This Is The Panhandle

This week we start our special episodes about mental health.  Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it’s a focus area for our organization, we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about our partnership with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.  Dr. Amanda Tinsley-Mathias sits down with us to talk about this collaborative care model of mental health resources. More about Meadows Mental Health Institute: https://mmhpi.org/ Tune in to the entire series!

This week we sit down with Dr. Guy Loneragan, Dean of the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine.  Dr. Loneragan gives a recap about the first semester of the new school located in the Harrington Regional Medical Campus.  Students interested in TTUSVM can get more information HERE. 

This week we sit down with Zack Wilson, Executive Director of the High Plains Food Bank. Zack has been at the HPFB for 17 years and has been at the helm for 11.  He shares with us what HPFB does, how they do it, and how you can help!  Since the COVID 19 pandemic began, the necessity of food programs has become vital for many of our neighbors. How is HPFB keeping up with the demand? Zack shares those details and gives a glimpse into the future of food banking!     Learn more about High Plains Food Bank HERE 

This week we sit down with legendary news personality turned entrepreneur, Lisa Schmidt.  She talks about her days behind the news desk and why it was time to leave.  She started a new venture called All The Things for You, a box subscription service.  Listen and subscribe.   More about All the Things: CLICK HERE

This week we sit down with Wendy Taylor, Executive Director of Don Harrington Discovery Center and Wildcat Bluff Nature Center.  Wendy talks about the merger of these two organizations and what it means for our community.  The singular organization now brings the Earth sciences and STEM sciences together under one organization. For more information on Don Harrington Discovery Center, CLICK HERE For more information on Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, CLICK HERE

This week we sit down with AmTech Career Academy’s principal, Jay Barrett.  Amarillo ISD’s new AmTech campus is connecting students to career pathways while helping them achieve industry certifications to start moving towards their dream careers.  Jay has been an educator for 37 years and he now calls himself the “AmTech Cheerleader”.  The campus has garnered national attention for innovation and acceleration.  In the episode, you’ll learn what career paths students can choose.     To learn more about AmTech Career Academy, GO HERE!

This week we sit down with City of Amarillo’s Managing Director and CIO, Rich Gagnon. The city is working with Region 16 to provide high-speed internet access to a broader population in our community.  If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the disparity that comes from lack of access.  Rich shares his personal reasons for working so hard on this project, but also why it makes economic sense for the city. 

This week we sit down with Michael Evans, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, Dean of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a spotlight on the profession of nursing. Dr. Evans shares how that has affected nursing students and enrollment in nursing programs for TTU.  For more information on Texas Tech’s School of Nursing GO HERE

This week we sat down with Chris McGilvery, founder of Leaders Readers Network.  Chris has a passion for early childhood literacy and the organization he founded is working to increase children’s access to books and mastery of reading.  In 2021, Leaders Readers Network focused on children’s books that celebrated the diversity of children and was featured in a New York Times article, read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/04/neediest-cases/bringing-books-to-children-that-speak-their-language.html     To learn more about Leaders Readers Network, GO HERE 

This week we talk to Jim Whitton, about literacy among our youngest neighbors.  His passion to see kids read was sparked by a conference regarding the first 5 years of children’s lives.  His passion has turned into action by working with StoryBridge and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to put books in the hands of birth through 5 year-olds in Potter and Randall Counties.  If you would like to donate to StoryBridge’s campaign, you can do that here: GIVE HERE

www.texaspanhandle100club.org The 100 Club is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization fully membership/donation supported with the mission to: Provide immediate financial assistance to the families of certified peace officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty Provide immediate financial assistance to certified peace officers and firefighters injured in the line of duty and unable to work Purchase life-protecting and lifesaving equipment for law enforcement and firefighting agencies that cannot be secured through budgeted funds.  Just as our lives have not been easy, theirs have not been either.  Many of them don’t feel as safe as they once did in serving and protecting.  We have seen the need for more (and better) life-protecting and lifesaving equipment thus increasing the need for more funding.  Please take a few minutes to watch this quick video about the 100 Club story https://youtu.be/D5D2QipL4D8.  Will you join me in standing behind the men and women behind the badge with an annual membership and

In the Season 4 premier we talk with Jackie Pearson, 2018 Chairperson of the Amarillo Area Foundation.  Jackie was instrumental in advocating for #ThePanhandleGives and helping the campaign get off the ground.  She rolls off the board this year, so we wanted to capture her “behind-the-scenes" view and her passion for philanthropy in the Texas Panhandle.      Do not forget to give to your favorite organization beginning Monday, November 22 through November 30.  Give online at www.thepanhandlegives.org!  

This week’s season 3 finale is a conversation with Panhandle PBS’s Karen Welch about the new series, Living While Black. The series is Thursday nights on Panhandle PBS and showcases interviews from some of our Black neighbors. We also talk with one of the featured interviewees, Ms. Melodie Graves.  Ms. Graves, a TEDx featured speaker and Amarillo native, shares her perspective of living while Black in Amarillo and how she is hoping to create a better place for her child through activism.  For more information on the project: https://www.panhandlepbs.org/livingwhileblack/

This week, we sit down with Anna Lisa Ramos, owner of Cocina on the Go!  Ms. Ramos received the first loan from Communities Unlimited to purchase the food truck she currently uses.  She is no stranger to our podcast; this is her second special episode, and we can’t wait for you to hear the exciting updates Anna Lisa shares.  Here’s more on Anna Lisa: Cocina on the Go Her first time on the podcast

This week, we sit down with Communities Unlimited, a new organization in our community, to learn about their various programs. Katy Parrish shares details of their first loan and how they plan to create self-sustainability throughout our region.

In this week’s episode, we sit down with newly-promoted No Limits No Excuses Program Officer, Kimberly Anderson. An Amarillo native and Palo Duro High School graduate, Kimberly currently serves on the Amarillo ISD School Board. We talk education and how Kimberly was never going to follow her mother into teaching but is now a self-confessed public education advocate!

This week we sit down with Spearman native and entrepreneur, Suzanne Bellsnyder.  Ms. Bellsnyder had worked in Austin for decades but coming back to her roots proved to be a great place to raise a family and start a couple of new businesses.  In the interview, Ms. Bellsnyder shares her view of this year’s legislative session and how a self-described policy wonk views policy for our area.   

This week we sit down with Dr. Pam Kirby, a local Licensed Clinical Psychologist.  Dr. Kirby talks about mental health in the era of COVID, what she is seeing in her practice, and what you can do to improve your mental health during a global pandemic.      Documents mentioned in the podcast:    Click HERE for American Psychological Association 

This week we are sitting down with Dr. Scott Milton, Infectious Disease physician at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, and the Public Health Authority with the City of Amarillo. We have a conversation about how the increased COVID cases affects our local hospitals, what that means for our community, and how you can help keep the infection rates down.

We sit down with Representative Ken King in this week’s episode.  He talks about the upcoming legislative session and how the state is continuing to be impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Representative King shares why he loves his district and the work he’s done to make the Panhandle an even better place to live.