[Community Multicultural Commission on November 19, 2020.]
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OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 15TH MEETING.HAS EVERYONE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MINUTES? YES.
IF EVERYONE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MINUTES AND DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY REVISIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE THAT DAY, HEARING THE REVISIONS, WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED.
SO FOR THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED THIS TO STEPHANIE PARIS, THANK YOU, STEPHANIE.
IT'S OUR APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY AND I STILL CANNOT OPEN MY AGENDA.
I AM WORKING ON MY AGENDA AS WELL.
AND I'M LIKE, I CAN'T OPEN THE DOCUMENT.
WHO'S GOT THEIR AGENDA OPEN CHARLES WHAT'S NEXT ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION FIRST, THE CITIZENS, THEN THE CHAIR, THEN THE STAFF.
DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZEN'S COMMENTS? OKAY.
MOVING ON TO THE CHAIR BRIEFING.
SO I WANT TO START WITH WHY I VOLUNTEERED BECAUSE BEFORE THIS MEETING'S OVER, WE'RE GOING TO DO A VERY QUICK ROUND ROBIN ON WHY EVERYONE ELSE DID.
UM, I DID NOT ATTEND THE VOLUNTEER FAIR WITH THE INTENTION OF VOLUNTEERING TO SERVE ON THE MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION, BUT MY JOB, MY FULL-TIME JOB IS CONNECT.
I SERVE AT THE INTERSECTION OF CORPORATIONS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP COMPANIES MAKE IT EASY, EFFECTIVE, AND ENJOYABLE FOR THEIR PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY.
I DO THIS FULL TIME AND IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I WAS A GARLAND COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS.
AND MATTER OF FACT, IT WAS BACK ALL THE YEARS THAT MY SON WAS IN SCHOOL.
HE GRADUATED FROM GROUND HIGH IN THAT IN 2011.
AND THAT WAS MY LAST YEAR ON THE COUNCIL OF PTA'S, BUT I SERVED FOR 10 YEARS THERE.
IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY AGAIN.
AND I WENT TO THE VOLUNTEER FAIR AND I SAID, JUST PUT ME WHERE YOU NEED ME LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT WOULD RESULT SEVEN MONTHS, EIGHT MONTHS LATER, AND SITTING IN THIS PARTICULAR CHAIR, BUT I AM GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST FOR ME, THERE IS A LOCAL DRIVER AND RESPONSIBILITY TO GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHERE YOU ARE AND TO REALLY MAKE A BETTER COMMUNITY FOR ALL.
SO I'M GRATEFUL AND VERY SLIGHTLY, UH, CONCERNED ABOUT BEING THE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION.
THAT I'VE ONLY BEEN A MEMBER OF FOR A FEW SHORT MONTHS, BUT I AM SURROUNDED BY EXPERIENCE.
AND I ALSO JUST HAVE TO TELL YOU, I MUST SHOUT OUT STEPHANIE PARIS.
SO WE HAVE HAD TWO MEETINGS AS MUCH AS THE VICE CHAIR HAS MORE ENERGY THAN ANYONE I KNOW WHO IS AT ME.
SHE IS ABLE, SHE IS ORGANIZED.
SHE IS COMPETENT, AND SHE IS GOING TO PUSH US ALL THE WAY WHERE WE NEED TO GO.
SHE WILL NOT HURT CATS, BUT SHE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE STAND IN LINE.
RIGHT? I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR HER.
SO THINGS THAT I DID THIS MONTH AND I WILL SUBMIT A WRITTEN REPORT.
I HAD TWO GREAT MEETINGS WITH STEPHANIE AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S WONDERFUL WHEN YOU FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE'S COMPETENCIES ARE, SHE IS A PROJECT MANAGER ON PURPOSE.
IT'S WHAT SHE DOES FOR A LIVING, BUT SHE IS EXTREMELY GOOD AT HELPING FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY NEEDS TO MATTER AND WHAT REALLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
AND I THINK WE ARE ALL GOING TO BENEFIT SO MUCH FROM STEPHANIE'S CONTRIBUTIONS AND HER ABILITY TO HELP US SEE THE BIG PICTURE AND THE SMALL TACTICS AND GET IT OVER WITH.
SO THANK YOU, STEPHANIE, FOR ALL OF THAT TIME.
THAT IS FACT THAT IS NOT A GIFT.
OH, UM, I ATTENDED TWO BIG EVENTS.
UM, I'M BLESSED FOR THE OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY AND I'LL PUT IN THE CHAT LINKS TO THIS EVENT.
NOW, I GUESS I'M GOING TO HAVE TO PUT IT IN THE REPORT.
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ONE WAS THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT ON J ON NOVEMBER 7TH.THIS IS LIKE MY 12TH TIME ATTENDING THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT.
BUT THIS ONE, THEY FEATURED A KEYNOTE BY PETER DAGGY, KATHY GAMMA, WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK ABOUT LOVING YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION SHOULD BE WORKING WITH, I THINK THE OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD EYE VITALITY IS AN OBVIOUS FIT.
UM, BECAUSE WE ALL LIVE IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND NEIGHBORHOODS ARE WHERE THE BEGINNING RELATIONSHIPS HAPPEN.
YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOODS LADDER UP TO COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY LETTERS UP TO THE CITY OF THE CITY LADDERS UP TO THE COUNTY.
AND SO IT GOES, UM, BUT THAT WAS WONDERFUL.
AND THEY HAD, THEY SHARED A LINK THAT, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO PUT IN THE REPORT.
IT'S ONLY GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR ONE MORE WEEK, BUT IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH THE PETER
AND IT WASN'T JUST NEW GUERLAIN VA HOSPITAL, BUT THAT WAS CERTAINLY PART OF WHAT WAS DISCUSSED, BUT THEY OFFERED ALL KINDS OF INFORMATION ON RESOURCES, WHETHER IT WAS HOME LOANS OR, UM, MEDICAL COVERAGE OR COVERAGE FOR DEPENDENTS OR HOW TO CONNECT THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US LEVERAGING INFORMATION LIKE THAT FROM ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE A BROAD SWATH OF THE COMMUNITY AND AMPLIFYING THEIR VOICE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR ME, THAT'S, WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
THAT IS THE END OF MY CHILDREN REPORT.
WHAT'S NEXT? DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY.
UM, THE ONLY THING I HAVE IS JUST A RECAP ON THE ELECTION.
AND AS YOU GUYS KNOW, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BOOKOUT, UH, GPJ WILLIAMS WON THE RACE IN DISTRICT FOUR.
I'LL JUST START AT THE TOP DISTRICT.
ONE HAS A VACANCY, UH, UM, WHICH IS WHERE DAVID GIVENS WAS.
AND THERE WILL BE AN APPOINTMENT OR A SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL THAT POSITION.
THE DISTRICT TO DEBORAH WAS REELECTED DEBRA MARS, UH, DISTRICT FOUR BJ WAS ELECTED AGAIN, MR. BOOKOUT IS NO LONGER ON THE COUNCIL AND DISTRICT FIVE, MR. AUBURN DID NOT HAVE AN OPPONENT.
SO THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL SERVE IN THOSE ROLES GOING FORWARD.
UM, UH, THE COUNCIL'S GOING TO HAVE A MEETING ON MONDAY TO INTERVIEW, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
WE HAVE 10 PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THAT INTERIM SPACE.
SO THEY'RE GONNA INTERVIEW ALL 10 ON MONDAY, THE 30TH OF NOVEMBER.
SO YOU COULD CHECK IT OUT IF YOU'D LIKE, AND THEN THAT FOLLOWING WEEK, UH, THEY SHOULD BE HAVING ANOTHER DISCUSSION AND THEN MAKING AN APPOINTMENT DON'T KNOW WHO THAT PERSON'S GOING TO BE, BUT, UH, WE WILL POST THAT AGENDA NEXT WEDNESDAY.
AND YOU CAN CHECK OUT ALL 10 OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING THAT SEAT IN DISTRICT ONE.
SO IF YOU LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE, THAT'S DOUBLY IMPORTANT TO YOU.
UM, AND WE, OF COURSE WE DON'T HAVE A CENSUS NUMBERS YET, BUT WE WERE ALREADY RIGHT AT THAT 70% MARK, EVEN WITH A PANDEMIC.
SO I THINK WITH THE ENUMERATORS GOING DOOR TO DOOR, OUR NUMBERS GOING TO BE HIGHER.
SO I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO DECEMBER AND WHAT WE, WHAT OUR WORK DID, YOU KNOW, UH, ONCE IT'S FINALIZED AND ONCE THE REPORT GOES TO THE PRESIDENT.
SO WE'LL SEE, I'M SURE WE'LL GET AN EMAIL, LETTING US KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THOSE NUMBERS WERE, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW GRATEFUL I WAS FOR THE GROUP TO WORK WITH, TO DO THIS IN A PANDEMIC.
WE STILL GOT HER CENSUS NUMBERS WHERE THEY NEEDED TO BE ACTUALLY WE DID AS GOOD AS WE DID WHEN THERE WAS NO PENDANT MIX.
SO THAT'S PAT YOURSELVES ON BACK.
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT FOR NOW.
AND I WILL ECHO, CONGRATULATIONS, JENNIFER VONDA AND TEAM ON YOUR LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE CENSUS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
WE GAVE KUDOS BECAUSE JENNIFER DID HER AS SHE ALWAYS WAIT.
SHE ALWAYS DOES AND REACHES OUT AND COMMUNITY AND DOING A LOT OF EVEN BEFORE, BEFORE THE COVID GOING TO DIFFERENT PLACES AND WORKPLACES AND REACHING OUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, UH, TAKING ON PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY DURING A PANDEMIC, BUT ANYTIME YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE, AND THE STATE
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OF TEXAS DID NOT FUND A COMPLETE COUNT PROGRAM, AS MANY STATES DID.SO ALL OF THE FEET ON THE GROUND AND ALL OF THE GRASSROOTS WORK MADE A HUGE IMPACT.
I WORKED WITH THE CENSUS FOR TEXAS COUNTS FOR BUSINESS, THROUGH MY WORK AT CFT.
AND YOU KNOW, IT WAS OUR RESULTS WERE PHENOMENAL.
GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THEY WERE ACHIEVED, WE HAD LESS FUNDING THAN ANYONE.
AND WE'RE THE SECOND MOST POPULOUS STATE IN THE COUNTRY.
LET'S JUST LOOK AT THAT AND CONGRATULATE OURSELVES AND GAYE GARLAND FOR NOT BEING A HARD TO COUNT AREA.
THEY LOOKED GOOD COMMITTEE REPORTS THAT NEXT.
SO I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THESE COMMITTEES AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO LEARNING, BUT IS, CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHO SERVES ON THE COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE? UM, CURRENTLY I DON'T, IS THERE ANYBODY CURRENT? I DON'T HAVE MY STUFF THAT WAS NOT LISTENING.
HOW ABOUT THE COMMUNITY? MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
I THINK IT'S JUST JENNIFER LAST YEAR.
AND THOSE OTHER TWO GENTLEMEN HAVE SINCE LEFT THE COMMISSION, IT WAS MR. JASON AND MR. STEVEN.
AND SO THEY'RE BOTH THERE, NOT WITH THE COMMISSIONING.
AND THE COMMUNITY LEARNING, UNDERSTANDING, AND EDUCATION, UM, THAT'S MYSELF AND CHARLES AND THINK CHRIS HELPS WITH THAT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE, WE HAVEN'T DID ANYTHING.
SO THERE NO UPDATES, SO IT COULD BE ME AND I'M NEW AND YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO, I HAVE DETERMINED THAT SENSE.
AND I ENDED UP WITH THIS ROLE THAT NEWNESS MUST BE A BONUS BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO OARS IN THE, IN THE RACE, BUT I'M, I'M WONDERING IF YOU GUYS AGREE THAT MAYBE WE NEED TO LOOK AT COMMITTEE STRUCTURE BECAUSE WITH A GROUP THIS SIZE, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE NEED SUB COMMITTEES UNTIL WE IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES THAT MIGHT REQUIRE A SPECIFIC WORK.
WHAT I JUST, I CAN'T, IT MAY JUST BE THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT WE HAVE ONE COMMITTEE WITH NO MEMBERS, ONE COMMITTEE WITH ONE MEMBER AND ONE WITH TWO MEMBERS AND NO WORK.
WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? WELL, WHAT WE DID, UM, IN THE PAST, JUST LIKE WE HAVE THIS LAST SIX, SEVEN MONTHS, WE ALL WENT IN UNDER THAT ONE, I BELIEVE, SINCE THIS FELL UP UNDER THE, UH, COMMUNITY.
UH MULTI-COLOR AND SO EVERYBODY, SO JENNIFER JUST WORKED ALL, SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE.
AND THAT SHOULD BE HOW IT SHOULD BE.
SO IF THERE'S ONE COMMITTEE, JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE ON ONE COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT MEAN THAT, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING GOING ON.
WE ALL SHOULD BE A PART OF THAT ONE.
SO IN THE PAST WE ALL, THAT'S WHAT WE ALL FOCUS WITH AT LANCOME THE CENSUS.
AND THEN WHEN WE HAD A CLUE, UM, DIFFERENT ONE, JENNIFER WAS ONLINE, BUT SHE SERVED ON THAT ONE JUST AS MUCH AS, UM, LIKE ID ITSELF.
I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
BUT I THINK IS ALSO YOU, WE JUMPING IN ON WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE.
OH, I VOLUNTEERED FOR THE COMMUNITY.
BUT ASIDE FROM, UH, MARTIN LUTHER KING PARADE AND THE INFORMATION ON THE CENSUS, THERE REALLY WASN'T VERY MUCH TO DO BECAUSE RIGHT THEN AFTER THAT IN MARCH, WHEN ALL THIS COVID, AND I KNOW JENNIFER AND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE DID THE THING, THAT'S A SAIGON MALL, UH, WITH INFORMATION AND VOTING.
AND COBIT, I ALSO WENT TO THE SAIGON MALL IN JANUARY, BUT LIKE I SAID, THAT WAS ALL BEFORE, BEFORE ALL THIS COVID.
SO ALL THE COMMUNITY WORK STOPPED WHAT A YEAR 2020 HAS BEEN.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO SIGN.
I THINK IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO DO, UH, UH, KIND OF STRENGTHS AND INTEREST.
I WAS THINKING OF SWOT ANALYSIS, THE SWOT ANALYSIS, UM, YOU KNOW, AND I I'M, I'M NOT LOOKING TO MAKE DECISIONS TONIGHT, BUT I WANT US TO REALLY THINK WE ARE THE CMC, THE WHOLE CMC CAN ACT IN ANY AREA.
I I'M WONDERING ABOUT DILUTING OUR, OUR, OUR FACT IN SUBCOMMITTEES,
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IF WE DON'T HAVE SUB-COMMITTEE WORK, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH SUBCOMMITTEES EXISTING, BUT IT'S LIKE WE HAVE A SUBCOMMITTEE CALLED COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL OF THE COMMUNITY, MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION.THAT TO ME IS NOT PRACTICAL, BUT I, BUT LET'S LOOK AT IT AT THE RETREAT.
I'M JUST SURFACING IT SO THAT IT IS LIKE IN EVERYONE'S MINDS, BECAUSE I THINK AS WE DO OUR RETREAT PROP, WE EACH HAVE SOME THINKING TO DO TO COME INTO THE MEETING AND BE ABLE TO BE PRESENT AND ACCOMPLISH THEM.
AND I, ADAM CHAIR DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU.
NO, I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST THAT FROM A, AS A DECISION POINT AND IN CONTEXT AND WHAT WE NEED TO GO DO, I WAS GOING TO REQUEST THAT WE COMMUNE, WE WILL ADDRESS IT AT THE RETREAT.
THAT'S A GREAT RECOMMENDATION.
SO, UH, NEXT PROPOSE 2021 RETREAT TOPICS.
SO THESE ARE SOME TOPICS THAT STEPHANIE, STEPHANIE AND I DISCUSSED.
WE ARE NOT THE, BE ALL AND END ALL OF THE RETREAT.
AND I AM NOT SURE THAT I CAPTURED ALL OF OUR TOPICS.
SO STEPHANIE, WOULD YOU MIND LEADING THE DISCUSSION IN THIS SECTION? SURE, SURE.
SO, UM, I PUT HER ON THE SPOT Y'ALL BUT THAT'S OKAY.
I HAVE MY, I JUST NEED TO NAVIGATE TO MY NOTES AND THEN I'LL BE GOOD TO GO.
UM, AS WE WRAP, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE 20, 21 RETREAT, UM, WE, OUR OBJECTIVE BEFORE WE LEAVE TODAY IS TO VOTE ON THE EXACT DATE.
WE HAD SOME PROPOSED DATES AND TIMES, AND WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT WE NEED TO LEAVE WITH, LEAVE THIS MEETING WITH THOSE DATES, THOSE TOPICS AND AGENDAS, INCLUDING THERE WERE SOME, UM, IDEAS AROUND, UH, BRINGING GUESTS IN SPECIFIC TOPICS THAT LADDERED BACK TO, UH, SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE THINK WE WANT TO DO IN 2021.
SO, UM, CAN WE START WITH FIRST OUR DATE? CAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS QUESTIONS AROUND THE MLK, UM, PARADE DATES AND ET CETERA.
AND SO WE WERE TALKING THROUGH THOSE AND WE KNOW WE, WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RETREAT.
UM, THAT COUPLED WITH IN JANUARY, IT LOOKED LIKE WE HAD THREE PROPOSED MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER.
SO ONE WAS THE RETREAT OBVIOUSLY.
AND THEN THE SECOND ONE WAS, UM, AFTER THE RETREAT, THEN WE DO HAVE OUR REGULAR THIRD THURSDAY MEETING.
THAT'S ANOTHER HOUR, ANOTHER TIME THEN.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE ACTUAL CARETS.
SO THOSE WERE THREE IS WHERE WE WERE GOING TO MEET AS A COMMITTEE TO PROPOSE AND TO TALK ABOUT AND TO VOTE ON.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE NEED TO SOLIDIFY AS A TEAM.
SO WE MAY WANT TO START THERE AND THEN WE CAN BUILD OUT WHAT WE THINK THAT RETREAT.
UM, I THINK THE RETREAT DATE THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED WAS JANUARY 9TH.
IT WAS SECOND SET OF THE DATA WE THOUGHT ABOUT WAS THE SECOND SATURDAY WAS, UH, JANUARY 9TH, THE MLK PARADE WAS THIRD.
AND THEN OUR THIRD THURSDAY WAS BE JANUARY 21ST.
SO THOSE WERE THE JANUARY MEETING DATES.
AND WE NEED TO, TO, UH, LOOK AT, THAT'D BE THE SECOND ON THE NINTH AS A DATE INTERNALLY.
WELL, WE NEED A MOTION TO GO INTO DISCUSSION OR CAN WE JUST GO TO THE DISCUSSION? UM, WE NEED A MOTION TO ON THE DATE AND THEN WE CAN GO INTO DISCUSSION.
WE NEED A MOTION TO DO TWO HOST A RETREAT ON JANUARY 9TH, THE PARTICIPANT PARTICIPATE.
WE HAVE JUST ONE OF THE TIME, RIGHT.
TO HOST A RETREAT ON JANUARY 9TH TO PTA.
I MOVE THAT WE HAVE THE RETREAT ON JANUARY.
WHO WAS THAT SECOND? OH, JENNIFER.
THAT'S ON JANUARY 9TH FOR THE RETREAT.
SO I, I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS BASED ON SOME OF OUR DISCUSSION.
ONE OF THE THINGS WAS, AS WE THINK ABOUT US BEING A MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY AND BUILDING RELATIONS, UM, SOME OF THE TOP, SOME OF THE THOUGHTS OF INVITING GUESTS AND FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, WE CAN, CAN KIND OF GET A BIT BETTER IF THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PAST.
BUT, UM, WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE CO THERE'S A COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER.
UH, YOU HAD MENTIONED, SO POSSIBLY SEE IF THEY WANT TO COME.
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AND THEN SEEING WHAT I DID IS THEY HAVE FOR THIS COMMITTEE.UM, AND THAT WAY WE CAN, THAT, THAT DURING THE RETREAT, UM, THE OTHER WAS THE PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR, UM, AS A POSSIBILITY.
AND THEN, UM, AND THEN, UM, THAT COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER IS AN ACTUAL, UM, POLICE OFFICER, CORRECT.
UH, SO WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, JUST WANTED TO GET SOME CLARITY AROUND THAT.
CAUSE THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME TO HEAR ABOUT THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS OFFICER.
UM, I, I KNOW LOOKING, THANK YOU, STEPHANIE, LOOKING AT LAST YEAR'S RETREAT AGENDA, THERE WERE SEVERAL GUESTS AND RENEE PLEASE ADVISE REGARDING HAVING SOMEONE FROM STAFF MODERATE BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE A DIRECTOR WAS THE MODERATOR WHITE WAS ON MARCH.
AND IS THAT A STANDARD THING OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SHE HAS DONE IT THE LAST TWO YEARS AND IT'S WORKED OUT REALLY WELL.
SO THAT'S REALLY THE COMMISSION'S CALL, BUT I'M HAPPY TO CHECK WITH HER AND SEEING WHAT HER CALENDAR LOOKS LIKE.
OR HAVE YOU GOT SOME OTHER IDEAS THAT'S FUN AS WELL.
ANYONE ELSE HAVE THOUGHTS ON JENNIFER OR VONDA? YOU RAN THE LAST YEAR'S RETREAT.
WHAT ARE YOU, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE? RIGHT.
SHE HAS DONE THAT TWO YEARS IN A ROW AND SHE ALWAYS HAS DIFFERENT IDEAS.
SHE'S WELL ENGAGED OR LESS, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE ELSE IN THE CD THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO DO.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, BECAUSE THAT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE DOROTHY IS AS AMAZING AS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT HER CALENDAR AVAILABILITY.
HOW DOES EVERYONE FEEL ABOUT THAT JANUARY 9TH DAY, RIGHT? NO, I'M FINE.
AND DOROTHY W IS A VERY, VERY GOOD FACILITATOR BECAUSE SHE, SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE IN MEETINGS LIKE THIS, WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING AT A LOT OF OPTIONS, WHEN YOU'RE PLANNING YOUR CALENDAR, IT CAN GET OUT OF OH YEAH.
AND YOU CAN GET A LITTLE CRAZY.
SHE HELPS YOU PRIORITIZE AND REALLY LOOK YOUR POTTER AT THE TWO OR THREE THINGS YOU REALLY WANT TO DO AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
SAY WE ACCOMPLISHED IN, UH, SHE'S VERY, VERY SKILLED.
UH, PROBABLY ALL OF YOU BEEN IN MEETINGS WITH DIFFERENT FACADES OF FACILITATORS LIKE THAT, BUT SHE'S REALLY GOOD.
AND, UH, SINCE SHE'S A GARLAND STAFF, SHE BRINGS THE KNOWLEDGE OF GARLAND.
UH, SHE'S COMFORTABLE WITH US.
IT'S BEEN VERY COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH HER.
SO WE WILL INVITE DOROTHY WHITE TO BE THE FACILITATOR.
IF SHE IS NOT AVAILABLE, DO WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT DAY TO MEET HER AVAILABILITY? THOUGHTS? MY CHALLENGE HERE IS THAT THE PARADE IS THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY.
AND IF WE WERE TO CHANGE THAT DAY, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BEST TO NOT HAVE BOTH THE RETREAT AND A MEETING THE WEEK AFTER.
SO IF WE MOVE THE RETREAT TO THE THIRD WEEK, HAVING THAT RETREAT BE THE MONTHLY MEETING, EXCUSE ME, BEFORE YOU GUYS GO FARTHER WITH THAT THOUGHT, UM, I'M A PART OF THE NAACP AS WELL, AND WE WILL NOT BE HAVING THE PARADE OR EXTRAVAGANZA THIS YEAR DUE TO THE VIRUS.
AND I THINK THAT, THAT FOULS, I HATE TO HEAR THAT AS A BAD PARENT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR OUR BED.
THAT GIRL DIED TO GO MARCH, HONESTLY, IN THE MLK PARADE, BUT I, I GET IT AND I'M, YOU KNOW, WE ALL, IT'S BETTER TO STAY ALIVE THEN FOR THE, UM, FOR THE EXTRAVAGANZA, WE ARE LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING VIA, UM, ZOE ON THAT SUNDAY, WE'RE TRYING, WE HAVE A MEETING SET UP FOR AFTER THANKSGIVING TO GET TOGETHER, TO PUT TOGETHER, TO DECIDE WHAT IT IS WE'RE GOING TO DO.
UM, SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO, I'LL BE ABLE TO BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK OR SEND AN EMAIL ONCE WE GET A LITTLE MORE UPDATE ON THAT.
SO IT'S NOT COUNSELED COMPLETELY.
WE JUST WON'T HAVE ANY IN-PERSON IN THE ACTION THAT WE CAN.
AND IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMEONE WHO IS TAPPED INTO PLANNING, NAACP TO GET THAT WILL BE REALLY, REALLY MEANINGFUL WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT STEP.
UM, SO JANUARY 9TH OR JANUARY 9TH PREFERRED
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DAY, JANUARY 16TH, ALTERNATE DATE, UH, BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER ON THE ALTERNATE, UH, WE DIDN'T DISCUSS THE TIME AND THE, UH, WHAT WAS THE RETREAT TIME? WAS IT NOON TO SIX 30 IN THE MORNING TREATING ALONE FOR SEVERAL HOURS PRIOR TO THAT, RIGHT? LIKE SIX 30.SO JANUARY 9TH FOR THE RETREAT GATE, JANUARY 16 FOR THE ALTERNATE DAY, ALTERNATE DATE, ARE WE ALIGNED? DO WE NEED TO MAKE, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADING NEXT.
JANUARY 16TH FOR THE ALTERNATIVE DAY.
DOES THAT WORK NINE TO ONE? MINDY LEE.
THIS, WE NEED A MOTION TO HOLD THE RETREAT ON JANUARY 9TH WITH AN ALTERNATE DATE OF JANUARY 16TH WITH DOROTHY WHITE, IS THE MODERATOR BASED ON HER AVAILABILITY.
CAN WE HAVE MS. HARLAN JUST MODIFY HER HER MOTION FROM BEFORE? OKAY.
I MOVED THAT WE, WE HAVE THE RETREAT ON THE NINTH FROM NINE TO ONE WITH AN ALTERNATE DATE ON THE 16TH FROM NINE TO ONE, UM, WITH DOROTHY WHITE AS THE, UH, DESIRED MODERATOR.
AND I'M GOING TO ASK THAT, OH, MOTION, WE NEED A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR.
I DO NOT WANT TO DISCUSS RETRAIN TOPICS.
I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO SEND RETREAT TOPICS OF YOUR INTEREST BY EMAIL, WE SEE RETREAT TOPICS THAT STEPHANIE AND I DISCUSSED HERE.
THESE ARE TOPICS WE DISCUSSED.
YOU KNOW, ONE THAT I THINK THAT I'M MISSING IS WHO WE SHOULD BE WORKING WITH.
AND THAT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO ME, BUT I THINK THAT'S GOING TO COME OUT IN THE NEXT SEGMENT AND I WANT TO BE REALLY RESPECTFUL OF YOUR TIME.
SO WE HAVE ONE, TWO, THREE TIMES FOUR.
WE HAVE, WE HAVE NINE COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO AREN'T ME HERE.
AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS I WOULD LIKE FOR EACH OF YOU TO SHARE AND TWO AND A HALF MINUTES, AND I'M GOING TO SET MY TIMER.
SO I'M A GOOD MEETING MANAGER, EXCEPT I DON'T HAVE MY PHONE FOR SOME REASON.
SO I'M GOING TO SET IT ON MY COMPUTER.
UM, THERE, WHY YOU VOLUNTEERED FOR THE CMC? WHY YOU PERSONALLY, WHAT WAS THE DRIVER THAT MADE YOU SAY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MATTERS FOR ME TO DO WITH MY TIME AND WHAT ORGANIZATIONS YOU ARE CONNECTED WITH.
AND I'M GOING TO GO IN THE ORDER THAT YOU APPEAR ON MY SCREEN.
SO THE FIRST PERSON ON MY SCREEN IS FONDER.
FIND ON WHAT IS YOUR WHY MY WIFE WAS TOO.
I'D ALREADY BEEN INVOLVED FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
EVER SINCE MY SON WAS SMALL WITH THE SPEED OF THE SCHOOL.
I DID A LOT OF WORK WITH THE CHURCH, UM, SERVING WITH THE YOUTH.
BUT WHEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS COMMITTEE, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT, I ATTENDED ONE OF THE MEETINGS AT THE ATRIUM AND THE PURPOSE WAS SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT I FOUND OUT THAT I WAS NOT PRIVY OF.
I THOUGHT, WELL, THIS WOULD BE GOOD.
I WANTED TO CONTINUE SERVING, BUT I ALSO THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO SHARE TO MEMBERS OF MY COMMUNITY.
I DO A LOT WITH MY ELDERS, UM, THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
AND AS I BEGAN TO SERVE, UH, AND SEEING THE CONNECTIONS THAT WE HAD AND THE ROLES THAT WE CAN PLAY, UM, I WAS HAPPY TO CONNECT PEOPLE.
WE DID GREAT WORK, CONNECTING PEOPLE, BOOK AUTHORS, AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE FOR SERVICES THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
AND SO THAT WAS W THE WHY, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR WHOLE CITY OF CARLIN THAT PEOPLE ARE JUST NOT AWARE OF.
SO I, MY CONNECTION IS BECAUSE I, MY EAR IS HERE.
I HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND I CAN FIND OUT THINGS THAT CAN HELP OUR CITIZENS THAT OTHERWISE SAY, DON'T KNOW, EVERYBODY'S NOT READING THE ELECTRONIC COPY, OR, AND EVERYBODY'S NOT A CROSS REFERENCE UNLESS THEY GET IN THE MAIL, BUT THINGS
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THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT I KNOW THAT CAN HELP OTHERS.SO WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR? I JUST THINK OUR GOAL IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE, TO FIGURE OUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN TO DO THINGS DIFFERENT THERE, IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A TRICK QUESTION.
WE WILL HAVE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
SO WE'RE ALREADY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, AND NOTHING'S GOING TO CHANGE BETWEEN HERE AND JANUARY, FEBRUARY, OR MARCH, IF YOU THINK IT IS, THEN YOU'RE LIVING IN SOME OTHER WORLD, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE MORE OR LESS, PROBABLY MORE LOCKED DOWN IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS AND GOING INTO, SO OUR GOAL AND HOW WE DO THAT IS GONNA, HOW DO WE REACH PEOPLE? GIVE THEM THE SAME INFORMATION WITHOUT GOING PLACES, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SHOW UP AND PUT A BUNCH OF STUFF OUT ON THE TABLE AND DO, AND TALK ABOUT IT IN PERSON WHO WE ARE.
THE CHALLENGE IS HOW DO WE GET OUR COMMUNITY AND CITIZENS OF GARLAND, THE HEALTH THINGS WITHOUT BEING IN PERSON.
I THINK THAT'S, OBVIOUSLY, I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT THAT ONE, MINDY, NATE, WHAT'S YOUR WHY? SO I STARTED VOLUNTEERING WITH THE CITY OF GARLAND DIRECTLY THROUGH THE GARLAND YOUTH COUNCIL.
SO I'VE ACTUALLY WORKED WITH DOROTHY WHITE FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS ON GARLAND YOUTH COUNCIL.
AND THAT'S HOW I GOT FAMILIAR WITH THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FOR GARLAND, AND THEN OFF TO COLLEGE AND THROUGH GRAD SCHOOL.
NOW I'M DONE WITH ALL OF THAT.
SO HEARING, YEAH, MENTALLY, THANK YOU AND SNAP THAT I DON'T APPRECIATE EVERYONE ON THIS COMMISSION, BUT I AM SO INSPIRED TO SEE SOMEONE WHO STARTED AT YOUTH COUNCIL CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT INTO THIS.
I WILL COME TO MEETINGS WHEN YOU SIT IN THIS CHAIR AND BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE AND ENGAGEMENT, THAT IS OUTSTANDING.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR? UM, WITH COVID STILL GOING ON? I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN HARD HIT COVID I LIKE JUST WALKING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE I LIVE NEAR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
I SEE KIDS LIKE PICKING UP THEIR FOOD FROM THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
SO I'M SURE THERE'S DEFINITELY A HUNGER ISSUE WITH NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK AND THEN NETWORK AND GARLAND.
AND I'M SURE FRIENDSHIP HOUSE BEING SLAMMED IS THE HIGH NEED.
SO JUST HELPING THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY HERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND LETTING RESIDENTS KNOW ABOUT THESE ORGANIZATIONS.
I TOLD YOU WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING AMPLIFYING THE VOICE OF OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS IS HUGE.
AND I THINK PART OF OUR ROLE, A BIG PART IS GOING TO BE AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, WHETHER IT'S OTHER COUNCILS COMMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A PLATFORM IS DIFFERENT THAN AN AUDIENCES IS DIFFERENT.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THAT.
THANK YOU, MINDY, JENNIFER, WHAT'S YOUR WHY? HOW MUCH TIME YOU'RE TO GIVE IT TO ME? THAT'S 30 SECONDS.
THE REASON THAT I REALLY TOTALLY COMMITTED BECAUSE MY HUSBAND AND I IS THE TWO ORIGINAL FOR THE CMC STARTED IN 2002.
WE FEEL LIKE THERE ARE A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I'LL SEE THEY HAVE SO MANY SERVICES THAT THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO REACH OUT BECAUSE BACK THEN IN 2002, SEE, THE COUNCIL ARE TRY AND, AND CITY STAFF IS DOING THEIR BEST, BUT THEIR BEST WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH.
THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MANPOWER AND THE CONNECTION TO REACH OUT TO ALL ETHNIC COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
SO TO ME, COMMUNICATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THE GOOD THING.
I'LL SAY THE, AND I'M SEEING THE EMPLOYEE, SEE THE SERVICES ARE DOING SO WONDERFUL, BUT RECEIVE VERY LITTLE OR NO RECOGNITION.
AND THEN RIGHT NOW, MY GOAL FOR 2021 IS REGARDLESS 20, 20.
BUT YOU GET TO THINK FROM JUNE TO OCTOBER 22ND, WE HOST FOUR COMMUNITY CONVERSATION IN PERSON.
IF A PERSON LIKE ME AND VONDA, YOU GET INVOLVED IN ONE.
AND, UM, AND IF WE CAN DO IT EASILY, EASILY MORE, WE NEED TO FOCUS AND HELP
[00:35:01]
OUR COMMUNITY WITH PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR JOB, GET KICKED OUT OF THEIR APARTMENT, THEIR HOME EVICTION, AND THEN LACK ENOUGH INSURANCE.THEY DON'T HAVE NO FOOD FOR THANKSGIVING.
THEY USE, THEY, THEY, MY MAIN GOAL ORIGINALLY TO HELP THEM IN 2020.
YOU WERE EXTREMELY CONCISE AND I THINK THOSE ARE ALL VERY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING.
SO I DEEPLY APPRECIATE THAT LAST YEAR.
WHAT'S YOUR WHY? UM, WHEN I JOINED IT, UH, UM, ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION BACK IN 2022 WITH THE JOURNEY AND, UH, BACK THEN, WE, UH, THE, THERE WASN'T SO MUCH CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CITY GOVERNMENT AND MAYBE DIFFERENT STATE IN THE CITY.
BUT WHEN THE COMMISSIONER WAS FROM THAT WAS THAT IMPROVEMENT AND THAT IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.
THE REASON WHY I JOINED THE COMMISSION WAS, UH, I WANT TO IMPROVE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE IMMIGRANT AND THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN GARLAND.
THAT THAT WILL BE A KIND OF A UNDERSTANDING AND THAT THE COMMISSION SAID MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION, BECAUSE BALANCE IS NORMAL.
UH, ONE CITY IS A MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION SO THAT THERE WOULD BE ALL THE STANDARD THAT WILL BE, EVERYBODY WILL LEARN DIFFERENT CULTURE, HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE SERVICES AND THE COMMUNICATION WITHIN OURSELVES.
AND THAT THEN BRING THE IMPROVEMENT.
AND YOU CAN SEE YOUR RESULT IN, IN, UH, CENTRAL, UH, UH, PROGRAM THAT WE WENT THROUGH.
WE WERE ABLE TO PENETRATE WITH DIFFERENT QUARTERS SO THAT WE HAVE, UH, OUR ACCOUNT.
DO YOU HAVE A GOAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE US ACHIEVE THIS YEAR? YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS? WELL, MY GOAL IS TO IMPROVE OR WHAT IS ON THE, ON THE GROUND.
UM, TWO MORE MINUTES, MORE CITIZEN AND THE FALL TO VOLUNTEER, TO DO THIS KIND OF THING, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF VOLUNTEER WORK THAT PICK UP IN THE CITY, SO WE NEED TO REACH OUT.
SO MY GOAL IS TO REACH OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT SOBBING, UM, UH, COMMUNITY SERVICE NOW.
I THINK IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, BUT THE THING IS WE HAVE TO REACH OUT WITH SOMETHING THAT THAT'S A BENEFIT BEFORE WE ASK PEOPLE TO GIVE SOMETHING AND WE'LL WORK THROUGH THAT ELVIA FLORES.
WHAT'S YOUR WHY? OH, I'VE BEEN A VOLUNTEER FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND FOR LIKE FOUR YEARS.
UH, I NEVER DID WORK, BUT I DID.
I STARTED WITH, UM, THE CHURCH THAT THE CITY OF GARLAND, AND THEN WHEN MY KIDS STARTED SCHOOL, I CONTINUED AND, UH, JISD IS, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL FOR EDUCATION.
I SERVED ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, I'M ON THE REGION TO AN EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER.
UM, AND SO EDUCATION IS REALLY BIG ON ME.
BUT WHEN I JOINED THIS GROUP WAS FOR THE IDEA TO GET MORE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, PER SE.
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT KNOW WHAT GOOD SAMARITAN IS AND THEY KNOW WHERE PARKING IS, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE OTHER HELP CAN BE.
THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY FOR ADULTS, BUT FOR CHILDREN.
I STARTED A GROUP CALLED GIRLS WITH GOALS AND IN HAVING PEOPLE COME AND TALK, I HAD KIDS SAYING, YOU KNOW, MY GRANDFATHER SEXUALLY ABUSE ME, OR I LIVE WITH MY GRANDPARENTS BECAUSE MY PARENTS ARE DRUGGIST THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IS AVAILABLE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ALL OF THESE YEARS,
[00:40:02]
LIZ CARLING.I WAS ATTRACTED TO THE COMMISSION BY THE LITERACY, UH, EVENT.
UM, MY BACKGROUND, MY WORK IS IN ADULT AND FAMILY LITERACY.
AND, UM, IT'S AN EFFORT TO MAKE, UM, TO GIVE ACCESS TO PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF THEIR BACKGROUND, UM, HOW THEY CAME TO THE CITY, HOW THEY'VE INTERACTED WITH THE CITY.
UM, SO I'VE, I'VE WORKED WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.
I'VE WORKED WITH IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES, UM, LOTS OF DIFFERENT POPULATIONS.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US CELEBRATE, UM, THE DIFFERENT CULTURES TO HAVE THE COMMUNICATION GO BOTH WAYS SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST THAT WE'RE LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT WHAT THE CITY HAS TO OFFER AND HOW THEY CAN ACCESS IT, BUT ABOUT WHAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE TO OFFER TO THE CITY.
UM, AND SO I THINK LANGUAGE JUSTICE IS, UH, IS A BIG PART OF THAT.
AND LITERACY IS A BIG PART THAT IN TECHNOLOGY IS A BIG PART OF THAT.
AND I'M GOING TO REVEAL ALL MY SECRETS ABOUT CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT I'M HEARING FROM HERE LATER, CHARLES PICKET, WHAT'S YOUR WHY? OKAY.
UH, WELL IN JANUARY I WILL HAVE BEEN IN HITCH CATER FOR 50 YEARS.
AND SO HAVING BEEN AN AGITATOR FOR 50 YEARS, I'VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF FAMILIES AND KIDS MY LAST 37 YEARS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR.
AND AT MY LAST PRINCIPALSHIP WAS RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH IS A VERY DIVERSE SCHOOL.
AND I GOT USED TO WORKING WITH VERY DIVERSE POPULATIONS AND LANGUAGES AND NEEDS.
WE HAD TREMENDOUS NEEDS AT THAT SCHOOL.
SO WHEN I WAS APPROACHED ABOUT THIS COMMITTEE, UH, IT'S A PASSION OF MY HEART IS MULTICULTURALISM.
AND IN BRINGING THE DIFFERENT CULTURES AND RACES TOGETHER AND GROWING UNDERSTANDING AND INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO, UH, I JUMPED ON IT AND JOINED.
AND SO, UH, I'M VERY ACTIVE IN MY CHURCH AND SOME EDUCATIONAL GROUPS AND I STILL DO PART-TIME WORK WITH TWO DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, SO I'M SEMI BUSY, BUT THIS IS WORTH MY TIME.
AND SO I PURPOSEFULLY MAKE TIME AND CARVE OUT TIME FOR YOU.
THIS IS MY THIRD ZOOM MEETING TODAY BECAUSE OF THE OTHER GROUPS.
BUT WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS, UH, FOR OUR GROUP TO CONTINUE TO GROW TRUST AND RESPECT AND ENGAGEMENT, UH, AND AWARENESS AMONG THE PEOPLE IN, IN GARLAND, BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE GREAT POTENTIAL IN THE STRENGTH OF GARLAND.
WE'LL BE IT'S DIFFERENT GROUPS AND DIFFERENT CITIZENS, BUT WE'VE GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER.
WE'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BETTER, AND WE'VE GOT TO DO A BETTER JOB OF TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER.
UH, AND I THINK THIS GROUP CAN BE A CATALYST THAT HELPS OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, UH, MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE NAMES.
AND SO, UH, THAT, THAT'S SORT OF WHERE I'VE COME FROM.
STEPH, I AM INSPIRED LISTENING TO ALL OF YOU, STEPHANIE PARENTS.
I'LL TRY TO BE QUICK CAUSE YOU'RE NOT GET LONG-WINDED YOU HAVE TWO 30 LOVE, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE GO.
NOW I GOT TO NOW THAT'S TWO 29.
UM, I'VE BEEN SERVING, VOLUNTEERING, HELPING FOR 28 YEARS IN VARIOUS FORMATS.
UH, WHEN I MET THE MAYOR, UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT HE SAID WAS WE, UM, IT WAS AT THE PEACEFUL PROTEST IN GARLAND AND HE, HE MADE A STATEMENT, UM, I'M LOOSELY, UH, ABBREVIATING THE STATEMENT, BUT THE TAKEAWAY I TOOK WAS WE NEED MORE FOLKS INVOLVED IN THE CITY, UH, IN THE CITY COUNCIL AND ENGAGE, UH, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND SO, UM, I WENT AND RESEARCHED, HOW COULD I DO THAT? HOW CAN I EXPAND WHAT I ALREADY KNOW AND HOW I HELP OTHERS AND SERVE AND ENGAGE.
AND, UM, AND THAT'S HOW I LANDED ON THIS COMMISSION BOARD.
UM, IN TERMS OF JUST, UH, I THOUGHT THIS WAS MY FIRST STEP TO GET MORE ENGAGED AND REACH OUT TO THE PEOPLE.
UM, AND MY GOAL IS TO REALLY, TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT ARE THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND NEEDING FROM US? W WHAT DO THEY NEED, WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR? AND I THINK THE IDEAS THAT I'VE HEARD TODAY ARE, ARE GREAT AND THEY'RE
[00:45:01]
SPOT ON, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SAY IN A NUTSHELL IS I'M LOOKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND, UM, AND TO BE MORE COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS AND ACTION ORIENTED.SO THAT'S WHERE MY THAT'S, THAT'S MY WHY FOR NOW.
AND YOU WERE WAY UNDER TIME BECAUSE SHARON JACKSON, WHAT'S YOUR WHY? UH, FIRST I'D LIKE TO SAY GOOD EVENING TO YOU GUYS.
AND, UM, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKENDS, I DIDN'T MAKE, I'M STILL GETTING ACCLIMATED TO THE ZONE.
UM, I'VE BEEN REMOTE SINCE MARCH.
SO ONCE I'M HOME, I TEND TO FORGET ABOUT THE THINGS THAT I NORMALLY WOULD DO AFTER WORK, BECAUSE ALL DAY IS WORK CAUSE I'M AT HOME.
BUT, UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, I KIND OF STARTED AS I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL BEING A SERVANT.
UH, I VOLUNTEERED TO GO INTO THE MILITARY FOR FOUR YEARS AFTER THAT I GOT OUT AND I BECAME A MEMBER OF MY LOCAL CHURCH, WHICH IS HERE IN BERLIN, I'M FROM HOUSTON, BUT I MOVED HERE AND I BECAME A MEMBER OF MY LOCAL CHURCH, WHERE I EVENTUALLY BECAME THE, UM, PART OF THE NAACP AND WAS PUT ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
AND THEN I BEGAN TO HOST, UM, I'LL BE THE CHAIRPERSON FOR THE MLK YOUTH EXTRAVAGANZA.
I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR ABOUT 13 YEARS NOW.
AND THEN ONCE I'M IN THE INTERIM, MY HUSBAND AND I, WE ENDED UP BUYING A HOUSE IN GARLAND.
THEN I WAS, UM, PUT ON THE LIBRARY BOARD OR I VOLUNTEERED TO BE PUT ON THE LIBRARY BOARD.
AND I DID THAT SINCE 2012 AND THIS YEAR, UM, MR. BOOKOUT CALLED TO VERIFY WHICH BOARD I WANTED TO SERVE ON BECAUSE I SUBMITTED MY PAPERWORK AND DIDN'T CHECK THE LIBRARY BOARD, WHICH WAS A, UM, ULTIMATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME BECAUSE I MADE THE STATEMENT.
IF YOU THINK MY PRESENCE WILL BE BETTER SERVED SOMEWHERE ELSE, LET ME KNOW.
AND AT THAT POINT, HE LET ME KNOW THAT THERE WAS A FEET OPEN ON THIS PARTICULAR BOARD FOR THIS DISTRICT.
SO THAT'S HOW I ENDED UP BEING ON THIS BOARD.
BUT AS FAR AS, UM, WHAT I'D LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH AND MY WHY I REALLY WANT TO FIND A, I DEFINITELY NEED TO LEARN THE ROPES OF THIS BOARD BECAUSE IT'S DEFINITELY DIFFERENT THAN THE LIBRARY BOARD FOR ONE.
AND, UM, THE OTHER THING IS I WANT TO FIND, UM, MORE WAYS TO HELP ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
UH, I'M REALLY GOOD AT SHOWING UP AND WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES AND DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND DOING THE DIRTY WORK, UM, AND GETTING THINGS DONE.
TELL ME WHERE I NEED TO BE, AND I'LL BE THERE AND I'LL ASSIST IN GETTING THE JOB DONE.
YOU KNOW THAT RIGHT? THE DIRTY WORK IS ALL THE WORK OF VOLUNTEERS.
I'M LIKE, OKAY, JUST SHOW ME WHERE TO DIG AND HAND ME THE SHOVEL.
WHAT'S YOUR, WHY YOU LIKE YOU WERE
THANK YOU FOR SHARING FOR THAT.
MY, WHY IS THAT? I HAVE A GARDEN I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE I WAS 13 YEARS OLD WHILE I WILL NOT DIVULGE MY AGE.
THAT'S GOING A VERY LONG TIME.
UM, I LIKE SERVING NEW CITIZENS EVERY DAY, WHICH IS WHY I CAME BACK INTO PUBLIC SERVICE.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU GUYS BEING ENERGIZED.
EVERY TIME WE GET TOGETHER, WHATEVER YOUR NEEDS ARE, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME.
JENNIFER WILL TELL YOU, I WILL TRY IF I DON'T KNOW HOW I'LL FIGURE IT OUT, BUT, UH, I'M JUST HERE TO SERVE YOU.
AND I THINK THAT'S, WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
AND WHEN I WENT THROUGH LEADERSHIP GARLAND, THEY ALWAYS EMPHASIZE SERVANT LEADERSHIP.
AND THAT'S NOT A HARD REACH FOR ME.
IT'S WHAT I'VE SEEN ALL MY LIFE.
I, I CAN'T TELL ALL OF YOU ANYMORE THAN THIS.
YOU MOVE ME AND YOU MAKE MY HEART FEEL REALLY GOOD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING WITH THIS COMMITTEE.
CAUSE I TOO, I'M JUST FIGURING, LEARNING THE RUBS AND FIGURING OUT WHAT IT IS THAT WE DO.
BUT I THINK WHAT WE DO IS WHAT EACH OF US BELIEVE IN.
I THINK THAT AS WE FORM OUR RETREAT PLANS AND I'M GOING TO ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU TO SHARE IDEAS, SEND ME AN EMAIL, GIVE ME A CALL.
I WISH I, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IF WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN.
IF WE COULD SPEND 15 MINUTES ON THE PHONE, EACH OF US, YOU KNOW, ONE-ON-ONE JUST LEARNING MORE ABOUT EACH OF YOU AND WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BRING.
NOW, I WILL DEVOLVE SOME OF MY CONNECTIONS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE HERE WHO DON'T REALIZE MY CONNECTIONS AND TO ONE WHO KNOWS IT VERY WELL.
ELVIA FLORES, MY VERY BEST FRIEND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD IS NEAR
[00:50:01]
FILLS UP PARENTS.AND YOU, YOU KNOW HER VERY WELL.
SHE HAS RELOCATED TO ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO, BUT SHE'S LIKE, LV IS ON THAT COMMISSION.
I HAVE WORSHIPED AT CANYON CREEK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FOR THE LAST 18 YEARS OF MY LIFE.
THE, UM, ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF MY SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES ARE ZELL BALL.
SEVERAL OTHERS INCLUDE THE MALCOLM'S, WHO YOU KNOW, WELL, AND MANY OTHER RSD PEOPLE, LIZ HARLING, THIS HIGHLANDER IS MY LOVE.
SO LIZ GAVE ME THE WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL HONOR AT CANYON CREEK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BEING HER SON'S SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER FROM THIRD THROUGH SIXTH GRADE, HER SON IS NOW A COLLEGE GRADUATE, BUT ALL THOSE YEARS, SOMETHING REALLY MAGICAL HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE PUT THEIR CHILDREN IN YOUR CARE.
EVEN IF IT'S ONLY FOR AN HOUR OF SUNDAY SCHOOL EVERY WEEK, THE AMOUNT OF TRUST THAT IS BUILT.
AND THEN WE CONNECTED AGAIN, WHEN I WAS DOING GARLIN AND ADULT LITERACY AND SHE WAS DOING IT AT RICHARDSON.
AND THEN WE CONNECTED THE FURTHER AND FURTHER.
SO I'M SO GLAD TO SEE THOSE CONNECTIONS COME TO LIFE HERE.
I WILL BE CONNECTED DEEPLY TO EACH OF YOU.
I WAS BORN TO BE A SERVANT LEADER AND I DON'T MIND LEADING, EVEN WHEN I'M NOT EXPERIENCED AT WHAT THE PARTICULAR ROLE THE ORGANIZATION IS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US FORM A CONGLOMERATION OF THESE DIFFERENT GOALS.
WHEN WE GO TO THE RETREAT, LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AND WHAT CONNECTIONS WE HAVE THAT WE NEED TO BE AMPLIFYING.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL WORK OUT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO CREATE ANYTHING NEW LET'S WORK WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT.
ALL YOU KNOW, MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER.
AND I KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUTUBE, DEFINITELY.
I DID NOT REMEMBER TO, TO, UH, SEND THE COMMISSION, THE PROPOSED MEETING DATES, BUT IT'S THE THIRD THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH, BUT I'LL SEND IT OUT IN THE MORNING.
AND STEPHANIE, YOU HAVE, IT LOOKS LIKE AT FIRST, DEFINITELY DIDN'T BOTHER.
RENEE WAS TO BE SURE THAT WE, OTHER THAN THE RETREAT, WE HAD OUR NEXT MONTHLY MEETING DATE ON THE CALENDAR SO THAT WE WERE ALL ALIGNED ON WHAT THAT WAS THERE.
BUT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE MULTIPLE, BECAUSE OF THE RETREAT, WHERE WERE WE GOING TO STILL HAVE IT? SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS DOUBLE CHECKING.
AND VONDA, YOU WERE GOING TO SPEAK? NO, I DIDN'T.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS? MADAM CHAIR? I JUST WANTED TO OFFER, UM, TO EVERYBODY UNRELATED TO COMMISSION WORK, BUT FOR ANYBODY THAT, THAT HAS EXPERIENCED THIS YEAR, UM, I WORKED FOR, UH, FAITH IN AND WE ARE HAVING OUR FIFTH ANNUAL MEMORIAL ARCH IN KLYDE WARREN PARK OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME DOWN ON, RIGHT.
THE NAME OF A LOVED ONE THAT PASSED AWAY THIS YEAR, OR ANY TIME, UM, UH, ON A RIBBON AND IT GETS TIED TO THE ARCH.
AND THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE FLUTTERING RIBBONS IN THE BREEZE THAT LIGHTENS THAT, UM, WE'RE DOING WHITE RIBBONS FOR, UH, COVID DEATHS, PUTTING REPRESENTATIVE ONES ON AND ASKING HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO COME AND PUT THOSE ON FOR THE PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE, UH, SEEN DIE THIS YEAR.
UM, SO JUST A WAY TO TRY AND PROCESS SOME COMMUNITY GRIEF.
AND THEN, UM, SO THAT'S GONNA OPEN ON NOVEMBER 29TH AND BE OPEN THROUGH DECEMBER 20TH.
YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE, FAITH AND GRIEF.ORG/ARCH.
AND YOU CAN FIND ALL THE DETAILS POWERFUL, BUT THIS YEAR, I THINK EVEN, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE.
UM, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL, IF YOU HAVEN'T LOST SOMEONE CLOSE TO, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE AND YOU LIVE WITH THE CONSTANT EVERYDAY GRIEVANCE AND FEAR OF, ARE WE GOING TO SURVIVE? THANK YOU, LIZ.
IF WE HAVE NO FURTHER BUSINESS,
[00:55:02]
WE ARE AT YEARN FIVE MINUTES EARLY.THANKS GIVING ME RETREAT IDEAS AND LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN GET TOGETHER.
OR I SIT OUT IN THE SQUARE, DRINK COFFEE WITH ANYONE.