The House on South 32nd
Renovated home is safe place where young men in East Temple can learn, play and grow.
FRIDAY JANUARY 28, 2022
TALK OF THE TOWN: Temple residents offer their views on Temple issues and needs.
Central Texas middle school and high school students will be on Temple College’s main campus Saturday to compete in a variety of SkillsUSA 2022 challenges.
The Temple Police Department COPS Unit will host a Kiddo Card child identification event in February.
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Young men who attend Temple High School and local middle schools enjoy a snack at 411 House in East Temple. The non profit group was founded by Kim White in 2018.
By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple
There’s a house on South 32nd Street where teen-aged boys learn about building relationships and the importance of community and self worth.
It’s called the 411 House, and — with a little help from Joanna and Chip Gaines — it provides young men with a safe place to learn, play and grow.
“Right now we have 50 middle school and high school kids on our roster,” said Kim
White, founder of 411 House. “It officially became a non profit organization in 2018, but its roots go back further.”
Kim and her husband, Jeff White, ventured to Wayman Manor Apartments years ago on outreach missions. They got to know the kids and the families in the neighborhood.
“There were a lot of bored kids,” Kim remembers. “They didn’t have access to the resources to keep them busy and to grow as individuals. We decided we needed to do more, so we started visiting the complex weekly.”
After years of meeting with kids at Wayman Manor, the Whites bought a house in East Temple, the former home of local civil rights activist Myrtle Captain. Captain is known in East Temple as Mama Myrt.
“We envisioned the house as a safe place for neighborhood youth to form valuable relationships and have access to more opportunities,” Kim said.
The house, bought out of foreclosure, was in need of renovation. That’s when the Gaines — hosts of HGTV’s Fixer Upper and owners of Magnolia Market and it’s landmark silos in Waco — stepped forward with a $40,000 gift to remodel the house.
“It became a really fun, cute house,” Kim said. “It is a beautiful place that the boys enjoy being in. It’s a safe space for kids in East Temple so we can champion them as leaders.”
During renovation, Temple teens got involved in the process — especially the demolition part.
“They had sledge hammers and went to work ripping out the walls that needed to be rebuilt,” Kim said with a laugh. “They had fun, and they helped with the renovation.”
While the house at 411 S. 32nd is the centerpiece for the group, activities have been expanded well beyond its walls.
“We do Wednesday night community dinners with food, games and devotionals,” she said. “We take field trips every month — sometimes to college sporting events, sometimes to discover career opportunities.”
“We also have enrichment lunch meetings at Temple High and Bonham, Travis and Lamar middle schools,” Kim said. “Local businessmen come in and talk about their successes and what it took to get there.”
The young men of 411 House also attend a four-night summer camp near Houston where they keep busy with lake activities and learning skills such as archery.
The House is funded primarily through community donations. Last year, the organization benefited from a pickleball tournament held at Wildflower Country Club, local civic organizations, individuals, businesses and churches have made generous contributions.
“The community has been great,” Kim said. “We have a lot of great volunteers, but we could always use more.”
For information on donating money or time, visit https://the411house.org. Click on “How to Help.”
Young men who participate in 411 House pitched in on the renovation work after the group was awarded a $40,000 grant by Joanna and Chip Gaines.
TC hosting skills challenges for area high school, middle school students
Central Texas middle school and high school students will be on Temple College’s main campus Saturday to compete in a variety of SkillsUSA 2022 challenges.
“SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry professionals working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce,” said Eric Eckert, Temple College’s executive director of Strategic Communications & Outreach.
A non profit national education association, SkillsUSA serves middle school, high school and college students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled-service jobs, Eckert said.
At Saturday’s challenge, students will compete in the areas of:
Building Search (Criminal Justice)
Community Emergency Response Team
CPR
Crime Scene Investigation
Criminal Justice National Competition
EMT
Felony Traffic
Forensic Science
Health Portfolio
Medical Terminology
Nurse Assisting
“The competition allows for Career and Technical faculty to work directly with community partners in the evaluation of skills that students have gained through their ISDs,” said Stephen Phelps, division director of Business and Career Professions at Temple College.
Phelps said the SkillsUSA challenges provide two primary benefits to the students.
“The first is that they get exposure to critiques that will assist them as they advance to future competitions,” he said. “The second is that the students are exposed to practitioners from the field that are filling the roles that these students aspire to.”
In addition, being on the Temple College campus allows the students to get a feel for higher education, Phelps said.
Because of COVID-related postponements and cancellations, Temple College hasn’t hosted a SkillsUSA competition since 2020.
WHO IS THE LAST OF THE RED-HOT LOVERS?
Get ready for a lot of laughs as the Temple Civic Theatre presents its version of Neil Simon’s Last of the Red-Hot Lovers on Feb. 3-5 and 10-13. Tickets may be purchased at Red-Hot Lover Tickets.
COPS Unit to host Kiddo Card event
The Temple Police Department COPS Unit will host a Kiddo Card child identification event next month at the Temple Police Department, 209 E. Avenue A.
“Kiddo cards are important because, in the event a child is separated from their family, the ID card will serve as a resource to help officers locate the child,” Chief of Police Shawn Reynolds said.
“During an emergency, parents may not have access to a current photo or information about their child,” he said. “That’s when the ID card is useful.”
Officers will issue free ID cards to children between the ages of 2 and 15 on Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Kiddo Cards include a current photo and the child’s name, address, date of birth, eye color, hair color, height, weight, thumbprint and emergency contact information.
Parents or guardians must be at the event to fill out the child’s information and receive the ID. This is also an opportunity for parents to update their child’s current ID card.
The Temple Police Department encourages parents to use ID cards as a learning tool to teach children their full name, address, phone number and parents or guardians information.
Additionally, the Temple Police Department is inviting local businesses to host a Kiddo Card event. These events are free for businesses to host. For more information, contact Officer Cody Close at (254) 298-5911.
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