With the temperatures in Central Texas 60 and climbing, it’s hard to believe that just one week ago, Waco was in the midst of a historic winter storm, impacting residents city-wide. The ice may be gone, but in the wake of the storm traces linger, as local residents work to repair homes and gain access to basic needs. To meet these needs, the Waco Foundation alongside the City of Waco have launched the Winter Storm Community Relief Fund.

Effective leaders possess many qualities, some of which include vision, empowerment, and empathy. When a pandemic hit our community last spring, community leaders rose to the occasion to leverage a skill of leadership: communication.

Lack of capital is a major barrier for small businesses to succeed and thrive. Startup Waco has partnered with Kiva, the largest crowd-lending platform in the world, to provide an innovative solution to increase access to capital for small businesses here in Waco—making it one of 30 hub cities in the nation and the first in the State of Texas to offer this program.

February marks Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements of African-Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.