service

Week 49. Salvation Army Red Kettle

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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 46: Trusted World

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November 12, 2018

During Week 46 of my 52 weeks of service, my family and I collected clothing items for Trusted World. We first learned about this organization through their Disaster Services program following Hurricane Harvey in 2017. From August through November, Trusted World sprang to the forefront of the relief effort, being named the charity to handle the donation management of Harvey relief in Dallas. Over 20,000 volunteers provided more than 45,000 hours to help sort, pack, load, and deliver supplies to the affected areas. We enjoyed working in their huge temporary warehouse space, sorting items that had been donated. During the 2017 hurricane season, over 13 million items were donated and processed, resulting in 2,700 pallets that were shipped to more than 20 different cities in two states and three territories.

In addition to their Disaster Services program, the primary goal of Trusted World is the collection and distribution of goods, such as food, clothing, and personal care items. They provide local non-profits with the resources they need, at no cost, to ensure their clients receive the necessary items promptly. They work closely with school counselors, social workers, police departments, and other nonprofits who serve the community.

The organization receives donations from all over North Texas. Item are inspected and sorted by volunteers, then placed into an inventory system for other nonprofits to order online. By providing these resources to other nonprofits at no charge, Trusted World eliminates their need to collect, sort, and process items, giving them more time to focus on their core missions.

Donations of gently used and new clothing, shoes, and new travel- to full-sized toiletries are always needed.

Items currently in demand include:

Men’s Pants, specifically waist size 32 or 34
Men’s Pajamas, all sizes
Men’s Belts, all sizes
Men’s Work Boots, all sizes
Boy’s Pajamas, large and XL
Girl’s Clothing (shirts, jeans, shorts), sizes 6-16
Boxed food (spaghetti, rice, mac & cheese)
Canned Meats
Canned Fruit
Canned Pasta
Rice
Individual size cookies, fruit chews, chips
Peanut Butter
Jelly/Jam
Sunscreen
Bug Spray
Deodorant

Find a donation drop-off location near you.

Volunteer opportunities are available at both Trusted World’s Allen Service Center and its Garland Service Center. With food and clothing donations received daily, volunteers are always needed to check for quality, sort, and inventory items. Volunteer hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and select evenings. Families are welcome. Volunteers under the age of 18 must have parent supervision.

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 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.

 

Week 38: Lakehill Volunteer Fair

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September 21, 2018

I recently held a Volunteer Fair at Lakehill Preparatory School. I started this event three years ago to give students an opportunity to meet representatives from a variety of local non-profit organizations. The event was held on Lakehill’s Main Campus, in the Lydia and James Perry Community Room and the Student Commons.

Each service partner manned a six-foot table, set up their display materials. Students were able to move from table to table, depending upon their interests.

The Fair was a great way for our service partners to meet students who are interested in volunteering, recruit for their teen boards and other programs, share their mission with others, and interact with other non-profit representatives.

During the Fair, students were able to meet with 15 different charitable organizations, learning more about their missions and the volunteer opportunities available. The students and teachers enjoyed visiting with the representatives and learning more about their wonderful organizations.

This year’s participants included Bonton Farms, Catholic Charities/The Brady Center, C.C. Young Senior Living, Community Partners of Dallas, Crossroads Community Services, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Feed My Starving Children, Hunger Busters, Jewish Family Service, Jubilee Park and Community Center, Meals on Wheels, Reading Partners, Voice of Hope, and the Wilkinson Center.

The Fair gave seventh graders through high school seniors the opportunity to broaden their volunteer horizons and find new ways to give back to their Dallas community. Students appreciated the chance to network and communicate with a wide variety of volunteer partnerships and explore many new avenues for service.

I also encouraged the non-profits to keep us in mind for special events and projects. I was thrilled when several of them immediately requested our help on a variety of projects that we could complete on campus. (More about those later).

Together, Lakehill students give more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service each year. Our school is small, but our students are dedicated to making a big impact in their community. A Volunteer Fair is a great kick-off event to help them harness their altruistic energy.

Week 37: Painting Bowls for The Stewpot

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September 10, 2018

On January 17, 2019, The Stewpot Alliance will host its 11th annual Soup’s On! Luncheon at The Hilton Anatole Hotel benefiting The Stewpot.

Some of the best chefs in Dallas – under the direction of celebrity chef Brian Luscher, owner of The Grape – will prepare a variety of specialty soups for the first course of the luncheon. Each guest receives a soup bowl to take home, and others are sold as part of the fundraiser. Guests will also be able to view and purchase one-of-a-kind works from artists who are members of the Stewpot Art Program.

While decorating the bowls was once a project for the students in The Stewpot’s children and youth program, the project has grown and now requires the support of the community. The Stewpot’s goal this year was to complete 700 bowls by the end of October.

Lakehill’s Middle School Community Connections group originally signed on to complete 50 bowls, although, in the end, only 20 were needed. The Stewpot provided the glaze, bowls, and brushes, and coordinated the drop-off and pick-up of supplies. To keep the bowls cohesive, we were asked to paint a fruit or vegetable on the inside of the bowl and to paint the outside a solid color with a special sprinkle paint. Beyond that, we were given creative freedom.

This was a great project for both the students and adults. We worked together in teams and had a great time painting our bowls.

The Stewpot offers a safe haven for homeless and at-risk individuals of Dallas, providing resources for basic survival needs, as well as opportunities to start a new life.

At its main location on the corner of Park Avenue and Young Street in downtown Dallas, The Stewpot provides casework assistance and enrichment programs to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, as well as Children and Youth and Family Stabilization programs to at-risk children and their families.

Since May 2008, The Stewpot has been the sole meal provider at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, serving 1,000 meals per day, seven days per week.

Find out more about The Stewpot, volunteer opportunities, and the Soup’s On! Luncheon.

 

Week 36: Dallas Animal Services

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September 3, 2018

Volunteering with animals is always a favorite with my volunteer groups. While it is sometimes difficult to find opportunities for younger children, Dallas Animal Services (DAS) provides a variety of ways for volunteers of all ages to engage with animals.

Dallas Animal Services is dedicated to helping Dallas be a safe, compassionate, and healthy place for people and animals. They work to control the loose animal population as well as increasing the positive outcomes for homeless animals in the city.

There are many ways to get involved with Dallas Animal Services. Adults over the age of 18 may volunteer on an ongoing basis in the main shelter in West Dallas or Everyday Adoption Center in North Dallas. Tasks might include customer relations, walking dogs, or cuddling cats. Volunteers must attend a program orientation and hands-on training and are required to serve a minimum of four hours each month.

Other one-time experiences include events like Easter in the Park, Mayor’s Back to School Fair, and All Out Trinity’s Bark in the Park. There is no monthly service hour minimum for these activities.

Students in grades K-12 can practice their reading skills among an attentive audience of shelter animals and in return improve shelter animal behavioral development through youth socialization and engagement. This is a wonderful opportunity for school groups and families, and I plan to incorporate this in my Community Connections camp next summer.

Educational visits enable students to learn more about animal welfare and the impact DAS has in their communities. These include a tour, visits with shelter animals, and an enrichment activity such as making toys and treats for shelter animals

The foster program enables the community to save hundreds of animals each year that might otherwise take longer at being adopted. Fosters provide a safe place for a dog to decompress before reaching their forever home.

Donations are always needed. An alert recently went out in the community that Dallas Animal Services was in need of new and used blankets and towels. We tend to have a lot of blankets and towels at my house, and this seemed like a great opportunity to cull what we had and donate them to a good cause.

Donations can be dropped off at the main shelter at 1818 N. Westmoreland Road or the PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center on 16821 Coit Road. Flat sheets are also appreciated, but fitted sheets should not be donated.

Bedding wears out quickly at a shelter, and these items are much in need for the animals they serve. As they say at Dallas Animal Services, even if you can’t take one home, you can still come to the rescue.

Week 33: Get Involved in the Election Process

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August 13, 2018

This is a blog about volunteering, not politics. However, midterm elections are right around the corner and, sadly, only 42% of registered Americans came out to vote in the last midterms. That is the lowest voter turnout since 1978.

In my opinion, that needs to change. People need to realize that their votes really do matter. One term in the House is two years, so all 435 seats are up for grabs. A Senate term is six years, so about a third of the Senate is up for re-election this year. With issues like healthcare, immigration, and the economy, there is plenty to get excited about.

This week, I signed up to work on a campaign: knocking on doors and making phone calls. I want to be a part of the process. Again, this is a blog about volunteering – not about politics – so find an issue or a candidate that speaks to your beliefs and sign on to help. Volunteer to help with a voter registration drive or at the polls. It’s too important to just let another election pass you by.

This is a nonpartisan post – the only thing that I really care about is that you actually vote. I want you to get registered, get informed, and cast your ballot. Because, as I mentioned, your vote matters.

September 25 is National Voter Registration Day. To get registered to vote, you can start here.

Election Day is November 6. Whatever you do, don’t stay home!

Week 32: The Magdalen House

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August 6, 2018

The Magdalen House, or Maggie’s House, as it is known, is a cost-free recovery community for women. Started in Dallas more than 30 years ago, Maggie’s House has called East Dallas’s Little Forest Hills neighborhood home for 22 years.

The Magdalen House is not a treatment center, but a supportive educational environment, providing an intensive orientation to the solution of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Maggie’s House offers three distinct programs: Social Detox, Peer Recovery, and Community Outreach. All of their programs and services are offered at no cost. The Magdalen House accepts no government funding and is solely supported by private donations and strong community partnerships.

Trader Joe’s and the North Texas Food Bank donate food for the women to cook for themselves. The For the Love of the Lake board (on which I have served since January) often donates fruit after our Second Saturday events. In turn, the women of Maggie’s House scheduled a special lake clean-up with For the Love of the Lake in May. I enjoyed getting to know the women and was impressed by what they are doing in our community. I also appreciated their efforts to give back to the local organizations that are supporting them. It’s a win-win for the entire community.

The Bar Method (White Rock), where I have been taking barre classes since June, has also teamed up with Maggie’s House. The shared goal of building healthy bodies and minds in East Dallas is the perfect partnership. Bar Method is hosting special donation-based classes to support Maggie’s House, and is also holding a supply drive for much needed items. This week I selected several items off the “donations list” to bring to class.

The Magdalen House has a wide array of volunteer opportunities that include working directly with women in their Social Detox Program as sponsors, providing administrative support to staff, and helping out with house maintenance.

What organization is helping people in your neighborhood, and how can you assist them in their mission?

 

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