KJZT Donates $69,304 to Hostyn Rebuild
KJZT Family Life made a donation of $69,304 to the Hostyn Church building fund Thursday to help in the rebuilding process as the church recovers from the gas explosion June 9 that destroyed the church and killed one church member. Donations were collected from KJZT chapters from around the state and then matched by the state office. Pictured left to right are Joy Kovar, Margie Harman, Ann Janda, Helen Janda, Catherine Sylvester (President and CEO of KJZT Family Life), Father Felix Twumasi, Lillian Kallus, Cynthia Morris (KJZT Vice President of Insurance Services), Monica Muras and Marian Chamrad.
Schulenburg Enrichment Center Update
Kenmar Residential Services said it is not interested in taking over the Schulenburg Enrichment Center, a day habilitation program for special needs adults. Bluebonnet Trails Community Services announced last week it’s plan to close the center on Oct. 31. Fayette County Commission for Intellectual Disabilities (FCCID) owns the building and property and leases it to Bluebonnet Trails. FCCID also owns two group homes that houses up to 12 special needs adults in Schulenburg. It leases the group homes to Kenmar. At a meeting last Wednesday, Aug. 24, the FCCID board asked Kenmar if they were interested in taking over the Schulenburg Enrichment Center from Bluebonnet Trails. “Given the logistics and finances of the endeavor, it will probably not be self-sustaining,” said Kenmar CEO Ken Gray. “Even if the building were free, the staff alone wouldn’t be sustainable.” Gray said the state reimburses his organization $8.11 per hour for care workers, but he said he has to offer $10 to $15 an hour to get workers to apply. Gray said his company currently has many open positions they’ve struggled to fill. The Schulenburg Enrichment Center currently services nine individuals who live in the community with their families. Gray said Kenmar would accept the nine Schulenburg clients into their day habilitation program in La Grange, which currently serves 75 individuals. Gray said Kenmar is working to open a second facility in La Grange that will include a pottery and ceramics production shop. Andrea Richardson, executive director of BluebonnetTrails, said her organization will provide transportation for any of the Schulenburg clients who chose to enter the Kenmar program in La Grange.
La Grange Newcomers to Be Honored by SFA
Acouple who recently moved to La Grange will be honored as Outstanding Young Alumni by the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association during an awards ceremony Sept. 23 in Nacogdoches. Derek and Kayli Head recently moved to Derek’s family ranch in La Grange, and their business, Bloom Bar has been relocated from San Marcos to nearby Smithville. Owners of the wedding and event floral shop Bloom Bar, Kayli ’08 and Derek Head ’09 have designed more than 100 weddings annually since launching their business in 2015. Both from Garland, where they met in high school, Kayli studied communications and journalism at SFA and was involved in the Student Activities Association and Public Relations Society of America while Derek studied health science. After graduation, the couple married in 2011, and both were active in the Nacogdoches community, where Derek served on the board of directors for the Nacogdoches Area Chamber of Commerce, and Kayli volunteered. Derek helped establish the Healthy Nacogdoches Coalition and worked for Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. Kayli worked in what is now SFA’s Division of University Marketing Communications.
