The Leadership Texas Midwest Community Network program provides students and business leaders exposure and inspiration on various leadership topics, opportunities to network with peer groups from other communities and direction to develop and implement programs within their community address a specific issue.

Early’s 2018 TMCN team of Early High School students Zane Hobson and Breanna Brown, along with the 2019 team of Madison Green and Vance-Cady Stewart have devised a project that will benefit many in Early and the Brown County area. The students are raising donations to install a sound garden at McDonald Park, which is beneficial for not only special needs children, but those who are suffering from memory issues as well as Alzheimer’s Disease. In an effort to raise more funds to reach the $25,000 goal, Chick-Fil-A in Heartland Mall will be hosting a Spirit Night for the organization today from 6 until 8 p.m., with a portion of the evening’s sales going back to the organization.

A second spirit night has been set for July 17. On July 21, beginning at 11 a.m., the group will be selling fajitas at the Stagecoach Market on Old Comanche Road. And, at the Early Family Fun Night June 29 at McDonald Park, raffle tickets will be sold for $1 each and several different prizes will be awarded at a later date.

If you would like to donate, which all are tax-deductible, you can do so by dropping off funds at Early City Hall, mail to PO Box 3100, Early, 76803 or visit the Early TMCN Leadership Facebook or GoFundMe pages. The size and items of the music garden will be dependent upon the donations received. The adult mentors for the project are Early Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shannan Burch and Denise Hudson with Visit Early Texas.

TMCN was founded in 1994 to provide a means by which communities in the region can work together to accomplish what one community cannot do alone.