November 2007 AACOG Region Newsletter

The December Semiannual Meeting of the Area Council and Board of Directors will be held on December 5, 2007, at 10:30 a.m., at the Radisson Hotel San Antonio Downtown Market Square.

Following the meeting will be a luncheon celebrating AACOG’s 40 years of service to the region. Our keynote speaker will be Senator Leticia Van de Putte, who will speak about current legislative issues affecting the region. Former Executive Director Al J. Notzon III will also give a brief historical introduction of AACOG. Contact Melissa Pulido at (210) 362-5281 for more information about this event.

October 31, 2007 officially marked the end of Ozone Season, when our ozone levels are highest. Thanks to the summer’s agreeable weather and clean air measures taken by our local community, San Antonio remains in compliance with federal air quality standards for the 2005-2007 period. The Alamo region has to maintain a three-year average no greater than 84 ppb. The fourth highest reading of 2007 so far--74 ppb--is keeping San Antonio out of the red zone!

AACOG would like to thank those who logged miles in this year’s Walk and Roll Challenge. Participants managed to reduce over one ton of air pollution by choosing to walk, carpool, trip-chain, ride a bike, telework, or stay inside in for their lunch breaks. Great job! For more information about ozone season or the Walk & Roll Challenge, contact Amber Mayne at (210) 362-5213.

The AACOG Region Economic Development Stakeholders Group will meet on November 30, 2007, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., at the Honors Hall next to the New Braunfels Civic Center at 390 S. Seguin in New Braunfels, Texas. This quarterly meeting is hosted by AACOG and the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce. The group is comprised of City, County and Economic Development Corporation officials involved in economic development in the 12-county AACOG region. The group was formed in early 2007 to assist AACOG in developing the 2007-2012 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

The participants at this meeting will listen to a panel discussion by some of the region's leading economic development practitioners; Mario Hernandez, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation; Robert Peche, City of San Antonio Economic Development Department; and David Marquez, Bexar County Economic Development Department. The topic of their discussion will be "Successful Economic Development Collaborative Efforts".

For more information, please contact Joe Ramos, AACOG Government Services Manager at (210) 362-5212, jramos@aacog.com or Rusty Brockman, New Braunfels Economic Development Director at (830) 625-2383, rusty@nbcham.org.

Pony Express Couriers will be sworn-in during the 19th Annual Swearing-in Ceremony on November 17 at 10 a.m., at the downtown U.S. Post Office, across from the Alamo.

The ceremony is a prelude to the 19th Annual Christmas Along the Corridor, a 150-mile celebration of history, heritage, and the holidays as 120 Pony Express Christmas Couriers carry proclamations to the communities in the seven counties (Atascosa, Bexar, Comal, Goliad, Guadalupe, Karnes, Wilson) of the Alamo-La Bahia Corridor and other segments of the Camino Real de los Tejas to San Antonio. The Christmas Along the Corridor Grand Finale and Fair will be hosted by AACOG and the Alamo La-Bahia Corridor Committee on Saturday, December 1, 2007, at MacArthur Field, Fort Sam Houston, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit www.aacog.com/tourism for more information.

In many households across Bexar county, Grandparents and other senior relatives are primary caregivers for children whose biological parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. In response to the needs of these kinship caregivers, the Bexar Area Agency on Aging developed the Grandparent/Kinship program. The program supports these 55+ caregivers who have responsibility for raising their grandchildren or other relatives under the age of 18. Services include: information on services available, care coordination, legal and individual counseling, support groups, respite, and financial assistance to purchase clothing and supplies for the children.

Once a year various community agencies partner with the San Antonio Kinship Care Collaborative and the Bexar Area Agency on Aging to recognize the amazing contribution that Kinship Grandparents make to the quality of our national life by hosting a Kin Raising Kin Celebration. This year's event will be held November 3, 2007 at Mission County Park, Pavilion #1, 6030 Padre Drive, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free family event will include free food, music, games, face painting, a family wellness area, and an information booth that will provide information on resources available to kinship families. More about the Celebration.

Anyone affected by the flooding August 14 through August 20, 2007 in Bexar, Medina, and Kendall Counties, are encouraged to register with FEMA by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or logging on to www.fema.gov. The deadline to register is December 3, 2007.

AACOG's main office will be closed Monday, November 12, 2007 for
Veteran's Day, and November 22-23, 2007 for Thanksgiving.