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05_30_16TerryCanale

Featured: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, addressing South Texans during a Memorial Day event at the Brooks County Courthouse in Falfurrias on Monday, May 30, 2016.

Photograph By ALEX RÍOS

The annual Delta School Supply Giveway, which will donate key learning materials, ranging from pens and pencils to paper, erasers and notebooks, is underway and will wrap up on Thursday, August 18, 2016, when the donations will be distributed, while supplies last, to students enrolled in the Edcouch-Elsa, La Villa and Monte Alto school districts, Rep. Terry Canales has announced. “Throughout the state and nation, many families simply don’t have enough resources to properly provide the school supplies needed by their children,” the state lawmaker reflected. “But through the love and caring that our residents have for our communities and for our youth, these small acts of kindness are investments in all of our future and well-being.” Any student enrolled in the Edcouch-Elsa, La Villa, and Monte Alto school district is eligible, but each child and parent must be present to receive a backpack. Each child will get a backpack approved by the school districts, which means it is clear or mesh. In the backpack will be supplies to get a child started out for the year: pencils, folders, notebooks, tissues, glue sticks, erasers, pencil case, rulers, colored pencils and crayons. The backpacks with school supplies will be given away from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Carlos F. Truan Junior High Gym, located at 700 East Ciro Careers Drive in Elsa. There will also be a raffle of school supplies and various resources and service-oriented organizations at the event.

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Delta School Supply Giveaway, hosted by Rep. Canales in partnership with Edcouch-Elsa Rotary, Elsa Economic Development Corporation, and City of Elsa, set for Thursday, August 18, 2016 at Carlos F. Truan Junior High Gym in Elsa

By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]

The annual Delta School Supply Giveway, which will donate key learning materials, ranging from pens and pencils to paper, erasers and notebooks, is underway and will wrap up on Thursday, August 18, 2016, when the donations will be distributed, while supplies last, to students enrolled in the Edcouch-Elsa, La Villa and Monte Alto school districts, Rep. Terry Canales has announced.

Canales, who said he has contributed in the past to other school drives, said this is the second straight year that he is helping organize the Delta School Supply Giveway, again serving as host for the event.

He also expressed deep appreciation to Edcouch-Elsa Rotary, the Elsa Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Elsa, which are playing vital roles in this event, and to his House 40 constituents in the area.

“We have been asking as many people as possible. It is amazing how some companies will pull out their checkbook with a moment’s notice to help with school supplies,” Canales reported. “It is very expensive for all families to prepare their children for the school year. I am just glad to work with Edcouch-Elsa Rotary, the Elsa Economic Development Corporation, the City of Elsa, and other generous leaders to provide help for those who need it.”

Any student enrolled in the Edcouch-Elsa, La Villa, and Monte Alto school district is eligible, but each child and parent must be present to receive a backpack.

Each child will get a backpack approved by the school districts, which means it is clear or mesh. In the backpack will be supplies to get a child started out for the year: pencils, folders, notebooks, tissues, glue sticks, erasers, pencil case, rulers, colored pencils and crayons.

The backpacks with school supplies will be given away from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Carlos F. Truan Junior High Gym, located at 700 East Ciro Careers Drive in Elsa.

There will also be a raffle of school supplies and various resources and service-oriented organizations at the event.

Individuals who wish to contribute or have questions about the Delta School Supply Giveaway may call 956/262-2127. In order to make financial donations, checks should be made payable to Edcouch-Elsa Rotary.

Canales said students who show up for the backpacks with school supplies are the ones who are doing society the real favor.

“There is nothing shameful about needing help,” Canales encouraged the public school students. “By receiving these school supplies, they will do better in school, and it shows the world that Valley students want a great education. We’re here to give our Edcouch-Elsa, La Villa and Monte Alto students some of the tools to help them achieve their goals and dreams.”

Last year, the school supplies drive helped almost 200 students.

Equally important, Canales said, the generosity demonstrated by groups such as Edcouch-Elsa Rotary, local businesses, and caring individuals involved in the school supply drive are worth of fortune in many other ways that count.

“Throughout the state and nation, many families simply don’t have enough resources to properly provide the school supplies needed by their children,” the state lawmaker reflected. “But through the love and caring that our residents have for our communities and for our youth, these small acts of kindness are investments in all of our future and well-being.”

Edcouch-Elsa Rotary is a local version of Rotary International, a world-wide organization for humanitarian service, explained Virginio González.

“It is exciting to see more organizations collaborate in this yearly event,” said González, who serves as president of Edcouch-Elsa Rotary. “Together we are able to provide more resources to the community. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated state representative in Terry Canales.”

González is Special Education Director for the Edcouch Elsa ISD.

Rina D. Castillo, Publisher and Owner of The Community Press, who serves an Alderwoman on the Edcouch City Council, helped arrange the Delta School Supply Giveaway in 2015.

“The leadership of Edcouch-Elsa Rotary provides me the opportunity to give back to the community in a way that is insurmountably influential and can truly make a difference for families in the Delta area,” said Castillo.

For the Thursday, August 18, 2016 school supplies drive, Canales, Edcouch-Elsa Rotary, the Elsa Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Elsa are partners in this summer’s effort.

“Edcouch-Elsa Rotary is a public service organization committed to serving the community and its members for a better quality of life,” said Canales. “We have many public servants and other community leaders who are involved in making this worthwhile effort a success.”

Canales said the local rotarian organization features “pillars of the community from all walks of life.”

Through the network of organizations and partners, Rotary International focuses its service efforts in promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mother and children, supporting education and growing local economics, according to its national website.

In South Texas, Edcouch-Elsa Rotary sponsors a Thanksgiving Give-A-Way for the most needy families and provides the Delta communities with a Christmas parade in order to encourage fellowship.

Also, Edcouch-Elsa Rotary has provided a baseball scoreboard for the local baseball league and supports students with vision impairments by donating eyeglasses for their use, arranges for medical assistance to members of its communities with the greatest need, funds scholarships for students seeking a college education, and supports Rotary International by giving resources to eradicate polio.

Canales said Edcouch-Elsa Rotary and scores of other public service organizations and individuals in his House District 40 are shining examples of America’s highest principles.

“There is an old saying, ‘A society is judged by its treatment of its most vulnerable members.’ If you have the ability to help out your community, you should,” Canales said. “In South Texas, we represent the most noble ideals of our great nation.”

“By leveraging our resources, we have been able to collectively provide more school supplies to our residents,” said Juan José Ybarra, Elsa’s city manager. “It has been a privilege working with Rep. Terry Canales, Edcouch-Elsa Rotary and Elsa EDC and we plan to continue this collaboration in the future.”

The City of Elsa Economic Development Corporation 4BEDC is committed to providing comprehensive collaboration aimed at improving the overall quality of life for residents occupying the area, said Chloé Dotson, Executive Director.

“We focus on housing, economic development, infrastructure, education, environment, recreation, human capital capacity building, public safety and security,” Dotson said. “As a public servant, community projects and programming are funded by sales tax revenue that are then leveraged with various local, state and federal fund development opportunities and partnerships.”

Recent projects include regional organization of the cities in the Delta to partner with Communities Unlimited to apply for $125,500 from USDA-RCDI grant program for business development and entrepreneurial support, matching beautification grant program for businesses along major corridors in the city, a new city of Elsa website (www.cityofelsa.net), a renovation and lease program for start-up businesses, support and referral to low income housing rehabilitation and new construction programs, marketing and branding of the City of Elsa as the Heart of the Delta, and development of a comprehensive plan.

“Future plans include the development of a linear park connecting neighborhoods and regional assets and the community driven planning and implementation of a Delta museum,” Dotson said.

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Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, represents House District 40 in Hidalgo County. HD 4o includes portions or all of Edinburg, Elsa, Faysville, La Blanca, Linn, Lópezville, McAllen, Pharr, San Carlos and Weslaco. He may be reached at his House District Office in Edinburg at (956) 383-0860 or at the Capitol at (512) 463-0426.

Titans of the Texas Legislature

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