This cartoon, passed around on Facebook, caught our eye: we know there will be flowers this year because we planted flowers, just as we know there will be compassion this year, because we planted compassion. Since we started this compassionate news roundup six months ago we have recorded an astonishing 593 compassionate acts that were recorded in the news media. Compassion blooms here! Follow @compassionNET1 on Twitter if you want to get the news as we find it and remember that you, too, can use the #compassionateSA hashtag. Happy New Year!
Found on KSAT 12, 22 December, 2017
Chris Madrid’s serves up burgers, fries for firefighters who battled October blaze
Chris Madrid’s food truck parked outside of Fire Station No. 4 located on North Saint Mary’s and staff served up the joint’s iconic burgers for the crew that responded to the two alarm fire that destroyed part of the restaurant.
Seen in the Rivard Report, 28 December, 2017
Bexar Not Among 18 Texas Counties Failing to Meet EPA Ozone Standard
If ozone levels were to fall below 68 parts per billion it would avoid 24 deaths annually and save a total of $220 million.
Seen on KENS 5, 27 December, 2017
Family pleads for sober drivers
The pain could have been avoided if the driver made a different decision that night. They don’t want any other family to endure this grief.
Unearthed in the Express-News, 23 December, 2017
They earn bikes for Christmas, and so much more
“My idea of Earn-A-Bike is not necessarily putting (the bike) together and taking it home,” Sandoval said. “It’s helping, teaching, cleaning, organizing. It’s giving back to something bigger than one’s self.”
Seen in the Express-News, 27 December, 2017
What we can learn from The Pearl
Let’s work together to make every neighborhood in San Antonio a “Great Neighborhood” that honors its roots while growing prosperity.
Found in San Antonio Magazine, December, 2017
San Antonio couple finds new purpose in supporting Green Berets and their families
“For us, it’s always been about servant leadership and having a servant heart.”
Found in FOLO Media, 29 December, 2017
Fighting the urge to segregate San Antonio’s schools
Once the “good schools” are no longer conveniently homogenous, white parents will face a tough question. Did they want a good school? Or, did they want a white school?
Seen on KSAT 12, 28 December, 2017
East Side community discusses violence plaguing community
“It needs to be more involvement with our city leaders. Don’t just come around when the cameras are rolling. Really show that you are invested in the community.”
Read in the Express-News, December 28, 2017
VIA gives riders some much needed shelter
The program cost about $12 million and was a welcome investment in humanity.
Discovered in the Dallas Morning News, 29 December, 2017
Texan of the Year: Joe Straus took a principled stand to protect Texas
He had heard from transgender families about the impact of discrimination and his motivation shifted. “There was a human element of this that I had missed at the beginning,” Straus said.
Read in the Express-News, 29 December, 2017
SAISD tops list of large school food programs in Texas
“Our children here are hungry, so we have a moral obligation to feed their bellies.”
Also found in the Express-News, 29 December, 2017
We have the means to end child hunger in Texas
Read in the Express-News, 29 December, 2017
Assistant to council the “sherpa” of the body
Those small actions are indicative of what [Chris] Callanen embodies — decency and compassion topped off with a drive to positively impact the world around him.
Leer en La Prensa, 28 December, 2017
Realizan servicio memorial por personas sin hogar fallecidas en 2017 [Memorial service conducted for homeless people who died in 2017]
Este servicio memorial se efectúa en más de cien comunidades en el país. [This service is conducted in more than a hundred communities throughout the country.]
Found in the Express-News, 29 December, 2017
Ms. Linda, thank you for all you do
Whether we are a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker, each of us has the opportunity to make sure our work makes a difference in the lives of others.
Seen on Spectrum New 14, December 30, 2017
Local company donates $30,000 for first responders and families
LGI Homes, donated more than $30,000 to HERO W.A.T.C.H., a support group that donates money to law enforcement and firefighters, and their families.
Read in the Express-News, 30 December, 2017
Express-News Sportsman of the Year: Tim Duncan
Duncan, 41, a St. Croix native, pledged $250,000 and matched a $1 million donation to spearhead a recovery effort, which included hundreds of thousands of pounds of supplies he helped personally deliver.
Seen on Culture Map San Antonio, 26 December, 2017
San Antonio leads U.S. cities for minority home ownership
In San Antonio, 55.2 percent of minorities own homes while 44.8 percent of minorities are renters.
Seen in the Express-News Faith section, 31 December, 2017
1 tragedy, a million acts of kindness unite community
Just before Christmas, more than 100 families had participated in the MealTrain response effort from many congregations of different denominations and from the community at large; a true community-based effort.
Seen in FOLO Media, 27 December, 2017
Reflecting on 2017: What it’s been like to report on San Antonio’s inequality
I’m glad San Antonians, in particular the city leadership, are starting to shed light on what’s been the Alamo City’s elephant in the room for many decades.
Read in the Express-News, 31 December, 2017
Report: Bexar County juries don’t like the death penalty
Juries are becoming more and more reluctant to hand out death sentences throughout Texas, but especially in Bexar County, according to a new report by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Seen in the Express-News, 1 January, 2018
Catholic Charities kicks off 2018 with ‘Celebration of Hope’
Catholic Charities rolled out the red carpet on Monday for refugees, single mothers and other beneficiaries of its many local assistance programs, serving up a spaghetti dinner with extra helpings of love and compassion.
Found in San Antonio Magazine, January, 2018
Director of disABILITYsa says it’s environments, not people, that have disabilities
One in every seven people in San Antonio has some type of disability.
Read in the Express-News, 1 January, 2017
Young ukulele player wowing crowds with her own songs
“I see myself helping people with my songs.”
Seen on Fox 29, 1 January, 2017
Organizations work to keep elderly, homeless safe during cold snap
“If someone comes in on nights that we’re at full capacity, like tonight, we at least offer them a blanket and an opportunity to stay in our Emergency Family Shelter lobby if they choose to do so.”
Seen on KENS 5, 31 December, 2017
SA family reunited with lost dog after fireworks scared it off
She hopes her story will inspire people to go the extra mile and care for lost pets.
Heard on Texas Public Radio, 1 January, 2018
A Look Ahead Into San Antonio’s Tricentennial Year
Mayor Nirenberg: “This is the first time in our city’s history that we’ve tackled the issues of the past in terms of socioeconomic disparities and made that a foundation for budgeting and also for restoring some of the resilience that we need in the communities.”
Found on the San Antonio Public Library web site, 2 January, 2018
Our Family Reads: The Mayor’s Book Club
January 2018: Unity,the state of joining together to form a whole. To make the world a better place, individuals must come together and unite towards common goals. Join us and read more about the importance of unity with Mayor Ron Nirenberg and his family.
Read in the Christian Science Monitor, 2 January, 2018
Remember the Alamo? Why some Texans embrace a broader history
When you show [people] there are multiple perspectives it allows them to better imagine themselves in those situations, and it also teaches them to be empathetic.
From the COSA Faith-Based Community Liaison, 2 January, 2018
Here are a few things your congregation can do to help Seniors and families without heat in their homes
Seen on Fox 29, 2 January, 2018
Salvation Army preparing San Antonio homeless community to get through the cold
“It’s nice to know that somebody cares because right now, the cold combined with everything else can be really crippling and a lot of us are sleeping outside.”
Also seen on Univision 41m 2 January, 2018
Salvation Army ofrece ayuda para desamparados ante las bajas temperaturas [Salvation Army offers help for homeless in the face of low temperatures]
La alerta por frío en todo el estado ha hecho que organizaciones como Salvation Army ofrezcan alimentos calientes y servicio de albergue a personas que no cuentan con un techo para protegerse de las bajas temperaturas. [The statewide cold alert has prompted organizations like Salvation Army to offer hot food and shelter services to people who do not have a roof to protect themselves from cold temperatures.]
Seen on KENS 5, 2 January, 2017
SA Zoo closes early to keep animals warm in freezing temperatures
They sheltered elephants and hippos in warm barns and wrapped some bird cages with tarps to keep them warm.
Heard on Texas Public Radio, 2 January, 2017
San Antonio Veteran Named Chairwoman Of National VA Advisory Committee
Octavia Harris, a San Antonio-area veteran, is the new chairwoman of the National Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, a panel that advises the VA secretary on issues important to women veterans, their families and their caregivers.
COMPASSIONATE SAN ANTONIO . .
. . . is a grassroots movement that promotes, supports and celebrates San Antonio’s commitment to be a world-class compassionate city: one where the civic government, the religious and volunteer organizations, the businesses, the community and its educational institutions come together to recognize the importance and value of compassion in the life of a city and by doing so create an ethos of compassion and a safety net for its most vulnerable citizens. #compassionateSA
