News/Blog
Pawsitive Impacts for Homeless Neighbors
We all know that San Angelo is a hidden gem in the heart of West Texas. Even so, it’s no secret that we, as a city, have a major problem on our hands: many of our neighbors are homeless - and their pets are, too. CVCAA believes that we can make a difference in the lives of both our fellow humans and their furry friends, and here to help us along the way is our latest “partner in community”, Concho Valley Paws. We’ve teamed up with them so that we can help each other help others.
In the early morning of April 25th, dedicated staff at Concho Valley Paws came out to help our homeless neighbors by providing free spay and neuter surgeries for their pets - plus some extra services! Eleven dogs were spayed and neutered, and received microchips, vaccines, leashes, and collars on the 25th, alone. This number has a big impact; these things supply safety and security for pets and pet owners, and even just one spay or neuter surgery can prevent unplanned litters within the homeless community camps - the puppies from which would have a high likelihood of not surviving, or staying in the camp and breeding even more litters. These surgeries will give the pet owners some peace of mind, a financial weight off of their shoulders, and the comfort of knowing that they have one less thing to worry about. Sometimes one less thing is one more thing to be thankful for.
We spoke with Jenie Wilson, Executive Director of Paws, whose heart has recently been touched by this cause. She stated, “We will do this again until we have successfully vaccinated and fixed everyone.” She, then, brought up the insightful point that, often, when a pet is abandoned here in San Angelo, our homeless neighbors are the first to take them in and care for them. So why shouldn’t they have access to the same pet care services as other pet owners in the city? Jenie is eager to learn more about the needs of the homeless community as they relate to animal care.
“In time, this will make for a more
pleasant and healthier camp for the
dogs and will present fewer hardships
and heartaches for the people,”
- Jenie Wilson
Executive Director of Paws
Thank you, Concho Valley Paws! You have already made a difference! If you would like to help us obtain much-needed items for our homeless neighbors and their furry friends, please click the link below to go to our Amazon wish list! It is so easy to add items to your cart to be automatically shipped to us!
Each month, the staff at CVCAA nominate each other for going above and beyond in our service to the community and each other. This month, we are recognizing Angel Wells! Angel’s nominator had this to say about her work here at CVCAA:
“Angel is patient and caring when it comes to our clients and cohort. She is a great asset to CVCAA and I’m happy to get to work with her.”
Angel has only been working as a Housing Programs Associate for the past 5 months, but she is already making an impact on lives here in the Concho Valley.
When she isn’t at work, Angel relaxes by rolling skating and collecting Funko Pops. She also keeps us all on our toes with her stylish outfits.
When she is at work, Angel’s favorite part of the day is team-building activities. We haven’t made it a secret that at CVCAA, we work hard and take the time to play, too. Recently, Angel participated in our office paper airplane contest. While she didn’t take home the prize, we all had a good time building relationships with our co-workers and some of our community partners at ADACCV and Club House.
Angel also takes full advantage of all the training opportunities we offer at CVCAA. Since joining the staff, she’s learned just how important it is to be fully trained on your job, so you are fully prepared to help our neighbors. And that’s just what Angel does. Every day, she is living our mission of helping people and changing lives!
Community Action Month
May means a lot of things to a lot of people! To students, May means they’re one step closer to summer vacation. To West Texans, May means 100-degree weather is right around the corner. To CVCAA, May means it’s Community Action Month, a chance to celebrate the expansive network of agencies that work to make their individual, unique communities a great place to live even for the most vulnerable neighbors.
No one highlights the importance of Community Action Month better than the National Community Action Partnership Executive Officer Denise Harlow, who said “Community Action Month is a time for us to come together and elevate Community Action as a voice and driving force for opportunity in America. It’s a time to celebrate the people and communities we serve, who inspire us with their strength and resilience… But above all else, perhaps, Community Action Month serves as an affirmation of the power of our network.”
Growing out of LBJ’s War on Poverty and the advocacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the Community Action Network was created to help fight the root issues of poverty and provide a hand-up to families struggling to make ends meet. Today, we are proud to say we are 1000 agencies strong covering 99% of counties in the U.S.
Locally, CVCAA is excited to take this opportunity to share our work and impact with the rest of the Concho Valley. On May 4th, we were happy to attend the San Angelo City Council meeting where Mayor Brenda Gunter proclaimed May 2023 Community Action Month. Below, you can find a link to the video of our Proclamation, If you don’t already, follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see us promote our community partners, share the real action happening in your neighborhoods, and learn more about the power of Community Action Agencies across the country.
City of San Angelo Community Action Month Proclamation
Be Good to People
One of the things that fascinates me is how we perceive time. Some days and weeks move ever so slowly...plodding along as we watch the secondhand move. While some days fly and the next thing you know a month or two has passed and you ask yourself “Where did the time go?” This spring has been more of the latter...time flying so quickly. It seems like just yesterday we were in the doldrums of the end of winter, and now we’re already seeing temperatures in the 90s as we watch the calendar pages flip marking the end of rodeo season, the end of the school year, and preparations for the summer.
Here at CVCAA, it seems like we’re always moving quickly...planning one program while running another. In all this, we try to not lose sight of always Helping People and Changing Lives. All our planning is set in motion with a Community Needs Assessment that we conduct every three years. Our last one was in 2021, and wow look at the calendar...three years have almost flown by and we’re preparing for the next one. The Community Needs Assessment is an in-depth look at what the needs are for each of our service area counties. We’ll engage in a lot of conversations with people at all levels of the economic spectrum, focusing intently on what the needs of those at the lower end need. Once we complete the assessment we put it into action with our yearly Community Action Plan. We don’t like to let moss grow, as the old saying goes. Action is in our name, and we want to really work at identifying and then meeting those needs right away. And as we put things into action, we’re always evaluating how we are doing at the work. It’s a constant cycle, and it really allows us to meet the most needs of our communities.
I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes. Our agency staff is currently submitting quotes that they love to hang in our common areas in the office. I’ll leave you with this one, submitted by our Housing Team Lead Jennie Wagner.
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people.
Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” – Taylor Swift
As we work towards bettering our communities, we’re always trying to be good to people...especially those in need. As we plan, assess, act, and evaluate, we remember that the work we do is to the benefit of others so that they can in turn help someone else.
For Everyone Born,
Mike
One important aspect of Community Action Agencies is advocating for our low-income neighbors to make sure that their opinions and needs are being heard. This is something CVCAA has started to pay special attention to in the past 6 months. If you visit our Facebook page, you’ll see multiple instances where our leadership team has addressed San Angelo’s City Council on important topics such as the need for a homeless warming shelter during the winter months or the economic and social impact of non-profits on our city. Our Bridge Builders Advocacy event on Saturday, March 25th was the first step in bringing our neighbors’ needs directly to our officials’ ears.
We began our Saturday morning with coffee, donuts, and juice at First Presbyterian Church with our two facilitators Jason Sabo and Amanda Shelton with the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies. Once everyone was settled and the children were in the kid’s rooms, Jason proceeded to lead a discussion with the participants on what they wanted to see continue happening in San Angelo, what should start happening, and lastly, what needs to stop happening in this city. Each table with people from different backgrounds and experiences talked among themselves and shared their desires for San Angelo. Table representatives would then share with the larger focus group, summoning up nods of agreement from other neighbors who have seen the same thing.
After fully discussing numerous aspects of the city, we collected all of the papers and returned to our office to consolidate the data into an easy-to-read sheet. Later that evening, we sat down with City Council Member Larry Miller, SAISD School Board Member Ami Mizell-Flint, and County Commissioner Rick Bacon. Jason Sabo went point by point down our collected data with the trio, asking what can be done and what efforts are already in place. Having representatives from different parts of our local governments gave everyone the opportunity to see exactly where the progress kinks were occurring.
For our local officials that were not able to attend, the Bridge Builders’ results were sent out to be included in their weekly communication packets. Our Executive Director Mike Burnett has also sent each invited official an individual email with the Bridge Builders results document and an invitation to sit down and discuss how we can partner together for the good of our community. This Bridge Builders event was an amazing first step in closing the gaps between our elected representatives and the people they vow to serve.
Click below to see all of the data collected at our Bridge Builders Advocacy Event!
