Week 51. Dallas Life

December 22, 2018

I can’t believe I am nearing the end of my 52 weeks of service. It really has been an amazing adventure!

For Week 51, I spent time at Dallas LIFE, one of my favorite places to volunteer. We scheduled our lunch-service shift for the Saturday immediately after school was released for the holiday break. I was joined by 20 members of Lakehill Preparatory School‘s Warrior Outreach Organization.

From its humble beginnings in 1954 as the Dallas Rescue Mission, housing 25 men a night, Dallas LIFE has grown into the largest homeless shelter in North Texas. Its current facility on Cadiz Street in downtown Dallas houses up to 700 men, women, and children, and offers a multitude of programs to serve those experiencing homelessness.

Under the direction of Reverend Bob Sweeney since 2005, Dallas LIFE has continued to grow, adding a computer school and GED program, and establishing long-term programs for senior citizens and those with slight mental health issues. The 10-month New LIFE Program graduates approximately 50 residents each year who are recovered from addition, reconnected with family, and have housing and employment.

All Dallas LIFE guests are served three balanced meals per day. According to their website, the shelter serves an average of 1,000 to 1,200 meals daily. The newly remodeled kitchen and dining area are staffed primarily by residents, and most of the food prepared at Dallas LIFE comes through their in-kind product donation program.

The 100,000 square-foot facility offers dormitory style housing for men and women on separate floors. There are also 50 individual family unit rooms, allowing children to remain with their parents. Additional temporary space can be created during extreme weather.

Clothing donations are sorted, inventoried, and placed in the clothing room, where residents can select outfits for themselves and their children.

The in-house computer center helps residents develop computer skills and use email. The New LIFE Program incorporates basic office software training and resume preparation classes. Residents can also complete GED requirements. A state-of-the-art clinic provides free medical, dental, and vision treatment. Free individual and group counseling is available, as well as play therapy for children. A full-time chaplain is on staff to oversee the spiritual program, including daily chapel services, Sunday worship, prayer meetings, and Bible study. Children and teens are welcome at Dallas LIFE, and parents can take advantage of a wealth of resources, including supplies, parenting classes, and childcare referrals.

It is extremely easy to volunteer at Dallas LIFE. You must first fill out a Volunteer Application for an individual or a group (one person may complete the application for all members in the group). Once you pass a background check and are approved, you can log in under the schedule tab to see the daily needs. You can schedule yourself or your group online, according to your availability. A variety of opportunities are available, from serving meals to sorting donations in the clothing closet.

Over the years, I have taken several groups to volunteer for the lunch service at Dallas LIFE, and always find it a wonderful experience. It is a great way to interact directly with the residents.

All volunteers serving in food service must be 10 years of age or older. Those 10-12 years of age can serve cold foods, desserts, and drinks in the dining room. Volunteers 13 years of age or older can join the adults in the kitchen to help serve hot foods and keep the food line stocked. Volunteers will be provided with aprons, gloves, and hair nets. A typical shift is about two hours.

Volunteers are given instructions from the Food Service Staff upon arrival, and are assigned a position. Working on the food service line, serving water, cleaning tables, carrying trays, and washing dishes are all possibilities. On this visit, we also enjoyed preparing some of the food prior to the meal service.

Dallas LIFE follows a conservative dress code, so be sure to dress accordingly. Jeans or slacks should be worn by volunteers serving in the kitchen. Dallas LIFE asks that volunteers avoid running shorts, leggings, or tights as pants. Shirts must have sleeves, an appropriate neckline, and cover the midriff. Closed-toe shoes are required.

Find out more and get involved here.

 

Week 49. Salvation Army Red Kettle

December 3, 2018

I love the story behind the familiar Salvation Army Red Kettle at the holidays. According to The Salvation Army’s website, the kettle originated back in 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He faced a major obstacle, however, in funding the project.

As he pondered how to find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city’s poorest individuals on Christmas Day, he thought back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot,” located at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, where passersby could toss in their coins to help the poor.

The next day, Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money he needed to feed the poor at Christmas.

Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the West Coast to the Boston area. That year, the combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists millions of people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods.

Captain McFee’s kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but all across the world. Public contributions to Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts to help those who would otherwise be forgotten.

Every December for many years, I have had the opportunity to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. A friend from the photography department at The Dallas Morning News sponsors the kettle at NorthPark Mall on Mondays throughout the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and he always invites us to participate. We fill several slots with faculty, staff, and students at Lakehill Preparatory School, and my family and I always volunteer for a shift together.

Celebrating more than 125 years, the Salvation Army’s traditional red kettle is an integral part of the holidays, with millions of dollars donated each year to aid needy families, seniors, and the homeless, in keeping with the spirit of the season. Donating to a red kettle is easy – spare change helps change lives.

Volunteer groups are needed to staff red kettle sites for a minimum of a full day. This is a great way for organizations to help raise important funds that make an immediate difference in the community. It is a fun activity for any age, and even more enjoyable when done with friends or family. The day can be divided into multiple shifts, to make it easy for volunteers to get involved. Find out more.

Week 48. Feed My Starving Children

December 1, 2018

During my 48th week of service, I volunteered for Feed My Starving Children with Upper School members of the Warrior Outreach Organization (WOO) at Lakehill Preparatory School.

I first learned about Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) at Voly in the Park last summer. I spoke to them at length and learned that they were opening a facility in Texas. It was simple to sign up a group with their online registration process.

Feed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit organization that coordinates the packaging and distribution of food to people in developing nations. Founded in 1987, it has reached out to more than 70 countries. Their process is simple. The organization recruits volunteers, including school children, to assist in packing. They also employ paid staff to supervise the operations.

Volunteers hand-pack scientifically formulated MannaPack meals for undernourished children, which are distributed to a network of missions and humanitarian organizations around the world. FMSC works with food partners who are reaching the most needy and vulnerable in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North, Central, and South America. Donations fund the meal ingredients. Volunteers are encouraged to donate, or shop in the gift shop (or online) for t-shirts and hand-crafted items. A donation of just $80 helps them feed one child for an entire year.

FMSC has permanent sites in Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota and Texas. Opportunities are also available nationwide through FMSC MobilePack events, which allow volunteers to engage in an impactful meal-packing experience, regardless of their location in the United States. These special events provide the opportunity to instill compassion in your own community and improve the lives of malnourished children around the world.

Volunteering with FMSC was a well-organized process from start to finish. It was easy to sign up, the training was thorough, and atmosphere was energetic and fun. I especially appreciated the debriefing after the packing was completed, as well as the opportunity to sample a MannaPack meal. It added a special connection between what we were doing and who we were serving. During our shift, volunteers packed 151 boxes, representing 32,616 meals–enough to feed 89 children for a year.

Sign up to volunteer here or learn more about hosting a MobilePack event.

Week 47. Holiday Luncheon

November 20, 2018
with updates on December 14, 2018

For 40 years, on a special Friday in December, Lakehill Preparatory School continued a holiday tradition that remains in the hearts of attendees long after the pumpkin pie is finished.

This year’s Holiday Luncheon, held on December 14, brought 150 elderly residents from around east Dallas to the school’s main campus to share the spirit of the season with the Lakehill family.

The entire Upper School assisted in welcoming the seniors to the school. Each grade has progressively more complex responsibilities. Members of Lakehill’s senior class, along with their parents and class sponsors, joined forces with the entire Upper School to provide a memorable holiday experience for senior citizens. The senior class, along with their parents, hosted the luncheon feeding over 700 people throughout the day. While the senior citizens were eating, they were joined by Lower and Middle school students and entertained with various performances.

Juniors, dressed as elves, reindeer, and Santa and Mrs. Claus, visited with guests and posed for pictures. Sophomores served as photographers, giving guests a framed photo as they left the luncheon. Freshman decorated the Commons and hosted the guests for refreshments after their meal.

Students in all grade levels helped by donating the items that were used to fill the stockings that our Lower and Middle School Community Connections club members prepared for each guest. We spent several days organizing all the donations, sorting into categories, such as tissues, stationary, shampoo, and lotion, followed by several days stuffing each stocking with goodies. As each guest left the Luncheon, they received a poinsettia, the picture frame with their picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a stocking full of goodies.

The Holiday Luncheon is a wonderful tradition that truly reinforces the meaning of the holidays. Many of these guests are regular attendees who look forward to the luncheon every year. Tasty food, good music, and enjoyable conversations with the students seemed to get everyone in the holiday spirit.

Week 45. First Aid Kits for Brady Senior Services Center

November 7, 2018

During my 45th week of service, I worked with my Lower School Community Connections members at Lakehill Preparatory School to create small first aid kits for senior citizens served by The Brady Program.

We first created “First Aid Kit” labels that volunteers attached to small Ziploc bags. They then fill edthe bags with antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, alcohol pads, gauze, and Band-Aids. We boxed up all the first aid kits – about 500 in total – and delivered them to Catholic Charities to distribute to those served by The Brady Program.

Catholic Charities Dallas (CCD) is a faith-based social service agency focused on improving the quality of life for people in need. Comprised of 17 individual programs serving the nine counties in North Texas, they help over 30,000 individuals annually to achieve stability and self-sufficiency through financial literacy, employment services, education, food programs, immigration legal services, refugee resettlement, disaster services, and permanent supportive housing.

Brady Senior Services aims to improve the health and wellness of senior citizens ages 60 and older. Services are designed to promote and support personal independence and emotional and physical well-being while recognizing individual dignity. The Brady Senior Services Center provides over 500 Dallas area seniors with daily meals, information and education, social activities, exercise classes, and access to medical care. With the Brady Program now housed at Marillac, seniors can take advantage of all of the services and activities available.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the new offices for Catholic Charities when I delivered the first aid kits, and to later visit the Marillac Campus which now houses the Brady Program, and the CCD’s newly opened St. Jude Center which provides long-term housing to the chronically homeless.

Week 44. Trek for Tech

November 3, 2018

When hundreds of people take to the streets for a good cause, a great deal can happen.

Lakehill Preparatory School‘s 20th Annual Trek for Tech, the Parent Faculty Club’s signature fall event, combined all the right elements: beautiful fall weather, two great races, dedicated sponsors, enthusiastic volunteers, and a raffle with fantastic prizes. The results were a great time for all who attended, and a lot of money raised to purchase new technology.

Students, families, and faculty members put their best foot forward in the one-mile Fun Run, while a large crowd hit the pavement for the 5K chip-timed race. Organizers report that 416 people registered for this year’s races, an increase over 2017. Over 50% of the student body participated in the event, an all-time high. The Trek Committee is still counting the monies raised through sponsorship, registration, and technology purchases, but are anticipating a record-breaking year.

Events like this one couldn’t happen without dedicated volunteers. There are so many ways to get involved as sponsors, organizers, course monitors, and committee members. Amazing companies, individuals, and families supported the race through underwriting and equipment purchases, and the faculty, National Junior Honor Society, and parent volunteers helped the event run smoothly.

Most school’s host events such as fun runs, auctions, and carnivals. Why not find one near you to volunteer your time and expertise?

Week 43.Graffiti Abatement with the City of Dallas

October 27, 2018

Graffiti is the personal act of marking or etching on someone’s property without their effective consent. Painting graffiti, also known as “tagging,” is a crime.

The Dallas Police Department is dedicated to the eradication of graffiti vandalism by pursuing prosecution of the suspects to the fullest extent of the law, as well as providing education and preventive programs though coordinated efforts of city agencies, business organizations, and community groups.

Managed by the Department of Code Compliance, the Graffiti Abatement and Prevention Program (GAPP) aims to to eliminate problematic tagging through community involvement, education, and building sustainable partnerships.

I have partnered with the City several times, taking students of all ages to paint over graffiti. They do great job educating the volunteers about graffiti in our community. They also introduced us to the Fabrication Yard in West Dallas, where the City gives street taggers a canvas where they can legally display their work. Since 2013, when Dallas declared that the building would be a “free wall,” graffiti artists have found a place to paint without fear of arrest.

The City enlists volunteers to maintain the other buildings in the area. On October 27, I volunteered to paint over graffiti with 20 members of our Warrior Outreach Organization (WOO) at Lakehill Preparatory School. We provided a five-gallon bucket of gray paint and the city provided the gloves, brushes, rollers, and other supplies. The graffiti runs the gamut, from impressive artwork to inappropriate tagging. I always enjoy seeing what the graffiti artists have created when allowed to do so legally. When it comes to painting over the tagging, I appreciate that it’s relatively easy to cover it up and make things look better. Just for fun, the City let us do a bit of our own “tagging” (see bottom picture). But don’t worry – we painted over it after we took the picture!

The City of Dallas has established a variety of programs to help control, prevent, and remove graffiti. Volunteers are always needed.

Find out more.

Week 42.Voice of Hope

October 15, 2018

Our Community Connections students at Lakehill Preparatory School and I have been volunteering with Voice of Hope for several years. Spending a day with the children they serve is always a highlight of our Middle School Community Connections camp. Our high school students involved with the Warrior Outreach Organization have participated as well. We love working in the classrooms on arts and crafts projects, or in the gym with physical activities and games. We have also cleaned closets and organized supplies when needed.

Voice of Hope is a wonderful community partner, and always attends our Volunteer Fair at Lakehill. This year, I asked those organizations in attendance to let us know if they ever had any projects we could complete on our campus, from stuffing envelopes to assembling packets.

Voice of Hope needed a group to stuff 2,000 invitations for their Voice of Hope Night at the Winspear Opera House, to be held on December 7. In addition to raising critical funds, the Sing an Irish Christmas event, featuring Keith and Kristyn Getty, also provides the opportunity for children and families to hear the message of Christmas and experience the blessings of the season.

We gathered in the Lakehill Library to form stations, preparing invitations, response cards, and envelopes for mailing. The students really took ownership of the project, and were determined to get all 2,000 invitations ready.The energy and focus the students put into the project was amazing. They completed the task, and felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Voice of Hope has a rich history in the West Dallas community, giving children the resources and individual attention they need to grow into productive citizens and strong leaders. Founded in 1982, Voice of Hope has grown to serve over 300 children daily in their ASPIRE after-school program and Summer Day Camp. Their vision is to see inner-city families equipped with the resources and skills needed to overcome and break the poverty cycle.

Voice of Hope depends on volunteers to achieve their mission. Some volunteers work directly with children in the ASPIRE After-School Program or Summer Day Camp, while others serve behind the scenes in support roles and garnering in-kind donations. Find out how you can get involved.

Volunteering doesn’t have to mean traveling to another location. There are many things you can do to help local non-profits from your home or school. Just ask!

 

 

Week 40: Trick or Treat for UNICEF

October 1, 2018

Halloween is just around the corner, which means it’s time for Trick or Treat for UNICEF. Lakehill has been volunteering with UNICEF for more than 30 years, and is an Ambassador school.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF provides children, along with their parents and teachers, the opportunity to learn about their peers worldwide who are truly in need. It also enables them to raise money to help reduce the number of daily preventable deaths of children. Even if a child doesn’t trick-or-treat or celebrate Halloween, there are still a lot of fun ways to participate and make a difference.

UNICEF is the number one children’s humanitarian organization, working in over 150 developing countries. The organization provides impoverished children and their families with lifesaving medicine, nutrition, clean water and sanitation, education, and emergency relief throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and parts of Europe. Forbes and Charity Navigator list the U.S. Fund for UNICEF every year as one of the most efficient charities, with more than 90% of all money donated going directly to save and improve children’s lives.

We often invite a UNICEF staff member to school to give a presentation for our students. This year, several of our Middle School volunteers presented the program to the entire Lower School, sharing their personal experiences and encouraging the younger students to get involved. It really has become a cherished tradition, and students look forward to it every year.

While carrying the collection box door-to-door is one of the most popular ways to contribute, supporters can host an event, skip a snack or movie and donate the money, or contribute part of their allowance to UNICEF. The whole family can help by donating spare change at the end of each day into the UNICEF box. We even encourage them to look under the cushions on the sofa and under the seats in the car!

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is the original “Kids Helping Kids” campaign. It began in 1950 as a door-to-door collection effort by a small group of children in Philadelphia to help children who were suffering after World War II. For nearly 70 years, the annual tradition of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has helped raise nearly $177 million.

I believe that Trick or Treat for UNICEF helps our students as well, teaching them compassion and civic responsibility, giving them a chance to practice real-life math, speaking, and problem-solving skills, and empowering them to take action and work together.

This is my 11th year to be involved with UNICEF. What I love most is hearing the older students share their memories, ideas, and suggestions with the younger children. There is a special feeling when children join together to help other children. I love being a part of that.

Find out more and get involved with UNICEF here.

 

Week 39: Bye Bye Bags for Vogel Alcove

September 28, 2018

During my 39th week of service, I worked with my Community Connections members at Lakehill Preparatory School on a project for our friends at Vogel Alcove.

We prepared Bye-Bye Bags, which are snack bags that are distributed to the children served by Vogel Alcove at the end of the day, giving them additional nutrition when they are away from the facility.

Each volunteer decorated several paper lunch sacks with uplifting messages. We set out a variety of healthy snack items on tables, such as applesauce, cereal, fruit snacks, tuna, and crackers. After decorating a bag, volunteers moved through the line, selecting one item from each category to place in their bag. We boxed up all the bags – about 200 in total – and delivered to Vogel Alcove to distribute as needed.

Vogel Alcove serves as many as 200 homeless children each day, allowing them to learn and thrive in a place free from hunger or trauma. Parents – most of whom are single mothers – have the opportunity to work, look for work, or go to school, knowing that their children are in good hands. Since 1987, Vogel Alcove has served more than 15,000 children and their families.

I am always surprised to read that Dallas has the highest child poverty rate in the country among cities with more than a million people. Thirty percent of Dallas children grow up in poverty. While there are many reasons for family homelessness, poverty is an overriding factor.

By providing education and a broad array of therapeutic services, Vogel Alcove is dedicated to helping children who are experiencing homelessness cope with the physical, emotional, and mental trauma so that they might succeed in life despite their circumstances.

Preparing Bye Bye Bags is just one of the many ways to help children at Vogel Alcove.

Find out more ways to get involved here.