Community briefs

Lubbock hosting COVID-19 booster clinic

The City of Lubbock Public Health Department will hold a COVID-19 booster clinic at the Maggie Trejo Supercenter, 3200 Amherst Street, on Thursday October 20, 2022 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This is a walk-in clinic and is open to the public. There is no charge for the vaccine.

To qualify for the vaccine you must be 5 years of age or older and have completed the COVID-19 vaccination series and be at least two months out from your last dose.

The boosters contain an updated bivalent formula that boosts immunity against the original coronavirus strain and protects against the newer Omicron variants that account for most of the current cases. Updated boosters are intended to provide optimal protection against the virus and to address normal and expected waning vaccine effectiveness over time.

The new booster is also available through local pharmacies and medical clinics in the Lubbock area. This clinic is for boosters only, first and second doses are available by appointment at the Public Health Department. For more information, call the Public Health Department at 806-775-2933.

Cumberland church hosts pumpkin patch

The 20th Annual Pumpkin Patch at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 7702 Indiana Ave., will continue through Oct. 31, or until all of the pumpkins have found their home.

The pumpkins are grown on the Navajo Indian Reservation located in the Four Corners area of New Mexico. The monies raised are used for the ministries of the local church and in the education system of the Reservation. This is a major fundraiser for the Reservation and for the church, according to a news release from the church.

The church is receiving several semi-truck loads of pumpkins this year.

Not only will there be pumpkins for sale, there will also be Cumberland Presbyterian’s Ms. Virginia’s world-famous pumpkin bread, crocheted hats, crocheted pumpkins, and other craft items.

Skyviews Restaurant to host 2022 Fall Dinner Series

Texas Tech University’s Skyviews Restaurant presents the 2022 Fall Dinner Series with a five-course dinner celebration, supporting the Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management (RHIM) program.

Each dinner is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. each Wednesday from Oct. 5 through Nov. 30. The restaurant will be closed Nov. 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Skyviews Restaurant is located at Texas Tech Plaza, 1901 University Ave., sixth floor

Guests will be treated to an a la carte menu prepared by students who have teamed up to create their own pop-up restaurant concept. Each restaurant concept has a unique name, décor, cuisine and beverage menu that is featured each week. Pop-up restaurants are when startup restaurateurs and culinarians around the country seek creative venues to introduce and showcase their talents.

Dinner reservations are available on the Skyviews website at www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/hrm/skyviews/, but walk-ins are welcome. The full menu and dates for each week are available on the website.

YWCA of Lubbock schedules Week Without Violence

The YWCA of Lubbock has scheduled a Week Without Violence, Oct. 17-21. The week of events is part of a global movement to end violence against women and girls.

Schedule of Events:

Shine a Light on Violence. Monday, Twilight at the YWCA on University. Lighted luminarias will be placed at the YWCA in an effort to shine a light on family violence and raise community awareness.

Knock Out Violence. Tuesday, 6-7:30 p.m. at the YWCA on University. Join the YWCA for a self-defense class for women taught by Kristi Wuensche. Owner of 10-10 Defense, Wuensche, is a police offer, tactical trainer and first-degree black belt. Admission is free. Registration is encouraged: ywcalubbock.salsalabs.org/KnockOutViolenceSelfDefenseClass

Imagine a World Without Violence. Wednesday, on social media. Join the YWCA of Lubbock as we Imagine a World Without Violence through pictures posted on social media. Drop by the YWCA on University to snap a pic in front of our backdrop or post your own pictures using the hashtags #WWV2022 and #ImagineaWorldWithoutViolence

Playing it Safe. Thursday, 6-7:30 p.m.at the YWCA on University. Join us for the YWCA Family Game Night – join us for a night of games (board and video) plus a presentation by Laurie Bruns, Frenship ISD Instructional Technology Coordinator and a panel discussion about cyber-bullying and online violence. Snacks and beverages will be served.

Foundations for the Future. Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The YWCA encourages community members to read books about recognizing violence and setting boundaries. YWCA Head Start teachers will be reading to our preschool children throughout the day.

Republican Women to host Arrington

The Lubbock Area Republican Women's fundraiser with U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, is set for Thursday Oct. 20 at the Scottish Rite Building on 77th Street.

Doors will be open at 11 a.m. food will be served at 11:30 a.m.

Tickets are $40 and there will be a silent auction. Call Esther Felton, treasurer, (817) 798-6026, for more information.

Celebrate the 2022 Harvest with the Chamber

The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce will celebrate agriculture during its annual Harvest Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 11:30 a.m. at the FiberMax Center for Discovery.

The featured speaker is Luke Lindberg, founder and principal of E. Pluribus Unum, a South Dakota-based consulting firm that advises clients on international trade, public affairs, and general commerce. Previously, he was the Head of Thought Leadership for Sanford Health where he sought to position the roughly $7 billion system as the premier rural health provider in America. Lindberg also served as the Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States during the Trump Administration. Today, Lindberg serves on the board of directors of the National Association of District Export Councils and the South Dakota District Export Council, a position appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

The event, presented by FiberMax, will begin at noon with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. In-person tickets are $40, and Chamber members receive a discounted price of $30. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, and space is limited.

For more information, contact the Chamber at (806) 761-7000.

Family Fall Fest provides resources, fun for families

Catholic Charities of Lubbock, along with Amerigroup, and several other agencies, will be holding a Family Fall Fest from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Catholic Charities Resale Center, 1505 34th St.

Participating agencies will have booths or vehicles decorated in the Resale Center parking lot, providing information about their programs, and handing out goodies to families. Free games, hay-rides, and other activities, will also be part of the event. Some food items will be available for purchase. Children are encouraged to wear costumes.

Catholic Charities, a Lubbock Area United Way partner agency, is a local organization that has several programs in place to support families and individuals. The agency serves Lubbock and 29 surrounding counties with programs that provide youth and family counseling, emergency assistance, a food pantry, family engagement activities, legal immigration services, and resources for kinship families.

More information about Catholic Charities can be found at www.cclubbock.org.

SPC Career and Technical Center to offer computer coding classes

The South Plains College Lubbock Career and Technical Center will offer four 8-week classes in coding beginning Oct. 25. The cost is $706 per class.

ITSE 1029 Programming Logic Design — Logic and Design Problems — This course focuses on logic design problems — solving applying structured techniques and representation of algorithms using design tools. It includes testing, evaluation and documentation. The preferred prerequisite is ITSE 1002 or knowledgeability in intermediate web programming. This class is offered online Oct. 25 through Dec. 16.

ITSE 1011 Beginning Web Programming — HTML5 and CSS# — This course is designed to solidify your web development foundation by learning the fundamentals of building modern websites. Students can start with little experience and by the end of this class build functional, professional, mobile-friendly websites that include JavaScript to run web-apps and games. Students will develop the ability to build and maintain website structure and design with HTML and CSS as well as be exposed to the fundamentals of computer programming with JavaScript and finish with a live-hosted portfolio ready for the world to see. The class is offered online Jan. 17, 2023 through March 9, 2023.

ITSE 1002 Intermediate Web Programming — JavaScript — This course is designed to provide students with knowledge on the server-side and client-side of web development. Prerequisite is ITSE 1011 Beginning Web Programming — HTML5 and CSS#. The class is offered March 20, 2023 through May 11, 2023.

INEW 2034 Advanced Web Programming — PHP with MySQL — students will learn web programming using industry-standard languages and data stores. Preferred prerequisite is ITSE 1032 or knowledgeability in programming logic design. This class is offered June 5, 2023 through July 28, 2023.

Dr. Patrick Logue, professor of computer information systems, will be the instructor. All classes will begin online and will be moved to face-to-face.

For more information, contact Ben Alexander, executive director of the SPC Lubbock Career and Technical Center, at (806) 716-4608.

Trunk or Treat 2022 at Redeemer Lutheran Church

Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Heart of Lubbock Neighborhood will host a free Trunk or Treat event for the public from 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30.

Volunteers will decorate their vehicles in the church parking lot and pass out candy. They also reserved a bouncy house and invited the Lubbock Police Department along with Lubbock Fire Rescue to join. There will be games and prizes, snacks and refreshments. There will also be a prayer-request table.

Trunk or Treat provides a safe alternative for kids to collect candy and families to enjoy time together.

The church is located at 2221 Ave. W. Redeemer is a congregation of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.

For more information about the church visit https://rlcms.org/.

One Guy from Italy issues pizza challenge for charity

Longtime Covenant Children’s supporter, One Guy from Italy, is asking Lubbock to take on its Pizza Roulette Spicy Slice challenge to help raise awareness for pediatric cancer and funds for Covenant Children’s Hospital.

For $2, customers can upgrade their pizza to Pizza Roulette, meaning one slice will come out spicy, but you won’t know which one. That $2 upgrade fee will go directly to Covenant Children’s Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic.

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, about 10,470 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2022.

The Pizza Roulette Spicy Slice challenge is going on through Oct. 22 at these locations:

• One Guy from Italy, 1101 University Ave.

• One Guy from Italy, 4320 50th St.

• Giorgio’s Pizza, 1018 Broadway

If you take on the challenge, tag us with #PizzaRoulette, @oneguylubbock, and @covenantchildrens.

Covenant partners with Spirit Halloween in fundraiser

For the 13th year, Covenant Children’s is partnering with Spirit Halloween for Spirit of Children, where 10% of proceeds from sales at Spirit Halloween stores goes directly to Covenant Children’s.

So far, Covenant Children’s has been awarded more than $218,000 from this partnership with Spirit Halloween. With the proceeds from past events, Covenant Children’s has been able to hire a part-time child life specialist for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, expand our artists in residence program, and create Lindsay’s Playroom.

This year’s proceeds will help Covenant Children’s obtain our own American with Disabilities Act medical therapy dog. Therapy dogs help patients cope with challenging medical situations, procedures, and diagnoses. They help the patient overcome stress and anxiety, find motivation and energy during recovery, assist with reaching health and developmental goals, and improve mood and moral, not just with patients, but their families and staff also.

Spirit Halloween is opening three stores in Lubbock this year, all participating in Spirit of Children: 5025 50th St.; 6002 Slide Road; and 2721 50th St.

New Neighbors Club hosting game day

Mark your calendar for the New Neighbors Club Game Day and Silent Auction scheduled for Friday, Nov. 11, at Hillcrest Country Club. Start time is 10 a.m. and lunch will be served around noon.

Games include Bridge, Canasta, Pennies from Heaven, Samba and Shanghai Rummy. This event is open to members and non-members.

Reservations are required and the deadline to sign up for the event is Nov. 6. The cost is $30, which includes lunch and prize money.

Members and non-members can text Gail Branum at (806) 543-2949.

Project making major upgrades to 114th Street

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is set to begin work on a project that will make major improvements to 114th Street, from Indiana Avenue to Quaker Avenue, in Lubbock. The $12.79 million, city of Lubbock project will completely rebuild the existing roadway from a two-lane roadway to a five-lane thoroughfare.

Construction work is scheduled to start next week, with contractor Allen Butler Construction, of Lubbock, setting traffic control and barriers along the project limits, said Mike Wittie, P.E., TxDOT Lubbock Area engineer.

The project will rebuild 114th Street to include two lanes of traffic in each direction, a continuous left-turn lane and will make drainage improvements by raising a portion of the roadway.

The speed limits through the construction zone will be reduce to 40 mph and motorists are urged to use caution when driving through the work zone since crews will be working in close proximity to traffic and should keep the following tips in mind:

Slow down and always follow posted work zone speed limits. Speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes. Remember, traffic fines double in work zones.

Pay attention. Workers and heavy equipment may only be a few feet from passing vehicles.

Be patient. Delays from roadway construction can be frustrating, but it only takes a few extra minutes to slow down for a work zone.

The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2024.

Lubbock Meals on Wheels seeks volunteers

Lubbock Meals on Wheels is in need of fall volunteer drivers, both regular and substitute, each weekday to deliver meals in Lubbock and Wolfforth. Individuals do not need to commit to a set schedule to volunteer for LMOW.

Some drivers prefer to take the same route on the same day each week whereas others prefer to just substitute when needed. For many of our recipients, the LMOW volunteer may be the only person they see during the day.

Each route takes approximately one hour to deliver. Most routes have 10-16 clients.

A background check and one hour orientation is required for all delivery volunteers.

If you would like to try us out first, we can pair you up with one of our volunteers for a ride-along. To schedule that, call at (806)792-7971.

Delivery volunteer opportunities are available from 10:45 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. Non-delivery volunteer opportunities are available throughout the day Monday through Friday.

Anyone interested in volunteering can call (806) 792-7971.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock COVID-19 booster clinic; YWCA week without violence events