Pubdate: Thu, 31 Jul 2003
Source: Victoria Advocate (TX)
Copyright: 2003 Victoria Advocate Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/671
Author: Sheena Duran

AN ALTERNATIVE TO DRUGS

Summer Church Rallies Offer Food, Music And Games

Hurricane Claudette didn't stop the Good News Church of Victoria from the 
second of its summer rallies against drugs and crime, and the group plans 
one more before the season is over.

Before Saturday's rally at Will Rogers Park on Louis Street in Victoria, 
church members helped clean up debris left by the July 15 hurricane and 
mowed the grass. City workers had been unable to mow the park's grass due 
to all the extra work that had to be done to clean up after the hurricane.

"God's work can't be stopped," Good News Church member Esther Carrera said. 
"We all pitched in and stuck together to have the second rally."

The first rally was on June 28, also at Will Rogers Park. The third is 
planned from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 30 at the same place.

Pastor Ruben Trevino of Good News Church said this is the church members' 
way to reach out to the community to help neighborhoods by encouraging the 
people in them to join in fun and games instead of violence and drugs.

Members of Good News Church help in any way they can to fund and support 
the rallies, by both donating money and time, he said.

Events at the rallies include a pinata, jenny-jumps, balloons, clowns, and 
music. Also offered is free food such as hotdogs and snow cones.

In the past years Good News Church has had similar rallies at other parks 
throughout the city such as Boulevard Park, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 
and Queen City Park.

Rallies are open to anyone who would like to partake in free food, games, 
drinks, and prizes, which are donated by such area businesses as Caprice 
Salon, Carmona's Hair Design, Casa Ole, Century 21-Guajardo Realty, 
Chick-Fil-A, CiCi's Pizza, Cookie Bouquet, Culligan's, Dick's, Domino's 
Pizza, El Torro, First Capital Bank, Floral Arts by Laverne, Furr's Family 
Dinning, Golden Coral, Gone Bananas, Hair by Fred, H-E-B Food Store, 
Hungry's-Thirsty's, Kettle Inn, Leo's Hair Design, Little Caesar's Pizza, 
Lone Tree Barber Shop, Maggie's Meat Market, Mrs. Baird's Bakeries, P.J.'s 
Seafood, Pizza Inn, Rainbow Sno, Ray's of Victoria, Ryan's Steak House, 
Sam's Club, Siesta Restaurant, Skillet's Restaurant, Subway Sandwiches and 
and Victoria Barber Shop.

For more information, contact Pastor Joe Hernandez at 361-573-4448.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart