Committed to a brighter future for children, neighbors and communities.

We consider a healthy neighborhood to be one that is safe, clean, and diverse; one in which it makes economic sense for people to invest and one where neighbors manage change successfully.

We consider a healthy neighborhood to be one that is safe, clean, and diverse; one in which it makes economic sense for people to invest and one where neighbors manage change successfully.

Welcome DeShauna Hollie, New Community Organizer

DeShauna-Hollie-Grassroots-Waco-01
Grassroots is excited to welcome our newest team member, DeShauna Hollie, as our Community Organizer in the North Waco area! You can get to know more about DeShauna, what drew her to organizing, and her commitment to our Waco community below.

 

Hi, 

I’m DeShauna Hollie and I am excited to be joining Grassroots as a Community Organizer in the North Waco area. I grew up in Waco and have lived in neighborhoods in East, South and North Waco. I moved away to attend college in Illinois at Greenville College where I studied History and Political Science. After college I spent some time volunteering and living in an intentional Christian Community in Comer, GA called Jubilee Partners. At Jubilee I had the opportunity to work with refugees, teaching English. This experience really taught me a lot about offering hospitality and creating welcoming spaces.

After leaving Jubilee, I moved to Philadelphia to attend graduate school at Eastern University’s Tony Campolo School for Social Change where I studied Urban Economic Development. Eastern is where I really began to learn how to look for the different effects of Community Organizing on communities, especially within urban communities. I saw neighbors, churches and organizations working together to build gardens, start small businesses and bring farmers markets/fresh food access to their neighborhoods. It altered my perception of what both community development and community organizing could be.

I moved back to Waco to be closer to family. I have spent the last 10 years working in the Early Childhood Education sector and learning a lot about the connection between mental health and education. Over the past 10 years I have tried to stay connected with what is happening in the Waco Community by attending community meetings and serving on community boards and committees that focus on a range of issues including education, immigration, leadership development and performing and theater arts.  I am excited to join the Grassroots team as a community organizer and see it as a great opportunity to mix my previous education and experience with my desire to stay engaged with my community.

Share This Story:
[fts_facebook type=page id=149265655120983 access_token=EAAP9hArvboQBAIKpwFKNARTxO9yTdfVq8wegMtmNZBBXQMELqxcSjXbqiAbav2JQXgNHxzs0ZC1BrPIYC9MqZCzNTFOkQ2DdhVRnGzZAVMZBICxEh7ZA3Q2jWQqIwYthOh80NUbnYz5K86ZBhogUtJ7TvQVYlpFYe1VD8FWQReZAwR1sdMEku4GkghIN3mcELzpZCOyFtCbLrrgZDZD posts=3 description=no posts_displayed=page_only]