Wonderland Park opening, WT grant, TTU award among this week's community news
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Wonderland Amusement Park opens for season this weekend
Wonderland Amusement Park is kicking off its 73rd season this Easter Weekend. The park welcomed visitors for the first time in 2024 on Saturday and will continue to do so on Easter Sunday, from 1 to 8 p.m.
"Come flip out with fun on the double-loop Texas Tornado, twist and turn through the Pipeline Plunge, whip around the Himalaya, and a get a bird’s eye view of it all from the Wonder Wheel!" a news release says.
From thrill rides and rollercoasters to water rides and slides, Wonderland Park offers more than 30 attractions for kids of all ages, along with games, sweet treats and savory snacks, and "the most challenging 18-hole mini-golf course around."
Find the full park 2024 calendar and hours, as well as more information, at wonderlandpark.com .
Nurses of faith working together for healthier communities
Amarillo Public Health is hosting a unique training opportunity for Registered Nurses with a current license. Neighborhood Nurses is a program for compassionate nurses who feel a calling to use their professional nursing skills in their faith-based communities and neighborhoods. Training facilitator will be Laura Reyher, MSN, RN, WTAMU Instructor of Nursing and Baptist Community Services Professor in Rural Health.
The program will be offered twice, and participants can choose to attend either one of the two-part training sessions. The first session is on Saturdays, April 6 and 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (both days) at Hilltop Senior Citizens Center, 1311 N. Taylor St. The second option is on Saturdays, April 20 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kids, Inc., 2201 SE 27th Ave.
A $20 registration fee applies, but scholarships are available – see registration form for details. Register at AmarilloAlerts.com/Faith to secure your spot, which includes breakfast, lunch, helpful community resources and the opportunity to earn Continuing Nursing Education credits and meet like-minded professionals.
TTUHSC School of Pharmacy receives national award
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy received the 2024 Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The award is presented annually to one college or school of pharmacy demonstrating a major institutional commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice and research.
“AACP’s award recipients exemplify excellence in teaching, research, service and publishing with far-reaching impact here and around the world," said AACP CEO and Executive Vice President Lee Vermeulen in a news release. "Celebrating the extraordinary contributions of our recipients is the highlight of our annual meeting.”
The award highlighted the school’s work in medication safety through programs like its medication cleanout, which has collected more than 83,000 pounds of medications and sharps from homes in its 15-year history; the school’s production of viral transport medium and administration of life-saving vaccines during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic; the school providing pharmaceutical care to thousands of patients at its two outpatient pharmacies in Amarillo and Lubbock; the special population services provided to underserved people and incarcerated individuals in Texas; and the research collaboration and training taking place at campuses, schools and communities across the region.
“We accept this prestigious award with great pleasure and excitement,” TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Dean Grace M. Kuo, Pharm.D., Ph.D., said. “We are among elite company as we join other schools of pharmacy who have received this honor. It is truly a testament to our faculty, staff and students' dedication and passion to the communities we live in and serve.”
The award consists of a commemorative sculpture and a $5,000 honorarium. School leadership plans to use the funding to conduct a needs assessment while launching a pharmacy practice resource and research network by connecting academic and community partners on all four campuses in Amarillo, Lubbock, Abilene and Dallas.
The award ceremony will take place at the 2024 AACP annual meeting in July. For more information on the 2024 Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award, visit www.aacp.org
Rural Education Initiative launched through WT earns major Carnegie Grant
CANYON — An initiative spearheaded by West Texas A&M University to help rural students earn bachelor’s degrees while staying in their hometowns has won a $200,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The Collegiate Edu-Nation Rural HOPE Project is one of 10 winners of a new initiative to support outstanding local partnerships that serve as national models of how institutions can collaborate for the good of their communities by educating youth and bolstering the workforce.
“We have worked intently with Collegiate Edu-Nation on innovative approaches to higher education in rural areas to address issues facing these communities,” said WT President Walter V. Wendler. “The Carnegie Corporation’s recognition of these innovative programs addressing higher education is both exciting and well-deserved.”
Profiles in Collective Leadership provides grants for nonpartisan collaborations that serve as education and economic bridges in a range of communities across the country. The philanthropic initiative draws on the strengths of local government, education, nonprofit, business and health care professionals to create career opportunities for young people and encourage civic participation.
Collegiate Edu-Nation, a nonprofit organization in West Texas, grew out of a challenge issued in 2018 by The Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp for WT to develop a baccalaureate program for students in Roscoe Independent School District in collaboration with Western Texas College in Snyder. Seven students enrolled in the program in 2019, and all seven graduated from WT with fully online degrees within two years with zero debt, thanks to grants and other financial streams supporting CEN.
The organization collaborates with local school districts and universities and community and business leaders to end education and income inequality in rural Texas and elsewhere. It now now reaches 27,000 rural students in over 28 districts across Texas, including Floydada, Sunray and White Deer in the Texas Panhandle, with expansion into Illinois and West Virginia. Its Rural HOPE Project works with higher education, employers and school district partners to identify workforce needs, provide workforce development, and implement targeted teacher training and leadership development across a P–20 school model—from pre-kindergarten through higher education.
In addition to the $200,000 grant, winners will receive opportunities to document and share their story nationally and participate in a community of practice committed to highlighting and replicating these approaches and solutions.
Learn more about the Profiles in Collective Leadership initiative at carnegie.org.
A Day of Baseball to benefit Epilepsy Foundation and scholarship fund
The Amarillo community is invited to celebrate the life of Jaxson Mendoza at the 2nd annual Jaxson Mendoza Memorial Baseball Day (JMMBD), to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas and the Jaxson Mendoza Scholarship Fund on Saturday, April 20. The event will take place at the Rick Klein Baseball complex located at 3901 S. Grand.
In August 2022, at age 14, Jaxson Erik Mendoza of Amarillo lost his battle with epilepsy. His family, friends and community lost an amazing soul, a kid who was full of life and determination to overcome a life-altering diagnosis of Epilepsy. Jax was determined to continue living life to the fullest and has been described by most as a Gentle Warrior since his passing. Jax had a love for sports….most of all, baseball. The community is invited to participate in an event memorializing his name and his love for family, friends, faith and the game with a fun baseball-filled day.
This event will raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas and also lay the foundation of a scholarship fund in Jaxson's memory.
This event is for the entire family. There will be special JMMBD merchandise for purchase, awesome raffle packages up for grabs, food trucks on-site to enjoy all day, and more baseball-themed fun. There will also be youth league games going at the ballpark all day for those that would like to take in a game or two of the best ball games they’ll ever see- no pitch clocks. Baseball and softball teams can also pre-register to compete in a series of team-based skills challenges. Teams from ages 8 all the way through high school are all welcome to participate. Travel ball, rotary, and even friend teams formed just for this event, are all encouraged to sign up for a time slot. Skills challenges will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the day will culminate in a longball competition starting at 5 p.m.
Teams wanting to sign up are asked to fill out the registration form located at https://qrco.de/JMMBD or send an email to Jaxsonmendozabaseball@gmail.com. For more details and to see event updates and announcements, visit the Jaxson Mendoza Memorial Baseball Day facebook page or text @jaxson17 to 81010.
City of Amarillo closes offices, adjusts services for Easter Sunday
In recognition of Easter and Good Friday, City of Amarillo offices were closed on Friday, March 29.
All Amarillo Public Library locations are closed through Sunday.
Amarillo City Transit operated a Saturday schedule on Friday. For more information on transit services, call (806) 378-3095 or see amarillo.gov/departments/community-services/transit .
Solid Waste service routes were adjusted and serviced earlier in the week.
Ross Rogers and Comanche Trail Golf Complexes will have normal hours of operation.
For more information contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at 806-378-5219 or by email at david.henry@amarillo.gov.
TTUHSC training future health care providers at Dallas campus
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) recently hosted a Dallas Ribbon Cutting and Celebration on March 20.
The TTUHSC Dallas campus is home to the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy and the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health and provides resources for multiple programs within the School of Nursing.
TTUHSC President Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D. said the university’s presence in the Metroplex comes as a response to students who value a degree from TTUHSC’s prestigious programs. By offering degrees here, students can receive the best in the nation’s health care education without leaving the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
“Our goal for our Metroplex location is to make our nationally-recognized academic instruction accessible in order to help address the shortage of health care professionals,” Rice-Spearman said. “We want to continue building our community partnerships and seek to build new ones where we can work together to identify innovative solutions to meet health care needs.”
Rice-Spearman said TTUHSC has 8,726 alumni in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, which is approximately 21% of all TTUHSC alumni. TTUHSC supports the Dallas economy contributing $36.4 million annually and sustaining about 150 jobs statewide from university-related operations at the campus.
The Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy was the first TTUHSC school established in Dallas. The school’s Dallas and Lubbock campuses opened in 1999 for third- and fourth-year students three years after the school opened in Amarillo. At that time, students began in Amarillo and then transitioned to either Dallas or Lubbock for their third and fourth years because there was such a need for pharmacists in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. In 2018, the Dallas campus accepted its first four-year class.
Morrison named to Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board
WACO – Longtime Waco resident and Scouting volunteer Ellie Morrison has been named to serve on the newly reorganized National Executive Board (NEB) for Boy Scouts of America.
As an NEB member, Morrison will work closely with the local Scouting Councils in Texas, including those in Amarillo (Golden Spread Council), Dallas (Circle Ten Council), Texarkana (Caddo Area Council), Tyler (East Texas Area Council), Wichita Falls (Northwest Texas Council), Fort Worth (Longhorn Council), and Lubbock (South Plains Council).
Morrison has been a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, and Silver Buffalo Awards, and served as the 11th National Commissioner of the BSA. She also chaired a team that created the Award of Excellence for Commissioner Unit Service for BSA. Morrison chaired the Boy Scouts of America New Unit Task Force, which wrote the Unit Performance Guide, which is now the accepted best way of organizing new Scout units. She also served as the first chair of the BSA New Member Coordinator Task Force, which has help new Scouting families feel welcomed into Scouting.
“There has never been a more challenging time for youth in America, and I believe a new and revitalized Scouting organization can play a key role in shaping the values and behaviors our youth develop as they grow into adulthood,” Morrison said. “Texas is fortunate to have strong, thriving Boy Scouts of America Area Councils to help lead the way, and I’m grateful that I can play a role in shaping Scouting’s future on a national level.”
Morrison is one of 47 newly elected members to the recently reorganized BSA National Executive Board. The new BSA National Executive Board has been reduced from 72 to 47 members, and includes a mix of experienced board members, newly elected members, as well as eight members nominated by local BSA Councils in order to bring a better balance of historical knowledge and new perspectives. The new National Executive Board also reflects BSA efforts toward diversification, and includes 13% women and 23% racially diverse members, with plans to expand those numbers in the future. Thear Suzuki, a partner at Global Client Services for Ernst & Young in Dallas, was also named to serve on the board.Boy Scouts of America continues to offer several programs for youths, including Cubs Scouts for boys and girls ages kindergarten to age 5, Scouts BSA with boys’ and girls’ troops for ages 11-17 and programs for Scouts ages 14-20 including Exploring, Venturing, and Sea Scouts.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town briefs for the week of March 31, 2024
