Ace Azcona is working to give at-risk dogs a second chance. UTA alumna Azcona is the president and founder of Ace’s Place Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization working to rescue dogs facing medical and behavioral challenges from local shelters around the Metroplex to find them foster and permanent homes. Azcona said she aims to ensure fosters have access to a dedicated support team and necessary supplies. The organization provides free training, medical care, food, crates and support. Ace’s Place receives funding from donors in addition to funding platforms like CUDDLY, the largest online fundraising platform for animal welfare organizations. The organization accepts all dog breeds four weeks and up, typically housing 15 to 20 dogs at a time. Ace’s Place primarily relies on social networking, mainly Facebook, to find dogs in need. People can visit the Ace’s Place Facebook page or their website to adopt or foster. Azcona started the nonprofit in 2021 after she and her husband began fostering dogs from a rescue. She said they struggled with a lack of food, supplies and support and noticed others had similar experiences fostering dogs. “People weren’t going to want to foster. They weren’t going to want to help if they were being treated this way too,” Azcona said. “We wanted to make a rescue that was very supportive to fosters, even if that meant that we had to be smaller.” The organization has eight main volunteers who handle various roles, including medical directors, event coordinators and foster coordinators. Some volunteers focus on providing emotional support to the foster dogs, helping them navigate challenges, especially during the first few nights. Jamie Gowin, UTA alumna and event coordinator for Ace’s Place, missed working with animals when she was a veterinary technician. That’s when she found the organization and began volunteering. As a coordinator, Gowin connects people to meet and play with dogs, encouraging them to adopt or foster. “We’re all friends, there’s camaraderie. We’re always there to support each other,” Gowin said. “I feel like when you don't have that kind of infighting or power struggle within the team, it really benefits the dogs, because that’s what you’re focusing on at the end of the day.” After two years of working for Ace’s Place, Gowin said she has seen significant growth in the organization, with more people adopting dogs, an increase in foster families and more traffic across their website. On one occasion, Gowin said they worked with three sister pups with littermate syndrome. Initially, they were very introverted and relied on each other for comfort, but over time, they became independent. “It’s really hard to adopt three dogs out at once, especially in the same home,” Gowin said. “So Ace really worked hard on those three, and right now, two out of those three have been adopted into their own homes, living their best life.” Azcona said Ace’s Place hopes to one day help educate and fund more on spayed, neutered, microchipped and vaccinated to make a difference in creative ways. The organization aims to fund training sessions, cover pet deposit fees and help people afford mental health care for emotional support animals. She said she wants to leave an impact on the community and to her, that means personally knowing every single foster. With over 200 dogs already placed in great homes, the most important thing for Azcona continues to be finding fosters their permanent homes. @fluffsjourney news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

For a brief moment Monday afternoon, National Medal of Honor Museum construction workers exchanged their tools for American flags, waving them against the wind alongside hundreds of citizens. The patriotic demonstrations were part of Arlington’s inaugural Texas Veterans Day Parade, which brought the community together to honor Texas’ veterans with live music, a drone show and various other festivities across the Arlington Entertainment District. Funded by a $50,000 grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the parade painted every corner of the district red, white and blue as citizens young and old lined the sidewalks to honor veterans. Dozens of organizations, including the UTA Maverick Battalion Color Guard, Arrowhead Military Vehicle Preservation Association and local military units marched with colorful floats down the roughly 1.5-mile stretch. The parade’s grand marshal was Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, a retired U.S. Army officer who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Vietnam. Joseph Solano, commander of detachment 845 for Texas Christian University’s ROTC, said he appreciated seeing the community come together. “I’ve been in almost 20 years, and this is my first parade [I’ve] come to like this,” Solano said. “It was definitely humbling to see everybody supporting us.” He said serving in the military is one of the highest honors one can have in this country, and seeing Arlington’s efforts to honor veterans with endeavors like building the National Medal of Honor Museum, makes him proud to serve. “I’ve been overseas and deployed, and coming back and being supported I think is helping us, especially with the next job I have — grooming the next generation to then serve their country as well,” Solano said. National Medal of Honor Museum sat as the parade’s backdrop, set to open in March 2025. In June, the museum received a UH-1H Iroquois Helicopter — its largest artifact yet — after a 1,400-mile trek from Murrieta, California. Brady, a Medal of Honor recipient, piloted the vehicle during service. Mansfield resident Nancy Bergvall, 69, attended the parade with the Daughters of the American Revolution, a women’s nonprofit organization dedicated to patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future. “I think it’s a wonderful feeling, and particularly after our elections that we just had, it’s a uniting activity,” Bergvall said. When she noticed the construction workers from the Medal of Honor Museum stopping their work to join in the demonstrations, Bergvall said she was touched. “Anyone who answers the calls to fight for their country or to serve in any capacity needs our respect and deserves to have an event like this to welcome them,” she said. The Veterans Day parade is not the only new endeavor Arlington is pursuing. The route the parade took will soon set the stage for the Grand Prix of Arlington in 2026, only contributing to the city’s growth. Hurst residents Patricia Friesen, 79, and Stanley Friesen, 81, drove a black 1996 Corvette C4 in the parade with the Christian Classic Cruisers car club. The organization is well known for participating in Arlington parades, Patricia Friesen said. It was no surprise when one of their board members approached them about participating in the Veterans Day parade. “We love parades and especially the opportunity to be in a veterans parade,” she said. Mia Houle, executive officer of the Maverick Battalion Color Guard, said the City of Arlington requested the UTA battalion to show their support for veterans as a way to thank all the service members. The group performed the “Eyes Right & Eyes Left, Ready Front” drill commands to commemorate Veterans Day, boosting morale and giving veterans a “nice, warm fuzzy feeling,” Houle said. Participating in the parade gives motivation and a sense of remembrance for those who served in the past, she said. Getting the team reorganized created this buy-in and it gave members something to look forward to in the battalion. As the sky darkened drones lined the horizon, splitting into varying colors and shapes. Spectators locked their gazes to the sky as they formed the emblems of all five military branches. “It made me feel very good about what I’m doing and helped me feel more deeply that what I’m doing is the right thing in my life,” Houle said. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of the military, and having people who have gone through the military say that we’re doing a good job gives me a little bit more hope for the future of the United States military.” @PMalkomes @heyyyitslando @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu