Hope and Healing Place announces new date, enhanced vision for The Big Cheese fundraiser
The Hope and Healing Place is excited to announce that The Big Cheese, one of Amarillo’s favorite community events, is undergoing a transformation. Traditionally held in January, the beloved mac‘n’cheese cook-off will now take place on 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at the Rex Baxter Building at the Tri-State Fairgrounds.
To build momentum for The Big Cheese 2025, a Restaurant Rally will be held at The Hope and Healing Place at 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21. This event invites new and returning restaurants, cooking teams, and sponsors to join them early, meet the team and learn about the updated vision for The Big Cheese. Guests can enjoy light snacks, register on-site, and take advantage of early-bird incentives to secure their spot.
In this January file photo, guests line up for samples of mac and cheese at the Hope and Healing Place’s The Big Cheese mac and cheese challenge at the Rex Baxter Building. The event is being moved to October in 2025.
Over the past 10 years, The Big Cheese has been a signature fundraiser for The Hope and Healing Place, bringing together culinary competitors, sponsors, and families to support a meaningful cause. However, January has proven to be a tough time for ticket sales and commitments, according to the local nonprofit. To better accommodate participants and enhance the overall experience, the event has been moved to the fall, and the organization is reimagining it with fresh energy and ideas.
The expanded community engagement will help make this fundraiser an unforgettable event for all. The new October event will offer more opportunities for participation from restaurants, cooking teams, and culinary enthusiasts. Tickets will be available starting mid-July, with improved early bird options.
Those who are interested in being a part of this reimagined event are asked to contact them now. For more information, visit https://www.hopeandhealingplace.org/the-big-cheese
Panhandle parks benefit from new safety projects as part of Texas State Parks Centennial
Thanks to park lovers from all over the Lone Star State, Texas State Parks now have many new offerings for visitors. In honor of the centennial anniversary of Texas State Parks in 2023, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) raised almost $2 million in private funds to enhance the visitor experience at every state park across Texas. Most of these projects are now in place for visitor use, with several other projects still to come.
“Thanks to private donations from individuals, foundations and corporations across Texas, we have expanded the amenities of our parks while helping to conserve the wild places we all treasure,” said TPWF Executive Director Anne Brown. “Half of the projects have made our parks more accessible to all visitors, and we hope these improvements will be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.”
In honor of the centennial anniversary of Texas State Parks in 2023, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) raised almost $2 million in private funds to enhance the visitor experience at every state park across Texas.
The projects were identified by park staff across the state, and many provide additional accessibility options for visitors with disabilities, including all-terrain wheelchairs, wheelchair-accessible kayak launches, viewing scopes with corrective lenses for color blindness, and even a braille trail in East Texas. Visitors to Palo Duro Canyon State Park will have access to bike repair stations thanks to Phillips 66 and BNSF Railway Foundation, and additional rescue gear there will ensure visitor safety. Another safety project at Caprock Canyon State Park is a rescue UTV for park staff.
“There were so many wonderful moments to cherish from the centennial celebration of our parks, and the many contributors to this campaign exemplify the very best of our park supporters,” said Texas State Park Director Rodney Franklin. “The generous support of park lovers who funded these impactful projects will be felt by all who love our parks for years and decades to come.”
Since 1991, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has raised and invested more than $250 million to advance Texas’ outdoor traditions and conserve the state’s lands, waters, and wildlife. For more information, visit www.tpwf.org.
Furry Friend of the week: Max
This week’s Amarillo Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pet of the week is Max. He is a 9-month-old Shepherd mix.
This week’s Amarillo Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals pet of the week is Max. He is a 9-month-old Shepherd mix. “Max has been around adults, and seems to prefer women. Max is okay with other dogs; doesn’t seem aggressive at all. This sweet, happy boy has energy plus. He walks well on a leash, so will probably like some outdoor exercise with you. Max likes to ride in the car too. This guy wants lots of affection and attention, so if you adopt, be sure you have time for Max. He is medium/large in size and is crate trained.”
Amarillo SPCA adoptions can be done at the shelter, 11901 S. Coulter St., noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, please call 806-622-0555. Other pets can be viewed online at www.amarillospcashelter.com or www.adoptapet.com.
Volunteers needed for City of Amarillo’s next PIT count
The Point in Time Count (PIT), led by the City of Amarillo Community DevelopmentDepartment and the Amarillo Continuum of Care, is a volunteer effort consisting of individuals going throughout the city during a 24-hour period to count the homeless population and conduct a survey.
“The PIT Count is vital in providing an accurate representation of not only the number of unhoused individuals and families in Amarillo, but also helps determine the needs and resources necessary to provide aid to our unhoused neighbors,” said the city’s Grant Monitor for Community Development Angela Snow. “The success of the PIT Count depends on volunteers – and we greatly appreciate how Amarillo responds when helping the homeless community.”
The PIT Count helps provide agencies with valuable information to help address the needs of the homeless population, in addition to funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The PIT Count is conducted by volunteers from local non-profit organizations and the community.
The next PIT Count is scheduled for Jan. 31. Training sessions are available at the Simms Building, 808 S. Buchanan, on Jan. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.; Jan. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon; and Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Online signup for the PIT Count is available at: amarillopard.typeform.com/to/c53FmeaQ
For more information on how to help or volunteer for the PIT Count, contact Snow at (806) 378- 6285 or at angela.snow@amarillo.gov. Also for more information contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov.
Jessica Castañon, right, is pinned by her aunt Teresa Castañon during a Dec. 13 pinning ceremony held by West Texas A&M University’s Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing.
Graduating WT Nurses take part in pinning ceremony, a time-honored celebration
CANYON — More than 50 graduates from West Texas A&M University’s nursing program were honored at a pre-commencement observance. WT’s Laura and Joe Street School of Nursing’s annual pinning ceremony was held Dec. 13 in Legacy Hall inside the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus and recognized 55 students who graduated during a commencement ceremony held later that afternoon.
Pinning ceremonies are an opportunity to recognize the students’ hard work and dedication in their clinicals and in classwork, marking the transition from student to nurse, said Dr. Collette Loftin, interim head of the Street School of Nursing and the Nancy and John Kritser Professor of Nursing. “The pinning ceremony is the culmination of hundreds of hours our students have dedicated to their classroom and clinical work. It marks the transition from nursing student to graduate nurse,” said Dr. Collette Loftin, head of the Street School of Nursing and the Nancy and John Kritser Professor of Nursing.
Of the 55 graduates, 76 percent will work in Amarillo or the Panhandle region.
December 2024 graduates in the bachelor of science in nursing program who were pinned are (with hometowns): Indya Baker, Amarillo; Madianah Barrientes, Amarillo; Rayce Birdwell, Dimmitt; Taylor Blankenship, Martin’s Mill; Hannah Bridges, Amarillo; Rafael Brillantes, Amarillo; J’Nia Brown, Post; Masha Carrera, Amarillo; Edika Carrillo, Hereford; Teagan Carter, Lubbock; Jessica Castañon, Amarillo; Rebecca Cook, Lemon Cove, California; Lezley Cummings, Amarillo; Natalie Dang, Lubbock; Meghan Dobrott, Plano; Faith Drake, Lubbock; Hannah Geilhausen, Lubbock; Grace Goble, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kelsey Graham, San Antonio; Brandy Green, Floydada; Yancie Hall, Elkhart, Kansas; Baillie Hammer, Amarillo; Chandler Hernandez, Amarillo; Rebecca Hernandez, Amarillo; Jaimi High, Amarillo; Hallie-Jo Hohertz, Goldthwaite; Abigail Isom, Canadian; Nicolas Knevelbaard, Amarillo; Kenzie Lodholm, Sunray; Lauren Lopez, Dimmitt; Avery Madrid, Amarillo; Tatiana Martinez, Amarillo; Victoria Martinez, Hereford; Ashley McMahan, Amarillo; Jennifer Milloway, Lubbock; Josephine Nichols, Conifer, Colorado; Yaritza Orrantia, Amarillo; Morgan Phelps, Amarillo; Nyagoa Puot, Amarillo; Courtney Reed, Littlefield; Jaedyn Reimer, Canyon; Trey Ritthaler, Pampa; Abigail Rodriguez, Hereford; Cinthia Rodriguez-Ortiz, Hereford; Grace Shubert, Roswell, New Mexico; Kambry Smith, Pampa; Annison Thomas, Panhandle; Gracie Tidmore, Canyon; Gracie Torres, Amarillo; Tori Van Huss, Amarilllo; Victoria Vega, Lubbock; Piper Warren, Amarillo; Aneka Wynn, Plainview; Andrea Zavala, Texhoma, Oklahoma; and Araceli Zermeno, Plainview.
Daniel Young, a Pendleton, Indiana, native, officially was granted his Ph.D. in agriculture Dec. 14 after successfully defending a dissertation that involved work in both WT’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and Texas A&M’s Veterinary Education, Research and Outreach (VERO) program.
WT student earns first doctorate in collaboration with VERO program
CANYON — A West Texas A&M University student will graduate with a doctorate Dec. 14 thanks to a unique partnership between the University and the Texas A&M University veterinary school.
Daniel Young, a Pendleton, Indiana, native, officially was granted his Ph.D. in agriculture Dec. 14 after successfully defending a dissertation that involved work in both WT’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and Texas A&M’s Veterinary Education, Research and Outreach program.
Through its campus at WT, VERO offers a 2+2 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program within the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, but the Canyon facility also offers plentiful research opportunities. “The VERO research program is really taking off, and I’m glad to be a small part of it,” Young said.
In working on his dissertation, “Gastrointestinal Health of Feedlot Cattle and Its Relation to Liver Abscesses,” Young split time between the VERO lab and the WT Research Feedlot.
Young is the first Ph.D. student to come from the partnership of both programs, said Dr. Paul Morley, director of food animal research for VERO and the Sally Rau McIntosh Endowed Chair for Veterinary Strategic Initiatives for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “Daniel is at the forefront of a number of students coming along behind him in this program,” Morley said. “It has taken a tremendous amount of work to get the research aspect of VERO up and going.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Community news: Big Cheese fundraiser moved to new fall date