8540 5th St, Crawford, TX 76638
Complete your Day with omj!
Oh My Juice
215 Mary Ave #101, Waco, TX 76701
omj! serves local and healthy treats such as cold pressed and fresh made juice, smoothies, Acai bowls, salads, and more to the Waco community.
Click HERE to view the menu.
Campus-Centric Delights: Common Grounds Coffee
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the air and college students fill all the mismatched couches, benches and barstools; the local favorite Common Grounds Coffee shop has a charm that has allured to Baylor students and the Waco community for several years.
Open from 7:00 am to midnight on weekdays and 8:00 am to midnight on weekends, the coffee, pastries and friendly baristas attract a crowd each and every day. Common Grounds has been since 1994, and owned by Baylor alum Blake Batson, this coffee shop caters to the needs and wants of the Baylor community. Not only do they cater for events and host private parties, they also hold concerts nearly every weekend for the students and staff that want to enjoy some great music (and coffee too).
Common Grounds has hosted musicians as big as Ben Rector and the Civil Wars, to local artists such as singer/songwriter Hunter Hewell and the Brenna Haffee Band. Baylor students congregate on Fridays for the open mic night on Common Ground’s outdoor stage.
“Showcasing acts from a wide array of genres, our outdoor venue is the best way to experience live music in Central Texas.” Common Grounds brags on their website.
Common Grounds also sells t-shirts and coffee mugs, which are a crowd favorite. The staff and locals make the store truly feel like home with their bubbly personalities and their great conversation.
Phoenix Freshman Anna McFarland adores going to Common Grounds.
“I love how I always seem to know someone when I go there, making campus seems intimate/small. Also the homey and local feel is really a fun vibe,” She said.
Blake Batson and the Common Grounds crew have recently expanded their family business to the building next door, which they have turned into an organic creamery named Heritage Creamery. Now students and residents can stop by for a cup of coffee and get a cone of cookies n’ cream any time they want!
If you’re visiting the Waco area anytime soon, make sure to stop by and ask for a delicious “Cowboy coffee” or “254” if you’ve got a caffeine craving. Enjoy Y’all!
Christina Helmick and Her Unexpected Passion for Waco
Whether she is mentoring a child at J.H. Hines Elementary, walking trails in Woodway Park with her son and dog, or spending quality time with her husband at home, Christina Helmick finds happiness in helping the city of Waco through her role as director of communications at Prosper Waco.
“While I was finishing my undergraduate degree at Baylor, I never considered the idea of staying in Waco after graduation,” Helmick said. “My senior year I learned I was pregnant, which led me to consider staying in Waco with my boyfriend to raise a family.”
Through the help of her network of friends, Helmick heard about an organization called Prosper Waco. Prosper Waco’s initiative is to address issues facing the Waco community in areas such as education, health and financial security.
“My favorite thing about Waco is how each person has a unique story of why they’re here and what they love about Waco,” Helmick said. “If I could spend all day talking to people in Waco asking their story, I would!”
Helmick had just finished her undergraduate degree at Baylor with a BA in Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media when she learned about Prosper Waco. Combine her admiration for the uniqueness of Waco, the birth of her son approaching, and house hunting with her long-time boyfriend, Helmick decided to settle roots down in Waco.
“Christina is like everyone’s big sister,” senior and fellow Alpha Delta Pi member Melia Bagamano said. “Whenever you are with her, you are either laughing constantly or talking for hours on end. I was so happy when she told me she was staying in Waco after graduation.”
Prosper Waco bases their initiative to address issues facing the Waco community through five central goals: common agenda, shared measurements, mutual reinforcement activities, continuous communication, and strong backbone support. Prosper Waco is a collective impact organization which focuses on combating complex social issues through a dedicated and collaborative effort.
In 2015, Baylor and the city of Waco invested in Prosper Waco to help connect local college students into the Waco community. Through Prosper Waco, the goal of this collective initiative is set to help connect college students in achieving formal internship programs with local employers, which will hopefully in turn result in post-graduate students staying in the greater Waco area. Prosper Waco hopes to reach a wide spread audience to address the issue of poverty in our community by improving the education, health and financial security of ‘Wacoans’ through well-educated Baylor graduates.
“Working as director of communications for Prosper Waco has affirmed that this is where I am supposed to be,” Helmick said. “Things happened unexpectedly, but I wouldn’t change anything. I love working with kids because of their desire to learn and I love the impact that I feel through the accomplishments of Prosper Waco. I can’t wait to see how far we reach in the next five years.”
For more information on Christina Helmick or Prosper Waco, visit http://www.prosperwaco.org/
Christina Helmick, director of communications at Prosper Waco.
Faces of Waco
Common Grounds
“I just found a whole bunch of fair trade stores and my goal is to intern for one of them. My dream job would be to work with the people in clothing factories to hopefully improve conditions. I found this poster today and it says, ‘behind every product is a person.’ It makes me so happy.”
Hearn, TX.
“At least the four hour drive home isn’t ugly.”
Tonkawa Falls
“I didn’t expect to discover such a magical place right outside of Waco. The way the water was going through the rocks so perfectly looked fake. The falls are so peaceful. I feel like when you’re there you are just surrounded by so much beauty that you forget about the world around you.”
Cameron Park
“Undeniably, the two best medicines are laugher and a deep breath of fresh air”
Lake Waco
“Lake Waco is my favorite place to get away. It’s calming and a perfect place to study outside.”
The Atrium of Bellmead
“We traveled to Germany. We went to Italy four times, and we’ve been all the way down the Adriatic coast and all the way back up the Mediterranean. And when we got to Naples, it was the most beautiful blue water that I’ve ever seen. We went to Holland, we went to Belgium, we went to… oh several other places. And we tent camped all the way. It was cheaper and we had one rule: when half of our supplies ran out, we turned around and went back home. So that was the way we did it. And we had a stove, and a table about this big, and we had all the comforts of home and we loaded it all in the trunk of a Buick… We really had luxury.”
Cameron Park
“I’m constantly reminded of four simple words; you are so loved. No matter how hard of a time I am having, I recite those words in my head and they remind me that, despite the endless amount of work and stress that may lie ahead of me, people around me are there to help in any way. That never fails to bring a smile across my face.”
Baylor University
“Growing up, watching films is what filled me with the ideas that anything is possible and gave me a sense of hope that never really left. Now that I’m older, I am able to see how films can tell us so much about our world and the lives of people unlike ourselves. To me, film is the best art form because it combines audio, video, writing, editing, and design- among others- so it’s the ultimate art form to me.”
Downtown Waco
“The people you help through Mission Waco impact you just as much as you are impacting them. It is a really good way to grow and figure out who you are and learn more about where you live.”
Common Grounds
“My passion is empowering women and helping them get out of their situation for things like prostitution, which is what Jesus Said Love deals with. It’s a great avenue for empowering and showing them that Jesus is a way out of their circumstance.”
North Village, Baylor University
“Fashion is important to me because it allows me to express myself and it makes me feel like my own person . . . I do like to shop at J Crew and read GQ magazine, I like to hear what they have to say about certain things.”
Lauren Hornbeak: A Girl on a Mission
Whether she is tutoring a child struggling in reading, hitting the court to play a game of basketball, empowering the poor or simply being a constant friend, Lauren Hornbeak fulfills her passion for enriching the lives of others through volunteering with Mission Waco.
“My whole life I wanted to go into the medical field, but last summer I shadowed and realized that’s not where I’m supposed to be,” Hornbeak said. “When I was at camp last summer, I really felt God calling me to the mission field, but I didn’t know what that kind of work looked like. I prayed that God would give me an opportunity when I got to Baylor to experience it.”
The bright-eyed freshman discovered Mission Waco at Baylor University’s Late Night, a student organization fair held in September. She quickly signed up for her first week of volunteering through the Baylor Urban Mission’s afterschool program. After providing local Waco children with supplemental math and reading education, Bible studies, technology workshops and outdoor activities, she quickly fell in love with the organization’s purpose and the young lives she inspired.
“Lauren has a heart for everyone she meets. Those kids are really lucky to have her to look up to,” freshman and fellow Tri Delta member Aimee Seale said.
Mission Waco bases its initiatives on inspiring empowerment through forming meaningful relationships, mobilizing middle-class Waco citizens through hands-on involvement, and addressing systemic issues that disempower the poor of the community.
Mission Waco’s mission is to “mobilize middle-class Americans to become more compassionately involved among the poor” (missionwaco.org).
Since 1991, Mission Waco founders Jimmy and Janet Dorrell made it their duty to live among and expose the realities of life for the impoverished citizens of Waco, forming relationships and empowering the locals through creating relationship-based ministries. Mission Waco staff and volunteers answer a call to bring good news through ministry, relationships and understanding to the marginalized citizens of Waco living in the throes of poverty. According to Mission Waco’s website, over 1,718 volunteers served nearly 15,000 combined hours in 2015, enriching the diverse Waco community and spreading poverty awareness far and wide.
“The people you help through Mission Waco impact you just as much as you are impacting them,” Hornbeak said. “It is a really good way to grow and figure out who you are and learn more about where you live.”
Hornbeak, a secondary education major, hopes to teach anatomy to high school students after completing her education at Baylor University. But before she dedicates her life to teaching students valuable life skills and knowledge, Hornbeak spends her summers volunteering at local women’s shelters and participating in global missions and ministry. This summer, Hornbeak will lead workshops and bible studies through Another Child Foundation, where she will reach, teach and transform the lives of orphaned children and local women in Romania.
“Volunteering with Mission Waco has really solidified where I want to be,” Hornbeak said. “I love working with kids because it is so obvious that they want to learn. It’s really rewarding to think ‘this is what I could be doing for the rest of my life’.”
A Look at Waco: Photo Gallery
The Alico Building
Downtown Waco
The Alico Building
Waco Wetlands
Tonkawa Falls
Tonkawa Falls
Downtown Waco
Downtown Waco
Dichotomy
Downtown Waco
Waco Wetlands
Tonkawa Falls
Cameron Park
Downtown Waco
Midway Park
Baylor University
Magnolia Market
Magnolia Market
Waco Wetlands
Cameron Park
Cameron Park
Old Downtown Waco
Old Downtown Waco
Waco Wetlands
Torchy’s Tacos
Dichotomy
Magnolia Market
Cameron Park
Waco Suspension Bridge
Dichotomy
Waco Suspension Bridge
Old Downtown Waco
Midway Park
Tonkawa Falls
Cameron Park
Tonkawa Falls
Downtown Waco
Tonkawa Falls
Waco Wetlands
Magnolia Market
Downtown Waco
Tonkawa Falls
Cameron Park
Cafe Cappuccino
The Waco Hippodrome
Waco Wetlands
Waco Suspension Bridge
Midway Park
Cameron Park
Cameron Park
Downtown Waco
The Waco Wetlands
The Lake Waco Wetlands
1752 Eichelberger Crossing Road
In 2000, the Waco City Council voted to raise the water level of Lake Waco by seven feet, providing an additional 20,000 acre-feet of water. The Lake Waco Wetlands were created to reduce the habitat loss for native plants and animals. The Lake Waco Wetlands serve as an important living laboratory for research, education and recreation.
The wetlands are home to a wide array of species, including the Great Blue Heron, the Great Egret, the Green Tree Frog and the American Beaver. Water Lilies float among shallow pools of water, and Cattails sway in the breeze. The Wetlands Research Center offers many educational opportunities.
Waco Wetlands
Waco Wetlands
Waco Wetlands
Waco Wetlands
Waco Wetlands
Waco Wetlands
Waco Wetlands
Visual of the Farmers Market
The Waco Downtown Farmers Market
400 South University Parks Dr.
Known for local vendors and unique finds handmade from local artisans, the Waco Downtown Farmers Market creates a sense of community as people exchange conversation strolling from booth to booth and soaking in the scenery of the Brazos River every Saturday from 9a.m.-1p.m.
The farmers market is not only a place to support local farmers and artisans, but also support the revitalization of downtown Waco. Every Saturday, the farmers market grosses $15,000 to $30,000, which has been monumental in supporting local businesses.
Visual of Magnolia Market
Magnolia Market
601 Webster Avenue
Nationally known home renovators from the hit HGTV show “Fixer Upper,” Chip and Joanna Gaines have become a household name in Waco, Texas. With their new shopping center in Downtown Waco formally called “Magnolia Market at the Silos,” the Silos have become a must see for travelers all over the state of Texas and beyond.
Many travelers going through Waco on Interstate 35 can make a quick detour, travel a short couple of blocks down 6th street, and immediately see the Silos towering over downtown. On the property there are a variety of local food trucks, lawn games, a garden and the market with many souvenirs from their hit TV show.
What's Happenin' in the Wac 