Month: October 2018

Week 43.Graffiti Abatement with the City of Dallas

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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

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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 41: City Square Café

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October 12, 2018

This week, I headed downtown with my friend Sue to visit the CitySquare Café on their Opportunity Campus. I have volunteered with City Square many times, at the Thrift Store and with the Food on the Move program during the summers. After sampling some of the baked goods from their new Café at the opening the new North Texas Food Bank facility, and learning more about their program, we made a pledge to visit.

Since its founding in 1988, CitySquare has grown into a broad community development organization offering a comprehensive array of social services that address four key areas related to the persistence of poverty: hunger, health, housing, and hope. In November 2014, CitySquare relocated most of its direct services programs, including the food pantry and workforce training department, to its new Opportunity Center – a 53,000 square-foot campus located at the corner of Malcolm X. Boulevard and I-30 in Dallas.

A unique poverty-fighting project, the CitySquare Café is a designed as a training ground for students and graduates of their free six-week food service and hospitality program. Open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., the cafe serves breakfast and lunch and is open to the public.

Students in the program get help with transitional housing, food, clothing, and job placement. Those who have completed the program have a chance to intern at the café, making a living wage while they secure long-term employment with CitySquare’s community business partners.

When we arrived, neighbors were in the courtyard, enjoying a cup of coffee. The Opportunity Center offers a place of refuge where neighbors can seek a better life. The café, run by Chef Sonya Dorsey, aims to change the trajectory of their lives through job training and placement.

The Café stays busy during mealtimes with volunteers, staff members, and groups who tour the Opportunity Center. The daily breakfast menu includes their renowned biscuits (with or without gravy), breakfast sandwiches, and burritos, as well as oatmeal and parfaits. For lunch, the Café serves a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches, as well as a selection of desserts. They also cater to local organizations.

You can learn more about CitySquare’s history, mission and future by joining a tour of the Opportunity Center. Tours are offered twice a month and last about an hour.

Why not make plans to visit the Opportunity Center and enjoy a meal at the Café? You’ll be supporting CitySquare and fighting poverty with your meal purchase. A full menu is available here.

Week 40: Trick or Treat for UNICEF

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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.