Browne: Paying it forward, highs and lows so far

As we end February, it's been a busy 2023 connecting with area nonprofits. Area nonprofits are filled with employees, board members and volunteers.

Almost 200 nonprofits in our area call upon thousands in the course of their work. The MLK Prayer Breakfast meeting alone gathered hundreds with a good number of scholarships for deserving students

University Kiwanis’ Annual Pancake Festival saw a year-over-year increase and is heading in the right direction towards its pre-COVID record of over 11,000 breakfast attendees. Over 400 volunteers cooked, served and cleaned.

At sundown, everything went back into two semitrailers till the next year. This annual fundraiser enables University Kiwanis to support area children.

On Feb. 1, I toured Booker T. Washington Elementary, and the PA shared, “Carter G. Woodson helped establish Black History Week in 1926. It wasn’t until 1976 that President Gerald Ford officially decided February would be Black History Month. Woodson, the father of Black History, chose February because it was the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass . . . not because it was the shortest month.”

This year, we saw Tyre Nichols, a Black man, die at the hands of Black Memphis police officers. The Wichita Falls peace march organized locally by our NAACP organization attracted a good community cross section with local law enforcement also well represented.

Speakers noted our good community relationships while so many other cities have problems.

Last Friday, Big Brothers Big Sisters held their Dancing for the Stars Wichita Falls annual fundraiser. Raising over $133,000, Lee Ann Haines won the Mirror Ball Award.

Latino Beat, by Gonzalo Robles and Stephanie Zamora-Robles, won the judge’s choice with Urban Color — Jacelyn Lassiter’s team — winning People’s Choice.

This major production filled the MPEC event hall and was spellbinding. So many volunteers working, dancing and making this miracle come true. Dreams driven to reality by volunteers.

Just as we are blessed with people with big hearts, there are bad people out and about.

A friend received an email asking for help with car repairs. I was approached by different drivers asking if I have spare change for gas. Begging is frequent throughout our community.

Remember the best support for the needy includes connecting the needy person with 211, Interfaith, Faith Mission and/or Faith Refuge, or the Salvation Army.

Free Ukraine

Service Above Self,

Mr B   MrB@NewCollarCoach.com

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Jack Browne: Paying it forward, highs and lows so far