FALL 2014 EASTPOINT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER San Antonio Eastside Promise Neighborhood and Choice Neighborhood Impact Area THE SOUL OF THE CITY IN THIS ISSUE ‘The Point’ is the official newsletter of EastPoint. We are powered by community, for the community. EastPoint Welcome 3 is the combined footprints of the Eastside Promise 4 A Planted Passion Neighborhood and the Choice P16 Promotes Attendance 4 Neighborhood grants. Midnight Basketball 5 If you live, work or go to Carver Summer Camps 5 school in the EastPoint area Carver’s New Season 6 and would like to contribute to Affordable Christmas 6 this newsletter please contact us at The MightyGroup Ella Austin 7 (210) 444-2315 or Wheatley Courts Celebration 8 [email protected]. New Glaucoma Clinic 9 New UHS Family Center 9 School News 10 EASTPOINTSA.ORG Job Fair 12 FACEBOOK.COM/EASTPOINTSA Promise Zone 101 13 @EASTPOINTSA Business Spotlight 13 EastPoint Partner Grants 14 Produced and Published by THE MIGHTYGROUP Community Partners 15 FRONT COVER PHOTO: Upcoming Events 16 Courtesy of San Antonio Housing Authority EASTPOINT PRIDE! EastPoint resident and former District 2 Councilwoman, Ivy R. Taylor was appointed Mayor by City Council on July 22, 2014, making history as the first African-American woman to serve as Mayor of San Antonio. Mayor Taylor assumed Julian Castro’s term when he accepted his position as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama’s administration. Mayor Taylor began her career in the Housing and Community Development Department and Neighborhood Action Department prior to being elected in 2009 and serving two and a half terms as the District 2 City Council Representative. Mayor Taylor is making good on her pledge to work with everyone to make San Antonio a great city and we thank her for her dedication and commitment to District 2 and The City of San Antonio. MAYOR IVY TAYLOR 2 EASTPOINT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER FALL 2014 : : Lea Thompson PHOTO BY PHOTO DEAR NEIGHBORS: I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy as we near the holiday season. My name is Keith A. Toney and I’m your new City Councilman for District 2. I am excited to begin the work of serving families and small businesses in what I consider to be the most unique district in San Antonio. Education and safety are two of the areas I intend to focus on while in office, and I invite you to join the conversation. Do you see something in our community that needs improvement? Or deserves acknowledgment? Please let my office know. We’re here for you. Let’s all work together and do good things for our District and for our City. I look forward to our continued dialogue. Warm Regards, Keith Toney Councilman District 2 3 Mr. Clarence Callies has resided on Guadalupe St. on the Westside of town A PLANTED Burleson St. in the Eastside for 42 of to educate others about the dangers of his 65 years. If you were to walk by his diabetes. Although nowadays Mr. Callies house you would stumble upon a rather harvests for personal use, he continues to extensive garden. Mr. Callies’ passion for humbly educate anyone willing to learn. PASSION His advice for new gardeners, “grow what gardening was planted generations ago By Vanessa Paiz by his grandparents who originated from you like and what you eat because, if you Victoria, Texas. A further devotion for a don’t care, your plants are going to die.” better diet was determined by a long He suggested cow, chicken and horse family history of diabetes which later led manure composts for a rich soil, and seeds to the amputation of Mr. Callies’ own left from Stoke Seeds and Burgress Seed foot and toes. “I remember and Plant Co. Mr. Callies’ my mom kept a jar of grease personal favorite nursery on the stove, that stuff damn is Fanick Garden Center near killed her” said Mr. and Nursery on 1025 Callies as he watered his GROW WHAT Holmgreen Rd, but he also garden and expressed the suggests Home Depot or importance of a fresh and Walmart for your gardening healthy diet. YOU LIKE needs. His garden produces an Alongside gardening, Mr. abundance of fruits and vegetables Callies pickles his favorite vegetables consisting of okra, collard greens, - jalapeños, okra and cucumbers - in cucumbers, sage, jalapeños, squash, vinegar with pickling salt. Just a few simple tomatoes, grapes, and a tree that sprouts ingredients but together they pack a five different types of plums. A former savory and refreshing taste. Thanks to Mr. wood shop teacher; Mr. Callies proceeded Callies for welcoming the community and to share his wisdom on gardening with his neighbors into his garden, as well as for his community and has sold his produce on time, wisdom and generosity. P16PLUS has been SAISD, which encompasses the see school attendance as an issue worth 6 public schools in EastPoint. By assembling fighting for and do your part. Together we can attendance teams in select schools, including ensure the success of our student body, by PROMOTES ATTENDANCE support from Communities In Schools, ensuring the presence of each student body. By Adam Tutor we have led an effort to diligently focus For more info on the SA Kids Attend to Win on select students exhibiting chronic initiative, please visit p16plus.org/whats-new/ Absenteeism is considered chronic when absenteeism, and provide constructive or contact Adam Tutor, Facilitator and Youth a student misses 10% or more of a school emotional, intellectual and physical support Coordinator at [email protected]. year (18 days), and it is an issue we are aimed at increasing their presence in the focusing on directly at P16Plus Council classroom. of Greater Bexar County. Our job is to ensure that every child, from cradle During the 2013-2014 school year, we to career, dramatically improves their were able to serve 894 students within educational success, and attendance is a SAISD, and of those 30.1% demonstrated huge part of that. Utilizing our strength as improvement in their attendance record. As a backbone organization, aligning efforts a result, students received that much more in the educational community through classroom instruction, positive engagement existing assets and mutually reinforcing with peers and teachers, and confidence activities, we have partnered with the San that their school desires their presence. Antonio community to move the needle on chronic absenteeism, to “Make Every Month A new school year is now upon us. You Attendance Awareness Month.” can have faith that we are fighting for your student to gain the most from the This effort is known as “SA Kids Attend to educational opportunities offered within this Win,” and a great partner along the way community. Yet we need your help. Please 4 EASTPOINT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER FALL 2014 CHANGE IS COMING HELP BUILD A SAFER, STRONGER & HEALTHIER COMMUNITY... BECOME THE PRIDE OF EASTPOINT CARVER SUMMER DANCE CAMPS Join the EastPoint Pride and help grow our Youth participated in a two-week dance intensive community! July 14-25, 2014. Students explored modern, jazz, ballet, hip-hop and African dances at The Carver Community Contribute to the Cultural Center. Go to thecarver.org for a full list of community newsletter, classes. distribute flyers, work PHOTOS COURTESY: on the events crew and Carver Community Cultural Center more. Contact us to join right away! Call 210-444-2315 for more info or email [email protected] 5 THE CARVER ANNOUNCES NEW 2014-2015 SEASON FROM LEFT: Billy Strayhorn, Heritage Blues Orchestra, Tango Buenos Aires & Rokia Traoré The Carver Community Cultural Center continues to be a source of pride for San Antonio’s eastside delivering world-class music and culture, season after season. This year is no exception drawing the talents of jazz vocalists Diane Reeves, and Gregory Porter on Oct. 11 and Dec. 20, jazz pianist Vijay Iyer on Jan. 17, the sounds of Tango Buenos Aires on March 14, and African singer Rokia Traoré on April 4. Other season highlights include the theatre presentation of Carpetbag Theatre’s Speed Killed My Cousin, Pedrito Martinez, Billy Strayhorn Centennial Concert, Complexions Dance, the Heritage Blues Orchestra and Valerie Simpson. For tickets or information on Carver season performances or subscriptions please call the Carver Box Office at 210-207-2234 or visit thecarver.org. AFFORDABLE CHRISTMAS Affordable Christmas will be back for its If you, your church, or business would SA Heals is a faith-based second year giving families on the eastside like to help, you can donate new toys or non-profit with a mission to help of San Antonio the opportunity to cash and gift cards (which will be used to restore health and wholeness to provide Christmas gifts for their children. purchase toys) to Affordable Christmas at kids and neighborhoods in Kingdom Works Community Store located San Antonio. This year’s Affordable Christmas, which at 1730 E. Commerce. is an effort by SA Heals and Moment of Truth Ministries, will take place December For more information on donating, 20, from 1 pm to 6 pm at Eastside volunteering or if you are interested in Fellowship, 1212 N. Gevers. participating, please call 210-259-9931 or visit saaffordablechristmas.com Affordable Christmas allows selected families to come in and shop for toys at approximately 1/10 of the original retail value. SA Heals Director Charles Foltz explains, “It really allows them (the families) to maintain some dignity through the holiday season and it empowers them to be able to provide the gifts for their family and take part in the joy of giving.” 6 EASTPOINT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER FALL 2014 PHOTOS BY: Juan Garcia THE AUDITORIUM AT ELLA AUSTIN By Juan Garcia The Ella Austin Community Center the main building still retains much of its be the original wooden fold up types no occupies an entire city block in EastPoint.