Name: Brady Lemen Where do you work? Gage & Company, CPAs, LLP What’s your job title/what do you do? Staff Accountant Where are you from? I’m a native to Abilene. 2018 is my 26th year here. What is your favorite thing about living in the Big Country? It’s difficult to pick one aspect I love about the Big Country. Having grown up in Abilene, I’ve always loved the slower pace of life. It’s not a rushed, go-go-go lifestyle as opposed to some larger cities in Texas. While I enjoy

Name: Melissa Gonzalez Where do you work? Expo Center of Taylor County What’s your job title/what do you do? I am an Event Coordinator and Livestock Secretary. I handle the rentals of the smaller venues at the Expo Center. I manage the livestock shows during the West Texas Fair & Rodeo and the Taylor County Livestock Show. Where are you from? I am from northeast New Mexico. If you’re not from Abilene, how long have you lived in the area and what brought you here? The end of

Less childcare for low-income families. Less preservation of local history. Less food for people in need. Less affordable entertainment. Less to offer tourists. Less help for people with barriers to employment. Less available housing for our neighbors living with homelessness. Less downtown activity. Less beautification. Less mentorship. Less art. Less literacy. Less feeding. When I visualize an Abilene without a thriving nonprofit sector, the single word that comes to mind