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Community Highlights
Acres Home
Meet the Market: The Acres Homes Health A-Team hosted their second Meet the Market event on Saturday, April 13, at New Life in Christ Missionary Baptist Church. The event showcased local farmers and their produce along with a cooking demonstration from Chef Timothy Saddler. This event was a showcase of the Farmers Market coming to Acres Homes this summer. The next Meet the Market event will be held on Saturday, June 15, from 10 am - 2 pm. The Farmers Market will officially launch in Acres Homes on July 20, 2019. Follow and join the movement by using #TheHealthy44 on social media.
Chef Tim, Jeremy, and shoppers at Meet the Market
Contact Information: A planner for Acres Home is available via 832-393-6600 or via [email protected].
 Together for Safer Roads: Mayor Sylvester Turner and Together for Safer Roads (TSR) launched Phase 1 of a Houston Safer Streets program in the Gulfton Complete Communities neighborhood. The goal is to make the city's streets and roads safe for pedestrians, bus riders, bicyclists, drivers, wheel chair users and others. TSR will provide an initial $125,000 in cash and resources, and Houston Public Works will provide $500,000 in intersection improvement funds for signalized pedestrian crossings on Hillcroft, wider sidewalks, new curbs, delineated bike safety lanes and more. Additionally, TSR will provide seed funding for the community engagement and measurement pillars of the project; and the City of Houston (COH) will provide at least a five-fold match to build out the improvements, which have been identified in the Gulfton Complete Communities Action Plan. The COH and TSR, will work together with partners, community leaders and students, to identify and define road safety problems, and measurements to assess the program's progress. Learn more at
togetherforsaferroads.org. See press release
here.
Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council:
The Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council meetings are held every third Monday of the month. The next meeting is on Monday, May 20, at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star Drive, from 12 - 1 pm. If you are interested in becoming a member, contact the Gulfton Super Neighborhood at
[email protected].
Contact Information: The planners for Gulfton are Tonya Sawyer and Abraham Zorrilla. You can reach them at 832-393-6600 or via [email protected].
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Avenue Center Partners breaking ground
at the future site
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Avenue Center Groundbreaking Ceremony: A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, April 15, at 11 am, for the future home of Avenue Center. Located at 3527 Irvington Boulevard, Avenue Center will serve as a community hub in the heart of the greater Northside. It will consist of a combination of Avenue CDC's programs and services from partner organizations that will benefit Near Northside and nearby neighborhoods.
Speakers at the event included Mayor Sylvester Turner, Council Member Karla Cisneros, Houston Housing and Community Development Director Tom McCasland, Avenue Executive Director Mary Lawler, Avenue Board of Trustees President Cassandra Silvernail, BBVA Compass CEO and Country Manager Javier Rodriguez Soler, and BBVA Compass Director of Communications and Responsible Business Rey Ocañas.
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Mayor Turner speaking at the Avenue Center groundbreaking ceremony
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This project has received funding support through public, nonprofit, and private sectors. Construction was kickstarted by a $1 million gift from the BBVA Compass Foundation for Avenue Center to house the future BBVA Compass Center for Financial Education. Earlier this year, the City of Houston awarded $3.4 million in project funding for the Center. The project was also given approximately $2.6 million from the United Arab Emirates' to support Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.
Through Avenue's capital campaign, it has raised over $3 million in additional funds from organizations including Avenue Board of Trustees, Houston Endowment, The Fondren Foundation, The Brown Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, The J.E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, Trammell Crow Company, Local Initiatives Support Corp (LISC), Amegy Bank, NeighborWorks America, East West Bank, and Marek Family Foundation. This project showcases the leveraging of resources that was envisioned at the start of the Complete Communities program.
Avenue Center is expected to open in early 2020.
Contact Information: The planner for Near Northside is Davonte Caldwell. You can reach him at 832-393-6600 or via [email protected].
La Luz Del Mundo Church volunteers at Eastwood Park cleanup
La Luz Del Mundo Church adopts Eastwood Park: As part of the Eastwood Park Cleanup Project, members of La Luz Del Mundo Church agreed to adopt the park and complete a volunteer cleanup the first Saturday of each month. Eastwood Park visitors have enjoyed a cleaner and more beautiful park from their faithful efforts. Thank you to La Luz Del Mundo Church!
Second Ward Super Neighborhood #63: The next meeting for the Second Ward Super Neighborhood will be on Monday, June 3, 6:30 pm at Ripley House at 4410 Navigation Blvd.
Friends of Flores Library: The first meeting of the Friends of Flores Library will be scheduled in June. More information will be presented on the formation of the group at the Oaklawn/Fullerton Civic Club meeting on Monday, May 20 at 7 pm at La Voz Del Salvador at 214 Adams St.
Urban Art Scavenger Hunt: We are working with artists to coordinate the implementation of the first urban art scavenger hunt in Second Ward. Stay tuned for more information on the installation!
BikeHouston Monthly Ride: BikeHouston leads a slow, educational ride on the first Sunday of every month departing from Market Square, by Niko Niko's, at 8 am. This 2 to 3 hour ride highlights existing and future bikeways. Click here for more details.
Constant Contact List: Sign up for the Second Ward Constant Contact list here to ensure you receive information on future happenings in Second Ward.
Contact Information: The planner for Second Ward is David Welch. You can reach him at 832-393-6600 or via [email protected].
Dental Clinic: Third Ward United Methodist Churches invite you to come to a free dental clinic at Emancipation Park. Time for both days is 5:30 am to 5 pm, May 17 - 18. Texas Mission of Mercy (TMOM) is a mobile dental clinic that travels around the state providing basic dental care (including cleanings, fillings, and extractions) free of charge to uninsured and under insured Texans. Treatment provided at a TMOM is focused on relieving pain.
Become a Third Ward Unity Block Captain: We envisioned together, and now we must act together. Unity Block Captains, that fall within the Northern Third Ward Focus Area, are a critical component in uniting the neighborhood and maximizing available resources in the community. To sign up or for more information, click here.
C-STEM Podcasts: Ascending in Leadership with Special Agent in Charge Perrye Turner: C-STEM seeks to ignite the light within students to help them obtain a passion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, better known as STEM. They aim to create the new generation of leaders and professionals in STEM through an integrated approach, by incorporating the visual and creative arts, as well as the art of communication. Listen to the April podcast here. For more information on C-STEM, click cstem.org.
Contact Information: The planners for Third Ward are Lynn Henson and Annette Mitchell. You can reach them at 832-393-6600 or via [email protected].
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Tips From the Toolbox
Lone Star SNAP Card and Double Up Food Bucks at Farmers Markets: Urban Harvest is launching a SNAP incentive program to provide affordable access to fresh, local food. With program partners Houston Food Bank, Houston Health Department, Texas Hunger Initiative, Memorial Hermann, and Fair Food Network, Urban Harvest rolled out the first phase of the Double Up program at 12 farmers markets and farm stands that currently accept SNAP benefits. When shoppers spend their SNAP benefits at participating farmers markets and stands, they receive a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $20 a day, that they can spend on local produce. Visit
doubleuptexas.org to find the location nearest you.
Houston Public Library: The Houston Public Library will be closed on Monday, May 28, in observance of the holiday. Have a safe and happy holiday, everyone. We'll see you during our regular hours of operation on Tuesday! For hours of operation, click
here.
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