PENITAS — Alicia Ramirez and her family have been living in a bright pink house provided by the Buckner Family Hope Center for less than two months.

Before that, the family of eight lived in a single-bedroom mobile home, where they slept together on a king-sized bed each night.

“It was small for our family,” Ramirez said in Spanish. “It was just a room and the restroom — that’s all. It had a refrigerator, a stove and a table. It didn’t have insulation and it was just the wood.”

Now, her family lives comfortably in a three-bedroom home with a living room, kitchen, restroom and laundry room.

She said she can still remember the day when they received their home.

“It was a huge blessing,” she said. “Who is going to give you a house? We couldn’t make it, and we have a big family, so it was hard.”

The family lives on El Conejo Road. Along Mile 7 on the neighboring streets, numerous colorful Buckner homes can be seen. They’re within walking distance of the Buckner Family Hope Center, at 39614 Mile 7 Road.

The homes are given to families with children who attend the Buckner Family Hope Center and obtain a certain amount of Buckner points, which are used as currency. Points can be redeemed at the Buckner Market, where families can opt to get clothing, toiletries and food. They are accumulated as parents attend classes about leadership, coupon collecting, hand crafts, bow making, financial responsibility and fatherhood. Throughout the year, 897 families are served.

The center is one of 21 organizations benefiting from an AIM Media Texas Charities campaign to raise funds for the hungry, homeless and those in need of basic essentials in the Rio Grande Valley.

AIM Media Texas is the parent company of the Valley Morning Star, The Monitor in McAllen, The Brownsville Herald and the Mid-Valley Town Crier.

Ramirez said she saw a great change in herself when she started going to the center.

“I used to be one of the people who would get money and go directly to the store,” she said. “I’m not like that anymore. Now, I try to make sure that if I’m going to buy something, I get it in the least amount of payments as possible or else I would pay for it cash.”

She said the financial responsibility class helped her and her husband learn how to administer their money and make it last. Her husband, Juan Obregon, said the center helped him learn about the different options that he could explore.

“They show you how to value yourself and how to get ahead instead of just depending on a certain job,” Obregon said. “They show you how to make your own business if you have ideas.”

Ramirez said her life outside of the center has changed drastically because of the help they got.

“At first, I wouldn’t go out, and I would just be at home with the kids,” the 32-year-old said. “I started getting more comfortable and making more friends. They helped me with the programs that they have.”

Ramirez said she believes the center has had a great impact on her neighborhood.

“I think that here, in the neighborhood, we see a lot of people who are very humble and they give you the ability to learn to do something,” the Peñitas native said. “You can initiate something; you can start bringing yourself up little by little. Something will come out of it.”

Norma Aleman said she started going to the Buckner Family Hope Center four months ago when Ramirez finally convinced her to visit the center.

“I’ve been living on this property for four years,” Aleman said in Spanish. “Several times, my neighbors who went to Buckner would tell me that they would help and stuff but I never went. They would always comment on things and then Alicia told me about it again. So since she was a good friend of mine, I said I would go.”

Currently, Aleman is living in a single-bedroom mobile home with her husband and five children. She and her husband sleep on a pull-out sofa-bed in the living room while her three daughters sleep in the bedroom and her sons sleep in a storage space big enough to fit two mattresses.

Though her family is in line to receive a new home, she says the center has helped her in many more ways than that.

“Buckner gets the husband, the wife and the children,” the 30-year-old said. “It slowly starts changing the lives of people around the community. They help us with everything.”

The Peñitas native said she took the bow-making class and learned to make bows. She is now a volunteer assistant instructor for the class and sells them at the flea market for a bit of extra income.

“I have learned that if I earn a dollar on one thing, it’s a quantity that at the end of the day would add up,” she said. “That’s very good because sometimes we don’t even have enough money for gas or for whatever we need.”

She said she tries to do as much as she can with what her family has.

“I always say that God has everything under control and in its own time,” Aleman said. “Talking about the house, what else can I ask for?”

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HARLINGEN — It’s a group effort.

The desks, with their sweeping curves and bright colors, were clustered around each other as if to illustrate their plans to rehabilitate an antiquated style of solitary learning.

The desks, all cheery in shiny polished plastic or laminant, were dressed in joyful colors of sunny orange or blue. They greeted Harlingen teachers and administrators who spilled into the Harlingen school district’s administration building Friday for the “Modernization of the Classroom” expo.

The purpose of the expo was for teachers and administrators to view the new furniture with all its novel features and then provide feedback about what they liked most. That feedback would be used to determine which furniture the district would purchase for its classrooms. The district is seeking to bring a whole new style of furniture that would facilitate group activities.

“We are looking at modernizing our classroom furniture in the elementary schools,” said Veronica Kortan, the school district’s administrator for organizational development. “We have been studying different options for technology and furniture.”

She said the district is looking for furniture that will accommodate the collaborative learning platform. In other words, desks could quickly be moved together so students could work together, or collaborate, on classroom projects. They also could be split apart for more independent activities. The new furniture also would be more compatible for the use of technology such as iPads

“Kids learn differently than we did,” Kortan said. “Teachers have to be able to move them together to meet the needs for what they’re working on.”

The teachers spoke excitedly about how the desks could be used for collaborative activities.

“We are entering the technological age, and we need to keep up with the times,” said Lorena Jimenez, who teaches fifth grade at Bonham Elementary. All the teachers at the expo were from the district’s 17 elementary schools.

Jimenez said she looked forward to having the desks in her room to accommodate group activities.

“I like how they are integrating technology and collaboration,” she said. “We are about to do a science project and we’re moving back in a group.”

Eight furniture vendors, including Indeco Sales, J.R., Inc., and School Specialty, had desks and chairs at the expo. Eight technology vendors also were there. Kortan said teachers would provide feedback on what furniture they preferred. A final decision will be made in February about what features the district would seek when it goes out for bids.

Julio Cavazos, chief financial officer, said the matter would be discussed Tuesday at the school board meeting. The district, he said, has allocated $400,000 from the extra tax funds recently approved by voters. He expected to have the furniture purchased and delivered to the district by the end of the school year.

The furniture should be moved into the classrooms in time for the beginning of the 2016–2017 school year, Cavazos said. Current plans are to furnish all the fourth and fifth grade classrooms in all 17 of the district’s elementary schools next year.

The district will purchase another $400,000 worth of furniture next year for other grade levels in the elementary schools. Cavazos said this process will be repeated until the elementary schools are fully furnished, within about four years. He said the district would probably purchase furniture from multiple vendors.

Long-term plans call for the eventual purchase of furniture for the middle schools and high schools.

The desks on Friday sat on wheels and had more fluid shapes that would allow for the creation of flexible space. Portable desks in more fluid shapes also would allow for the creation of flexible space, which is important for the modern classroom, Kortan said.

One vendor had three desks with sinuous lines that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

“I like the way it all fits together,” said Nicole Romero, a fourth grade teacher at Long Elementary.

“They have a variety of different features,” Romero said. “Students can work in groups and then separate them.”

One of the features she really liked was the wheels.

“Because they have wheels, they can’t scrape the floors,” she said. “It’s noisy and it ruins the wax.”

The broad range of choices from different vendors interested teachers like Amanda Rubalcaba, who teaches fourth grade at Long Elementary.

“We are really looking at a lot of different furniture,” she said. “It will be nice to get it upgraded in the classroom.”

She was ready to get away from the standard space in classrooms, which is very limiting. The old desks needed to go, too.

“Furniture needs to be more than just squares and rectangles,” she said.

The desks seemed to illustrate the importance of collaboration in the classroom in order to prepare students for the work place where group effort is the key to success. District administrators have emphasized the importance of collaboration in the public schools many times.

The drastically new features of the desks seemed to hail a new era in which rectangular desks in neat rows are being shown the door. Their departure now makes room for a whole new look and a new concept in the way children learn.

LOS FRESNOS — Elvis is alive!

He exploded onto the stage yesterday at the 23rd annual Little Graceland Elvis Presley Festival wearing the guises of 11 impersonators, including Luis Salazar Jr., Eddie Carson and Danny Lee Garza.

“Yes! Yes! Oh, my gosh!” shouted Luis Barrera, 9, as Garza dashed onto the stage in a glittery gold jacket and sang an early Elvis favorite.

“Well, that’s all right, mama, that’s all right for you. That’s all right mama, just anyway you do,” Garza sang, his body gyrating to the song in an eerily close imitation.

Throngs of people of all ages, most of them from the Presley era, had converged on Little Graceland at 701 W. Ocean Blvd. in Los Fresnos. Little Graceland is a museum dedicated to the late King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The museum is owned by Simon Vega, who knew Elvis while serving with him in the U.S. Army in Germany.

He saw Elvis quite often but was apprehensive about introducing himself.

“I was scared to say hi to him,” said Vega, 80. “I was scared he would ignore me.”

However, one day he saw Elvis in the chow line about 10 people ahead of him.

“I went and patted him on the back,” Vega said. “He turned around and I said, ‘Hi, Elvis.’ He said, ‘Hi, Vega.’ I said, ‘Let me be your friend.’ And he said yes.”

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LOS FRESNOS — Elvis is alive!

He exploded onto the stage yesterday at the 23rd annual Little Graceland Elvis Presley Festival wearing the guises of 11 impersonators, including Luis Salazar Jr., Eddie Carson and Danny Lee Garza.

“Yes! Yes! Oh, my gosh!” shouted Luis Barrera, 9, as Garza dashed onto the stage in a glittery gold jacket and sang an early Elvis favorite.

“Well, that’s all right, mama, that’s all right for you. That’s all right mama, just anyway you do,” Garza sang, his body gyrating to the song in an eerily close imitation.

Throngs of people of all ages, most of them from the Presley era, had converged on Little Graceland at 701 W. Ocean Blvd. in Los Fresnos. Little Graceland is a museum dedicated to the late King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The museum is owned by Simon Vega, who knew Elvis while serving with him in the U.S. Army in Germany.

He saw Elvis quite often but was apprehensive about introducing himself.

“I was scared to say hi to him,” said Vega, 80. “I was scared he would ignore me.”

However, one day he saw Elvis in the chow line about 10 people ahead of him.

“I went and patted him on the back,” Vega said. “He turned around and I said, ‘Hi, Elvis.’ He said, ‘Hi, Vega.’ I said, ‘Let me be your friend.’ And he said yes.”

They spent a great deal of time together after that, and even remained in touch after the Army. They met up twice, once at Graceland in Memphis and another time in Houston. Vega remained not only a personal friend but also a devoted fan of his music throughout life.

His nephew, Raul Garcia, was already a big Elvis fan before learning about Vega’s connection with the star, who was burning up the stage at the time.

“As soon as I was old enough to know about music, he was my number one entertainer,” said Garcia, 64, who’d driven from Dallas for the show.

He learned in high school about his uncle’s friendship with Elvis and became interested in Vega’s story, how he and Elvis met, how they talked a lot on guard duty. Garcia soon found he had bragging rights to a gem of a story which he still exercises to this day.

The grounds around Little Graceland were filled with people who still love Elvis to this day, although he died in 1977. Many of them felt Garza was one of the better impersonators they’d seen so far.

“I think his voice is good,” said Mike Unger, 75, as Garza twisted about while performing “Hound Dog.”

“He really has got the songs and the voice,” said Unger, a Winter Texan from Minnesota. “The inflections and his body movements are good.”

Meanwhile, Luis, the 9-year-old, was still excited with every song.

“It’s super cool,” he said. “I love his dancing.”

Donna and Gus Kimpling, Winter Texans from Minnesota, had brought several of their friends to see the show.

“I love Elvis,” said Donna Kimpling, 71. “I saw him in concert in Minneapolis-St. Paul.”

Garza had changed into a black uniform. Kimpling said she would like to see him in the white uniform Elvis wore in his later years, which he did wear later in the day.

Garza said he was enjoying the opportunity to play the role of Elvis.

“He’s one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived,” said Garza, 39. “I believe he really did change the world for all of our children. He opened the gateway to rock and roll.”

It would seem that Elvis opened the gateway to rock and roll for many generations. Chris Walters, 28, grew up listening to Elvis with his grandmother, and he’s still listening.

“I like a lot of his early stuff,” said Walters, who’d come to the festival with his wife Belen. He’d recently moved here from Ohio and soon heard about the festival.

“I am enjoying it really well,” he said. “I like a lot of his early stuff in the 50s, Heartbreak Hotel, Burning Love. I like the rhythm, the lyrics, everything.”

His wife has lived in Los Fresnos her whole life and hadn’t been interested in the museum or the festival. She wasn’t too familiar with the music.

“I listen to it here and there,” said Belen Walters, 25.

Elvis has global appeal. Just ask Farid Mezouari, 43, of Morocco. He’s married to Vega’s daughter, Rosie, but he already knew about Elvis long before they met.

“Even in Africa, Elvis is worldwide,” he said. “Everybody knows about him.”

HARLINGEN — It’s going to be a party.

Hundreds of guests are expected to attend the city of Harlingen’s 12th annual Winter Texan Appreciation Fiesta at Casa de Amistad on Monday, Jan. 18.

“It’s another way of Harlingen saying thank you,” City Commissioner Michael Mezmar said. “They are a critical part of our economic well being.”

Mezmar will be helping hand out free T-shirts to the first 2,000 Winter Texans who attend the event.

“They (Winter Texans) volunteer in organizations, attend festivals and events,” he said. “They become a part of the community.”

The fiesta includes a business expo that will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Casa de Amistad, 1204 Fair Park Blvd.

There event is free and will feature live entertainment, a classic car show, a quilt show, food and business vendors and an art expo.

Live entertainment will be featured from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with performances by Lauren Corzine & Knox Jones and the CoZmic CowboYz Southern Rock Band.

Harlingen’s Winter Texan Flea Market also will be stationed outside from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Live music will continue in the lobby by Mariachi Sol Azteca from 11 a.m. to noon followed by a performance by the Harlingen Community Band from noon to 1 p.m.

Sweet Blessings Food Truck and PMQ Food That Rocks will be on site selling food with special rates for the Winter Texan community.

Winter Texan guests may also partake in a free train ride sponsored by Coastal Event Rentals, LLC.

Local children’s dance and music groups scheduled to perform include the Folkloric Group of Dance Community Center by Nora Estrada, followed by Ronnie’s School of Music, Long Elementary Folklorico Dance Groups and the San Benito High School Flamenco Ensemble under the direction of Jorge Mascorro.

The 12th annual Winter Texan Appreciation Fiesta is sponsored by Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce business members.

BY ROD SANTA ANA III

MISSION — The call for volunteers to help nature in South Texas has been so successful that a second chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists has been created in the Rio Grande Valley, according to organizers.

The newcomer, the South Texas Border Chapter Texas Master Naturalists, is now accepting applications for their spring training, said Tony Reisinger, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent for coastal and marine resources in Cameron County and a Texas Master Naturalist advisor.

“Volunteering to help Mother Nature is definitely the ‘in’ thing to do in South Texas these days,” Reisinger said. “People realize how important our environment is and that they can play a significant role in educating and assisting in nature-related projects.”

Texas Master Naturalists is a program supported by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and AgriLife Extension, he said. Among their many efforts, volunteers provide youth education programs and outreach and service to local nature centers and parks.

“Because volunteers have come forward in such overwhelming numbers, the statewide Master Naturalist Organization recently announced full chapter recognition for this second chapter, the South Texas Border Chapter, which serves Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties.”

Their spring training classes begin Jan. 12 with weekly Tuesday classes from 6-9 p.m. through April 4 at Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive in Mission.

The fee for classes and certification is $150. Background checks are required. Class size is limited to 25 students per chapter. Registration is available online at http://southtexasborder.wix.com/txmn.

Classes include field trips, hands-on volunteer opportunities and advanced training.

“The original chapter, the Rio Grande Valley Texas Master Naturalists, which serves Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties, has reached its class size limit for this spring,” Reisinger said.

Javier de Leon, chapter advisor and park superintendent at Estero Llano Grande, said Texas Master Naturalists is made up of like-minded people who gather to help the environment.

“It’s interesting to think that Valley residents care so much about their environment that we now have two chapters with over 200 active members,” he said.

“It’s a small army of volunteers whose sole mission is to educate the public and help nature in any way possible, from installing butterfly gardens and helping with school field trips at local nature centers, to helping monitor red tide blooms at the coast and providing scientific data to a variety of researchers. Texas Master Naturalists do it all.”

To become certified as a Texas Master Naturalist, volunteers must complete the training program conducted by university faculty and experts from various local, state and national environmentally related agencies, de Leon said.

“Instruction is also provided by local professionals with knowledge in native vegetation and animal species,” he said. “Class topics include ecological regions, plant and wildlife classification, weather, geology, rangeland management, as well as presentations specifically focused on birds, butterflies and dragonflies.”

For more information on registration or the program, contact Rebecca Reyes, educational chair, at [email protected], or Marisa Oliva, chapter president, at [email protected].

Rod Santa Ana III is a Texas A&M AgriLife communications specialist.

McALLEN — Ever wonder which birds are vocalizing in your backyard or favorite birding spot?

What’s the difference between a bird call and a bird song? Visit Quinta Mazatlan on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. to learn about bird vocalizations including ways you can master the art of birding-by-ear on your own.

You’ll discover that finding and identifying birds with your ears can be a lot of fun.

Cliff Shackelford is a seventh-generation Texan. For almost 19 years, he’s been the statewide Nongame Ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Since 2013, he’s hosted a live radio show on birds that airs on National Public Radio’s Red River Radio station.

Cliff is the first author of the book “Hummingbirds of Texas” that was first published in 2005 by Texas A&M University Press. He also has authored over 70 publications on birds, many of which have appeared in peer-reviewed journals. He and his family live in East Texas.

The Nature Speaker Series takes place on Thursday evenings through April and is proudly sponsored by Thurmond Eye Associates. The program fee is $5 per person and no advance reservation is required.

Quinta Mazatlan is located 600 Sunset in McAllen, one block south of La Plaza Mall on 10th Street. For more information contact Quinta Mazatlan at 956-681-3370 or visit quintamazatlan.com

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — From the moment the 32nd annual Causeway Run & Fitness Walk started, Charles Koech Kandie and Benjamin Kiplimo Meto, two Kenyans training in Mexico, never stopped sprinting.

Kandie was close behind Meto when he finished the race first, a few minutes ahead of the other runners. They finished around the 31-minute mark for the 6.2-mile run.

“We’re training to compete in half-marathons and marathons and improve our time,” Kandie said.

“So far, we’ve done OK. But we can do better,” Meto added.

Participants got to enjoy a scenic route of South Padre Island running across the Queen Isabella Causeway in what Betty Wells, president of the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce, considered perfect running weather.

“It was a great time for everyone interested in adventurous sports and an opportunity to do something with the family,” Wells said. “The weather was just beautiful. Not too hot, a little windy, but perfect for walking and running.”

The wind did end up being a bit of a challenge for first-time Causeway Run participant Steve Longoria, a San Benito resident, when he was running up the causeway.

“I had never been on a run uphill, so it felt pretty intense,” Longoria said. “I just started running again, and I struggle a lot with my feet, so I felt a lot of pain in my lower back and shins, but I think it was just the fact that I was going uphill.”

Longoria powered through the pain and with the help of a few Tylenol, was able to finish the race with relief.

Joshua Perez, a freshman at Steven F. Austin University, was back in the Rio Grande Valley to visit his family but decided to participate in the run so he could stay fit.

“It’s been about a year since I’ve run in the Valley, but I do runs up there,” he said.

Perez was aiming to beat his personal best of 33 minutes and 37 seconds, but finished later than that.

“I wasn’t really satisfied with that. I was aiming for third place, but after that causeway, I felt myself getting really tired,” Perez said.

In total, 1,628 runners were registered to compete in the 10K run and about 1,000 people registered for the 5K walk, Wells said.

“Everyone that participated in the event got a medal. We felt they were all winners,” Wells said. “And we’re looking forward to a bigger and better event next year.”

PORT ISABEL — Artwork by local artist and Laguna Madre Art League member Thomas Leeman will be on display at the Port Isabel Library during the month of January.

Leeman, who has lived in the area since the 1990s, works primarily in oils. He considers his style to be “mainly impressionistic.”

Among his most popular pieces are his paintings of women. He says women are his favorite subject. Some of his more popular paintings are “Never Anything to Wear,” which depicts a group of nude women in a restaurant, and “Extra Change,” which humorously shows a woman helping herself to her partner’s wallet as he sleeps.

Asked how he came up with these tongue in cheek social commentaries about women, he grins and says his wife gives him his ideas and titles his pieces.

Leeman has won a number of awards and recognitions nationally, internationally and locally since he began painting seriously when he retired. His work can be seen and is for sale at the Laguna Madre Gallery and at businesses on the Island.

Drop by the Library at 213 Yturria to see Leeman’s display. The display is free and open to the public.