Past Projects of Better Togehter

I am From Poems

This community writing project was initiated in 2020 with a partnership between Better Together and the Community Arts Center of East Texas. It was developed out of a desire to help people stay connected during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Participants first answered a questionnaire similar to a mad libs story maker. This information was used to generate a poem. Participants could opt to post their poem to the online gallery.

Since its inception the I Am From poems have been used in a number of situations: as a classroom exercise to explore differences in personal experience, a gift for volunteers at a local agency, and even in a eulogy!

Buddy Benches

The purpose of a Buddy Bench is to encourage friendship-building and inclusion. When a child is feeling lonely or would like to connect with others, they can go sit on the bench, serving as a cue to peers to invite them for play.

Better Together board member Tracie Estepp heard about this idea and developed a proposal for Better Together to fund the construction of benches for the Nacogdoches County Schools. Participating districts received copies of the book called “The Buddy Bench” which was read to younger students. Better Together also covered the cost of supplies for the construction of a bench, to be designed and built by older students.

Woden ISD has a completed bench for both their elementary and preschool playgrounds. We were so excited to see the enthusiasm behind this project as it brought together students and staff from this vibrant community!

Broadband Initiative

During the COVID-19 pandemic when schools switched to online learning, it became apparent that a lack of access to broadband internet was a serious problem. Better Together partnered with several community agencies and the Hogg Foundation to bring the Connect Nations survey to Nacogdoches County. This was the beginning of our community’s journey to bringing broadband to the county. Since then a regional committee has been formed to address the issue.

COVID-19 Support

During the pandemic, Better Together partnered with the City of Nacogdoches, County of Nacogdoches, and the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce to focus on disseminating information about COVID-19 precautions, practices, and vaccines at a time when easy access to reliable information was critical.