Schulenburg Weimar In Focus Together

2011 - SWIFT Introduces Community Garden! 

Through a gracious donation of the former Bishop Forest Football Field, Blinn College in Schulenburg provided the opportunity for SWIFT  to realize its vision to create a Community Garden that would serve as an outdoor classroom and Learning Center. 

SWIFT obtained a "Renewing Our Communities" grant from the Austin-based OneStar Foundation to develop the garden infrastructure. Additional donations and assistance were provided by the City of Schulenburg, The Garden Company, the American Medical Association Foundation, Bucek Tree Farm, Stanley Kubenka, Rebuilding Together of San Angelo (another AmeriCorps organization dedicated to improving community quality of life), St. Rose of Lima School (composting), Lake Robertson III, M-G, Inc., McCoy's Lumber, Helmcamp Lumber, Ryan Wotipka, Mike Czimskey, Joyce Bubela in memory of Clarence A. Bubela, Schulenburg Sheet Metal, Morgan Buildings, Fayette and Colorado County Agriculture Extension Agents, various local artists,  Hank Ward of the "If I Had a Hammer" Program, and numerous Master Gardeners.

Our Goal:

• Match caring adults with youth to provide guidance and friendship while learning to grow nutritious food in the garden
• Bring many community organizations together for a common cause — youth development
• Provide fresh produce for students to take home
• Provide fresh produce for local food banks
• Provide a place for families to learn from those who know and to grow their own food

Long Range: 

• Provide our communities with an educational garden and a beautiful place to spend time/relax
• Host food preparation demonstrations to teach ways to prepare the harvest
• Farmer’s Market to teach economic lessons as well as provide our communities with delicious fresh produce

Contact SWIFT at 979-743-4600, ext. 16 to become a part of this educational opportunity!

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 Our Mission:
To empower access to our communities' assets.

Our Vision:
To preserve and enhance the quality of life where every individual thrives:
Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Spiritually.

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From the creation of SWIFT to its role just two years later as an award-winning community-based non-profit serving Schulenburg and Weimar, our goal has been to maximize available resources to improve the quality of life for our citizens. The programs utilize continuing involvement with youth and their families to ensure success and allow for measurements over time.

In 2006, SWIFT received an AmeriCorps grant that allowed us to expand our vision to include five focus areas: tutoring, mentoring, parent education, health promotion, and volunteer recruitment. In January 2007, the first class of SWIFT AmeriCorps members began service in Schulenburg and Weimar.

Award-winning Program

SWIFT  Health Promotion has been recognized with various awards in its short span of existence.

• In 2004, the “Communities that Care” Award was presented to SWIFT by the Texas Rural Health Association for the research that resulted in the ‘Healthy High' concept.
• In 2005, the American Medical Association Foundation awarded program founder Dr. Olga Duchicela the national “Excellence in Medicine” Leadership Award for her role in the conception and propagation of the “Healthy High/Healthy Choices” program.
• Dr. Duchicela was also recognized with the 2005 “Physician of the Year” Award for Public Health by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
• The most recent honor is statewide recognition by the Texas Medical Association presenting the prestigious John P. McGovern “Champion of Health” award to SWIFT for its commitment to health promotion and disease prevention through community collaboration with the “Healthy High / Healthy Choices” Program, focusing on Diabetes, Hypertension and the link with childhood obesity.

SWIFT is funded in part by an AmeriCorps Texas grant. The SWIFT AmeriCorps Members provide Tutoring, Mentoring, Parent Education and Health Promotion programs on-campus at all area schools and at many other venues in the community for youth, families and adults

The concept of the SWIFT Program is to serve as a catalyst with community partners and various Texas universities to show what a small rural community can do for itself, and to enable the programs to be replicated anywhere. SWIFT has also received support from two U.S. Congressmen, Rubén Hinojosa and more recently Congressman Lloyd Doggett. There is no known program in Texas using the basis and methods SWIFT has incorporated into the current programs, and SWIFT is one of the few rural communities anywhere to obtain this type of AmeriCorps grant.