Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition looks for support

The Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition got it's start December 7, 2007. The Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital then recruited over 20 local organizations to join in improving the heart and stroke health of Nacogdoches County residents through community driven initiatives and environmental change efforts.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a group of diseases including heart disease, stroke and congestive heart failure. There are many changeable and non-changeable factors that increase a person's risk. Some changeable factors include smoking, overweight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and physical inactivity. Increasing age, a family health history, race, gender or a previous heart attack or stroke are all non-changeable risk factors. CVD is the leading cause of death i Nacogdoches County and in the United States.

The coalition just met January 18th to discuss goals & objectives and also start committee work.

Goals & objectives of the coalition include:

• Assessing the current policy and environment support indicators that reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke.
• Facilitating city and county wide changes to the community health environment that support improved heart and stroke health.
• Achieving Heart and Stroke Healthy City Recognition from the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Stroke.
  
• Supporting ongoing heart and stroke health related health promotion programs.

Members of the coalition have started to have committee meetings. There are four committees: the Smoke Free committee, led by DawnElla Rust, the Physical Activity committee, led by Mike Kelly, the Healthy Food Options committee, led by Brenda Marques and the CVD/Stroke Disparities committee, led by Almarie Henderson.

The next coalition meeting is to held March 6, 2008.

Mark your calendar:
Feb 1st - National Wear Red for Women Day
Feb 3rd - Go Red Sunday
Feb 29th - Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital's Women's Heart Truth Luncheon

Trailblazers Attracting Retirees to Nacogdoches County

The Trailblazers, led by Betty Shinn and Leon Hallman, is a group of 12 to 20 volunteers who will be available to visit one-on-one with prospective retirees. The group met Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, 2007. Training sessions started Jan. 14, 2008 with reviews of source material. A follow-up Nacogdoches tour-guide training took place Jan. 21, and a second training is scheduled February 4.

Trailblazer mission statement:

“The mission of the Trailblazers is to assist the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce in attracting retirees to move to Nacogdoches County.”

Strategies include:

· Contacting retirees

· Assisting retirees

· Informing retirees about our community

· Promoting Nacogdoches as a place to live, work and play

Members of the Chamber’s Trailblazer committee round up for an orientation tour of Nacogdoches under the leadership of Dr. Leon Hallman and Bill Teague. From left are Bob Dunn, Sherry Lovell, Bill Teague, Jim Roberts, Dr. Leon Hallman, Gloria Goldsberry and Dr. Barry Roberts. (Photo: Bruce R. Partain)

Nacogdoches is one of best communities for young people in USA

America's Promise Alliance (the Alliance), the nation's largest alliance dedicated to children and youth, in partnership with Capital One, today announced that Nacogdoches County has been named a winner of its 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People (100 Best) competition. The 100 Best competition recognizes the 100 outstanding communities across America — large and small, rural and urban — that are the best places for young people to live and grow up. More than 300 communities in all 50 states applied for the honor this year. The 100 winning communities span 37 states.

Nacogdoches County was selected as one of the 100 Best because of the community's multiple efforts to help its young people succeed and the way the county has involved youth in its decision making. A prime example of this is the County Youth Board. This board helps county extension agents determine what programs should be implemented from year to year, reviewing the educational impacts of programs, determining how to reach new youth audiences, and helping decide whether task forces or coalitions are needed to address priority issues. The community is equally committed to ensuring its youth learn about the community while discovering different career options. The Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce's Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) Crew takes eighth-graders on once-a-month full-day field trips into the community to learn about health care, higher education, manufacturing, natural resources, military and other career paths. The City of Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation Department provides staffing and coordination of the LOT program.

"Former Mayor Bob Dunn and I first looked at the program in 2006," Chamber President/CEO Bruce R. Partain said. "We decided it would take several months to complete the application process, and we needed a strong volunteer to head the effort. We tapped Candyce Wagnon, who was serving as the chamber's co-chair of the SFA-Chamber Connection, and was involved in several other youth-oriented service organizations, especially Kiwanis, where she is now president-elect." Full story


Partners involved in Nacogdoches County's successful application to become one of 100 Best Communities for Young People celebrate recently.
From left are Mayor Roger Van Horn, Chamber Chair Kim Luna Snyder, County Judge Joe English, Former Mayor Bob Dunn and volunteer Candyce Wagnon.
(Photo: Bruce R. Partain)

Jennifer Caster, owner of Aesthetic Laser Center, cuts the red ribbon

The Daily Sentinel recently attended a Nacogdoches County Chamber ribbon cutting for Aesthetic Laser Center, 3312 N. University Dr., Ste. H, (936) 560-9131.


Owner Jennifer Caster and her staff welcomed sponsors, Chamber members and guests.

Memories of Columbia

Two large-scale models of the space shuttle will be part of a temporary exhibit of NASA memorabilia opening soon in downtown Nacogdoches to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Columbia tragedy.


The exhibit is being sponsored by Stephen F. Austin State University's Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center and the Columbia Memorial Museum. It will be open to the public from Jan. 26 to Feb. 10 in the vacant Wyatt building next door to Nacogdoches City Hall on the downtown square.

In conjunction with the exhibit, organizers also are holding a reunion for those who participated in the long recovery effort and kicking off a new campaign to record the recollections of recovery workers for posterity.

On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, and all seven astronauts on board were lost. The expansive debris field covered much of East Texas, including Nacogdoches and surrounding counties.

"There were literally thousands of people who came here to search for debris and help with the recovery effort, and, except for their individual recollections, we have no way to record their experiences for history," said Dr. Morris Jackson, director of the Columbia Memorial Museum. "We are hoping to sit down with as many of them as possible over the coming weeks and begin to preserve their living histories for future generations."

Along with the models of the space shuttle, the exhibit will include large panels with printed information and photographs detailing the history of space exploration in the United States. Scrapped space shuttle components also will be available for viewing; however, no debris from the Columbia disaster will be included in the display.

"This is the first time an exhibit of this magnitude and quality has been brought to East Texas, and it really chronicles the whole history of the shuttle program," said Dr. James Kroll, director of the Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center. "The displays are just incredible, so we are hoping a lot of people will take advantage of the opportunity to come and see the exhibit."

The exhibit will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.

Volunteers are needed to serve as docents for the exhibit. If you would like to help, call the Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center at (936) 468-6100. Donations for the Columbia Memorial Museum may be mailed to P.O. Box 635007, Nacogdoches, TX, 75963-5007.

Click here for SFASU release.

For more information about the Columbia Disaster or other information about Nacogdoches, contact the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-888- OLDEST-TOWN or click here.

Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza Ribbon Cutting

The Daily Sentinel recently attended a Nacogdoches County Chamber ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of new business Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza, 4909 North St., Ste. 207 – Marketplace II, (936) 552-7900. General Manager Anthony Yarbrough and Co-Owners David Northcut, Rob Waller and Barry Lofquist welcomed sponsors, Chamber members and guests.

Community challenged to Cram the Coliseum

The Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce staff and board of directors are working with those in the SFA Athletics Department to pack as many people as possible into William R. Johnson Coliseum on the SFA campus. Chamber volunteers are handing out free tickets for entrance to either the Lumberjacks basketball game against the Lamar Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 17, or the Ladyjacks basketball game at 3:00 p.m. on Jan. 26 against the Sam Houston State Bearkats.

"Cram the Coliseum is a great opportunity for the community to enjoy NCA Division I basketball in an exciting, family-oriented atmosphere,” said SFA Director of Athletics Robert Hill. “Our men's basketball team is 12-1 and off to one of its best starts in school history ranked among the Mid-Major Top 10. The Ladyjacks' game against Sam Houston State on Jan. 26 is a special day, because we will be honoring the late Sue Gunter."

Tickets, compliments of SFA Athletics Dept., were distributed to every chamber member in the January Chamber News mail out. More tickets are available if a business has more employees than tickets that would like to show their “purple pride.” For additional tickets, contact the chamber office at 2516 North St., phone 936-560-5533 or email business@nactx.com with requests. Tickets are limited.

For all SFA athletic event schedules, please visit www.sfajacks.com.


Chamber Director Jeb Jones, right, presents ten Cram the Coliseum tickets to chamber members Deanna McCollum, left, and Shannon McCollum, right, of Shannon’s Pools.

Operation Thank You Deliveries in Progress!

Chamber Vice Chair of Membership Services Paul Smith, left, delivers an Operation Thank You! package containing the 2008 Nacogdoches Official Guide & Chamber Directory and City & County Street Map and a note of appreciation to Cotton Patch General Manager Karen Black, right. Nacogdoches County Chamber volunteers are hitting the streets of Nacogdoches, making deliveries to local businesses, and saying “thanks” for chamber support.

Damion James "dazzles"

Former Nacogdoches Dragon is coming into his own as a University of Texas Longhorn hoopster.

This note from the Houston Chronicle's Terrance Harris:

"Texas sophomore forward Damion James is beginning to live up to the hype he had prior to last season. The 6-7 product of Nacogdoches High School has elevated his game the last four contests, averaging 20 points and 13.3 rebounds while shooting nearly 58 percent from the field. James has especially been a beast on the boards, with nine double-digit efforts in the last 15 games."

New year brings new ribbons to cut

Nacogdoches County Chamber Ambassador Co-Chairs Paul Smith, Francis Spruiell and Ron Johnson invite you to join as the community celebrates new business and new Chamber membership in Nacogdoches. Following are Ribbon Cutting event dates for January:

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 4:30 p.m.
Wingstop Restaurant #362
4909 North St., Ste. 206 – Marketplace II
General Manager Cassandra Stokes

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2:00 p.m.
Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza
4909 North St., Ste. 207 - Marketplace II
General Manager Anthony Yarbrough

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 11:30 a.m.
Aesthetic Laser Center
3312 N. University Dr., Ste. H
Owner Jennifer Caster

Thursday, Jan. 31, 5:30 p.m.
East Texas UroCenter
1320 N. University Dr., Ste. A
Sergio G. Moreira, Jr. M.D.

Exciting Ribbon Cutting events, such as the one for the SFA Student Activities Association, offer great opportunities to keep in touch with the community and community leaders. Find out what's new - attend a Ribbon Cutting!

NHS Band Shines - updated!

The Nacogdoches High School Golden Dragon Band, led by Director Glynn Wells, performs during the 119th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade Tuesday in Pasadena, Calif. Thousands of people were entertained by bands, floats and equestrian groups along the 6-mile parade route. All the hard work - the months of fundraising and practicing - paid off in a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students. The NHS band was one of only eight high school bands throughout the nation chosen to participate in the parade.

Check out the slideshow of the trip. View a video of the band, courtesy of KTLA in Los Angeles.

From The Daily Sentinel, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008. Photo by Hardy Meredith.

Read the KTRE story.
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Update from NHS band director Glynn Wells, in reference to question asked about a musical piece featuring clarinets:

The marches were:
Honey Boys on Parade; Hail to the Fleet Fanfare; Northwind; Quality Plus; Boys of the Brigade (all in that order). If you are inquiring bout the woodwind feature stuff, it was probably either Northwind (top half); Quality Plus (bottom half) or Boys of the Old Brigade (bottom half)
Thanks for passing this along and all of the support!
Glynn Wells