Colony Ridge- A growing sustainable community- empowering the residents to fulfill their dreams!

LIBERTY COUNTY, TX -- Raquel Reyna and her family relocated from Houston to the Santa Fe community in Colony Ridge in pursuit of a quieter lifestyle, homeownership, and greater opportunities for their children. They choose to leave behind the congestion, rising costs, and the fast pace of city life, to embrace peaceful surroundings with open green spaces of a unique community.

Alongside her husband, Raquel owns and operates a remodeling, construction, and painting business. She enjoys raising her children in an environment where they have room to safely explore and play among the natural beauty of her tree-filled property.

Committed to making a positive difference in her community, Raquel became a driving force in addressing the growing issues of stray animals and illegal littering. She organized neighborhood clean-up efforts and inspired residents to become active participants in improving their surroundings by creating the volunteer group "Para una Comunidad Mejor" (For a Better Community).

Through her leadership, volunteers come together to clean public areas, educate neighbors, and rescue stray dogs to place in loving, permanent homes. Raquel continues to dedicate her time and personal resources to helping stray animals by covering out-of-pocket expenses while partnering with nonprofit organizations offering veterinary care, spay/neuter services, and rescue support.

Raquel is a compassionate leader whose dedication, initiative, and commitment to serving others have made a meaningful and lasting impact on her community. Her efforts continue to inspire neighbors to work together to create a cleaner, safer, and more caring place. She is one of the emerging leaders of Colony Ridge.

Colony Ridge is in unincorporated Liberty County, approximately 40 miles northeast of Houston surrounded by FM 2090 FM 1485, U.S. Hwy 59, near Cleveland and the Plum Grove area. The developers, John and William Harris, broke ground on the eventually to become the 33,000 development in 2012 featuring six separate subdivisions- Montebello (the first subdivision), Santa Fe, Grand San Jacinto, Rancho San Vicente, Camino Real, and Bella Vista with an estimated 75,000 residents, mostly Hispanic, who have the American Dream of becoming first time homeowners living the small town life for their families away from economic hardships of renting liabilities.

Colony Ridge continues to experience significant growth, creating new opportunities for residents, businesses, and community organizations to work together in building a stronger and more connected community. As the local economy expands, thriving small businesses are investing back into the community by supporting local events, partnering with nonprofit organizations, and fostering the next generation of community leaders through trusted relationships and volunteerism.

The community is also seeing continued expansion of essential services and resources. New churches are opening their doors offering programs, such as dance, art, English classes, and Bible classes, providing enriching opportunities for children and families. Educational opportunities continue to grow as well, with the addition of two elementary schools and a high school, increasing access to quality education for local students.

Community partnerships have also played a vital role in improving the quality of life for residents and their pets. Nonprofit organizations, including Alaska's Hope Animal Rescue, Houston PetSet, Three Little Pitties, and independent rescue groups collaborate with volunteers to reduce the stray dog population through advocacy, rescue efforts, low-cost vaccination/deworming events, spay/neuter initiatives, and adoption programs. These collaborative efforts have strengthened the community while promoting responsible pet ownership and improving animal welfare.

As Colony Ridge continues to grow, its greatest strength remains the collaboration between residents, businesses, faith-based organizations, schools, and nonprofit partners. Together, they are creating a community built on opportunity, compassion, and a shared commitment to improving the lives of everyone who calls Colony Ridge home.

Gaps are closing between needed community services as the residents take control by advocating as voting constituents for change.

Since 2014 the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has had a strong partnership with the Colony Ridge community-the residents, community leaders, churches, and the Property Owners Association (POA), to address concerns, improve communication, and provide public safety. Sgt Ivan Gonzalez was instrumental in developing the Neighborhood Watch Program. Currently there are 10 officers contracted for the community as a commitment to maintain safety for the residents.

The partnership between the POA and LCSO has proven to be an asset during natural disasters including floods, hurricanes, tropical storms, and winter weather emergencies. The LCSO has supported numerous community initiatives and outreach efforts during emergencies including the distribution of food and facilitating temporary shelter. These efforts reflect a shared commitment to serving the residents and therefore strengthening the community.

“The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to protecting the residents and visitors in Liberty County. The partnership between the LCSO and POA demonstrates what is accomplished when working together,” shared Sheriff Bobby Rader. “Our LCSO Sgt Ted Smith was instrumental in getting an Episcopal Church located in the area. The growth in the area has increased demand for law enforcement. We hope to be able to expand in the next budget cycle.”

There are so many additional residents empowered through their commitment to the community. Colony Ridge residents are devoted to their resiliency through successful growth in locally owned businesses (such as Yoali Propane, Mely Nailed You, Veronica’s Café and Leo’s Beer Barn) providing small town life while meeting the needs of the community, increasing the local economy, and contributing to local tax revenue.

Alma Rodriguez relocated from an apartment living in Houston to become a homeowner in the Colony Ridge community. After recognizing the needs within her new community, she began volunteering and in 2014 helped organize a Neighborhood Watch program alongside fellow residents to promote safety and community involvement.

Driven by a passion for helping both families and animals, Alma and other resolute volunteers later established a nonprofit organization focused on providing pet owners with access to low-cost preventative veterinary care and assistance with spay/neuter registrations. These services fill a critical gap in Liberty County where Animal Control services are lacking.

Today, Alma continues to collaborate with volunteers and partner nonprofit organizations to coordinate large-scale, low-cost spay/neuter clinics that help reduce unwanted pet litter and improve animal welfare throughout the community. Through these collaborative efforts, more than 3,000 pets have received assistance, making a lasting impact on both local families and the community.

Alma remains committed to strengthening her community through volunteerism, education, and partnerships that improve the quality of life for both residents and their pets. In addition to supporting educational initiatives, Alma has expanded civic engagement by helping connect residents with citizenship classes and voter education initiatives that encourage greater participation in the democratic process. These efforts empower residents to become informed, engaged citizens while strengthening the voice of the community.

CH&P Management is a professional community service association specializing in elevating the quality of life for communities across the Greater Houston and Montgomery County area. Colony Ridge is one of the communities managed by CH&P Management. Savannah Crihfield, owner of CH&P recognized Alma’s dedication and commitment to her community and began training her to do additional work with CH&P when she hired Alma in April of 2019 to serve as a compliance inspector, event coordinator, and is now a community manager for an underserved community that partners with nonprofits to serve residents who have limited resources and few advocates. This opportunity opened a career door to a profession and a purpose with someone who needed an opportunity to make her family and her neighborhood proud of the person who is one of them. This is a resident who cared deeply about where she lived but had no formal professional background in management.

Through community outreach, partnerships, and volunteerism, Alma Rodriguez has connected residents with valuable programs, resources, and opportunities that strengthen families and the community. She has worked closely with both the International Leadership of Texas (ILTexas) and Cleveland ISD to help promote school programs, student enrollment, educational events, and resources that benefit children and their families.

Cynthia Silva, a native of Puerto Rico, moved from Houston to Colony Ridge in 2021. Cynthia manages the first Spanish newspaper in the area whose focus is to educate and inform the local community specific to their environment. She assists with bridging gaps by coordinating efforts with CH&P, developing relationships with local firefighters, law enforcement, and emergency relief including food drives to heighten collaboration especially during disasters in the area. There is no lack of residents giving back to their community as community involvement empowers new leaders.

The strong community relationships happen through participation in committee meet ups, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, Easter egg hunts, Texan Day, holiday festivals, family-oriented activity focused events, and just recently the 250th 4th of July Celebration with fireworks. By bringing together schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and residents, Alma has helped create opportunities for community members to connect, learn, and thrive.

The vibrant cultural nuances combat the negative perspectives from bordering influencers who have not visited the area recently or experienced the joy on the faces of residents.

Every community has challenges. The stories emerging from Colony Ridge offer hope and a future of overcoming the challenges with blessings for tomorrow. Diversity is merging distinct cultures into acceptable harmony.