Rucks On Main, a nonprofit organization based in Temple, TX, was founded in 2020 by Wes Albanese. The mission behind Rucks On Main is advocating, mentoring, and educating the community on the reintegration process for Veterans and their families. This mission extends beyond just providing support; it is about fostering a sense of belonging and solidarity among those who have served and sacrificed for their country.
 
The driving force behind Rucks On Main is a personal one. “My why to start the organization was to keep the memories and legacy of our military community alive,” said Wes Albanese, founder of Rucks On Main. “Everybody has probably lost a family member in the military or has known somebody who has passed away in the military. It is very important to honor them, and remember them for the sacrifices they made to keep this country free.”
 
The key initiative of Rucks On Main is their biannual military-themed ruck marches, one on Memorial Day which honors fallen military members, and the other on Veterans Day which supports the military community.
 
The Memorial Day 10K Ruck March is scheduled for Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Downtown Temple. The march begins at the Santa Fe Plaza, with a route traversing through downtown north through the historic district and looping back to conclude at the Santa Fe Plaza.
 
For the Memorial Day event, event organizers ask that participants carry pictures of fallen Military Service Members or First Responders on their rucksacks/backpacks. This symbolic act not only pays homage to the brave souls who have been lost but also serves as a powerful reminder of their service and sacrifice.
 
Participants carry up to 40 pounds of non-perishable food items in their rucksacks/backpacks that are donated to Operation Feeding Temple.  
 
Over the years, Rucks On Main has achieved remarkable milestones. “To date, we have collected over 40,000 pounds of food that our participants have donated after the ruck marches,” continued Albanese. “We have also donated proceeds of over $5,000 to local nonprofits.”
 
As Rucks On Main continues to grow and evolve, their commitment to honoring Veterans, supporting their reintegration journey, and fostering community connections remains strong. Through their biannual ruck marches, donations, and volunteer efforts they make positive impacts on the lives of Veterans and their families, ensuring that their contributions are never forgotten.
 
Reflecting on the impact the organization and its initiatives have had since its founding in 2020, Albanese said, “Not only do we have incredible support and participation locally and regionally, but we also have participants that come from all over the United States for this event. We are truly thankful for the community’s involvement!”
 
Those interested in participating in the Memorial Day 10K Ruck March should visit https://runsignup.com/rom2024memorialday.

​A New Day Fellowship Church was named 2022 Nonprofit of the Year by the Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce at their inaugural banquet at the Cultural Activities Center this past August.
 
The banquet celebrated and honored those in the community for their great deeds and service in ten categories - Social Responsibility, Nonprofit, and Economic Impact, among others.
 
Dr. Robert H. Beamon and Dr. Teresa Beamon, pastors of A New Day Fellowship Church, were recognized for their innovative approach to ministry, which they started in East Temple 22 years ago. A New Day Fellowship Church is a multi-cultural congregation located at 510 E. Avenue J in Temple.

Driven by their strong faith and a purpose to help those who have limited resources during these unprecedented times, Dr. Teresa Beamon stated that this award “shows our passion of giving back to the community faithfully and why it is so important to them, now that they have been recognized.”
 
Their ministry, which started with door-to-door outreach, is now a campus that houses A New Day Learning Academy, a childcare and preschool facility that has helped children learn Christian values that embraces education through various concepts and appropriate age-base curriculum over the past five years, and a new Affordable Healthcare Clinic that saw its first patient on September 29, 2022. The Healthcare clinic will be run by Nurse Practitioners and Healthcare providers.
 
Both spiritual and physical health, education, and community are pillars of their purpose.
 
Dr. Robert Beamon and Dr. Teresa Beamon received their education locally. Pastor Robert Beamon received his Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate in Biblical Studies from the Institute for Teaching God’s Word Theological Seminary in Rockdale, TX. Teresa Beamon received her BSN, MSN-Ed, and DNP from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB). Pastor Beamon is in fulltime ministry while Teresa continues to work as an adjunct nursing faculty at UMHB and is in a nursing leadership role at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare Administration in Quality, Safety and Value.
 
Both feel their personal experiences and education has impacted how they connect with their congregation and community in reaching lifetime dreams spiritually and holistically.
 
They host Embrace Health, which is offered through Texas A&M College of Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Health, and the UMHB Mayborn College of Health Sciences.  This program is designed to serve the community through health teaching and to provide an interprofessional education (IPE) experience for health professional students. It exposes students to the challenges individuals/families encounter with respect to their health, as well as difficulties accessing healthcare.  Students will work in interprofessional teams and gain a better understanding on how social determinants contribute to poor health outcomes.
 
Fifteen families go through these sessions during the school year and are provided a meal and fellowship prior to each class. The families are shown how to prepare nutritious meals and are provided a care plan from professional students to include: physician assistants, medical, nursing, physical therapy, and occupational health. The series also includes sessions on financial literacy to equip families with tools to live a holistic healthy lifestyle.
 
A New Day Fellowship also hosts flu vaccine clinics annually and was a hub for COVID-19 vaccinations in East Temple during the Pandemic.
 
“Pastor Beamon and I were the first in line to receive our COVID-19 vaccines,” said Teresa. “Someone has to take the first step, and we have been the ‘First-Steppers’ in many areas.”
 
“Some of the first steps led to opportunities of improvement within ourselves and others. From those opportunities there has always been a purpose and lesson learned to keep going. We want to be examples individuals and their families can look up to,” she continued.
 
Taking the first step may be difficult for various reasons but through mentoring and guidance, they both have helped families through difficult times. “Our strong faith has helped us through many trials; therefore, we impart these Christian principles to others for growth in their own lives. We have continued to believe that God has a purpose for us to be accomplished through this ministry.”
 
The same character and purpose to serve and give back to the community were also instilled in their two daughters Keverly Beamon and Kayla Beamon. Kayla has led a Back-to-School Extravaganza at their church each Summer for the past three years.
 
This event started as a backpack and school supply giveaway serving a few hundred children and grew to serve over 1,000 children in 2022.
 
Not only does this event provide backpacks and school supplies to children in need in the community, the Beamon’s lean on their guiding pillars and purpose for spiritual and physical health, and this event also provides no-cost healthcare services such as physicals for school athletics, vision screenings, and more through healthcare provider volunteers coordinated through Feed My Sheep and the Lion’s Club.
 
Plus, the 2022 event kicked off with a parade, steppers, games, music, food, petting zoo, inflatable bounce houses, and gift card giveaways for parents, and served as a positive way to the build community. This could not have been done without the assistance of local businesses contribution, individual donors and our church support.
 
In addition to a new Affordable Healthcare Clinic on their campus, the Beamon’s plans are to continue to “raise up the east side”. They will break ground in 2023 on the Noire Development – East Heights, a residential development that will provide 42 affordable homes in East Temple. 
 
“Pastor Beamon and I were raised here and are intentional about being part of a growing   community.  We are rooted in this community serving on various Boards and Committees, and we have built a network of connections that enable us to give back and fulfill our purpose,” said Teresa Beamon. “God has been good to us, and we have a community that believes in what we are doing - we are stronger together!”
 
A New Day Fellowship Church falls under the leadership of Covenant Connections International, Inc., the Late Bishop Nate Holcomb, and Pastor Valerie Holcomb in Killeen, TX. Visit them online at www.anewdayfellowship.org and follow them on social media.

Using his own money, Temple resident Garfield Hawk III bought a basketball hoop and a few balls to provide a recreational outlet for the children in the community of East Temple where he grew up. That was in 2009 and, more than ten years later, the effort he started is called UnINcluded, a non-profit that is dedicated to providing structure, loving mentorship and goals for children and teenagers.
 
“We create those positive spaces and help children build positive habits,” says Doree Collins, executive director of the organization that is dedicated to helping children learn and thrive.
 
Located on seven acres in East Temple, UnINcluded inspires young people to learn to love to read, provides an urban farm where participants learn about growing and preparing their own food, a youth leadership program, and an afterschool program.
 
The name UnINcluded is a play on the word included and takes its meaning from the negative things that the nonprofit wants to help children avoid including drugs, teenage pregnancy, gangs, obesity, and illiteracy.
 
Collins says one of the non-profit’s most popular efforts gives books to young children and, in turn, high school and middle school participants take the time to read with the younger children and to be role models for them.
 
Seeing children find a passion for reading is rewarding, Collins says.
 
“I’ve had parents tell me ‘My child couldn’t wait till they got home to read their book,’” she says.
 
Another gratifying part of being involved in UnINcluded is seeing children grow into caring people and seeing them pass those values along to younger participants, she says.
 
Follow UnINcluded on social media and visit them online at www.unincluded.org.