Ginger Nelson

Today is the last day of early voting! I’m happy to be supporting Jason Herrick for mayor and Patrick Miller and David Prescott for city council positions. Whomever you choose to support, PLEASE GO VOTE! And take a friend with you….polls open until 7 pm today.

On Saturday, Transformation Park will host a ribbon cutting and will soon open to serve our neighbors in the city who live on the streets. This project is a partnership between businesses, churches and the City of Amarillo to care for people who need reconnection to a safe community. Last night, Kevin and I had the chance to spend the night in a cabin that will be home to many people in the years to come at Transformation Park. We prayed in our cabin for all the lives that will be touched by the work our community is doing at Transformation Park.

So many people have worked to make the vision of Transformation Park a reality. Thank you to those who have played a role in getting to this point. There are still needs and you can be part of helping the homeless in our city. Check out this link to give:

https://www.mytransformationpark.com/donate

City of Amarillo, Texas

I am so very sad that we have lost a stellar human being whose work made our community a better place to live. The Nelsons are sending our love and prayers to Clay's family and work family. I'll miss you, my friend.

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Clay Stribling, former President and CEO of the Amarillo Area Foundation. Since 2011, Clay's leadership and vision transformed lives across the Texas Panhandle, guiding the Foundation to reach new heights in service to our community. His vision, integrity and dedication inspired all who knew him.

A devoted husband and father and a mentor and friend to many, Clay's legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched. We honor his memory with deep gratitude and a commitment to carry his mission forward. Christian Ladd Stribling

Prayer request update ❤️ Cancer is the pits, but it doesn’t get to choose our attitude. My transplant went smoothly on Monday. We now wait for the new stem cells to engraft and begin making all the white and red and other blood cells I need. While we wait, I’ll spend the next 10-12 days in the hospital. We are grateful for your prayers - would you pray against infection while my immune system reboots? And for everyone who has ever done chemo: whoa, you’re my hero! Kevin and I are leaning into this verse and doing what we can to keep our hearts cheerful. We believe God’s promise that it is good medicine. (Shout out to our friends Bill and Bev Harris for the red noses!)

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Prayer request ❤️ After eight months of treatment for blood cancer, I am finally cleared for stem cell transplant. Kevin and I checked into the hospital today. I’m scheduled to start a big chemo dose tonite (Saturday night late) and will have the transplant on Monday. We have great hope that this treatment will kill all the cancer cells and put me into remission. We also hold unswervingly to the hope we profess in Jesus, to His power to heal, and to His answers to prayer. Would you pray with us that this treatment kills all the cancer and brings remission?

We are so grateful for our friends and extended family who have shown so much love and support for our family. I’m so grateful to my doctor and our dear friend, Alan Keister, who found this issue four years ago in a routine annual check up. Thank you to our Amarillo Texas Oncology team, especially Dr. Praveen Tumula, who has taken excellent care of us and brought us to this point. We also appreciate our MD Anderson care team and the amazing work they do for so many patients. Truly, we see God’s provision in these medical professionals and the miracles worked through modern medicine.

You never need an excuse to throw a party! Come hang out on Polk Street tomorrow for lunch.

Let's have lunch on Polk Street! We're going to close down Polk in front of our building to celebrate our beautiful new terrazzo! We can't thank the Zanchettin Brothers enough for the amazing job they did. The Chop Chop Amarillo food truck will be serving up lunch and we'll talk about all the great things happening downtown. We hope you can join us!

Stories are so powerful. We’ve spent the last year installing new elevators at the Amarillo Building. We used the four new elevators to tell the story of the Amarillo Building - how the VISION of growing our city led 12 businessmen to take a RISK to build Amarillo’s first high-rise building which sparked PROSPERITY for them and others and whose PERSEVERANCE is still on display today.

Stop by our happy hour today 4:00 - 5:30 and see the new elevators and the story of the Amarillo Building - it is our history AND our future! The Amarillo Building - 301 S. Polk The Historic Amarillo Building Kevin Nelson

Yesterday was full of emotions for our family as our son, Jace, reported to the United States Naval Academy. We are grateful for this opportunity and so proud to have a son answering his call to serve. As a mom, I’m praying specifically for every USNA plebe and for all our service members who give so much to protect us. Kevin Nelson Madeleine Nelson

I love watching Amarillo people try new things and positively impact our community. Six years ago, Jason Boyett launched the Hey Amarillo podcast and has persevered and grown it week after week by telling the stories of Amarillo folks. I’ve learned LOTS from his efforts and value every story I’ve heard on the podcast. Thanks to everyone who has courageously shared their story as a guest on the show. BIG thanks to Jason for thoughtfully asking the questions that tell the stories about our wonderful, loving, creative Amarillo people. Hey Amarillo Podcast

For the 300th episode of Hey Amarillo, Jason Boyett hosted a live recording on May 5, 2023, at Arts in the Sunset, featuring a conversation with Ginger Nelson (who'd also been the guest in the very first episode of this podcast in 2017). In front of an audience, Nelson reflected on her tenure as mayor, answering questions about her nationally recognized COVID-19 response, her cancer treatment during the pandemic, the Civic Center controversies, the outcry related to her drag show letter, her personal faith and much more. Now that Cole Stanley has been sworn in as Amarillo's new mayor, Jason describes this episode as an "exit interview" and opportunity for Nelson to reflect on the past six years.

🎧: Listen to Hey Amarillo in your favorite podcast app.

I'm announcing today that I will not run for another term as mayor. It is my hope that announcing this decision early will create the best opportunity for our city to select its next mayor. In reflecting on what our city has accomplished together over the past six years, I am amazed at the list. (See list in the images on this post.) From the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine to Sod Poodles baseball and a new stadium, from record-breaking economic development bringing more than 4,000 new jobs to historic deals for purchasing water rights and expanding broadband access, from investments in public safety and just this week a historic Army contract awarded to Bell Flight bringing billions of dollars in additional economic impact: Amarillo, you’ve accomplished so much! It has been a great honor to serve, and I am grateful to the citizens for the trust and support they’ve shown our councils over the past three terms. Kevin and I are proud to live in Amarillo and believe Amarillo is in a unique season of growth and opportunity. Our next mayor will have our full support as we all work together to make life in Amarillo the best it has ever been for all its residents.

Amarillo Talks Business Tour: #34 CAVINESS BEEF PACKERS. Caviness Beef Packers has been family owned and operated for over 60 years and is currently led by 2nd and 3rd generation family members. The business has grown from harvesting a handful of cattle, in the early days, to 2900 head processed each day. Today, the company operates two processing locations in Texas (Amarillo and Hereford) and markets products worldwide. They have 1400 employees in the Texas panhandle. Their beef products go to 30 different states in the U.S. and to 21 countries world-wide. Their business has been growing steadily, and they will soon open a new $60 million plant in Amarillo on Washington Street and Loop 337. Hiring and workforce is a challenge but they have been able to hire the workers they need to keep growing. (I was impressed with how many Caviness team members have more than 20 years with their company.) They continue to build their business in Amarillo because the people are hard-working and have a can-do attitude. Amarillo is centrally located, has a growing population, and is geographically in the heart of western heritage and ranching operations. "I don't know a region where businesses can grow more economically than the Panhandle," said Trevor Caviness, president of the company. Caviness Beef has decades of experience growing their business and investing in Amarillo and the Panhandle. They are a kind and generous family that works hard to expand their business and take care of their employees and clients. I'm grateful their story is part of Amarillo's winning story. Thank you, Terry, Trevor, Reagan and all your team!