From the desk of Mallory Herridge, Skillpoint’s Waco Program Director;
Greetings from the wonderful city of Waco! When I think about the new, hit show Fixer Upper (on HGTV) and all of the attention and popularity it has brought to Waco over the last couple of years, I think about how fitting its themes of making new and restoration are for our community. I’ve seen Waco change significantly since 2002 but the change I’m most proud of is the growing culture and emphasis on cross-sector collaboration to address multi-faceted problems in our community.
Last night I had the opportunity to represent Skillpoint Alliance at the Prosper Waco Annual Summit. Over 500 Wacoans from all sectors of society gathered alongside city officials and leaders to discuss strategies for improving health, education and financial security for ALL in our community.
In the opening assembly Skillpoint Alliance was one of six organizations specifically highlighted for our good work in Waco and our emphasis on collaboration to create successful outcomes. To think that Skillpoint has only been in Waco a short time but has already been identified as an integral piece of the puzzle when it comes to increasing the financial security of our citizens is exciting! Great work everyone!
Under the leadership of Prosper Waco, serving as the backbone of this collective impact approach, we are opening the doors for all voices to affect change and be heard in our community, therefore allowing creativity to breath new life into our problem-solving. Imagine the trickle up and trickle down impact this will continue to have on ALL lives in Waco– making new paths for those that could not see one, restoring opportunities to those that thought all hope was lost.
I’m thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to represent Skillpoint here in Waco– and so thankful for all of your hard work in Waco building relationships and running Gateway programming this last couple of years. As I witness last night, your work did not go unnoticed!
Thank you,
Mallory Herridge
mherridge@skillpointalliance.org