College Heights News

Students and Parents Enjoy "Friendship Friday"

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:57:06 GMT

Celebrating a new program year with chili and friends

Kids Club and Teen Club are back up and operating for the 2009-2010 school year at the College Heights Friendship House. Club members celebrated their first week back with a special "Friendship Friday" on Friday, September 18. The special day included a delicious chili dinner prepared and served by volunteer Mrs. Holly Sobin, with financial assistance from the Hendrick Health System Auxiliary.

Kids Club activities this semester are geared towards providing young College Heights neighbors with quality time with volunteers and each other. The schedule for this semester is:

Monday, K-1st Grades
Tuesday, 2nd and 3rd Grades
Wednesday, Middle School and High School students
Thursday, 4th and 5th Grades
All elementary school groups meet from 3-5 PM; middle and high school students meet from 4-6 PM.

Space is limited, but applications for Kids and Teen Clubs are still being accepted; volunteers for all days are also needed. For more information, call Dusty Garison at 325-668-0014.

High Schoolers in the Hill Country

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:52:35 GMT

Abilene teens get to experience Camp of the Hills

Seventy-eight young people from across Texas and Oklahoma, including four from Abilene, recently participated in High School Week at Camp of the Hills, near Marble Falls, Texas. The teens enjoyed many traditional summer camp activities, including fishing, swimming, canoeing, basketball and volleyball, as well as times of Bible study and personal spiritual growth.

The three young ladies and one young man were from the College Heights and North Park neighborhoods.

In addition to the other activities, Camp of the Hills provides numerous opportunities for interaction between the campers and their counselors - college students with a love of Jesus and a passion for working with kids. In fact, many of the counselors come back year after year and form real bonds with the campers - evidenced by the screams of delight from some of the Abilene girls when they saw counselors they had met at previous years at camp!

In the evenings, the campers enjoyed different activities on each day of the week, from the fun of "Freeze Tag" and "Spa Night," to the seriousness of a moving re-enactment of Jesus' crucifixion. When they see the counselors they have grown to love, playing the parts of Jesus, the disciples, the soldiers and priests, it creates lasting memories and makes the events of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection "come alive" for the campers.

In the end, the four Abilene teens enjoyed their time at Camp of the Hills, and all said they were looking forward to next year. Meanwhile, they will be putting into practice the life lessons and spiritual principles they learned, in the process becoming better neighbors - and better persons.

New Kids Club Coordinator

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:23:09 GMT

The Friendship House welcomes Sherry Moore as our new Kids Club Coordinator.

The College Heights Friendship House is pleased to announce the hiring of Mrs. Sherry Moore as the new coordinator for the Kids Club after school program.

"We are so excited to have someone of Sherry's caliber working with us," said Dusty Garison, Community Coordinator for the Friendship House. "She brings a vast wealth of classroom experience as well as a real heart for working with kids. I know she will be a great asset to our program."

Sherry has over 20 years of classroom experience with the Abilene ISD, and has taught at College Heights and Lee Elementary Schools. She spent many of those years teaching third grade, but has also taught first grade and fifth grade, as well as teaching reading "pull-out" classes.

In addition to her classroom work, Garison noted Sherry's experience as a member of the New Life church. "She knows this neighborhood very well," he said. "She already knows many of the families here, and will be able to build on relationships already establshed."

Kids Club is an after-school program for neighborhood youngsters in Kindergarten through the fifth grade. At Kids Club, students receive help with homework, have a snack, and participate in various activities including crafts, Bible stories, and outdoor games. The program is free for residents of the College Heights neighborhood. For more information, call the Friendship House at 325-677-8521.

Dinner Table at the Friendship House

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:59:42 GMT

The College Heights Friendship House hosted one of the events for the recent Abilene Dinner Table.

About a dozen friends and neighbors gathered at the College Heights Friendship House on Saturday evening, January 24, for the fifth annual Abilene Dinner Table. The evening was sponsored by Connecting Caring Communities.

"We were so excited to be able to host one of the tables," said Dusty Garison, College Heights Community Coordinator. "It was a delight to be able to open our home to a cross-section of the community and meet new friends."

The group enjoyed a delicious meal of roast beef with potatoes and carrots, green salad, fruit salad, and hot rolls, and hot fudge sundae cake and ice cream for dessert; while they ate they discussed issues facing the Abilene community.

Partcipants agreed that one of the things they enjoyed about living in Abilene was the convenience of light traffic and a friendly community. They also praised community leaders for being generally forward-thinking, and looking ahead to future needs.

Dinner-goers also identified some of the challenges facing Abilene, including crime problems in some neighborhoods, as well as the isolation some segments of the community face. Everyone agreed that events like Abilene Dinner Table were helpful in bringing the community together and looking for solutions.

The Friendship House event was just one of many venues across Abilene where Dinner Table meetings were taking place. About 115 people at 15 separate locations took part in the evening's activities. For more on the dinner at the Friendship House, click here to see the video story from the Abilene Reporter News website (will open in a new window).

College Heights Neighbors Celebrate Christmas Together

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:30:46 GMT

Students from the Friendship House - and their families - share a fun evening

Nearly 30 College Heights students, along with their families, gathered Monday night, December 8, for the Friendship House Christmas party. The party was held in downtown Abilene at the United Way Community Room.

The evening had all the elements needed for a great Christmas party: bright-eyed youngsters, holiday decorations, bright red stockings, Christmas carols, and even an appearance from Santa himself. Each of the children - as well as a number of the adults - had their picture made with Santa, and each child received a stocking filled with candy and small gifts.

Party-goers enjoyed a meal of sandwiches and chili. While they ate, the parents were treated to a musical program by the students of Christmas carols they had practiced during afternoons at the Friendship House. Selections included "Away in a Manger," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Door prizes were awarded, and the children presented their parents with personalized coffee mugs they had made as a craft project - each mug with a photo of that child as well as Christmas artwork they had colored.

Dusty Garison, Community Coordinator for the College Heights Friendship House, said the evening was a fun way to cap off his first semester in the neighborhood. "I've had a lot of fun getting to know these kids and their families," he said, "and I'm looking forward to getting back together with them after the break. We've got some great activities planned for the spring."

Kids Club activities at the College Heights Friendship House will resume Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

Special thanks to:

Mrs. Holly Sobin, for coordinating the food
Ms. Amber Gilbert, for serving as photographer
Mr. Randy Williams, for technical assistance
Ms. Dixie Bassett and the staff at United Way of Abilene, for their kind hospitality

Neighbors Enjoy Fall Carnival

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:01:35 GMT

College Heights neighbors come together for a fun evening

Nearly 150 ninja warriors, butterflies, football players and princesses, along with their friends and families came together on Thursday, October 30, for the annual Fall Festival at the College Heights Friendship House. The event was sponsored by CCC, with special assistance from the Hispanic Leadership Council and numerous community organizations.

The kids enjoyed a wide variety of game booths and other activities, including two Air Castles, a miniature golf game, football toss, a cupcake walk, basketball toss, and a dunking booth. There were also games especially for the little ones, including bowling, a duck pond, tabletop basketball, and more. All the youngsters received prizes and candy at each booth. Families enjoyed the perfect fall weather while they ate jumbo hot dogs and got better acquainted with their neighbors.

The carnival was also a chance for the young neighbors to learn about helping others - the price of admission for the festival was a non-perishable food item. The canned goods were collected and donated to the Food Bank of West Central Texas.

Our thanks to all those who came together to make the carnival such a success. We especially want to express our thanks to

ACU Men's Soccer Team
Alliance for Women and Children
First Abilene Federal Credit Union
Food Bank of West Central Texas
Samuel Garcia State Farm Insurance
Hispanic Leadership Council
Noah Project
Dr. Keith Savage, D.D.S., Family Dentistry
University Baptist Church

Photos courtesy Mike Hernandez and HispanicAbilene.com.

Hispanic Leadership Council visits Friendship House

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:18:46 GMT

Members of the HLC held their October meeting in College Heights

The monthly meeting of Abilene's Hispanic Leadership Council was held at the College Heights Friendship House on Tuesday, October 14, 2008. Members of the HLC followed their meeting with dinner and learning more about Connecting Caring Communities and our Friendship Houses from hosts Dusty and Kathy Garison. The Garisons live at the College Heights FH where Dusty serves as community coordinator.

The HLC has partnered with CCC in the past as founding donors to the establishment of the W. Craig Turner Award, CCC's annual award to champions of Community Renewal, among other activities.

Picture credit: Mike Hernandez's HispanicAbilene.com

Second Annual Fall Festival a Success!

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:09:52 GMT

Reflections on the Autumn activities at the College Heights Friendship House! The month of October was a busy one at the Friendship House. One of the best parts of the month was the Fall Festival that was held on Halloween Night. Folks from all over the neighborhood came out to enjoy the cool weather, talk with friends, have some great food, and meet some new faces. On the night of the Fall Festival, the Friendship House underwent a huge transformation into a spooky and festive scene of good ole’ family fun! The kids got a chance to bounce in 2 of our huge Air Castles. One was a gigantic princess and the other one was a larger-than-life jaguar. Kids and teens of all ages took advantage of this opportunity to let their energy explode into these bounce houses. Several individuals came out to provide us with a yummy cake walk and some other Autumn-style games. I believe almost each family ended up with a cake or desert at home. If the fun and games weren’t enough to make it a grand night, the food sure was! We were up to our waists in hot dogs, chips, sodas, and specialty deserts for our wonderful adults of the neighborhood! There was plenty to go around and it was a treat to sit down and enjoy one another’s company as we shared in the news of each of our lives. Thanks to EVERYONE who came out to make it a night to remember!

Boys Being Boys

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:05:31 GMT

What could be better for teenage boys than escaping the city and retreating to the wilderness? On October 19th & 20th, 7 of our teen boys took a trip to Abilene State Park to enjoy the beauty of creation away from the busyness of the city. Sometimes it's difficult to find the time to slow down and take in nature, but this weekend our boys got to experience some fun together outdoors! We took off for the hills and woods of Buffalo Gap, Texas to pitch the tents, build a fire, and be **boys**! For a few of our guys, it was a first time camping experience, and for others it was nothing new. The boys were so excited about going that many of them arrived to the Friendship House an hour before we were supposed to meet! The weather was perfect for camping as the feel of fall was in the air! We left after school on Friday to get to make the most of the daylight. One of the first things we did was take a nature hike. Boys love to go exploring and conquering the unkown...and we did just that. They took off and blazed a new trail through the trees and brush to see what they could find! As we quickly lost daylight, we made it back to camp for some hot dogs and smores! We spent the cool night around a warm fire telling campfire stories and playing games. Before we left to come back to civilization, many of the boys were already asking when we were going to go camping again! There is something great about boys getting the chance to be outdoors where they can just **be themselves**. Hopefully we will get the chance to do something similar soon!

Dad's Night Out

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:45:37 GMT

Our first monthly Dad's Night out was a huge success as we shared an evening of food and fun with some of the men from the neighborhood. Last week, the Friendship House Dad's went out for a night at Buffalo Wild Wings and the Bowling Alley. It's not very often that hard working dads get the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy week to relax and spend time with other guys. The night began at Buffalo Wild Wings where we pigged out on chicken wings in an assortment of flavors. One of the dads kicked us off by ordering 25!! (and I believe he ate all of them!) Meal times seem to be some of the best ways to get to know one another and to have great conversations. This was definitely the case for our Dad's Night. It was such a blessing to hear about what is happening in the lives of the men that live next door and down the street. After a fulfilling meal, we went over to the Bowling Alley to show off our skills! For several of us, it had been quite a while since our last bowling experience, so we needed a few rolls to work out the kinks! What a blast it was to have a few strikes here and there as we encouraged one another in our successes...and failures! Congratulations to Tyler in his win! I do believe each of us left this enjoyable evening wanting to do it again soon. Now that we've shared in such a great memory, hopefully we will make times like these a tradition.