Looks Salon $20

Plum Creek Holiday Bazaar • Dec. 10 from 7 to 10 p.m. Fergus Park, 450 Haupt, Kyle, Texas

25 Days of Christmas • Dec. 1-25 Mary Kyle Hartson Park (101 S. Burleson St.)

Buda

Citizen holiday displays • Now through Jan. 8, 2023 Downtown Buda Greenbelt

Buda Trail of Lights • Dec. 9-11 and 16-21 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Stagecoach Park, Hawk Lane, Buda, Texas

Holiday Family Campout • Dec. 10-11 YMCA of Austin: Camp Moody

Holiday movies: The Polar Express, The Grinch (2018) and Elf • Dec. 12 from 6 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. Doc’s Drive In Theatre

Buda Festival of Trees • Dec. 12 through Jan. 10 Downtown Buda Greenbelt Cocoa Jingle • Dec. 21, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Downtown Buda

KyleHill Country Holiday Bazaar • Dec. 10, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Dec. 11 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 26025 Ranch Road 12, Dripping Springs, Texas

Wimberley

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some) • Dec. 11, 2:30 to 5 p.m. 450 Old Kyle Road, Wimberley, Texas

24th Annual Trail of Lights at the EmilyAnn Theatre & Gardens • Dec. 3-4, Dec. 7-11, Dec. 1423, Dec. 26, 6 to 9 p.m. and from 6 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays

Winter’s Eve • Dec. 10, 12-8 p.m. Wimberley Square Stroll Wimberley Square during the holidays. An annual event sponsored by the Wimberley Merchant’s Association. Shopping, drinking, Santa, fun and entertainment for all.

Wimberley

Christmas Market Days • Dec. 15, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. 1205 Texas Hwy. 123 Ste. 203, San Marcos, Texas

Sights & Sounds of Christmas (Week 2) • Dec. 8-10 from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. 401 E. Hopkins St. San Marcos, Texas 78666

No Holiday Blues:

Blue Santa programs brighten Christmas

By Brittany Anderson

Blue Santa programs have been in communities across the nation for decades, collecting and wrapping gifts for families in need of a little extra help during the holidays. Locally, the Buda Police Department and Kyle Law Enforcement Association (KLEA) are part of this effort.

KLEA has facilitated the Blue Santa program for years, taking in toys, new bikes and preparing food boxes for hundreds of families in Kyle.

Buda’s Blue Santa adds a twist to the usual program with its “Shop with a Cop” component. Buda PD community affairs officer Freddy Erdman said that the department receives referrals from local Buda schools with a list of students who “do not have the financial resources to have a Christmas.” From there, the department will pick up the students in patrol cars, pair them up with officers and have a “big shopping day” at Walmart.

Erdman said that while there is a budget allowance based on the amount of donations received, students are able to not just shop for themselves,

but also for their parents and siblings. Afterward, they’re taken to lunch at Dan’s Hamburgers and the presents they bought are taken back by the department, wrapped and later delivered to their homes so they can celebrate Christmas with their families and new gifts.

For both programs, this holistic effort shows community at its best, even by those taking part in the program themselves.

“One of our sergeants had a little boy who started shopping and we got halfway through and all he had done was buy presents for his family, not one present for himself,” Erdman said. “We had to remind him that the shopping and Christmas was for him too, and he finally got a couple things for himself. He took the opportunity to provide for his own family first. It was super sweet.”

KLEA Blue Santa coordinator Briana Geddes said that the program gives people an opportunity to not just have a better Christmas with their families, but also gives the department an opportunity to have a positive interaction with the community that they don’t always get to have — a sentiment shared by

Buda PD.

“We care about the welfare of our community in a lot of ways — not just crime prevention. We enjoy being able to develop those partnerships with the kids and strengthen our relationship with the community and have positive contact with people,” Erdman added. “Some of the kids, they might have negative images of cops because of life experiences

… This allows us to overcome some of the roadblocks. We get to hear their stories and humanize the badge a little bit.”

Both Blue Santa programs would not be possible without support from the community, either. Along with having regular donors and good partnerships with local organizations and businesses, volunteers from around the community team up to help collect, wrap and deliver gifts for the program.

Recently, the police departments had a little friendly competition between the local fire departments in the Blue Santa Dam 5 Miler vs. Beat the Heat 5K/10K races, put on by For the Love of Go. Through efforts like these, hundreds of dollars are able to be raised and go directly toward the program.

While Blue Santa operates around Christmastime, monetary and gift donations are usually accepted throughout the year. To get involved, visit www. kpea.us for more information on KLEA’s Blue Santa program, and www.budatx.gov/406/Blue-Santa for more information on Buda PD’s Blue Santa program.

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Hays CISD Angel Tree program gives back

By Amira Van Leeuwen

Every year, Hays CISD coordinates an Angel Tree by pairing employees, businesses, churches and civic organizations with children from families in the district to provide low-income families with gifts for Christmas.

“Families that are struggling and parents — they may not have the resources to provide their kiddos with a Christmas, so that’s our job,” said Keyawna Glaze, Hays CISD volunteer and partnership coordinator.

Compared to the broader Project Angel Tree, Hays CISD Angel Tree focuses on its students and the Hays CISD community.

“I think it’s a beautiful program that we have because there is a lot of need in this community,” volunteer Teresa Salinas said.

Salinas has been volunteering with the program since her kids were in elementary school.

“I think it’s amazing how people are willing to give when asked,” Salinas said.

Individuals in the Hays CISD community can adopt a family by filling out the Family Match Form, which will match them with a family via email based on various preferences like family size and the number of desired families to help. Cash donations are also accepted at the Hays CISD Administration office located at 21003 Interstate 35 Frontage Road in Kyle.

As of Nov. 16, the Hays CISD Angel Tree initiative has had 90 donors sign up and about 126 families will be receiving gifts fo Christmas this year.

“Our community is so amazing. Everyone is so helpful to one another,” Glaze said. “I feel like that's the great part of being in Hays, is the community involvement.”

Those who are interested in participating or would like to apply for assistance may sign up until Dec. 9.

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Angel Tree volunteer Teresa Salinas carries Christmas gifts while volunteering.

Operation Christmas Child instills hope

By Megan Wehring

Shoeboxes can be more than storing a favorite pair of sneakers.

OCC was started in the ‘90s by Samaritan’s Purse to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world. Through shoebox gifts, OCC delivers joy and the message of Jesus Christ to children in need around the world.

Each box is packed full of quality toys, school supplies and personal care items. For many children, the Operation Christmas Child shoebox is the first gift they have ever opened.

The gifts are shipped outside the U.S. to children affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, famine and disease and to children living on Native American reservations in the U.S.

Background & History

In the summer of 1993, Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham received a call from

a man in England asking if he would be willing to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in wartorn Bosnia. Graham agreed, but figured Christmas was months away. He forgot about the promise until he received a call back around Thanksgiving asking about the gifts.

Graham asked his friend, the late Pastor Ross Rhoads of Calvary Church of Charlotte, to see if he could help. On a Sunday shortly after, Pastor Rhoads demonstrated to his congregation how to fill a shoebox with simple gifts and encouraged them to include a letter to the child. Within weeks, the church had 11,000 shoeboxes lining its hallways. Due to their generosity and additional gifts from Canada, Samaritan’s Purse sent 28,000 shoebox gifts to children in the Balkans that Christmas.

Impact of a Box

More than 9,000 year-round volunteers get the word out

It is

about Operation Christmas across the nation and 80,000 short-term volunteers serve in more than 4,000 drop-off locations open across the U.S. every year during National Collection Week (Nov. 14 through Nov. 21).

Samaritan’s Purse reported that in 2021 alone, more than 10.5 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts were collected throughout Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom

and the U.S.

“Operation Christmas Child, at least to me, is like a message of hope,” said Daryll Knight, the volunteer area coordinator for several counties including Hays, Caldwell, Bastrop and south Travis. “I think for a lot of folks, it’s a labor of love and part of the great commission. We need to get the good news out all over the world.”

While National Collection Week takes place during November and Christmas is in the project’s

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARYLL KNIGHT

an all-hands-on-deck effort for packing shoeboxes, including little ones.

Tables are filled with gift items for packing at Manchaca Baptist Church. The church reported that its goal was to pack 1,850 boxes for Operation Christmas Child, but with the help of its volunteers, Approximately 1,940 boxes were packed ones.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARYLL KNIGHT

name, Knight explained that it’s a year-round effort for some.

“We have some churches that actually collect items all year round,” Knight said. “Whenever it comes to the collection week or right before that, they have a packing party. Everybody gets together with empty shoe boxes and stuffs some with the items that they can find on the tables.”

Diane Hill of Hays Hills Baptist Church said that she holds Operation Christmas Child near and dear to her heart. This is the fifth year that Hill has been in charge of the collection center at the church, but prior to her leadership position, she volunteered her time.

“I’m a very hands-on type of person and I know that this is something that I can physically do,” Hill said. “I know that every

box that I pack is going into a child’s hands somewhere in the world and they are going to have the opportunity to care about Jesus Christ.”

She said there are suggested items that can be collected during specific times of the year.

“When school supplies go on sale, that’s when [Samaritan’s Purse] suggests you buy school supplies, but a lot of us look around and check for sales yearround,” Hill said.

For more information about the impact of Operation Christmas Child, visit https:// www.samaritanspurse.org/ what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/. Packing instructions can be found at https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARYLL KNIGHT Volunteers range from children to seniors for Operation Christmas Child.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARYLL KNIGHT

Several churches across the nation, including locally in Hays County, are participating in packing parties for Operation Christmas Child. Seated is Cheryl Gerard and standing are Vickie Rubsman (right) and Rebecca Norris (left).

Having a full belly, presents under the Christmas tree and the money to make this possible is something many of us take for granted during the holidays. But needing help this time of year to accomplish this should never be shameful — and thankfully, there are local programs and a supportive community ready to help.

Each year, hundreds of families across Hays County receive assistance from Brown Santa, a program organized by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. It’s been around since the ‘80s when it originally started off as a holiday stuffed animal collection for children, plus a way for law enforcement to “break the ice” with the kids of the community by interacting in a more casual setting.

Throughout the years, Brown Santa has transformed into a larger program that collects toys, canned goods and monetary donations from local businesses and the community, offering families in need across the county an opportunity to make their holidays a little brighter.

HCSO Lt. Dennis Gutierrez, who has headed the program for more than 30 years, said that there are many families who won’t have Christmas gifts if they don’t provide help. This is what makes Brown Santa all the more important.

“There are a lot of people hurting. … It’s been a tough year,” Gutierrez said. “My briefing [to volunteers] is, you may get to the house and see it’s nice and the car is nice, but you don’t know their circumstances. They could have lost someone, are going through an illness or they lost their job.”

Depending on the size of the household (some get two to three boxes), applicants generally receive two toys and a box with things like board games, coloring books and stuffed animals, plus a turkey breast, milk, bread and other nonperishable canned goods.

Law enforcement, community spread holiday cheer through Brown Santa

By Brittany Anderson

No item goes to waste, either. Aside from helping out local families who apply, toys that aren’t given to families will be delivered to churches, youth shelters, organizations like the Knights of Columbus and to foster children and children placed in homes by CPS.

The program is truly a community effort, with dozens of volunteers helping collect items and a team delivering them to 20 to 25 families each. The deliveries, Gutierrez said, are all part of the fun.

“When you see these kids light up when we’re showing up with toys, to see the look on their faces, is worth it,” Gutierrez said, adding that they also often drive through the neighborhoods with basketballs and footballs and toss them to children playing outside.

There’s still time to help out with Brown Santa this year:

• Monetary contributions in the form of a check or money order can be made payable to “Hays County Brown Santa” and mailed to 102 Wonder World Drive #304-564, San Marcos, TX 78666. Venmo and Square app payments are

also accepted; more information is on the Hays County Brown Santa Facebook page. Contact Lt. Gutierrez at (512) 393-7877 regarding cash donations.

• Unwrapped toy donations are due by Dec. 9. Wrapped toy donations are due Dec. 12. Toys will be wrapped at 120 Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos on Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and on Dec. 12 and 13 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m; volunteers are needed and children are welcome to help as well.

• Toy donations can be arranged for pick up, or dropped off at one of the locations below:

• Kyle: Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Beth Smith office; RBFCU

• Buda: Pct. 5 Justice of the Peace Lucinda Doyle office; RBFCU; Falcon International Bank; Triple Elevation Custom Creations

• Dripping Springs: Pct. 4 Hays County offices; RBFCU; SouthStar Bank

• Wimberley: Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Andy Cable office; ACE Hardware

• San Marcos: HCSO; Southside Community Center; RBFCU; Austin Telco Federal Credit Union; the Edward Jones office on San Antonio Street

In 2021, the Hays CISD Student Health Services, Hays HS Campus Crime Stoppers and Criminal Justice department teamed up to host a toy and food drive for Brown Santa. Many Hays CISD campuses participated and collected tons of items for families. The program sees an outpour of support like this from schools, businesses, organizations and residents across the county each year.

Toys for Tots:

It’s more than just a toy, it’s a gift

By Megan Wehring

For the 75th year, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is collecting new unwrapped toys for children in need this Christmas.

Toys for Tots was founded in 1947 by Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks when his wife Diane wanted to deliver handmade dolls to an agency that supports children in need, but there was not an organization of that sort at the time. Inspired by his wife’s generosity, Hendricks and the Marines in his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys that year.

Seeing such successful community engagement in 1947, the commandant directed all Marine Reserve sites to implement a Toys for Tots campaign, transforming it into a national community action program in 1948.

Hendricks’s civilian job was the director of public relations at Warner Brothers Studios. He was friends with many celebrities, whom he asked to help support the newly created Marine Toys for Tots Program; even Walt Disney designed the first Toys for Tots poster, which included a miniature three-car train that was subsequently adopted as the campaign’s logo.

Currently, the program distributes an average of 18 million toys to seven million children annually in the U.S. At the local level in the Austin campaign, which also covers Hays County,

about 45,000 toys were distributed to about 30,000 children last year.

“We collect toys for families in need [during] Christmas time,” said Staff Sergeant David Wood, Toys for Tots coordinator in Austin. “We also support school districts, churches and other nonprofit organizations that register through us. We give them toys to support the families that they have registered with them.”

Wood said that the program also collects monetary donations, which are used to buy toys for the age groups that need more when it comes time to distribute the toys to the families.

“It’s families that are on some sort of government assistance and if they are not on government assistance, it goes to income-based,” Wood said. “The foundation has paperwork that they pre-designate that a household of a certain number makes below this much money and they are qualified. We do get a little bit of leeway if they are over that because we are trying to help anybody.”

While Wood is required to participate in the Toys for Tots program because he is in a reserve unit, he volunteers his time as a coordinator to help families.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than wanting to help families that are in need, especially in the times that we are in with inflation the way it is,” Wood said. “I know how it is. I grew up not getting everything that I wanted and I would like to do everything I can to help families have a good Christmas.”

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Donation table for Toys for Tots

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Bikes are considered to be the most requested gifts.

Tatiana Palacios Foundation: From trauma to triumph

By Amira Van Leeuwen

Delma Palacios, a former Kyle resident, had just put her 6-month-old daughter Tatiana Aaliyah Palacios down to sleep. About an hour later, she picked her up and noticed she was pale and limp.

The Tatiana Palacios Foundation was named after Tatiana, who passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in May 2017. Although Delma lives in Cibolo now, the foundation helps anyone between Austin and San Antonio.

“I started it [the foundation] because I just wanted something to honor her, something that would still carry her name on and almost become like my baby,” Delma said.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Conchita and Delma.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Tatiana Aaliyah Palacios’s first Easter.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Tatiana with big sister, Heaven Leigh.

A couple of years after Tatiana’s death, Delma’s mother, who works as a registered nurse, began fostering an older woman named Conchita Paiz. But then she picked up a second job that required more travel. Since Paiz needed more care, she asked Delma if she would like to foster her.

While fostering Paiz, Delma realized Paiz had no family and had never been outside of San Antonio.

“When we fostered her, we took her to Colorado with us and she kept telling me, ‘Delma, look at all the mountains,’” Delma said. “It made me feel fulfilled to give her another experience that she otherwise wouldn’t have experienced if she hadn’t lived with me because she had been in group homes for so long.”

The foundation provides support to individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ten to 15 individuals have received help from the foundation so far.

“I just feel like having the foundation has given me a purpose to continue pouring my love that I had for my daughter, but into other people,” Delma said.

The foundation also provides roadside assistance, including gas delivery, battery jumps and towing within a 100-mile radius. It hands out gift cards, which can be used for food, hygiene products and gas, along with transportation to doctor’s appointments.

“One of the biggest things that we do is help them [people] apply for either government programs or waiver programs,” Delma said. “Those are really important to get on because the waiting list is so long.”

Delma emphasized that the foundation focuses more on the quality of assistance rather than the number of people assisted, similar to Paiz’s experience.

Paiz passed away from COVID-19 in 2021; she was 46. After her death, Delma decided to open a group home because Delma’s second daughter, Heaven Leigh Palacios, had experienced Paiz’s and Tatiana’s deaths in the same house.

“I felt it was too much trauma for her,” Delma said.

Palacios Foundation plans to open its first group home in December in the Schertz-New Braunfels area.

“We’re hoping with our group home, we’ll be able to provide more one-on-one assistance in a more substantial way and to more people,” Delma said.

For more information, visit https:// the-tatiana-palacios-foundation.business. site/.

A product of Barton Publications

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Conchita Paiz in Keystone, Colorado.

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Conchita Paiz and Heaven Leigh Palacios sitting together in Keystone, Colorado.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season!

Barton

Megan Wehring Navarro Editor

Brittany Anderson Reporter

Amira Van Leeuwen

Reporter

Natalie Frels-Busby Copy Editor/Page Designer

Arlene Monroe Front Office/Circulation

Elizabeth Garcia Website Manager

Schelly Bartels Vice President

Tania French President

Ashley Kontnier Publisher/Vice President