Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Westcreek joined with Fit and Faithful Living to teach the students about aeroponic systems. Students recently built an aeroponic vertical tower garden and planted fresh herbs and vegetables. The garden is currently in their school where students can watch the progress of the growing herbs and vegetables.

Aeroponics allows plants, with the absence of soil, to be nourished and watered with a system built into the tower and through the suspended roots, allowing for more oxygen and nutrient intake through the plant roots, limiting disease and pathogens for higher density growing, and reducing waste by recycling water. Tower gardens can grow up to 20 vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers in less than three square feet in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Fit and Faithful is a local nonprofit organization and aims to educate and encourage individuals to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They aim to expand the use of tower gardens in home and schools throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area in order for them to produce healthy and fresh food.

Texans Can Academies focuses on the needs of their students both in and out of the classroom and educates them in a holistic way, including wellness education. Their goal for graduating students is to provide the skills and options for a strong career path and higher education along with providing opportunities to learn life skills for responsible and healthy living that their students otherwise would not have. Texans Can Academies strives to be a value-added organization through partnerships like this with outside organizations.  

Texans Can Academies graduate thinkers and offer students, aged 14 to 21, who have struggled in a traditional high school setting a second chance at earning their high school diploma instead of a General Education Development (GED). Texans Can Academies are a unique network of 14 charter schools located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. The schools are tuition-free, open enrollment, public high schools of choice serving students who have struggles in a traditional high school setting. For more information, please visit www.texanscan.org.

Merriman Anderson/Architects (MAA) has been honored with the 2018 Award for Excellence in Historic Architecture by the Texas Historical Commission. The Texas Historical Commission Awards recognizes worthy accomplishments and exemplary leadership in the preservation of Texas’ heritage.

“Restoring historic buildings not only reduces construction waste and energy but pays tribute to the state and city’s history and culture,” said Merriman Anderson/Architects Founder and President Jerry Merriman, AIA. “We are proud to play a role in preserving Texas’ heritage and bringing life back to historic buildings and their architecture.”  

The banquet was held on January 17 at the Capitol Ballroom in Austin. Gene Kranz, the leader of the “Tiger Team” of flight directors for Apollo 13, was the keynote speaker for the event, celebrating the 50th anniversary of landing on the moon.

MAA is responsible for the restoration of 22 historic buildings in downtown Dallas and Fort Worth, including The Statler, 1401 Elm, Old Dallas High School, Tower Petroleum Building, Butler Brothers Building and the Sinclair Building, among several others.

The Statler opened in 1956 as the largest hotel in the Southwest with 1,001 rooms and was an icon of mid-20th century design with its innovative architecture features. In 1965, the 1401 Elm building was constructed for the former First National Bank in downtown Dallas. It was once touted as the tallest building west of the Mississippi with 52 floors. Old Dallas High School dates back to 1907 and reopened as offices in 2017.

Tower Petroleum Building was built in 1931 as a 23-story art deco building that was once one of the buildings of Theater Row, the vibrant entertainment district on Elm Street in downtown Dallas and housed the Tower Theater on the ground floor. It was redeveloped into a 177-room hotel and brought back its entertainment history by utilizing its basement for musical rehearsals to prepare for performances at The Majestic theater down the street. In Fort Worth, the Sinclair Building is an iconic example of art deco architecture and was built in 1929; it is currently being redeveloped as a Marriott Autograph hotel.

MAA’s designs for these historic renovations pay homage to the buildings’ history while implementing modern design and technology. By restoring these buildings, new life is developed into these once abandoned buildings, leading to transformation of the surrounding areas.

Sustainability is developed through historic renovations by repurposing buildings and conserving resources. MAA designs these renovations with sustainable features to improve the built environment without compromising the building’s character.

MAA is an industry leader in historic renovation space in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and across the country with a reputation for design excellence, creative vision and technical expertise.

On January 12, basketball players for Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Lancaster; Texans Can Academy - Dallas Oak Cliff; and Texans Can Academy - Dallas Ross Avenue attended Southern Methodist University’s basketball game for a special ceremony for Ira Terrell. One of Texans Can Academies’ longest and most dedicated volunteers, Terrell played basketball for SMU from 1972 to 1976 and earned a place in the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame. His jersey, number 32, was retired during halftime.

Terrell ranks second all-time at SMU in rebounds, sixth in scoring, and second in career scoring average. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the third round of the 1976 NBA Draft, and from 1976 to 1978, he played for the Suns, New Orleans Jazz, and Portland Trailblazers.

Terrell has volunteered with Texans Can Academies for over 30 years and is currently on the Dallas Development Council and Golf Committee. He invited Texans Can Academies’ basketball players to attend the game and the jersey-retirement ceremony.

After the ceremony, Terrell shared encouraging words with the students, signed their programs, and took pictures with them. Among those attending, only one of the students had ever attended a college or professional basketball game. The experience was one these students will not forget.

The Mustangs went on that night to take a nearly 30-point victory against the University of Tulsa.

Texans Can Academies is dedicated to graduating thinkers and committed to ensuring students have all the information and tools needed for a successful college or career path after graduation. For more information about Texans Can Academies, please visit www.texanscan.org.

Wee Can Academy - Ross Avenue was chosen as one of three finalists to receive a check in the amount of $500 from Molina Healthcare as part of a company-wide challenge. Molina Healthcare recently helped accomplish a playground revitalization at Wee Can Academy. The organization awarded the school with an extra donation to purchase any needed items in the classrooms or for the playground. A check presentation and small ceremony took place at the school on December 21, 2018.

Earlier this year, Molina Healthcare donated new equipment and almost 30 volunteers donated their time to install and spruce up the preschool playground at Wee Can Academy - Ross Avenue. Members of the Texans Can facilities staff joined in with Molina Healthcare’s volunteers to help.

Over two days, Molina Healthcare provided the equipment and tools along with their employees to build a sandbox in the Toddler Play Area, install rubber mulching in the playground, make various improvements to the garden, install new soccer and basketball goals and much more. In addition, the organization donated and delivered new tricycles, helmets, wagons and push cars to the preschool.

“We are very thankful for Molina Healthcare and all they have done for Wee Can Academy - Ross Avenue with their playground revitalization,” said Feleasha Nelson, child care director for Wee Can Academy - Ross Avenue. “The organization’s continued interest in Wee Can is humbling and we could not be more grateful for their donations and support of the school. The children love the playground and we are eager to provide additional resources to the school with the help of Molina Healthcare.”

The mission of Wee Can Academy is to provide a safe, nurturing and educational environment for children and to partner with and support the families that are a part of the school. Wee Can Academy provides daily programs designed to enrich the lives of infants and toddlers and after school care for grade school children through play, social and academic activities that provide experiences to stimulate the physical, emotional and cognitive growth of each child.

There are currently six Wee Can Academy centers located within Texans Can Academy campuses. Wee Can programs can be found at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch campus, the Ross Avenue campus in East Dallas, the Pleasant Grove campus and the Grant East campus in south Dallas. Fort Worth and San Antonio campuses also have Wee Can Academy centers within their schools.

For more information about Wee Can Academies, please visit www.weecanacademy.org.
For more Information about Molina Healthcare, please visit www.molinahealthcare.com.
For more information about Texans Can Academies, please visit www.texanscan.org. 

Students at Texans Can Academy - Dallas Ross Avenue received a wonderful surprise when they went Christmas shopping at the Texans Can - Cars for Kids Thrift Store. The students were transported by advisors and collected all of their items from the store at no cost to them.

The Texans Can - Cars for Kids Thrift Store opened in August of this year and proceeds benefit Texans Can Academies. The charity run store contains a large variety of items to shop from, including holiday decorations, furniture, appliances, clothing, games and more. Items are donated by five regular estate sale companies in the Dallas area.

“We are so excited the students got the opportunity to go to the Texans Can - Cars for Kids Thrift Store and get items they needed for free,” said Malcolm Wentworth, Chief Operating Officer. “The students appreciate the generosity and the thrift store is a great place for people to shop with a purpose this holiday season.”

Along with the thrift store, Texans Can - Cars for Kids recently introduced a live miscellaneous auction. The auction will allow the public to bid on a large variety of items starting at just $5 for some items. The auction will be held on the first Thursday of every month. Registration and viewing begins at 5 p.m. and the auction starts at 6 p.m.

Thrift store hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The thrift store and auction are both located at 7100 Marvin D. Love Fwy., Dallas, TX 75237.

Texans Can Academies offers students an opportunity to pursue their dreams while providing solutions to barriers while attaining their education. Money raised from the thrift store and auction provides students with the education and skills they need to have a promising future.

For more information about Texans Can Academies, please visit www.texanscan.org. For more information about Texans Can - Cars for Kids, please visit www.carsforkids.org or call 972-274-5437.