A Time to Remember . . .  

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."

                 Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

    (Revised Standard Version)

Tomorrow, May 31st, will mark the one year anniversary of the tragic Southwest Inn fire. Not only did the fire take place in District J, but the four fallen firefighters were assigned to Stations 51 and 68 which are located in the heart of our District. This afternoon we will gather at 5:30 p.m. at Station 51 and later at 6:30 p.m. at Station 68 to present a wreath of remembrance and offer a brief service of prayer to honor our fallen heroes.

As we go about our busy lives, take time today and this weekend to remember these four brave souls and their loved ones. Let us also honor Captain William "Bill"  Dowling and his family as they continue to live with and through the life altering injuries he sustained in the fire.  

So, let us offer prayers of remembrance and thanksgiving as well as for grace and sustenance. Let us make a contribution of money or service in their honor. Let us work to make Houston a city that is worthy of the sacrifice they have made for us all.

God Bless,

-Mike Laster, Council Member - District J

22nd Annual Gulfton Festival

The weather was perfect on Saturday, May 17th for the 22nd Gulfton Festival! Starting at 11am, the parade started at Benavidez Elementary and ended up at Burnett-Bayland Park, where multiple booths and vendors, including everything from HPD's S.W.A.T. team to Bo's Place, handed out free goodies and info to members of the community. Both Council Member Laster and State Rep. Gene Wu, as well as staff for State Sen. Rodney Ellis, were present to address the community. 

Your District J office wanted to thank all those who were involved in making the Festival a success, both for the benefit of the Gulfton community as well as the HPD Storefront there.

International Fruit and Veggie Festival

At Rodriguez Elementary 

On Tuesday, May 20th, the Recipe for Success Foundation held an International Fruit and Veggie Tasting Festival at Rodriguez Elementary. Booths were set up in the school gymnasium and students cycled through various tables, sampling international foods.

Recipe for Success also is responsible for a large student garden on the campus, which provides year-round, hands-on gardening education to students. Students are even able to take the food they've grown to their families! A special thanks to Molly Kaminski and Tracy Weldon of Recipe for Success for bringing programs like this to communities in District J and around Houston.

The Houston Hackathon!

"Civic Hackers" Pitch Ideas to City

For the second year in a row, the City of Houston will host its second "Open Innovation Hackathon" on May 31st to June 1st at the Houston Technology Center.

A "hackathon" is an event in which software developers, designers, and data analysts collaborate intensively on data and software projects. Over the course of the weekend, Houston's "civic hackers" will pitch ideas, form teams and develop innovative new websites, mobile apps, and insightful data visualizations to address community and city problems. 

The City has implemented two projects from last year's Hackathon - Budget Bootcamp and the 311 Performance Dashboards - and the IT staff has also benefited from exposure to new technologies and different development techniques. Last year's Open Innovation Hackathon featured over 200 attendees and over 20 team project submissions, and this year's turnout is expected to equal or exceed those numbers.