Adeeb Barqawi

Safety Net for the Houston Community

Safety Net for the Houston Community - 4:30

United Way of Greater Houston engages caring people to improve lives and build a stronger community. At the heart of our work is ensuring the safety net by providing life-saving services to meet our neighbors' most basic needs, like food and shelter. We are here to support families and individuals when they are going through crises, like job loss, domestic violence and natural disasters. And, we create a pathway to self-sufficiency and success for our neighbors and our community. We provide the tools, resources and education for families to achieve financial stability and independence, for children to succeed in school and in life and for veterans to rebuild their lives after returning from service. Every day of the year, 24-hours a day, we are the voice of help and hope for those who call our 2-1-1 Texas/United Way HELPLINE. And, we bring stakeholders and our community together to address the most pressing needs in our area, improving the quality of life for everyone in our region. We do it all strategically, transparently and with a focus on results.

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The Largest Civil Office of Attorneys for Texas Counties

The Largest Civil Office of Attorneys for Texas Counties - 4:30

The Harris County Attorney's Office represents the County, its departments, elected and appointed officials, and employees in all civil matters that involve county business. Our Office also represents the Harris County Hospital District, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris County Appraisal Review Board, and the Greater 911 Emergency Network, which are separate legal entities.

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Alief PROUD!

Alief PROUD! - 4:30

The area within Alief ISD boundaries today is a bustling urban community, while only a few decades ago, it was a sparsely populated flatland. In looking back, we find that some things, however, are still the same as they were many years ago for those of us who live and send our children to school in Alief today. Very old records tell us that even in its early days, Alief was a community that cared for its children. Parents wanted excellence in education in a safe environment, and that is still the mission of the district. Alief ISD is fortunate that parents, other community residents and organizations, and business partners show their support by generously giving their time, materials, funds, and much more to benefit students. In contrast with the present, Alief (once known as Dairy) was a rural community of about 30 families in the early 1900's. The area was described as a flood-prone prairie, where farmers grew rice, cotton, and corn and raised cattle. Going to Houston meant a 30-mile round trip by wagon on an unsurfaced pathway. When the area was flooded, the only way to get to town was by a small train that ran through Alief. A three-story brick school was built in 1911, replacing the small schoolhouse previously used. Alief's Dairy School, District 46, officially became an independent school district in 1917, and like the village, it was renamed for the community's first postmistress, Alief Ozelda Magee. Alief's second general store opened in 1915; the stores were popular gathering places for residents. By 1920 a few Alief citizens had automobiles. Electric service, however, wasn't available until 1935, and residents had to wait several more years for telephone lines to be installed. The three-story school building was condemned in 1939, so children had to attend classes in a nearby frame structure called the auditorium. It was also used for church services, weddings, and other community events. In 1940 a school annex was added. Construction of the Alief campuses that exist today began with financing from bond issues in the early 1960's. Alief Elementary School, later renamed for teacher Cynthia Youens, was the first to be built in 1964. Even as recently as 1970, the Alief community was more pastureland than developed acreage. A few subdivisions of single-family dwellings dotted the map. Several of today's major thoroughfares, including the route of the Sam Houston Tollway, were gravel roads, The district only had three elementary schools and a combination junior-senior high school. As with many areas close to a metropolis, however, sooner or later urbanization occurs. A huge tract of vacant land was sold in 1977, and the Brown & Root complex was built on part of it. Apartment buildings mushroomed over another large portion. There was also the construction of Royal Oaks, an upscale neighbor with homes in excess of $1 million. Alief's population almost quadrupled between 1970 and 1985, and business, big and small, multiplied in the community. Annexation of sizable chunks by the city of Houston began in 1977, and Metro bus routes were extended to the suburb. One of the most visible signs of this population boom has been the heavy congestion during peak traffic times. To assist east bound commuters in the morning and westbound commuters in the evening, the construction of the West park Tollway, built along the path of the old railroad tracks, made driving a breeze for those traveling between Highway 99, the Sam Houston Tollway, and the Loop 610. The community and the district have steadily continued to grow. The twenty-fourth elementary campus opened in August of 2007; the sixth intermediate, in 2003; and the fourth high school, in 2001, and the Alief Early College High School, a partnership program between Alief ISD and Houston Community College, began in the fall of 2009. There are also two ninth-grade centers, six middle schools, a night high school and an alternative learning center currently in the business of educating the children of Alief.

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Purple Songs Can Fly

Purple Songs Can Fly - 4:30

Purple Songs Can Fly is a unique program that provides a musical outlet for the many children being treated for cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. In this program, which is the first of its kind, the children and their siblings work with founder, Anita Kruse, and other professional singer/songwriters in an in-hospital recording studio to write, record, and burn songs to disc within short sessions. For More Information, please visit Purple Songs Can Fly

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