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Heritage and culture: heavy military presence with Dyess Air Force Base, college

town, large western culture with farming and livestock, known as the Storybook

Capital of America.

o Population size: 125,182

o Average age 33.7, 0-25: 36%, 25-44: 28.1%, 45-64: 20.7%, 65+: 15.1%

o Based on the 2022 census the race demographics are White- %68, black or African

American 10.4%, Asian 2.3%, Hispanic or Latino 27.6%

o Median household income $59,254, poverty rate was 15.9%

o In January 2024 the employment rate was 79.9%, and unemployment at the end of

2023 was at 3.4%

o Education rate-: high school or higher 87.6%, bachelors or higher 26.4%.

o Single parent households in 2022 was at 33.3%

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News Stations: KRBC, KTAB- each with their own social media pages

o Big Country Homepage

o KCBY radio 99.7 broadcasts to the Abilene area

o KACU, only public radio in Abilene affiliate of NPR, owned and operated by ACU

o Abilene Reporter News: local newspaper and online publication

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Elementary schools: Alcorta Elementary, Austin Elementary, Bassetti Elementary,

Bonham Elementary, Bowie Elementary, Dyess Elementary, Long Elementary,

Martinez Elementary, Ortiz Elementary, Purcell Elementary, Stafford Elementary,

Taylor Elementary, Thomas Elementary, Ward Elementary, TLCA- charter school,

Cornerstone Christian school- private school

o Middle schools: Clack, Mann, Craig and Madison middle school

o High schools: Cooper and Abilene High school, ATEMS,- college prep, technology

centered high school, Premier High school- accelerated learning

o Higher education: Cisco Community college, TSTC technical school, Texas Tech

school of nursing, Abilene Christian University, Hardin Simmons University, McMurry

university

o Abilene ISD covers over 106 square miles within the county with about 14,700

students enrolled in the latest school year and over 2,400 employees. Ethnic

composition of the district is American Indian: 0.3%, Asian: 1.4%, Black: 13.7%,

Hispanic: 47.0%, Pacific Islander: 0.20%, White: 32.9%, Two or more races: 4.6%

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Abilene Teachers Federal Credit Union: local credit union with financing options

for commercial and retail customers, sponsors community events such as Boo at the

Zoo the city’s largest Halloween event, gives back through community service

o First Financial Bank: finances many projects and new businesses in the community,

sponsors community events and sports games, invested in First Financial pavilion

which the city uses for fairs, rodeos, and Western Heritage Day, sponsors a luncheon

for the Hispanic Business Council, hosts a Day of Service to give back to the

community

o Hendrick Health: owns and operates both hospitals in town along with multiple

urgent cares, locations extend to Brownwood TX, employs approximately 5,400

people, and has been in service for 100 years.

o Grain Theory: local brewery/ restaurant and coffee shop in downtown Abilene,

provides a family friendly environment, hosts block parties, corporate events,

creative new options to bring in business to downtown

o Historic Paramount Theatre: preserves Abilene history and promotes community

involvement through the theatre by hosting concerts, movies, musicals, fashion

shows, commencements

o United Supermarkets: with five locations in Abilene they provide convenient

grocery options throughout town, corporate sponsor of ACU, donated to Abilene

Salvation Army through Apples &amp; Pears on a Mission Initiative

o HSU, ACU, McMurry University: brings in tourism with college students families,

and alumni with games, homecoming, and sing shows. ACU sing-song brought in

$440,000 in revenue to Abilene

o Dyess Air Force Base: economic impact of $448 million, significantly increases

tourism and population

o Abilene Convention Center: influences tourism and commerce by hosting concerts,

shows, comedians, graduations and shopping events

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Local Non-Profits- Pregnancy Resources: offers free pregnancy tests, resource

assistance, ultrasounds, professional counseling, and education

o Noah Project: offers a safe place for domestic violence and sexual assault victims by

providing shelter, food; clothing, legal services, transportation, safety planning, job assistance

crisis counseling, employment assistance, and referrals

o Love and Care Ministries: provides a food pantry, clothing, and meals to the

homeless community in Abilene

o Beyond Trafficking: works to fight Human Trafficking and provide a safe place for

survivors

o Ben Richey Boys Ranch: private non-profit basic child care facility in Abilene and

surrounding areas

o Significant national non-profits to Abilene- Junior Achievement of Abilene: works

with local schools to teach financial literacy, soft skills and professionalism

o United Way: fundraises for the local non-profits to provide additional funding

organizations cannot make on their own.

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A gap in service in our community is for local disaster relief, we currently have an organization called United Rescue Alliance though they focus on more large -scale and out of area events. Aside from this organization Abilene does not have a disaster relief organization to provide shelter and immediate assistance when emergencies happen such as house fires, severe storms, or floods. The impact would be very beneficial because emergencies are never expected and not everyone has family and friends to take them in when disaster strikes. Having a shelter and immediate necessities available when needed could make the difference of being homeless or not. KTAB reported an apartment fire that occurred in march and damaged a gas line hindering cooking and bathing for residents. After weeks the apartment complex had not been able to repair the extensive damages leaving residents without basic needs. Another instance a disaster relief fund would have been beneficial was in 2014 Abilene had a hailstorm so severe that today 10 years later there is still damage to be repaired. Some of the damage included was water treatment plants, zoo animals, police cruisers, and old church buildings.

Another area of service that would be mutually beneficial is a transition assistance program in Dyess AFB that offers a variety of career fields. Abilene has a great relationship with Dyess though through a transition assistance program, businesses can secure skilled and diverse veterans to directly hire. Currently there are career partnerships with Southwest, American Airlines and Boeing for airmen separating. A wider range of businesses and local businesses could partner with the Airman & Family Readiness center and provide training opportunities so airmen are ready once they separate because the Air Force has a wide range of careers they are coming from not just aviation. After airmen have served, much of them wish to seek a different career path than their military profession though that requires, school, training or certifications. If businesses leaders are able to provide this training at as an accelerated program it could benefit the airmen and businesses. This program would help in filling the need for jobless vets in the community and provide a connection between a civilian and military careers.

A service that Abilene does not have is elderly assistance for everyday tasks such as ​​mowing their lawn, taking in their groceries, and household chores when needed. Beltway Park Church currently has a ministry called Boots on the Ground that does as assist the elderly community though has a focus on construction and larger projects. Having this program would help senior citizens who may not have family or friends around when they have need assistance. While elderly assistance would be of assistance physically it would be financially as well, many senior citizens are not able to hire out a company to paint their house or mow their lawn.

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There are issues around the street construction are the communication, length of time, the effect it is having on businesses and how many projects are going on in town at one time. There are currently 3 large street maintenance projects happening throughout town causing detours and congestion. A news article from April 5th reported how one street maintenance project has taken over two years now and is still ongoing which has grown frustrations with residents. The downtown Cypress Street project has just begun and is projected to last until the end of 2025 according to a KTAB article from April 8th which is phase one. This construction project impacts the business I work at because it can discourage customer traffic as well as employee quality of life through construction and parking for those getting to work especially because it is not a quick project. As a bank we do not only need to worry about our customer traffic though also the condition of other businesses because we rely on their deposit revenue. The range of the construction blocks off many businesses downtown who already have a concern of the negative impact on their business. The project is going to be significant once completed because it will be more appealing and accessible to the traffic utilizing the area. There is also the issue of communication around construction projects communication could be improved concerning closures from construction, estimated completion times, road closures, payment systems down, water shutoffs which all have an effect on residents and businesses. The city could Develop and improve their communication methods that is user friendly to all ages.

Another issue we are face with is the cost of living, Abilene has been a more affordable place to live especially compared to Midland/Odessa and DFW on either side of it though as of recently the cost of living is going up to becoming less affordable. With inflation and the economic issues, it is safe to assume that Abilene would catch up to the rising prices. The Abilene Reporter News shared an article stating that in March of 2024 the median home price in Taylor County was up 2.8% as well as the median home price for the state of Texas. With inflation at the highest rate that it’s been in 40 years this has led families to put less in savings and have less and less discretionary funds for spending. With less saving abilities more customers go into overdraft which come with fees, creates hardship for the customer and can cause the bank to take a loss in instances. Rising costs can offset the trends within a bank with less disposable income there can be lower demand for new loans because there is less demand for a new car or house. Interest rates have also rose in the last recent year which can discourage borrowing. With rising prices some customers might begin to ship around to find a banking service that has smaller fees or lower rates such as moving to credit unions.

An ongoing issue is the vacant and abandon buildings in town, make the area they are in look dull and uninviting which detracts visitors. If an exciting new business did move into or reconstruct the building, then it would attract more residents and travelers. A more pressing issue affecting the community with the vacant buildings is because they are sitting there not being used so anyone go in and do as they please. In a recent article from KTAB they reported on one building being in such bad shape since the original business operating in it 30 years ago, now police are continually being called to it for illegal activity. Some vacant buildings have much potential and historical significance so would enrich the community if they were brought back to life. Another article from KTAB recently reported that there was works of repurposing a historic building, the old Borden Milk building. The old building is now set to become age restricted senior apartments which is a good motion that should be followed the others in town. The vacant buildings are also an opportunity awaiting for First Financial Bank as they finance many commercial projects throughout the area. With funding from First Financial the empty abandon lots and spaces could be put to good use as a number of options for the city.

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A partnership that would be beneficial to the community is the mental health facility Oceans, could partner with Serenity House to provide a program of affordable or free mental health counseling. Around the country and Abilene included affordable counseling is hard to come by. Serenity House is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab offers counseling to their patients/ participants and currently has a program in place where they go into schools to educate students on drug and alcohol prevention. A similar program can be created for mental health and offering free counseling to students and education on mental health such as encouragement to get help, and coping skills with the help of Oceans. Oceans is an inpatient/outpatient facility that provides behavioral healthcare treatment for all ages and conditions. Mental health is one of the biggest issues facing kids and teens today and addressing it could prevent many of the behavior and violence problems we have today in schools.

There should be new and improved partnerships with the Abilene police department and non-profits such as beyond trafficking, and Noah project. APD deals with the legality side of the trafficking and the DV situation and the organization assist with providing a safe space, necessities and getting victims back on their feet. The APD of course cannot put all their time and energy into only servicing these organizations one or two members of APD could be assigned to being in communication with Beyond Trafficking or Noah Project. When a victim comes to them they can point them in the direction of additional help because there is much help a victim needs even if the perpetrator is arrested. The organization leaders would also have contact with legal support when a victim goes to them for help. A cohesive partnership would allow them to work together to better help victims and ensure there is more focus on getting justice for the victims and reducing the offenders.

A Nonprofit network is a needed partnership between all the non-profits in the area to eliminate overlap from all the organization- the partnership would work sort of like the Chamber of Commerce does where the non-profits register as a member. The network can keep up with the needs each organization is meeting what they offer so they can eliminate overlap and connect residents to resources and assistance they are currently needing. When there are so many players trying to meet the same need instead of all focusing on building up a primary one to meet the need it creates unnecessary competition and pulls resources away from actually meeting the intended need. This partnership would better serve Abilene by connecting the right people with their needs and allocating resources and funding more efficiently.

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