2014 December Lakewood

WORTHWHILE WAYS TO SPEND YOUR DOLLARS (

DORIS DANIELY

ALLEY’S HOUSE

cover Giving season

Which of these East Dallas nonprofits are on your giving list?

52

Ebola aftermath

A look back at how an East Dallas apartment complex in Vickery Meadow handled its time in the national spotlight.

62

Thank God it’s FRI days

The time is ripe for Ferguson Road Initiative (FRI) to stir up its old dream for a rec center.

66 Tree time

It’s time to drop by the big white and blue tent at Mockingbird and Abrams to pick out a Christmas tree.

22

All is write Merritt Tierce’s debut novel, set in East Dallas, was published in September, and it’s already a hit in the literary world.

26

To the dogs

Once misplaced pups, these East Dallas dogs are the stars of several new training videos.

HAPPINESS CAN BE HARD

Do not get stuck in a bad mood

My all-time favorite bumper sticker is a simple one: “Life sucks. And then you die.”

It’s not my favorite because I believe it, but because I know a lot of people who do.

That’s not to say I haven’t ever felt that way after a particularly rough patch at home or school or work. But today, and most of the rest of the time, I like to think I’m more optimistic than that.

I bring this up now because I’ve personally found that the holiday season is the easiest time of the year to start feeling sorry for yourself, or to continue feeling sorry for yourself in a more pronounced way if you’re already so inclined.

There’s a good chance someone you know is going to get some spectacular holiday present — maybe it will be a new car or a new computer or just about anything “they” can afford but you can’t — while you’re sucking on lumps of coal this year.

There’s not much we can do about other people’s successes except wish them well and try not to envy them too much. I don’t always do that, even though I know it’s the right thing to do.

But like anything worth doing, sometimes you just have to do it.

That’s the message I read recently in what was intended to be a sales motivation article. The author, nationally known sales trainer Joe Bonura, had a simple message: Do what needs to be done every day if you want to be successful.

“Sometimes I do not want to write these articles, but I do it anyway,” he wrote. “Sometimes I do not feel like making sales calls, but I do it anyway. Sometimes I do not feel like getting out of bed at 5 a.m. and

walking in the morning, but I do it anyway. Sometimes I do not like watching what I eat, but I do it anyway.

“Success comes to those who do the necessary tasks anyway,” he wrote. “I have learned that the actions that make us successful in business and in life are never easy. That explains why so few people succeed and why so many people fail.”

He cites a study showing that out of 100 men and women starting in business at the age of 25, only five will be financially independent by the time they retire. The other 95, he says, will blame their circumstances rather than their own lack of effort for their inability to match the financial success of the other five.

The definition of “success” in this case

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EDITORIAL

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editors:

could just as well be “happy” as opposed to money, because even though the author is talking about financial success, it’s my observation that the same percentages apply when assessing how many people are truly happy with their lives.

In fact, finding five “happy” people out of 100 might be more difficult than finding five “successful” people in the same group. And odds are the “happy” and the “successful” people won’t necessarily be the same ones.

Anyway, this year is about over; amid the partying and the presents, we’ll each have a little time to consider whether we’re one of the five or one of the 95. We’ll each have time to consider what we can do to switch groups, too.

It all starts with that bumper sticker, though, and making sure that’s not the code we live by.

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There’s not much we can do about other people’s successes except wish them well and try not to envy them too much.

REASON FOR THE SEASON

DISCIPLES OF TRINITY

For than 30 years, Jim Davis’ mission has been to assist terminally ill children and adults, by helping them live and die with dignity. As current Vice-President, I support DOT and their important work

Lou Alpert

c 214.738.0062

lalpert@briggsfreeman.com teamwhiteside.com

SPCA OF TEXAS

The annual SPCA of Texas Home for the Holidays and adoption pavilion at NorthPark Center is the best place to find your new best friend this giving season. We’re privileged to serve our community. spca.org

LAKEWOOD ELEMENTARY EXPANSION FOUNDATION

LEEF is finding a solution for the overcrowding at Lakewood Elementary. As a Lakewood alumna, I support LEEF’s efforts to build a facility where our children can learn to become future leaders. leefdallas.org

Kelley Theriot McMahon c 214.563.5986

ktmcmahon@briggsfreeman.com teamwhiteside.com

WHITEROCK YMCA

Tor more than 30 years, I’ve enjoyed supporting the White Rock YMCA and its mission to inspire and strengthen our community. ymcadallas.org

John Whiteside

Carole Rhodes

c 214.908.1416

crhodes@briggsfreeman.com

c 214.725.5018

jwhiteside@briggsfreeman.com teamwhiteside.com

live to give the “extraordinary” in all we do

Lauren Valek Farris c 469.867.1734 | lfarris@briggsfreeman.com

5851 Martel Avenue | Under Contract Susan Baldwin c 214.763.1591 | sbaldwin@briggsfreeman.com

6241 Sudbury Lane | Under Contract Kelley Theriot McMahon c 214.563.5986

San Fernando Way

Santa Clara drive

San Rafael drive

Methodist Health has joined forces with Mayo Clinic.

Today at Methodist Health System, our patients are benefiting from the power of two renowned health care systems–and seeing firsthand what our combined experience means for them. As the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network in Texas, Methodist and its physicians are collaborating with the physicians of Mayo Clinic, ensuring world-class diagnostics and treatment. Learn how we’re working together at MethodistHealthSystem.org/Mayo.

          

                

A WARM THANK YOU

Lakewood Early Childhood PTA would like to thank these wonderful companies and individuals for making the 38th Annual Lakewood Home Festival a huge success

21 Parc Floral & Events

Allegiance Title

Almcoe Refrigeration

Armenta

Baby Bliss / Mini Me

Bella Vista Company

Big Mango Trading Co.

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

Buzz Brews

Cebolla Fine Flowers

Chicago Title Lakewood

Coldwell Banker

Corner Market

Cornerstone Home Lending

D Magazine

Dallas Morning News

Dave Perry Miller & Associates

David Bush

Dee’s Doggie Den

Diageo

Doctors Hospital at White Rock

Dr. Delphinium Designs & Events

Ebby Lakewood

GP Theriot Mortgage

Haynesworth Photography

Hess – Tallulah Belle

Jennifer McNeil Baker

John Carpenter, Merrill Lynch

Juliette Fowler Communities

Mast Sturgeon Group

Nancy Johnson Real Estate Group

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Odee Company

RBMM

Regent Custom Homes

Republic Title

Roses & More

Sewell Cadillac

Sissy’s

Society Bakery

Starbucks Coffee

Subway / TCBY

Taco Joint

The Campbell Agency

The Crow Bar – Molly Setnick

The Jackson Team

The T Shop

Times Ten Cellars

W2 Studio

Wendy Krispin Caterer

White Rock Lake Weekly

Whole Foods Lakewood

And the gracious homeowners, home captains, market vendors, café vendors, auction donors, florists, volunteer coordinators, and the hundreds of volunteers who made this event possible!

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Launch

community | events | food

Q&A: Merritt Tierce

Merritt Tierce waited tables for a high-end Dallas steakhouse for years before obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her debut novel, “Love Me Back,” set amid the sordid world of restaurant life, was just published in September and already is a smash in the literary world. The book has received accolades from the New York Times, the New Yorker and celebrities including Carrie Brownstein. Tierce lives in Denton, but she wrote key parts of the book during the six years she lived in the M Streets. The book’s main character, Marie, lives on Lower Greenville, and Tierce portrays Terilli’s as “Valentino’s.”

Merritt Tierce: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

I was just going through your press, and it’s very impressive. Even Carrie Brownstein recommended your book, which must be the height of coolness.

Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect because this is my first book. You know who St. Vincent is? She even mentioned it in British GQ. That was amazing.

What was your path to becoming a writer?

I was just waiting tables and doing anything I could to make money. Part of that was intentional, and part of that was inertia. I probably could’ve gotten a job doing something that had to do with writing. I don’t know if that would’ve been teaching high school English or trying to get into some kind of journalism or technical writing or what, but I definitely did not want to be any other kind of writer. I just wanted to write what I wanted to write. I didn’t want to write for anyone else. So instead of doing things to make it as a writer, I tried to make money. I’m really glad I did it that way now. I wasn’t writing toward anything for a long time. I just was living, really. I wrote the first story I ever published while I was waiting tables in 2006, and that was just the beginning of it.

That was the story “Suck It”?

Yes, and that is now the middle of this book. It wasn’t with any sort of intention, like ‘OK, now I’m going to work on a book because I have all this great material.’ I just kept writing.

You were accepted to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop

I decided to get an MFA not to learn how to write but just so I could have a couple of years to focus on writing instead of trying to make money. So for two years before I went to grad school, I worked two full-time jobs. It was really, really stressful, and I don’t think I realized until I got to Iowa that I hadn’t been getting enough sleep for about three years. For the first six months, I slept a lot. But then I actually worked at a steakhouse in Iowa City, and I also flew home often, at least once a month, and worked a long weekend at the restaurant here.

How did you get this book published?

I won an award that a lot of agents and publishers pay attention to, so that’s how I got an agent. I had a really anomalous path from then on. I expected to have to send my stuff out to a lot of people and get a lot of rejections, and that wasn’t the experience I had. I had agents contacting me and asking if they could take me to lunch, and that was really great and weird. My route to getting a book published was much different from what most writers expect. My agent sold my manuscript within two weeks. The whole publishing process has been really, really great.

A lot of the book is connected to Lakewood.

Yeah, I actually wrote “Suck It” on Lower Greenville in a coffeehouse that’s not there anymore called Gachet. Lakewood is sort of an invisible character in the book. Most of the book happens inside a restaurant. But the little bits of life she talks about outside the restaurant take place in Lakewood because that’s where she lives.

You received death threats after saying that you gave part of $4,000 in tips from Rush Limbaugh to a nonprofit that helps women pay for their abortions. What was that like?

When it first started happening, there were a couple of days when I was disturbed by it. The people who are most vehemently anti-abortion are also the same people who are most vehemently pro-gun. And all of these people who are heaving this violent language I would look at their Facebook page, and it would be this white male holding a gun automatic weapons. That’s really frightening. And they have proven repeatedly that they will be violent against people who support abortion. To my knowledge, there hasn’t been an incident of someone who supports abortion rights killing someone who doesn’t.

—Rachel Stone

Niles is a 14-year-old bichon frise mix who loves nothing in this world more than accompanying owner Julie Goff to work at Operation Kindness animal shelter. Niles is famous around East Dallas, Goff says, “because he loves to stick his head out the window on our many car rides around town. I will always see someone laugh, point or smile, and I love that it brightens their day. He certainly has brightened mine for the last four years that I have had him.”

Lights, camera, action … sit, stay, fetch!

Professional pet trainer (and pet-trainer trainer) Tia Guest had a solid plan for an online dog-training venture, but the logistics were tricky. She needed a studio for filming the first series of training videos, and she needed untrained animals to star in them. She wanted people to watch dogs learn, “to demonstrate on camera, in real time, how our training methods work,” she says.

Luckily she discovered Squash Blossom Studios in East Dallas, which happens to be owned by Karen Fling, arguably our area’s most prolific pet doctor and advocate.

Fling, founder and owner of Lake Highlands’ East Lake Pet Orphanage and The Cat Hospital, is exceedingly creative about raising money for East Lake so that she might treat every sick pet, whether someone pays for their care or not. For example,

Tia Guest with East Lake dog Tulip: Photo by Fernando Rojas

Fling owns a thrift store, Second Chance Treasures, and 100 percent of its profits benefit the orphanage.

In 2011, while looking for a warehouse to store excess inventory, Fling discovered the 18,000 square-foot studio, which was for sale. Now, anytime a photographer or moviemaker rents it, the profits benefit East Lake pets.

Not only was Squash Blossom the perfect location for filming PetFuntastic training videos, but its connection to Fling also brought the unexpected benefit of canine students to star in them.

“It was a win-win situation, really,” Fling says. The dogs could learn basic behaviors that make them even more adoptable, and East Lake gains exposure as the videos are viewed and used by PetFuntastic subscribers.

For Guest’s part, she and her crew procured the perfect pupils — about 10 dogs of varying breeds and ages who were eager to learn.

“For seven straight days volunteers from East Lake brought the dogs to the studio and stayed with them,” Guest says. “They were great.”

She says they learned quickly, a fact she attributes to the “quick and easy” positivereinforcement-based methods taught in the videos.

“It is amazing what you and your dog can accomplish in a week,” she says.

And the dogs loved the experience, it seemed.

“When it was their turn, they would run down the hall. They were so excited to get in the studio, and they were so focused once we got going.”

The whole idea behind PetFuntastic, she says, is to make dog training accessible by making it convenient and affordable. Subscribers will be able to choose a training path that suits them using a large collection of videos and resources. “The basics will come very quickly,” Guest says. The next step is “strengthening videos,” which offer more-advanced lessons. A threemonth subscription will cost less than $15 a month, Guest says.

Christina Hughes Babb

SUBSCRIBE TO PetFuntastic or learn more at petfuntastic.com.

LEARN MORE about the East Lake Pet Orphanage and hospital at elpo.org.

Jeremy Turner:

Photo by Scott Mitchell

The sweater handler

Neighbor Jeremy Turner specializes in ugly. The uglier the better. Old? Tacky? Frightfully flamboyant? Bring it on.

For sweaters, that is.

If you’ve ever tried to find an ugly sweater for your work’s tacky Christmas party, you know they can be pretty tricky to track down come Christmastime.

Although the hunt is half the fun, sometimes hours of scouring thrift stores and second-hand shops still turn out to be fruitless ventures.

That’s where Turner comes in.

Turner opened the Ugly Christmas Sweater Shop last year in Mockingbird Commons, the shopping center at the northwest corner of Mockingbird and Abrams, and he’s something of a wheeler and dealer when it comes to nightmarish knits.

He can’t reveal his sources, but he has a couple of suppliers who provide him with 11,000-12,000 seasonal sweaters, vests and shirts every year, which he buys in bulk and

then turns for a profit — peddling them for $19-$43 a pop.

In other words, he’s basically the mafia of ugly Christmas sweaters.

You might remember Turner from The Vintagemobile, which is a giant green school bus he and his wife, Kelsey, revamped into a mobile thrift store.

The Ugly Christmas Sweater Shop accidentally grew out of The Vintagemobile after the Turners started selling seasonal sweaters three years ago and the trend exploded.

“From that first Christmas, I knew that this was huge and that people hadn’t fully jumped into it yet,” he explains.

He figured out where to buy sweaters by the thousands and decided to open a seasonal store in the location where Spirit Halloween resides in October.

At first, he didn’t expect the trend to last long.

“When I first got into it, I thought, ‘I’ll give this like a year or two, and then this

[trend] will be over,’ ” Turner says. “But it keeps going up.”

Neighbors often buy ugly Christmas sweaters for their company Christmas parties. Sometimes families buy them together for the holiday photo.

Turner is beginning to wonder if ugly Christmas sweaters are a trend at all.

“I think America likes it too much,” he says. “I think it’s becoming an American tradition.”

This year, the Ugly Christmas Sweater Shop will be stocked with more than 12,000 sweaters, shirts and vests of all shapes and sizes — from infant to 2XL and beyond. It will be open from late November to Dec. 27, but it will be closed on Christmas day.

“I think this year is going to be a big year,” Turner says.

If the sweater sales from Christmas past are any indication, he’s probably right.

—Brittany Nunn

See them run: Where to cheer

Not everyone can, or cares to, run 26.2 miles. But anyone can join the Dallas Marathon merriment. This Dec. 14, White Rock area residents who aren’t running, volunteering or otherwise participating in the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon generally have two choices: Either complain about the traffic, noise and other inconveniences related to the annual event or join the festivities. Chose the latter? What follows are tips for finding the ideal spectating spots. On Team Complain? This should come in handy in that case, too, by detailing areas to avoid.

A few highlights: The median along Swiss Avenue between Munger and La Vista offers one of the few locations from which fans can cheer their favorite marathoners running up and returning down opposite sides of the road. It also is the

on Dallas Marathon runners

last chance to cheer half-marathon racers before the finish line.

Arguably the best marathon-morning parties happen at the base of the infamous Dolly Parton Hills in Lakewood (this year, miles 8 and 13). As part of a time-honored tradition, a group of neighborhood fellas dress up as the aforementioned curvy country singer and dispense beverages (be advised: It’s probably beer).

This year’s course is different from years past. Unlike 2012’s race (2013 was canceled due to ice), it abandons Oak Cliff and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and instead incorporates the Santa Fe Trail, looping into Lakewood Hills and Hollywood-Santa Monica.

The race’s executive director, Marcus Grunewald, explained last year that every time the board makes a change, “it’s to

make the race better.” Changes are based on both feedback from runners and requirements of the city, he has said. Planning the course is a convoluted ordeal that requires cooperation with police, DART, parks and recreation, traffic and “practically every city department.”

A couple of points for marathon detractors to ponder: Over the years the Dallas Marathon (formerly the White Rock Marathon) has donated more than $3 million to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, which provides free medical treatment to sick and disabled children. The event also boosts the city’s economy by about $9 million, according to a study of the 2011 White Rock Marathon by SMU Cox School of Business professors. — Christina Hughes Babb

MORE at dallasmarathon.com

COURSE HIGHLIGHTS, FOR SPECTATORS

Start and finish line: Downtown Dallas near Pioneer Plaza, 1428 Young

Mile 3: Uptown and West Village near The Rustic (3656 Howell), Mutts Canine Cantina (2889 Cityplace) and West Village

Miles 4-6: Parks in the Turtle Creek neighborhood, along Oak Lawn

Mile 6: Highland Park near the newly renovated Highland Park City Hall (4814 Abbott)

Miles 8-9: Greenville Avenue between Richmond and Longview near Granada Theater

Mile 10: Swiss between Munger and La Vista

Mile 11 and 22: Lakewood Shopping Center

Mile 13 and 18: Lawther at Lakeshore

Mile 18.2: Santa Fe Trail at The Lot (East Grand at Lawther)

Final mile: Sandbar Cantina, Double Wide or the Deep Ellum Dog Park, all located in Deep Ellum, along 2nd and Commerce

Out & About

December 2014 Send

Dec. 27-Jan. 4

Circus extravaganza

Ring in the New Year with a circus extravaganza featuring an international cast of acrobats, aerialists, hand balancers, jugglers, clowns and more. Produced by the award-winning Lone Star Circus.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, dct.org, 214.978.0110, $20-$46

more LOCAL EVENTS or submit your own

LAKEWOOD.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

THROUGH DEC. 21

‘Miracle on 34th Street’

A single mother and her young daughter, Susan, have given up on Christmas, until they meet a mysterious gentleman at Macy’s claiming to be Santa Claus. This jolly Kris Kringle brings them hope and unleashes waves of goodwill throughout New York City. Could he be the real Santa Claus?

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, dct.org, 214.978.0110, $15$28

THROUGH DEC. 21

‘Frosty and Friends’

Join Frosty, Santa and their friends for an all-new revue that blends a variety of musical and puppetry styles. In the magical world of Kathy Burks’ celebrated troupe, ornaments spring to life and dance along to carols, kittens frolic under the Christmas tree, and angels dance in the snow.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, dct.org, 214.978.0110, $15-$28

DEC. 3

Tree lighting

Join the festivities at Casa Linda Plaza. From 5 p.m.-7 p.m., take photos with Santa and enjoy performances by Reinhardt, Hexter and Sanger elementary choirs, and Bryan Adams Varsity choir. At 6:25 p.m., Santa will light the tree.

Casa Linda Plaza, Buckner and Garland near El Fenix, $5 for photos

DEC. 3-20

‘A Christmas Carol’

Enjoy “A Christmas Carol: The Radio Show” by David Alberts, which tells the story of a station manager, Bob Bennett, who forges ahead with the station’s presentation during a winter storm.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.670.8749, bathhousecultural.com, $10-$15

Through Jan. 31

‘The Art of Nature’

The Bath House Cultural Center presents a mixed-media art exhibition that features recent works by Silvia Thornton and Anne Neal. The works in this exhibition show what happens when an artist’s inspiration is applied to gifts from nature and earth.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.670.8749, bathhousecultural.com, free

Dallas Children’s Theater Circus Extravaganza

Silvia Thornton: Photo by Brandy Barham

Dec. 5

Light up Lakewood

Gather with neighbors to celebrate the 12th annual Light Up Lakewood. The event will be held from 6-9 p.m. The tree lighting is at 7 p.m. There also will be activities such as a petting zoo, face painting, an obstacle course and performances.

Lakewood Shopping Center parking lot, Gaston and Abrams, free

DEC. 3-6

Book sale

Skillman Southwestern Library Friends is selling thousands of gently used, donated books, CDs, movies, magazines, cards and more.

Skillman Southwestern Library Auditorium, 5707 Skillman, 214.670.6078 or e-mail SSLFriends@ aol.com, no entry fee

DEC. 4

Holiday show

Join St. Matthew’s Cathedral Arts for a holiday show as Woodrow Wilson High School’s “Variations” Varsity Show Choir puts on a performance at 6 p.m., followed by the performers of Dallas Black Dance Theatre II at 7 p.m.

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Cathedral, 5100 Ross Avenue, cathedralartsdallas.org, 214.887.6552, free

DEC. 14

Cathedral choir

The Cathedral Choir and selected readers unfold the Christmas narrative with familiar choral settings and scriptural accounts according to a beloved pattern established by King’s College Chapel in 1918. The event starts at 5 p.m. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Cathedral, 5100 Ross Avenue, cathedralartsdallas.org, 214.887.6552, free

Delicious

THAI OPAL

Flickering

candles adorn white tablecloths and carefully arranged place settings. Relaxing music plays, replacing the silence in the absence of flat screen televisions on the walls. This is exactly how restaurant owner Susan Hyland says dining out should be.

“I want guests to take their time, to enjoy the peace — and their food,” she says.

Hyland was a server for 14 years before she opened Thai Opal this year, so she knows a thing or two about what diners want. Although the restaurant replaced a shuttered Thai eatery, she makes sure that Thai Opal is different — first with the newly remodeled in-

terior, and then with Thai dishes made from family recipes. For instance, the noodles in the spicy basil noodle dish (flat egg noodles topped with tomato, basil, bean sprouts, scallions, shallots and chili paste) are soaked in chili to absorb the heat before cooking. The flavorful noodles have a subtle, lingering heat. For less spice, the chicken panang curry with potato, pineapple and basil is a popular menu item, Hyland says. Each dish that comes out of the kitchen is adorned with an artful garnish of orange slices, carrot and cabbage, and sometimes, a delicate orchid from a nearby florist. —Whitney Thompson

6300 Skillman, Suite 156 214.553.5956

thaiopal.com

HOURS: 11 A.M.-3 P.M., 5-10 P.M. MON.-FRI. NOON-10 P.M. SAT. 5-10 P.M. SUN.

PRICE: $7-$15

AMBIANCE: TRADITIONAL

TIP: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BYOB POLICY WHILE YOU CAN. A PENDING BEER AND WINE LICENSE WILL SOON CHANGE THE RULES.

Crab rangoons: Photo by James Coreas

Best Dessert

IN LAKEWOOD - EAST DALLAS

And the winner is …

Smallcakes Cupcakery

Sometimes you’ll find more than just sweets inside a bakery. Smallcakes Cupcakery in Mockingbird Station (5331 E. Mockingbird, Suite 140) is one such shop. Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate readers took notice, voting Smallcakes as the best dessert spot in the neighborhood. Sure, owner Latricia Green sells some of the tastiest cupcakes around she says people began ordering cupcakes online before her store even

opened earlier this year — but she also has a passion for people that is contagious. “I tell everybody that they will not walk out the same way they came in,” Green says. “You will feel like you are 5 years old again. You’ll want to play jacks and Twister.” A sure bet is the moist red velvet cupcake, but Green says the strawberry was so popular that customers insisted she include it on the daily menu, which features 13 cupcake flavors and a few additions such as pecan pie and lemon poppy, depending on the day. Upon learning the results of the Advocate contest, Green says, she was brought to tears. “God has blessed me to be able to open this shop,” she says. She dedicated the business to her daughter, who passed away during childbirth. “I wanted to show my grandchildren that they can do anything they want to if they put their mind to it,” she says. —Whitney Thompson

Runner up: Annie’s Culinary Creations

Third place: Unrefined Bakery

NEXT UP IN ADVOCATE’S 2014 BEST OF CONTEST: Best pet services. Vote for your favorite at lakewood.advocatemag.com/bestof

Smallcakes:

Photo by James Coreas

EIGHT EDIBLE GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

With the hustle and bustle that goes on during the holidays, I love the idea of edible gifting. This is an inexpensive way to share a favorite recipe or family tradition with the ones you love. Whether it is homemade or purchased at your favorite neighborhood store, keep it simple and make something special with creative packaging.

PET SERVICE

One of the most popular ingredients in baking, homemade vanilla extract is a perfect holiday gift. Choose your favorite alcohol: vodka, rum or bourbon along with whole vanilla beans. Give the extract one month to infuse before packaging and gifting for your favorite baker.

Caramel corn is a classic but can only get better when you add a drizzle of white and dark chocolate, and a sprinkle of peppermint. It will keep you coming back for another bite — the perfect party snack or gift.

A simple and elegant gift mixed with a variety of dried fruit and nuts, this is a great gift that doesn’t get your hands dirty in the kitchen. Check out your local gourmet market and find an assortment of sweet, spicy, and chocolate- or candy-coated nuts and dried fruit. Packaged in a basket or tray, this pairs perfectly with a bottle of wine.

1. HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT

2. CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT CARAMEL CORN

3. NUT AND DRIED FRUIT BOXES

4. S’MORES KIT

Cold weather, burning fireplaces and roasted marshmallows are the best memories of a busy holiday. Share the love with adults or kids by gifting an adorable s’mores kit. Clear acrylic boxes, graham crackers, large marshmallows and chocolate bars are all you need to create this sweet package from craft blog Twig & Thistle.

5. SEASONAL FLAVORED BUTTER

Edible gifting is not always sweet. Combine your favorite fresh herbs or citrus zest with room-temperature butter. Transfer the chilled log of flavored butter into a layer of plastic wrap and onto parchment paper, rolling it up and tying the ends with kitchen twine or jute. It’s a great foodie gift from gourmet food blog The Fromagette.

6. HERB SALT

Use any dried herbs you have in your kitchen cabinet for this gift idea from The Pretty Blog. Herb salt can be made well in advance with rosemary, oregano, thyme, parsley or basil mixed with sea salt for a great addition to any meat, fish or vegetable dish.

7. COOKIE GIFT BOX

If you need the perfect gift for office mates, this is it: a selection of petite cookies sectioned off in small ornament boxes wrapped in cellophane. The recipe from Sweet Paul Magazine requires no baking.

8. ROSEMARY ROASTED ALMONDS

For this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, whole almonds are seasoned with fresh rosemary, a dash of chili powder and salt, and then roasted in the oven, filling your home with an amazing aroma. The almonds are a great source of protein, packed with flavor, to balance all the sweets being consumed this month.

FIND THE FULL RECIPES at inkfoods.com or advocatemag.com

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.

UP IT GiVE

FOR THESE LIFE-CHANGING CHARITIES

Whether you are a natural giver — one of those noble souls who prefers presenting to receiving gifts — or a more average Joe, for whom a small altruistic gesture just feels good, we’ve listed several charities that make a difference in our neighborhood. Any of them could benefit from a tad of your time or money.

Story by Brittany Nunn & Christina Hughes Babb

UP GiVE IT

SOUPMOBILE

SERVES: Homeless men and women from East Dallas and greater Dallas

The SoupMobile is a faith-based, mobile soup kitchen based in Deep Ellum that provides food and shelter for Dallas-area homeless. Every year it serves more than 200,000 meals and shelters homeless people in its eight group homes. For 10 years, SoupMobile has been hosting an event called Celebrate Jesus, in which they take up to 500 homeless men, women and children off the streets and put them up in the downtown Dallas Omni Hotel for Christmas. During the event, the guests receive new clothes and gifts and are treated to a banquet.

VOLUNTEER: Be one of the more than 2,500 volunteers who will help at the Omni Hotel on Christmas. You can be a greeter, a server, a Christmas Angel who assists the guests throughout their stay at the Omni, a part of the set-up crew, a movie host, or one of the on-call nurses or doctors.

DONATE: Money, clothing, kitchenware, electronics, furniture, appliances or other high-quality items

CONTACT:

3017 Commerce St.

David Timothy, founder (SoupMan)

david@soupmobile.org

1.800.375.5022

soupmobile.org

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

POVERTY & HOMELESSNESS

SERVES: The estimated 25,000-50,000 people in Dallas who suffer every year because they can’t afford a doctor-prescribed wheelchair, hospital bed or other medical equipment necessary for recovery from injury or illness and, ultimately, for independence

This East Dallas-based charity collects, sanitizes and refurbishes used medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, walkers, bedside commodes and mobility equipment, with the goal of relieving the pain and suffering of people with acute injury or illness. This is one of only two nonprofits in Texas that provide this service.

VOLUNTEER: Though DME employs profes-

sionals, they could not operate without the help of volunteers. Those willing to donate time/expertise should register for the volunteer training course via the DME website.

GIVE: Each donated dollar goes directly toward refurbishing, sanitizing and distributing essential and life-enhancing equipment to individuals who qualify for the DME program. Give money online via a secure form, or mail a check to DME Exchange of Dallas at the post office box listed below.

Also, give by shopping at Kroger using the grocer’s customer loyalty card. If you have a Kroger Plus card, call 800.576.4377, visit kroger.com or customer service in the store,

and request to link your Kroger Plus card with the DME identification number: 35161. Then, when you use the card at checkout, a portion of what you spend will benefit your chosen nonprofit.

Donate manual or powered wheelchairs, walkers, canes, bedside equipment, crutches or scooters. Call for help transporting heavy gear or deliver items to the office.

CONTACTS:

Betty Hersey, director, bherseydmeexchange@gmail.com

12015 Shiloh, Suite 130 or PO Box 25575, Dallas TX 75225-5575

dfwdmeexchange.org

OUR CALLING

SERVES: Homeless men and women from East Dallas and greater Dallas

Every week, Our Calling sends out search-and-rescue teams to offer food, water and other emergency supplies to the homeless individuals they encounter. The nonprofit is based in a 3,200-square-foot facility in East Dallas, which was designed to be a sort of “café for the homeless” because it provides a welcoming place for hundreds of men and women to gather during the day. The facility serves lunch every day and provides people with survival necessities such as clothing, blankets and hygiene items. Our Calling also has a washer and dryer, and a shower available for guests to use.

VOLUNTEER: There are volunteer opportunities available for groups or individuals. Our Calling is currently seeking mentors, hotline volunteers, recovered addicts and Bible study leaders.

GIVE: Our Calling is seeking coats, blankets, deodorant, hand sanitizer, men’s and women’s underwear, and men’s shoes in sizes 9 and up.

CONTACT:

500 S. Haskell 214.444.8796 ourcalling.org

Photos by Kim Leeson

IT

UP

CULTURE AND NATURE

FOR THE LOVE OF THE LAKE

SERVES: White Rock Lake and its users

FTLOTL organizes several area improvement programs including a weekly cleanup day and the Adopt-aShoreline movement, through which neighborhood groups and businesses take responsibility for the maintenance of sections of the park. FTLOTL’s Celebration Tree Grove project sells memorial plaques in a forested shoreline patch, and the proceeds benefit reforestation efforts.

VOLUNTEER: Join the shoreline cleanup efforts, which take place each Saturday morning beginning at 8 a.m. at the FTLOTL office. Volunteers are also needed in grant writing, fundraising, marketing, administrative activities and more. Call, email or visit the website or office for more details.

GIVE: Donate online or purchase a tree grove memorial plaque.

CONTACT:

Lis Akin, executive director 1152 N. Buckner, Suite 123 (office hours are Saturdays 8 a.m.-noon)

214.660.1100 whiterocklake.org

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER OF DALLAS

SERVES: Dallas area artists and wannabe artists

The Creative Arts Center (CAC) of Dallas is an East Dallas-based nonprofit that provides a home base for neighbors who want to discover or develop their artistic leanings. CAC has

been offering a slew of class options at its two-acre campus near White Rock Lake for more than 50 years. From ceramics to fused glass to photography to jewelry making, if you want to learn it, someone probably teaches it.

DONATE: Art supplies, scrap metal, tile for the mosaic department, or donate online at creativeartscenter.org

CONTACT:

2360 Laughlin 214.320.1275 creativeartscenter.org

WHITE ROCK LAKE FOUNDATION

SERVES: in cooperation with the Dallas Parks Department, White Rock Lake Park and those who enjoy it, White Rock Lake Foundation, which just celebrated 25 years, partners with the City of Dallas to raise awareness and monetary support for White Rock Lake. When founder Jeannie Terilli moved back to Dallas more than 25 years ago after a stint in Colorado, she began making frequent visits to White Rock Lake. “I saw

what a mess it was — trees over the dam just hanging, and trash and stuff growing out of the lake,” she remembers. “The hike and bike trails, everything needed to be fixed.” The organization led the effort to dredge the lake in the 1990s and has continued to campaign for bond issues and raise money to beautify the lake.

GIVE: Join the foundation at any level, from $35 for individual member to $2,500

corporate memberships, which include invitations to all events and having your company’s name on publicity materials.

CONTACTS:

Jeannie Terilli

P.O. Box 140277

Dallas, Texas 75214

214.821.2077

whiterocklakefoundation.org

Photo by Brandy Barham

dentalcenteroflakewood 

SERVES: Teen moms

Teen pregnancy is a common factor in poverty, which is a cycle Alley’s House is working to break by offering physical and emotional support services while teaching parenting and other important life skills. Allison Whitehead founded the program in 1997 after she saw teen moms dropping out of school. Through the completion of 80 lessons in 80 weeks at Alley’s House, teen moms can earn their GED and receive mentoring. “We are helping them invent their life and create choice,” Whitehead explains. “They go from no choice to full choice, so it’s really cool to see the look on their faces when they have that ah-ha moment of power and choice, of ‘Wow, I can actually make this decision, and I can do it.’ ”

WOMEN & GIRLS Travis Spillman, DDS

VOLUNTEER: Through one-on-one tutoring, mentor a mom working to earn her GED. Assist with career preparation through activities such as Microsoft Office training, resumes, on-the-job office training and applications. Offer childcare while teen moms study, or help as a workshop facilitator.

GIVE: In addition to monetary donations, Alley’s House can use gift cards, young women’s business casual attire, toddler clothing, laundry detergent and dish soap, hygiene products for children and teens, non-perishable food items, Ziploc baggies and diapers size 4 and 5.

CONTACT:

Rachel Branaman, executive director

4113 Junius

214.824.8700

info@alleyshouse.org

Happy Holidays

IT

UP

WOMEN AND GIRLS

THE EBBY HOUSE AT JULIETTE FOWLER HOMES

SERVES: Young women who are 18 to 22 years old and have aged out of the foster care system.

The statistics on life after foster care are staggeringly bleak. According to the Foster Care Alumni of America, 84 percent of young men and women become a parent within two to four years after leaving foster care. Not only that, 51 percent are unemployed, 50 percent are homeless, 30 percent are receiving public assistance, and 25 percent are in prison. Sabrina Porter, the CEO of Juliette Fowler Communities, is working to change those statistics through the Ebby House at Juliette Fowler Homes, a community designed to help young women who are aging out of the foster care system navigate the pitfalls and find a successful future. Up to 16 young women at a time can live in a residential home on the Fowler grounds for 12-24 months under the guidance of a house mom. The Ebby House staff will work with the girls to help them learn life skills such as health and wellness, personal finance, communication and technology. They also receive career guidance, opportunities for education beyond a GED, job training and volunteerism.

VOLUNTEER/GIVE: To learn how you can support The Ebby House and impact the lives of young women who have aged out of foster

DORIS DANIELY OUTREACH

SERVES: Breast cancer survivors, by funding reconstruction surgeries for uninsured women and/or women who cannot afford reconstructive services

Woodrow graduate Carol Autry founded this outreach; her mother, Doris Daniely, kept her illness a secret until it was too late. “She was the sweetest, most giving person you’d ever meet,” Autry says. “We never entirely understood why she didn’t tell us she had cancer — maybe because she didn’t want to trouble anyone. Maybe she was in denial, thinking it would go away. We still don’t really know.” Autry finally convinced her mother to see a doctor. The learned cancer had spread through Daniely’s breast. She died two months later. Autry was devastated, but she promptly returned to her job in the plastic surgery office of doctors Carpenter and Mo-

care, contact Ann McKinley.

CONTACT:

Ann McKinley, marketing and development

1234 Abrams annm@fowlercommunities.org 214.827.0813, ext. 1336 fowlercommunities.org

rales at Baylor. There, she encounters cancer patients almost daily. “They came through all the time — mostly women who need to have a mastectomy, but who don’t have the means for reconstructive surgery afterward.” Autry says she thought about these women constantly. All told, it costs about $100,000 for breast reconstruction surgery. Autry and her coworkers frequently complained to each other: “Somebody should do something to help them.” One night, she says, she thought to herself, “I am somebody.” It’s not easy to start a nonprofit, but along with likeminded partners (a few fellow Woodrow grads), she founded the Doris Daniely Outreach for Breast Reconstruction in honor of her mom. Each year the foundation funds reconstructive surgery for several women.

VOLUNTEER: The outreach employs no paid

staff and relies entirely on volunteers. Needs vary — anyone interested in helping should email or call the center.

ATTEND: Several events throughout the year support the nonprofit. Each February members host a fundraising tea at the Dallas Arboretum. Information about 2015 events will be announced soon on the organization’s website.

GIVE: Administrative costs are minimal and primarily related to fundraising event costs including venue charges, invitations and postage, web maintenance and the like. Give any amount online via PayPal.

CONTACT:

Carol Autry, founder

dorisdaniely@yahoo.com

dorisdanielyoutreach.org

Photo by Kim Leeson

NEXUS RECOVERY CENTER

SERVES: Women with alcohol and narcotic addictions

East Dallas nonprofit Nexus Recovery Center focuses specifically on helping women, adolescent girls aged 13 to 17 and their families overcome alcohol or narcotic addictions. There are only a handful of substance treatment agencies in the country that allow women to bring their children into treatment. In 1990, Nexus became one of them. When the leaders realized that childcare was a major barrier between women and treatment, they decided to open their doors to families. This also allows Nexus to work with the children to help them navigate their emotional and developmental issues.

VOLUNTEER: Every week, Nexus needs one or two classroom helpers to assist the Dallas ISD teachers in the adolescent classroom. Neighbors can also serve as mentors for the teenage girls through activities and emotional support. For those with less time to commit, Nexus also needs general office help.

GIVE: The center needs infant formula and diapers, maternity clothes, toiletries, office supplies, grocery gift cards, bus passes, school supplies, school uniforms, twin bed comforters, jeans in all sizes, women’s casual shoes and infant cribs.

CONTACT:

Abi Erickson, director of development

8733 La Prada

214.321.0156, ext. 2104

aerickson@nexusrecovery.org

nexusrecovery.org

IT

UP

GRIEF

GRIEF AND LOSS CENTER OF NORTH TEXAS

SERVES: Grieving adults, teens and children in the White Rock area and greater Dallas Sitting at the table with the Grief and Loss Center group (a non-religious organization that meets at Wilshire Baptist Church) is at once heartbreaking and life affirming. A 90-year-old cries openly as he discusses the death of his wife of 75 years. A young mother who lost her child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome comforts him. Before Jennifer Hibdon helped found this group, her own parents committed suicide. The faces at the table change session by session, but there is always a mingling of sorrow and hope. This is just as it should be, says Laurie Taylor, co-

founder, along with Hibdon, of the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas. “Agony and joy can live in the heart at the same time,” says Taylor, a grief and loss specialist certified in thanatology, the study of death, dying and bereavement. “You don’t get over it. Time does not heal it. Instead you learn to live with the loss, and it becomes part of the fabric of your life.”

VOLUNTEER: Serve as a helper in a children’s grief group at a local elementary school. Prepare a cake or cookies for an event. Make heart pillows for children and teen groups. Assist with office duties.

EAST LAKE PET ORPHANAGE

SERVES: Homeless pets

East Lake Pet Orphanage is a no-kill, nonprofit organization that houses dozens of Dallas dogs and cats, many of which need rehabilitation. Second Chance Treasures at 10101 Garland is an antique store owned and operated by ELPO. When you buy antiques and collectables at the shop, sales support the shelter.

VOLUNTEER: The shelter needs people to provide exercise to the animals (aka dog walkers and cat cuddlers) as well as volunteers to help with special events.

GIVE: It can cost $200 or more to care for one animal, so the shelter relies heavily on monetary donations for rehabilitation efforts. You also can give items such as new towels, blankets, sheets and pet beds; collars,

ATTEND: Each November, the Grief and Loss Center hosts a dinner and silent auction. Details related to the 2015 event will be announced on the website.

GIVE: Donate amazon.com gift cards for research books, postage stamps, copy paper, arts and crafts supplies and bottled water. Pay cash or check via the website or mail.

CONTACTS:

Laurie Taylor, executive director

4316 Abrams

214.452.3105

mygriefandloss.org

Photo by Fernando Rojas

leashes and harnesses; and safe toys. The office also needs a laptop and high-volume color scanner or printer.

CONTACT: 10101 E. Northwest Hwy. 214.349.ELPO elpo.org

CENTER FOR SURVIVORS OF TORTURE

SERVES: Refugees and asylum seekers who are survivors of torture in East Dallas and greater Dallas

The East Dallas-based nonprofit Center for Survivors of Torture is a first responder that aims to address the mental health needs of these survivors. The center facilitates healing and helps ease the transition into new beginnings. It provides specialized services to address the psychological, medical and social needs of survivors through services such as legal referrals, training opportunities and state-of-the-art professional service delivery.

VOLUNTEER: Get involved through client support, special event planning, administrative assignments and other positions.

GIVE: From $25 to $5,000 donations, you can help provide survivors with bus passes, medication, food, wound care, housing assistance or mental health services.

CONTACT:

Celia VanDeGraaf, M.A., executive director 4102 Swiss 214.827.2314 cstnet.org

UP GiVE IT

FAMILIES & CHILDREN

COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES

SERVES: Children in Dallas who have been placed in foster care

Right now in Dallas, there are almost 2,000 children who have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Dallas CASA, which is based in East Dallas, is full of hundreds of volunteers who are working within the court system to make sure those children are placed in safe homes.

VOLUNTEER: CASA volunteers undergo 30 hours of initial training and 12 hours of continuing education each year. Each volunteer advocate works with a CASA staff supervisor who provides guidance throughout the court process.

GIVE: You can give monetary donations, as well as Target, Wal-Mart or Payless Shoes gift certificates to cover necessities

SENIORS

or gifts for children. CASA also accepts gift certificates to restaurants, movies or sporting events to use during visits with children. Phone calling cards allow children to stay in touch with siblings and their CASA volunteer.

CONTACT: Dallas CASA 2757 Swiss 214.827.8961 info@dallascasa.org dallascasa.org

SENIOR PET ASSISTANCE NETWORK

SERVES: Low-income seniors, age 67+, who need assistance caring for their pets

White Rock area resident Adelle Taylor founded SPAN a few years ago when she learned that financially strapped older adults were being forced to give up their pets, who often are their sole companions. Taylor says there is a tremendous amount of research showing that pets help people in a lot of ways, both mentally and physically. “I like to think of SPAN as not just a pet and people helper, but also a prescription for better health,” she says.

VOLUNTEER: Help maintain the pet pantry, deliver pet food, maintain client/volunteer lists or become a board member.

GIVE: Donated dollars go directly toward helping clients maintain the health of their pets through vet visits and food purchases. Donate with Pay Pal on the website or by check to the post office box.

CONTACT: Laurie Jennings, president P.O. Box 821173, Dallas, Texas 75382-1173 seniorspets.org

Photo by David Leeson

REFUGEES

CATHOLIC CHARITIES

SERVES: Through its immigration and legal services program, families and individuals pursuing American citizenship (Catholic Charities offers multiple other programs for local women, children, men and families in need.)

The Immigration and Legal Services (ILS) of Catholic Charities of Dallas was established in 1975 in response to the growing number of immigrants moving to our area. Caseworkers help clients understand the immigration law and their rights. Services include assistance with family visas, representation of survivors of domestic violence and violent crimes, support for refugees and asylees and for custodians of unaccompanied children, to name a few.

VOLUNTEER: Register online for the next available orientation session. Internships are also available.

GIVE: The refugee resettlement program is in need of donations of new and gently used household items and furniture. Donations of paper towels, can openers, pots and pans, glasses, mugs and other housewares will directly assist in the setup of apartments for refugees arriving in Dallas.

CONTACTS:

Catholic Charities of Dallas at Brady Center 4009 Elm

catholiccharitiesdallas.org

214.826.8330

FIVE DAYS OF FRENZY

How Vickery Meadow dealt with its high-profile Ebola case and out-of-control media

Afew hours into the apartment 614 quarantine, the media maelstrom approached fever pitch.

They arrived in droves, even before police and health department officials showed up, say witnesses to the press’ descent on The Ivy Apartments in Vickery Meadow.

“The local guys, for the most part, were fine, but the national guys were horrendous,” says Rebecca Range, the executive director of the Vickery Meadow Improvement District.

They climbed fences, photographed crying women and children, and demanded answers from residents who did not understand what they were asking, Range says.

“It’s a big property — we had it closed off right away, but they were finding different ways in. You have to remember that most of the people at The Ivy don’t speak English. Eight different languages are spoken there. So you can imagine the chaos.”

Conrad High School student Se Da Oo Shay is fluent in “three and a half” languages and says he knows just about everyone at The

Story by Christina Hughes Babb | Photos by Danny Fulgencio

Ivy. He spent that first afternoon, Sept. 28, doing everything he could think of to explain the situation, as it unfolded, to his neighbors.

“They all asked me, ‘What happened? What happened?’” he recalls. Over hammering helicopters and chattering reporters, he told them: “I said, ‘Ebola happened.’ ”

The Ivy residents call him Shay. They come to him with their problems.

“They have a broken faucet, they don’t tell the office. They tell me,” he says.

When Shay arrived home from school to police blockades, news vans and cameras, he hurried to the apartment manager’s office.

“I asked what’s going on, and they told me that Ebola was at The Ivy, and I was thinking, ‘What is Ebola?’ I Googled it,” he says. “At first I was very scared, and I worried that this would be someone I know, but then I learned it was a guy, Eric Duncan, who I did not know. And I could breathe.”

Duncan, the first person ever diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, reportedly traveled from Liberia to Dallas to marry Louise Troh, occupant of Ivy apartment 614.

The details are familiar by now: Duncan went to Presbyterian Hospital Sept. 25 but was soon discharged. Three days later, when he was violently ill, an ambulance transported him back to the hospital, where he tested positive for Ebola, an infectious virus that has killed more than 4,000 and counting in Africa. Duncan died eight days later.

Duncan’s diagnosis prompted a mandatory quarantine of Troh and three others inside Ivy unit 614.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of Troh and the others, hundreds of reporters armed with mics, cameras and blinding spotlights stalked the apartment, day and night.

The Ivy residents’ inexperience with both the English language and American media made for a special kind of chaos.

One group of residents said they must torch the apartment; it was how they dealt with contaminated properties in their country, says

At left is apartment 614, where Eric Duncan was staying before he died from the Ebola virus. Above is 18-year-old Se Da Oo Sha, who interpreted vital information about Ebola to residents. To the right are images of apartment 614 as it looks today.

Shay. Others proposed vandalizing apartment 614 because they wanted the occupants and the media to leave.

This was the sort of irrational response Shay worked hard to prevent during the media siege, which lasted five days, until the quarantined were relocated.

“To an outsider it might have looked like the officials were really organized when it came to keeping people informed, but really it was Shay,” Range says, only halfway kidding.

Shay spent the better part of his life in a refugee camp near a war-impacted region of Thailand, he says with no hint of self-pity.

On an average afternoon, the teenager is dressed stylishly in a crisp white button-down, dark jeans and flip flops. His hair is spiky, his wristwatch techy. In the span of an hour he is interrupted several times by residents who need his help — eventually he excuses himself to help two visibly upset Burmese-speaking women report a crime.

Since he moved to The Ivy, it has been like this, he says. Through a refugee resettlement program, he and his 14-year-old brother moved to Dallas a few years ago to live with their grandparents. He speaks English, Burmese, Karen and some Thai. Of his own volition, he teaches English to anyone in the complex who wants to learn. Five nights a week, more than 30 people gather, sitting on the floor of a tiny apartment. He does his own homework while they work through exercises he’s given them.

“Without him, we are blind,” remarks one resident.

So when “Ebola happened,” as Shay puts it, he was thrust into the middle of the frantic effort to relay information to those surrounding the affected apartment.

As representatives from Dallas County, the City of Dallas, Dallas Police, the Center for Disease Control and Hazardous Materials steadily joined the effort, there were two major goals: stop potential spread of the Ebola virus and prevent panic. Both relied heavily on good communication, explains Stacey Roth, the public safety coordinator for Vickery Meadow Improvement District. At The Ivy, where so many languages are spoken, communication was problematic.

That’s where Shay would prove invaluable.

“We thought he worked for The Ivy at first,” Roth says. “This kid. He was talking to everyone. Answering their questions. Handing out literature about Ebola. Speaking calmly to people who were upset.”

Like Shay, most of The Ivy residents — especially those from Asia, where Ebola is not a problem — did not know what Ebola meant.

They didn’t even fully understand the concept of a virus, Roth notes.

That first afternoon, after repeating the same information so many times, Shay sat down for about an hour with pen and paper and translated vital information about Ebola into Burmese.

He took the translation to The Ivy’s office and made 100 copies, which he distributed to the Burmese residents.

in their own language, even if they knew English,” he says.

Range says reporters were increasingly aggressive. She describes some walking into homes without knocking or barely knocking. Many of the residents do not lock their doors so family and friends can come and go, she explains.

One national news reporter barricaded herself in an elderly man’s apartment,

Range says. The man was distraught when he reported the situation to the apartment manager, using Shay to translate. The reporter refused to open the door for the manager or Vickery Meadow security officers. Roth and the Dallas police finally went to the door and told her that if she didn’t leave, they would tell the rest of the media that her station had locked a 60-something year-old man out of his apartment. A loud

This was before the CDC delivered the same information in Spanish and English, and 14 days before other agencies offered to help translate important information, Range notes.

Later, a Dallas ISD translator helped interpret incoming information, but the initial, urgent translation came from Shay.

Shay says his school allowed him a day off to help with communication at The Ivy.

He walked door-to-door with police, city and county officials, and VMID and CDC representatives, translating.

Shay interpreted for a British reporter early on, he says, but the lady they were trying to interview, 614’s next-door neighbor, reacted angrily. “She yelled, ‘Get out of my house!’ ” Shay says. Another woman threw rice at a reporter, Shay says. Shay, too, grew agitated with the media.

“They were stopping us on the way to school, making us late, trying to talk to little kids. The kids got smart and just responded

“The local [reporters], for the most part, were fine, but the national guys were horrendous.”

most

black and white

argument ensued, Range says, but the reporter finally relented.

“Well, the residents at that point were not worried about Ebola,” she says. “They were worried about the media.”

And the fallout continued.

Several children who reportedly had been in contact with Duncan were pulled from school for observation. Some students from Vickery Meadow reported classmates

picking on them.

Residents of The Ivy were told to stay home from work in some cases.

The VMID brought in an attorney to meet with residents who had been denied a right to work because of the Ebola scare.

Some of the hundreds of volunteers who work in Vickery Meadow stopped coming in, and the National Night Out block party and parade was canceled.

NowforScheduling Spring

The United States Postal Service halted mail delivery.

“This really upset the residents,” Range says. “They were probably as upset about not getting their mail as anything.”

When the mail carrier eventually returned to The Ivy, he was wearing a mask and blocked off his vehicle with cones.

Finally, health officials announced that Troh and the other quarantined residents would be moved, and they sent in the Hazmat team to clean the apartment.

“It is not so much a concern that we need to get her out of here because it’s dangerous or anything like that,” City of Dallas public information officer Sana Syed told reporters at the time. They were moved, she said, because they and the rest of The Ivy’s residents were scared.

A decontamination crew filled and removed about 140 barrels of material from apartment 614, and officials escorted the family to a secret address.

The media’s departure, for the most part, coincided with Troh’s.

Vickery Meadow is a 2.68-squaremile neighborhood bordered by Central, Royal, Abrams and Northwest Highway. It is home to 25,329 people — almost 100 forrent complexes and 15 single-family homes. It is ethnically diverse. More than 4,351 school-age children live there. In the ’70s and ’80s it was a booming singles community, but by the ’90s the area was so downtrodden that a neighborhood improvement district, which garners municipal funds to

help struggling areas, was approved.

Today the area — Lake Highlands’ nextdoor neighbor — is an example of what a good improvement district can do. Since the Vickery Meadow Improvement District formed, crime has dropped 60 percent — from 4,262 violent crimes in 1990 to 1,336 in 2013, according to police department statistics.

Before moving to Dallas, Stacey Roth was a beat cop in New Orleans’ French Quarter. She is a tough lady (she was in three physical fights during the last Mardi Gras season she worked, she says). Yet her family voiced concern two years ago when she accepted a job as public safety coordinator for the VMID, which, among other efforts, funds private security for Vickery Meadow in collaboration with the northeast Dallas police division.

“They said it was a dangerous area,” Roth says. “When I got here I had to laugh. My first thought as I drove around was that this is beautiful compared to where I came from.”

Rebecca Range, former executive director for the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District, also was surprised when she started as VMID’s executive director last year.

“Even being right next door, I had a lot of misconceptions about Vickery Meadow,” she says. “I had a perception of a scary place with a lot of crime. I could not have been more off track about what this neighborhood is about.”

Many Ivy residents, like Ramadan and Fathima Bee, had a front row seat to the Ebola-related ruckus.

Vickery Meadow is special, she says. “The strength and beauty of the people here does not match the outside,” she says, referring to potholes and infrastructure issues, “but that is what we are working on now.”

There are some 40 nonprofits that support Vickery Meadow residents — health services, hunger prevention, education enrichment, English language and citizenship courses, and refugee services among them.

Vickery Meadow is known around Dallas as a refugee community. Range says those statistics are beginning to shift as the properties become more attractive to renters. Still, some apartment complexes are more refugee-intensive than others.

Between 80 and 90 percent of The Ivy is occupied by refugees, Range says.

Most of those are from Burma, and some are from Africa and other parts of the world.

The moment Range and Roth received word about the Ebola case, they knew to prepare for the inevitable media takeover and, thanks to the improvement district, had the resources to do so.

“One of the benefits of a neighborhood improvement district is that the area has contracted security,” Range says. “If anyone ever wonders what a public improvement district does, well, it does a lot of things, but in this particular instance, the city and Vickery Meadow was so lucky to

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have one in place, because Stacey and our contracted security were able to secure the property immediately.”

That extra security is in large part what the taxpayers buy when they support the improvement district, Roth adds.

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LITTLE THINGS

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ECLECTIC GALLERIES

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WALTON’S GARDEN CENTER

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In the days following Duncan’s diagnosis and death, the press corps moved from Vickery Meadow, to Presbyterian Hospital, to the M Streets and the Village Apartments, where, respectively, two nurses who cared for Duncan also developed Ebola — they both have recovered.

Public panic waned as Louise Troh and the other residents of apartment 614 were released from quarantine with a clean bill of health.

As Shay, Roth and The Ivy’s assis-

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“I had the perception of a scary place with a lot of crime. I could not have been more off track about what this neighborhood is about.”

The USPS has resumed mail delivery after an Ebola scare had carriers on high alert.

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NORTH HAVEN GARDENS

Urban Garden Center

7700 Northaven Rd. Dallas, TX 75230 214-363-5316 www.nhg.com

Your Ultimate Urban Garden Center specializing in garden education, the best quality Christmas tree and plant selection and the most knowledgeable staff committed to your gardening success!

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BEADS OF SPLENDOR

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9047 Garland Rd. Dallas, TX 75218 214.824.2777

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JEFF PATTON CHRISTMAS TREES

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Chiropractic Treatments

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Dr. Keith Maraffa is passionate about helping others maintain a healthy natural life. The staff is 100% committed to helping you feel & perform at your best by providing the best treatments. So, stop by today and feel better for a lifetime.

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FIVE DAYS OF FRENZY

tant manager stand outside the offices recounting the Ebola frenzy, a reporter shows up and asks about Troh: “Will she move back here?”

The apartment staffer says she wants to be left alone and heads inside. Roth politely tells him he will have to talk to the landlord, who is out today.

The answer is no, Louise Troh will not move back. Not into 614, anyway. The front door of 614 is taped, and a quarantine sign is still posted. “The inside is totally gutted,” Roth says. They did not do this to the other Ebola-impacted properties, she says, “but this was the first; they really tore it all out, destroyed everything.”

The manager does not plan to rent the apartment, Roth says. “They will eventually use it as a storage room or something.”

Shay has returned his focus to academics he made the B honor roll last semester. He plans to go to Richland Community College next year and might study to be a doc-

tor, he says. “I want to help people.”

His handling of the Ebola incident proves youth or inexperience won’t hinder Shay’s altruism. He teaches an English class at the International Rescue Committee and says he plans to continue teaching the informal classes at The Ivy.

He was glad to meet VMID staffers Rebecca Range and Stacey Roth (the gratitude is mutual, they say) and to interact with City Councilwoman Jennifer Staubach Gates, mayor Mike Rawlins and Northeast Police Chief Andrew Acord, among others who were on the property daily throughout the ordeal.

While he loathes the behavior of the media, he had mixed feelings about appearing on television around the world.

“I was on BBC, CNN, New York Times, L.A. Times, Washington Post, Fox News and many more, and my mom in Thailand saw me,” he says.

Mom, who helped him immigrate for educational opportunities, he says, “told me to be careful.”

Looking back, he is sorry that Duncan died, and he feels for the man’s family, but he is grateful that Ebola did not spread and that no other related tragedies ensued.

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Sure, she was impressed by her son’s activism, but what struck her most, it seemed, was Vickery Meadow itself, Shay says.

“She told me, ‘You live in a very nice apartment.’ ”

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“The inside is totally gutted. They did not do this to the other Ebola-impacted properties, but this was the first; they really tore it all out, destroyed everything.”

On the road again

Ferguson Road Initiative dusts off its long-unfulfilled dream for a rec center

Story by Brittany Nunn | Photos by Rasy Ran

For years, a grassroots organization known as the Ferguson Road Initiative has waited for the cogs of the global economy to start spinning again so it can revitalize an old vision to build a multi-generational recreation center.

Although the area sits on the outskirts of East Dallas, it’s vital to the success of our neighborhood, says FRI president Vikki Martin.

“We have been looking out for the backdoor of Lakewood for more than a decade,” she says. “If you’re going to build East Dallas and make it stronger, you have to build all quadrants.”

FRI began more than a decade ago with the mission to “transform Far East Dallas into a safe, beautiful, prosperous and proud community” through economic revitalization. It covers the stretch of land from Garland Road to Mesquite from Interstate-30 to I-635, including parts of Forest Hills, Casa Linda, Casa View, White Rock Hills and White Rock East.

Since the opening of the White Rock Hills Branch Library on Ferguson near Buckner in 2012 — a success the initiative helped champion — the organization has been relatively quiet.

Now FRI is on the move again, stirring the neighborhood to once again create developmental and economic progress along Ferguson Road.

In a nutshell

Martin founded FRI in 1995 after her new bicycle was stolen from her home in what she calls “forgotten Far East Dallas.”

Martin was furious, but what could she do? She and her husband, Rob, were faced with a choice — fight or flight?

“Would we move from our home?” she questioned. “Would we stay, accept that this was a neighborhood that couldn’t have nice things? Or would we do something to effect a change?”

They decided to stay and fight.

They found they weren’t alone. Hundreds of their neighbors also wanted to enact positive change in the neighborhood.

The more Martin dug into the issues facing Far East Dallas, the more she discovered the extent to which it was a distressingly underserved community, and that it had been for decades.

“The roads hadn’t been improved, no sidewalks. None of the basic things that are needed to make a community vibrant and viable,” Martin explains.

Pockets of Far East Dallas were riddled with poverty, violence, drug abuse and prostitution — and still are. Most residents live in the neighborhood’s 60 apartment complexes, and 13 percent live below the poverty level.

Motorists drive past a vacant plot of land allocated for a recreation wellness center on Ferguson Road.

“My husband and I bought our home in the late ’80s, and the crime was just escalating,” she remembers.

That year more than 150 neighbors gathered to discuss the lack of social services in a meeting that would help kick-start FRI.

Neighbors discussed the neighborhood’s need for a library and recreation center. Samuell Grand Recreation Center serves the southwest tip of the community, and Harry Stone Recreation Center serves the upper half, but the large middle chunk along Ferguson was left out.

“This is a huge pocket of people,” Martin insists, circling her finger over a map of the area that includes more than 70,000 people.

In 1998, FRI became an official 501(c)3. Martin wrote a Weed and Seed grant, which is a community-based strategy sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting federal funding to kick-start the program. It was approved.

During its early years, FRI focused primarily on partnering with the City of Dallas and the Dallas police to curb crime in the area. With FRI’s effort, the neighborhood saw a 25 percent decrease in crime.

In 2003 FRI began pursuing city bond money for a library and rec center. FRI couldn’t get all the funds it needed at once, so the initiative went after money for land first and helped the City of Dallas choose a building site.

Then, in 2006, FRI advocated for and

received $13.5 million in bond money to design and build a library and recreation center — $5 million for the recreation center and $8.5 million for the library.

The library was fast-tracked immediately. It broke ground in 2010 and opened in 2012.

White Rock Hills Library is an oasis in the desert that features meeting spaces, classrooms, computer workstations and more.

With the success of the library under its belt, FRI began looking for a master developer to design the rec center at Ferguson and Highland roads at the northern tip of the future Trinity Forest Spine Trail.

“It’s not just a rec center,” Martin says. “It’s going to be an economic generator, which this area desperately needs. We see the center as an anchor for mixed-income housing/retail development. We want to completely transform that intersection.”

In 2008, FRI began approaching major developers, but no one was doing anything because of the stale state of the economy.

FRI was at an impasse, and it stayed that way for the better part of two years. The initiative continued to make progress in the community, but a rec center just wasn’t going to happen — not yet, anyway.

In 2010, FRI offered the community a choice.

FRI had $5 million for a rec center. Dallas’ Park and Recreation Department said it could either build a standard center im-

Chad St. John, Jacobs Landscape Architect, runs through conceptual designs, showcasing different approaches to land and structural use. An online survey conducted earlier valued open space integration as one of the priorities for the recreation center.

Is someone you love lonely?

Is your schedule keeping you from spending time with your loved ones? Does an elderly person in your life need a visit from someone who cares?

mediately, which wasn’t ideal — “Our dream has always been a multi-generational center that will serve everybody,” Martin points out — or FRI could take the $5 million, purchase more land and then sit on the project while the economy recovered.

Only one person voted to build the center immediately. Everyone else voted that FRI should buy two dilapidated apartment buildings next door to the property the initiative already possessed.

The city has begun the process of claiming the land through imminent domain. The additional property will expand the project from four acres to about seven acres, with the potential to acquire even more, Martin says.

Where is FRI now?

Along with the recession, Washington killed the federal Weed and Seed program

in April 2011, which forced FRI to re-evaluate its priorities.

“We’ve been treading water,” Martin says, “and we made the decision to really streamline and focus on the [rec] center.”

FRI still receives funding from community members, businesses and organizations to continue its effort. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to pay the bills, Martin says. The initiative continues to seek bond money as well.

“All we’re asking for is our fair share,” Martin explains. “We look at the bond packages, and we look at our percentage. We figure it out, and then we go to our city council member, show them the numbers and say, ‘You owe us this much of that bond money.’ ”

Making the rec center a reality

FRI needs a feasibility study to make the rec center a reality. The team began advo-

TOP/ Mike Pratl, Jacobs Project Manager, runs through a gamut of highlights and key initiatives of the recreation wellness center. The typically biannual meeting was hosted by the Dallas Arboretum in Rosine Hall. ABOVE/ Chappell Jordan, Jacobs Facilities Programmer, addresses some of the questions during the Ferguson Road Initiative November meeting at the Dallas Arboretum. LEFT/ Local citizens and business owners sign a petition for the proposed recreation wellness center.

cating for funding, and the City of Dallas managed to fork over $125,000 to conduct a study, which FRI launched earlier this year.

At this point, the concept for the rec center is still up in the air.

In early October, dozens of neighbors showed up at an event FRI hosted at the Dallas Arboretum to kick around possible ideas for the rec center.

The primary focus of the gathering was to tap into public opinion on which concepts are most important to surrounding neighbors, such as fitness, classrooms, walking trails, arts and crafts, a community garden or a playground.

After a presentation by project manager Mike Pratl with Jacobs Engineering Group, attendees were asked to vote for their most desired concepts.

“I’d love to start designing right now,” Pratl explained to the group, “but there’s a lot of important information that we need to peel like an onion to really get to the core of what this facility can be.”

A second meeting in early November determined that the four things neighbors deemed most important were a fitness center, trails, a trailhead and an indoor pool.

Those results are not set in stone, of course. FRI is still waiting on the results of the feasibility study and will continue to tap the community pulse to determine the best use for the space.

“It has been a very interesting project over the years,” Martin reflects. “We serve a very diverse group — some of the wealthiest people in the city and some of the poorest people in the city. There’s so much need over here.”

FRI won’t know how much money the rec center will cost or how long it will take to build until the feasibility study is complete, but Martin figures the project is still at least five to eight years out.

The initiative will have to advocate for more bond money in 2016, but Martin says the team plans to start fundraising before then. Martin hopes that if they’re able to raise enough money independently, the project could be put on the fast track.

“So we’ve got about two years to raise money,” she says.

LEARN MORE On Jan. 27, there will be a presentation of the facility, based on the feedback of the community, at the Dallas Arboretum from 6-9 p.m. Learn more at fergusonroad.org.

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“Keep Living.” Simple words. Driving force. For residents Rey and Bob Barton, living is synonymous with giving. As donors, they give to Fowler’s One Heart fund to support our foster children, our young women at The Ebby House, and elders who have exhausted their financial resources.

To join Rey and Bob in making a difference this holiday season, please give to Fowler’s One Heart fund today! Call 214.515.1342 or go to www.fowlercommunities.org

A Christmas story

Jeff and Yvette Patton have been selling Christmas trees in Lakewood for 40 years, but their neighborhood impact stretches far beyond that

Story by Brittany Nunn | Photo by James Coreas

The Patton house on Swiss is brimming with the colors of fall.

Orange and yellow pumpkins are scattered throughout the entryway and living room, and a cluster of half a dozen flower arrangements sits on the kitchen floor near the refrigerator.

Fall and Christmas are busy seasons for longtime Lakewood couple Jeff and Yvette Patton, and the evidence is everywhere.

If you’ve been around East Dallas for long, there’s a good chance you know the Pattons — or at least know of them.

Jeff is a Lakewood native and 1971 Woodrow Wilson graduate. From Thanksgiving until Christmas, you can find Jeff in the big white and blue tent at Mockingbird and Abrams, selling Christmas trees.

Although Patton’s Christmas Trees has hopscotched around the neighborhood several times, Jeff has been selling trees to East Dallas for 40 years this year. With the help of his family, he hopes to keep going for at least 20 more.

Buying a tree from Patton’s is a family tradition for many neighbors.

“We see exactly the same people every year,” Jeff says. “They come, and it’s the same people at the same time, and they buy the same tree. It’s more like clockwork than a clock itself.”

Patton’s delivers and installs pre-lit trees to neighbors’ homes. They can also decorate the trees and light homes or businesses and then pick up the trees after the holiday season.

Although many people pick up trees at home-improvement or grocery stores, Jeff says there is plenty of business to go around, and he’s busier than ever.

“The people who go to Home Depot would not go to my place, and the people who go to my place wouldn’t go to Home Depot,” he says.

He claims quality is the difference.

“People who want a perfect tree all the way around come to my lot,” he says. “If they can live with a mediocre tree, they go to Home Depot.”

Christmas is busy season for neighbors Jeff and Yvette Patton. Photo by James Coreas

And in the perfect matrimony with Jeff’s Christmas tree business is Yvette’s decorating business, which is busiest during the holidays. It’s also the reason why the Pattons’ home is so festive.

This holiday season is significant for the couple in another way: It’s their 20th wedding anniversary. They were married on Christmas Day in 1994.

It was actually Christmas that brought the couple together years ago.

Yvette was barely out of high school and working as a decorator at Bryan Tower in Downtown when Jeff came in and found her boss upset about an ugly Christmas tree. He offered to provide a prettier tree. He walked over to the counter, and that’s where he met the young Yvette for the first time.

They became friends, and although it took them a while to reach the altar, they eventually married. Jeff brought two kids into the marriage, John and Emily, and Yvette brought one, Preston. Together they had another, Jeffrey Jr.

Although their combined services make them a hot commodity during the holidays, the Lakewood couple is equally important during the rest of the year.

Both have a heart for helping people and, together or individually, are involved in several local organizations.

To name a couple, Yvette is involved in Bill Glass Prison Ministries, and both of them were involved in Baptist Church Builders of Texas for nine years.

Jeff has been attending Wilshire Baptist Church in Lakewood for as long as he can remember, and over the years both have been very involved in its ministry, serving as Stephen Ministers and Sunday-school teachers.

Jeff’s family joined the Lakewood Country Club in 1959, and he even lives in the same house on Swiss that he grew up in, which he recently bought from his parents.

Jeff somewhat accidentally became the poster child for integration in East Dallas in the late ’60s and early ’70s. He’s been featured in several media outlets, including Advocate, over the years regarding his friendship with a black student, John Paul McCrumbly.

In 1966, J.L. Long Middle School, which was at the time an eighth- and ninth-grade

Canal Clothing

Crest Tailors

Dollar Tree

Ebby Halliday

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop

Hillside Beauty Salon

Hillside Shoe Service

Joe O’s Cleaners

Lakewood 1st & 10

The Little Gym

Mike’s Discount Liquor

Mockingbird Swim

Olivella’s

Pinot’s Palette

PK’s Fine Wine & Spirits

PlayTri

Pro Martial Arts

Results Fitness

Romano’s Bakery

Salon Suites at Hillside Village

Sarah Strout Music Studio

Stein Mart

Texas Premier Title

Tuesday Morning

Weight Watchers

White Rock Coffee

Visionworks

7-Eleven

Celebrating60 Years

you East Dallas. It’s been our pleasure to serve you during 2014

junior high, began welcoming black students, including McCrumbly, who grew up in a historically black neighborhood to the south of the school that was integrated into Woodrow’s boundaries during that time.

Jeff, whose father was a prominent doctor in East Dallas, befriended McCrumbly, the kid the school placed in all Jeff’s classes and on the football team.

Although in retrospect we recognize the significance of the friendship, at the time the boys were merely friends and didn’t think much of it.

“My parents raised me to believe that we’re all God’s children,” Jeff explains. “Nothing makes you any better than anybody else. Anywhere I went, he went with me. Me and John Paul, we integrated Lakewood.”

Years later, Jeff and McCrumbly are still friends.

When not slammed with business, Yvette spends time working with the Grief and Loss Center of North Texas, an East Dallas nonprofit.

The Pattons’ son Preston died in January

2011 at age 21, and hundreds of East Dallas neighbors reached out to the couple, offering comfort and support. Yvette’s friend Laurie Taylor, who is the executive director of the Grief and Loss Center, was instrumental in helping guide her through her grief.

“When our son passed away, Laurie came,” Yvette says. “We had probably 300 people here all the time for a week. It was unbelievable. Laurie showed up, probably the day after he died, and she helped me write his obituary and everything. She came every day for a week.

“I honestly do not know what I would have done without her,” Yvette says, smiling through tears.

The Grief and Loss Center had barely begun through Wilshire Baptist Church when Preston died. During those early years, Taylor took Yvette under her wing, and Yvette dug in with helping the center, decorating the office and helping raise funds. She was instrumental in helping launch the board of directors.

Yvette also volunteers with her dad with

the Bill Glass Prison Ministries. Preston also signed up to volunteer, but he died before he could go, so Jeff volunteered to take his place.

While at the prison, Jeff met a blind inmate who had been eligible for parole for a year and a half. The man had no family, and it took $50 to get into a halfway house.

“I told him, if you’re telling me the truth, pack your bags, because you’re going home next week,” Jeff recalls. “He stayed in our back apartment for two years and then got married. He’s living the life.”

He still comes over once a week to walk the Pattons’ dog, Buddy.

“Nobody can walk our dog, but he worked with him. He and Buddy became like this,” Yvette says, twisting her fingers to demonstrate their closeness.

The Pattons raised their children in much the same way, teaching them to always take up for the underdogs.

Yvette sums up their philosophy best:

“You never know what you do in your life that’s going to change other people’s lives,” she says, “or change the course of your life.”

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Changes ahead for Lakewood Theater

Lakewood Theater, the iconic neighborhood theater on Abrams Parkway, will change hands in February 2015, with no guarantee that either its use as a theater or its structure will remain the same. The theater has no protection in terms of historical or landmark designation; however, its owners say they have no intention of tearing down the iconic neon tower when the current tenant’s lease is up at the end of January. “That’s one of the reasons we bought it,” says Craig Kinney, part of the Willingham-Rutledge partnership that owns the southwest strip of the Lakewood shopping center. “We would absolutely do nothing on that tower or change the exterior. It’s a great asset to us. Everybody knows the Lakewood Theater.”

1825 Abrams

214.821.7469

lakewoodtheater.com

New brew concept for White Rock Lake

After two years of searching for the perfect location in the Lakewood area, neighbors Jacob and Lindsay Sloan have started construction on a brand new brewing concept, On Rotation, in a space tucked away behind Gaston-Garland-Grand, right next door to Cane Rosso White Rock. Although East Dallas is no stranger to craft breweries, On Rotation is a little different than anything else we’ve seen before. It’s what could be described as a nano-brewery bigger than

a homebrewery, but smaller than a microbrewery. Rather than distributing to other bars in the area, On Rotation will sell their craft beers on site in a space set up more like a coffee shop than a bar, Jacob explains. “We’re going for a Times Ten for craft beer vibe,” he says. “We want to maintain that tasting/tap room feel.”

7328 Gaston on-rotation.com

Seven things for Shops at Park Lane

The Shops at Park Lane has announced the first tenants that will inhabit the center’s 150,000 square-foot, five-story office/retail building, currently under construction at North Central Expressway and Park Lane. A flagship Starbucks the only flagship Starbucks in Dallas — and Zoë’s Kitchen will anchor the new building, which is scheduled to open in spring 2015. In other Shops at Park Lane news, Zynn22, a cycling-centric fitness studio, is set to open later this year next door to Gordon Biersch. It joins Studio 6, another exercise spot, which opened earlier this fall. Bar Louie, DXL men’s tall clothing and shoes, and Unleashed by Petco also will open soon in the shopping center. All of the stores and restaurants are slated for openings in late 2014 or spring 2015. Sandy Spurgin, vice president of Northwood Retail, says even more new tenants will be announced in coming months.

8070 Park 214.365.0222

more BUSINESS BUZZ every week on LAKEWOOD.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BIZ

More business bits

1 In October five-star Dallas chef Randall Warder opened Clark Food and Wine Co., which features American tapas, flatbreads, artisan sandwiches and smoked meats, along with an array of wines, Texas craft beer and liquor, at 1920 Greenville. 2 Construction just started on a brand new burger joint in Casa Linda Plaza at 9540 Garland. Dugg Burger hopes to open in January. 3 Good news for busy health food junkies. Snap Kitchen is opening a new location on Fitzhugh at 4164 N. Central Expressway, right next door to Buzzbrews.

4 Taqueria Latina, the new venture from the owner of Latin Deli, Fernando Barrera, opened for business two months ago at 6412 Skillman. 5 Long-time neighbor Jeff Fairey purchased the property beside The Lot at 7544 E. Grand, and he plans to fulfill a life-long dream by opening a restaurant. It’ll probably be a while before he breaks ground, possibly a year or more. 6 Dan Bradley is opening Bullzerk later this year on Lowest Greenville at 1909 Greenville. He describes the shop as a “local urban outfitters” that primarily sell humorous t-shirts, as well as things like poster art and baby clothes. 7 CD Source, which had been at 5500 Greenville on Upper Greenville between Lovers and Southwestern for more than 20 years (would’ve been 21 years in December), closed in late-November.

THE ‘REAL’ SANTA

Meet the man behind the big red suit at Half Price Books

COMMENT. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com to tell us what you think.

Let’s just state the obvious: Santa can’t be everywhere at once. Oh, sure, he has the magic dust and the flying reindeer, but still. That’s why he has helpers. During the holidays, Dallas and every other town becomes Santaville, with guys in big red suits and white beards appearing at shopping malls, big-box stores, holiday festivals. Stands to reason, though, that Real Santa has to be somewhere, right? Luckily for East Dallas, he may well be right here among us.

Neighbor Scott Ward might know something about it. A resident of Bryan Place neighborhood, he certainly looks the part snowy white beard, twinkle in the eye, a quick and hearty laugh. Add some red velvet, white gloves, and black boots, and you’ve got a ringer for Saint Nick. Every weekend in December, Ward indeed sits on the stately Santa throne right inside the front entrance of Half Price Books on Northwest Highway, ready to chat with children and listen to earnest wish lists.

Flashback 20-plus years ago: Ward, who studied acting and playwriting at the University of Texas, was celebrating the Fourth of July at the home of Sharon Anderson Wright, CEO of Half Price Books. Admitting that “adult beverages might have been involved,” Ward boasted that he “could play anything,” any acting role. Wright’s challenge for him to play Santa was met with Ward’s offhand, “Get a Santa suit and we’ll see.” Wright showed up with a big red suit a few months later, and so was born Santa at the bookstore. This year will be Ward’s 21st year.

The early years, Ward admits, were part of the learning curve. “We had some wild times the first few years,” he says. “Everything was improvised.” For one, Ward learned to modulate his big, booming voice, to bring it down a few notches for wee ones on his lap. He also found it wise, and continues to believe to this day, to never force a child to sit on his lap, even for those photos that eager parents always dreamed of.

So what’s it like to don “The Big Red Suit,” as Ward calls it? “The first time I put it on, I felt something, and I get that every time,” he explains. “I imagine being like a knight putting on his armor, a matador putting on his Suit of Lights, or a cowboy gunfighter getting ready for a showdown. There’s a bit of ritual in putting on the suit. It’s part of the process of gearing up to be Santa.”

Ward says wearing the suit carries with it a huge responsibility. “You have to be ‘on’ the entire time the suit is on,” always alert for children’s reactions. He laughingly recalls an incident years ago when he was doing an outdoor photo shoot with Wright, just at the time that a large party of children came pouring out of a nearby building. They spotted Santa and “went crazy, mobbing me. Wright said, ‘It was like Elvis!’ “ If you happen to be in Half Price Books at the end of Santa’s shift, you might hear the Elvis-esque announcement, “Santa has left the building.”

Part of the Santa experience at the bookstore is posing for photos with Santa, and a surprising number of people bring pets: dogs of every size, cats (for the record, generally not cooperative), snakes, rabbits, iguanas, birds, potbellied pigs, even a chicken once. Ward recalls that he asked, “Is this a special chicken?” No, just a chicken. Ward good-naturedly posed with the ordinary chicken.

Though these photos can often be a comedy of errors — Ward laughs that he tries to play it “broadly” — it can be quite meaningful for some. Ward remembers a boy years ago who came into the store with his beloved pet turtle. The boy did not want to be in the photo himself; he wanted only a photo of Santa and Turtle. Santa instructed the photographer to get in really close, and the boy got his photo.

Santa/Ward has visited with “children of all ages, from 2 weeks to 90 years old.” But for some, it’s so much more than requesting a baby doll or fire truck. Ward shakes his head as he recalls children asking Santa

to heal them of serious illness, bring back a parent who has died or reunite divorced parents. “Santa can be an important sounding board for children,” he says. “Sometimes kids just want an adult to listen to them.”

Particularly challenging are the specialneeds children who come to see Santa. Ward goes to great lengths to listen attentively and to draw out those who might find interaction difficult. Ward becomes misty as he recalls a girl with Asperger’s he saw last year. He calmly and quietly chatted with her, asking gentle questions, searching for a way to connect with her. She eventually confided her love of holiday music, so Ward asked her to sing her favorite carol. She stood and sang “O Holy Night” in a clear, beautiful voice. The entire bookstore fell silent and listened.

Ward — or is he indeed Real Santa? — recalls the W.C. Fields line “never work with

animals or children” and smiles. “And look where I am now,” he says. “This is the greatest role I have ever played. It’s been an unexpected blessing.”

Patti Vinson is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for 15 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine, and has taught college writing. She is a frequent flier at Lakewood branch library and enjoys haunting neighborhood estate sales with husband Jonathan and children, Claire (13) and Will (10). The family often can be found hanging out at White Rock Lake Dog Park with Dexter, a probable JackWeenie.

Scott Ward: Photo by Jacque Manaugh

Does your bright child struggle with things like…

• Attention and concentration

• Executive functioning

• Classic education

• Dedicated to the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development of children

Winston brings hope for today and a road map for tomorrow.

• Dyslexia www.winston-school.org

• 3 years through 6th grade

• Half-day and full day Kindergarten options

Observation

Highlander School 9120 Plano Road, Dallas, TX 75238 214-348-3220

www.highlanderschool.com

Since 1966 The Tradition Continues…

THE KESSLER SCHOOL

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a wellrounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com

Founded in 1966, Highlander School offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. Small class sizes help teachers understand the individual learning styles of each student. Give us a call for more information.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

SPANISH HOUSE

5740 Prospect Ave. & 4411 Skillman / 214-826-4410 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish House is a Spanish immersion school with two Lakewood locations for children ages 3 months - Kindergarten. We offer half-day and full-day programs, with extended care available from 7:30am - 6:00pm. We also offer after-school and Saturday classes for PK and elementary-aged students, both onand off-site. Additionally, we have an adult Spanish program for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com

St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

THE WINSTON SCHOOL

5707 Royal Lane Dallas, Tx 75229 / 214691-6950 / www.winston-school.org If your bright child struggles with things like Attention and Concentration, Executive Functioning and Dyslexia, The Winston School may be able to help. The Winston School has a robust academic program which prepares a student for college while at the same time developing the whole child. We understand bright children who learn differently and recognize their unique gifts and talents. Celebrating and validating these assets with our students enables them to discover who they are, and empowers them to be consistently successful. The Winston School brings hope for today and a road map for tomorrow. School Preview: January 11th from 2-4 p.m.

69%

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

of our 200,000+ readers with average income of $146,750 want more info about private schools.

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Lane

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

RIDGEWOOD PARK UMC / 6445 E. Lovers Lane / 214.369.9259

Sunday Worship: 9:30 am Traditional and 11:35 am Contemporary

Sunday School: 10:30 am / Rev. Ann Willet / ridgewoodparkchurch.org

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

PRESBYTERIAN

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr.

214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

8:30 & 11:00 am / Church School 9:35 am / Childcare provided.

ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN / Skillman & Monticello

Rev. Rob Leischner. / www.standrewsdallas.org

214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am

UNITY ON GREENVILLE / Your soul is welcome here!

3425 Greenville Ave. / 214.826.5683 / www.dallasunity.org

Sunday Service 11:00 am and Book Study 9:30 am

FEAR NOT

The truth sets us free and good news wins

With the Christmas season upon us and the election and Ebola seasons behind us, I am thinking about the roles of the first and fourth estates of society in broadcasting the news.

The medieval notion of the four estates of the realm included the clergy (first!), the nobility, the commoners, and the press. Nowadays we might say that the four estates include the church (or religious communities), the government, the public, and the media.

Church, first. What is our role in society? We exist as communities of faith under the conviction that God exists and plays an active role in the affairs of the world. Christmas signals that active role of God-with-us. How God is with us, however, is also signaled by this babe born in a stable. God engages the world gently and humbly, coming among us from within us — wooing the world with love rather than warring against the world with wrath.

Angels are divine bearers of news who invite us to embrace the truth that is too good not to be true. Their message to shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night: “Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be for all the people.”

The word angel comes from the Greek for messenger. Angels only speak what they are told. And whenever they show up proclaiming good news, they begin by saying, “Do not be afraid.”

The church hears this word and then speaks it likewise. Our responsibility to the world is to be heralds of good news that begins with a call to fear not.

In the recent Ebola scare, this was a role our church and other churches played. We called on people to stay calm, not to allow unreasonable fear to overtake them. It’s hard to embrace the good news when you are full of fear.

The fourth estate also played an important role in telling the truth about what was going on in this time of Ebola. The media is under pressure to find ways to get our attention, just to stay in business. That sometimes leads to failures of omission and commission. But I found most print, TV and radio journalists to be honest truth-tellers during this period. They want to get the story right. And when they do, they are allies in fighting the kind of fear that either immobilizes the public or inspires our worst attitudes and actions.

Someone recently stole the infamous

sign over the gate of the Dachau “labor” camp outside of Berlin. It read Arbeit Macht Frei (freely translated, “work sets you free”). Nazi lords used propaganda to hide the truth instead of telling it. Inside those “death camps” people were worked to death and starved, then systematically killed. There was nothing life-giving or liberating about them.

Only the truth sets you free, Jesus said. The media plays a role in keeping us all honest and promoting transparency in our dealings with one another. The church and all other religious communities have that charge too, but we have the added word of good tidings of great joy to share as well.

The news is not always good day to day, but Christmas tells us that good news wins the day at the End of Days. And so, we need not be afraid.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

In the recent Ebola scare, we called on people to stay calm, not to allow unreasonable fear to overtake them. It’s hard to embrace the good news when you are full of fear.

Community

Already this season, more than 12,000 people have attended the Dallas Arboretum on a single Saturday. To accommodate the weekend crowds, the Arboretum has been opening the lower floors of its not-quite-finished parking garage across the street. Visitors who park there cross beneath Garland Road via the newly constructed underground walkway and resurface at the children’s garden. The garage adds 1,150 parking spaces, giving the Arboretum a total of roughly 2,000.

Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake hosted its inaugural flag raising ceremony on Veterans Day. The ceremony featured two new flag poles that proudly flew the American and Texas flags, organizers said. Marine corps veteran and Texas State Representative Kenneth Sheets led the event with the pledge of allegiance. Veterans from John Franklin Sprague VFW Post 6796 were in attendance.

Education

Michelle Pasillas, who we featured in Advocate’s May issue, is this year’s recipient of the Gustavo Ipiña Memorial Scholarship Taly Haffar, the founder of the Gustavo Ipiña Memorial Scholarship Fund says the fund was “pleased to award him $5000 towards his education in memory of Gustavo Ipiña.”

In December, Austin-based Green Mountain Energy Sun Club awarded Stonewall Gardens a $20,000 grant to install solar panels in its garden, and the club awarded Dallas Academy $30,000 toward the cost of solar-paneling the school’s roof. In August, builders from Native, Inc. were on campus installing Dallas Academy’s new solar array, and the school was connected to the grid by October, the school announced. Dallas Academy installed a 289-panel, 73 kilowatt solar array, which will produce 118,280 kWh of solar power annually. According to estimates, this will eliminate 79.25 tons of CO2 emissions every year. Dallas Academy’s array is also one of the largest arrays of any private school in the state. It will not only power Dallas Academy but will support neighborhoods surrounding the school. Its solar installation is also the largest Sun Club project in the history of the program.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

Computer troubleshooting

Hardware & Software

InStallatIon, repaIr & traInIng no problem too Small or

Dan neal

972-639-6413

stykidan@sbcglobal.net

Worship with Communion

CHRISTMAS AT CENTRAL LUTHERAN All are welcome. Please join us.

WEDNESDAYS IN DECEMBER

Soup Supper 6:00 PM – Advent Vespers 7:00 PM Fellowship Hall

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Sunday, December 7th – 1:00 PM in the Sanctuary following the Christmas Lunch at 11:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS MUSICAL OFFERING

Sunday, December 14th – During 10:30 AM worship TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE

Wednesday, December 24th, 7:00 PM 1000 Easton Road, Dallas, TX 75218 • 214-327-2222

Local BULLETIN BOARD

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Yearly fee. 18-59 yrs-$15, 60+$10 Mon-1-3: Wed 10:15-1:15, Jane Cross, 214-534-6829.

ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Casa Linda Plaza. Art Classes & Drop In Pottery Painting For All Ages. 214-821-8383. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm

GUITAR OR PIANO Fun/Easy. Your Home. 11 Yrs Exp.

Reasonable rates. UNT Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

LEARN NEW TESTAMENT GREEK

Beginners intermediates; Rice, TCU, DTS ex; John Cunyus 214-662-5494 www.JohnCunyus.com

MUSIC INSTRUCTION Especially For Young People

Aged 5-12. Guitar, Piano, Percussion. ChildPlayMusicSchool.com. 214-733-1866

Learn to draw with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain ®

www.PerceptionDrawing.com

Brenda Catlett Certified Instructor (972)989-0546

Think pink

On Oct. 9, Republic Title Lakewood hosted its sixth annual Pink Party for a Cause and raised $5,700 for The Bridge Breast Network, an East Dallas organization that provides healthcare to breast cancer patients. Left/ Linda Pospisil, Jeri Letteer and MaryBeth Shapiro. Below/ Glen Christy, Doug Chitwood, Janet Allen, Nancy Plotts, and Christina Dewbre.

CHILDCARE

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982 Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

EMPLOYMENT

AVIATION MANUFACTURING CAREERS Get Trained As FAA Certified Technician. Financial Aid For Qualified Students. Job Placement Assistance. AIM 866-453-6204

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS reply to http://www.pcpsi.com/join

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY to earn residual income on electric bills. Call Jay at 214-707-9379.

SERVICES FOR YOU

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 or stykidan@sbcglobal.net

DISH TV RETAILER Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available) Save. Ask about Same Day Installation 1-800-615-4064

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY Estate/Probate matters. Free Consultation. 214-802-6768 MaryGlennAttorney.com

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-821-6903

FARMERS INSURANCE CALL JOSH JORDAN 214-364-8280. Auto, Home, Life Renters.

PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINING To Suit Your Specific Training Needs. Terry 214-206-7823. terryrjacobs@outlook.com

Fast cats

Hector Martinez (left), principal of Alex Sanger Elementary, and Richard Kastl principal of Bryan Adams High School, posed for a picture after they finished Bryan Adams’ second annual “Cougars

Running Wild” 5k on Nov. 8.

Resources TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT?

Maximize Your Social Security Benefits and/or Choose the Best Medicare Option BENEFIT AN$WER$ NOW

Rod Clark - 35 Years' Experience Working for the Federal Agencies WWW.BENEFITANSWERSNOW.COM | 972-978-5565

Local BULLETIN BOARD

PET SERVICES

POOP SCOOP PROFESSIONALS Trust The Experts. 214-826-5009. germaine_free@yahoo.com

SKILLMAN ANIMAL CLINIC Is Your Friendly, Personal, Affordable Vet. 9661 Audelia Rd. #340. 214-341-6400

In-Home Professional Care

Customized to maintain your pet’s routine

In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine Serving the Dallas area since 1994 Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

BUY/SELL/TRADE

GROUND FLOOR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Unique Opportunity for Residual Income. A Legacy Company Which Affords You and Your Family Guaranteed Income. 401-741-7596 healthandwealthct@gmail.com

PET SERVICES

DEE’S DOGGIE DEN Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 DeesDoggieDen.com

HOMEGROWN HOUNDS DOG DELI / BAKERY Healthy homemade dog food/treats. 100% goes to rescue. hghdogs.com

BUY/SELL/TRADE

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS

front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM-ESTATE SALES

Moving/DownSizing Sales, Storage Units. Organize/De-Clutter Donna 972-679-3100

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES

Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece or a Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com

JANUARY DEADLINE DECEMBER 10 TO ADVERTISE CALL 214.560.4203

APPLIANCE

CLEANING SERVICES

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

AMAZON CLEANING

Top To Bottom Clean. Fabiana.469-951-2948

CALL GRIME STOPPERS • 214-724-2555

BLINDS, SHADES & DRAPERIES

SMARTLOOKS WINDOW & WALL DECOR

Window Treatments & Repair. 972-699-1151

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC

Complete Remodeling. 40 Yrs Exp. Additions. 1 & 2 Story. Kitchens, Baths.

Small Jobs To Entire House.

Renovation & Design. Full Time Supervision.

Licensed/Insured. Free Estimates. 281-761-4648

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

KITCHEN AND BATHROOM SPECIALISTS

JCI Remodeling: From Simple Updates To Full Remodeling Services.

Competitive pricing! 972-948-5361

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com

214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.org 214-403-7247

BRIAN GREAM

RENOVATIONS LLC

• 1 & 2 Story Additions

• Complete Renovations

• Kitchens/Baths

• Licensed/Insured 214.542.6214

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

Swimming Pool Remodels • Patios

Stone work Stamp Concrete 972-727-2727

Deckoart.com

Wanted: Houses to Clean • 20 years experience. Dependable. Efficient. Great Prices. Excellent Refs.

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

DELTA CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. General Routine Cleaning. Carpet Cleaning. Refs. Reliable. Dependable. 28+yrs. 972-943-9280.

IINGRID CLEANING SERVICES Reliable, Affordable. Habla Español 214-395-9629

MAID 4 YOU Bonded/Insured. Park Cities/M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce.214-232-9629

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

ALL COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED

MAC/PC Great Rates! Keith 214-295-6367

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home/Biz Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

IT SOLUTIONS/SUPPORT For Home & Small Business. Parental Controls Speciality. 8 Yrs. Exp. Husband & Wife, Licensed Minister called to His Work. Texas Tech Guru. 214-850-2669

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

BRICK & STONE REPAIR Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Call George 214-498-2128

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

R&M Concrete

Concrete Retaining Walls Driveways Stamped Concrete 214-202-8958

Bonded & Insured References & Free Estimates

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

GOVER ELECTRIC Back Up Generators. New and Remodel Work. Commercial & Residential. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639 Prompt, Honest, Quality. TECL 24668

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

PayPal ®

WWW.BGRONTHEWEB.COM

BRIANGREAM@YAHOO.COM

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it — We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates

972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. Automatic Gates, Iron & Cedar Fencing, Decks. Since 1996. MC/V 214-621-3217

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks, Doors, Carpentry, Remodeling 214-435-9574

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK

New & Repair. Free Estimates. Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com

All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

FENCING & DECKS

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FIREPLACE SERVICES

CHIMNEY SWEEP Dampers/Brick & Stone Repair. DFW Metro. Don 214-704-1722

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641 Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

CLIFTON CARPETS 214-526-7405 www.cliftoncarpets.com

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 25 Yrs.

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE New/ Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

LONGHORN FLOORS LLC

972-768-4372. www.longhornflooring.com

N-HANCE WOOD RENEWAL. No Dust. No Mess. No Odor. nhance.com. 214-321-3012.

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS

214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

Carpet

GARAGE DOORS

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE -24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorService.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM Expert Window Cleaning. Haven 214-327-0560

DOVETAIL CUSTOM SHUTTERS Louis Wiggins 214-342-0889 dovetailshutters.com

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR

custom mirrors • shower enclosures store fronts • casements 214-349-8160

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

GROOVY HOUSE Is A Different Handyman

Experience! Find Out Why At www.groovyhouse.biz 214-733-2100 • 19 Year Lakewood Resident

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

NEED FLOORING?

• Ceramic • Wood • Luxury Vinyl Call John Roemen 972.989.3533 john.roemen@redicarpet.com

Commercial / Residential

REDI CARPET

Reinventing the Flooring Experience

Restoration Flooring

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232

Handy Dan

HOLIDAY DECORATING

HOUSE PAINTING

HOME INSPECTION

INTERIOR DESIGN

WALLPAPER AND MORE

Serving Lakewood For Over 15 Years. Upholstery, Custom Draperies & Shutters. free Consultation. 214-718-7281

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

ALL SURFACE REFINISHING

214-631-8719. Tub/Tile/Refinishing. allsurfacerefinishing.com

BATHTUB, COUNTERTOP & TILE

Resurfacing: Walls, Tub Surrounds, Showers. Glaze or Faux Stone finishes. Affordable Alternative to Replacement! 972-323-8375. PermaGlazeNorthDallas.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

MELROSE TILE James Estrello Sr., Installer 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work. Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928

#1 GET MORE PAY LES

Painting. 85% Referrals. Free Est. 214-348-5070

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

A1 TOP COAT Professional. Reliable. References. TopCoatOfTexas.com 214-770-2863

ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541

ALL TYPES Painting & Repairs. A+ BBB rating. Any size jobs welcome. Call Kenny 214-321-7000

Granite, Marble, Tile, Kitchen/Bath Remodels. 972-276-9943 stoneage.dennis@verizon.net

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It — We do it. Tommy. Insured. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

Years Experience

469.774.3147

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless restorationflooring.net

The Handyman “ToDo’s” Done Right Save $25 on Service Call of $125 or $50 on Service Call of $250 handy-dan.com 214.252.1628

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

214.560.4203

TO ADVERTISE

JAN. DEADLINE DEC. 10

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REPAIR Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

ROMEO’S PAINTING Int/Ext. Drywall, Damage Repair. Prep House To Sell. 214-789-0803

TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work

Since 1984. Int./Ext. 214-755-2700

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES

Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 12 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

A&B LANDSCAPING Full Landscape & Lawn Care Services. Degreed Horticulturist. 214-534-3816

ALL YARD SERVICES Fertilization, Trim, Edge, Color. Com./ Res. 30 Yrs. Exp. Call Brooks. 972-279-3564, 214-923-5439

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE

Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

COLE’S LAWN CARE • 214-327-3923

Quality Service with a Personal Touch.

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

GREENSKEEPER Winter Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

IRRIGATION SYSTEM REPAIR Call Carl. 972-948-4335.Texas Irrigation Lic # 8708

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

RED SUN LANDSCAPES • 214-935-9779 RedSunLandscapes.com

RONS LAWN Organic Solutions. Not Environmental Pollution. Landscape & Maintenance 972-222-LAWN (5296)

SPRINKLER REPAIR SPECIALIST $25Off. 972-226-1925 www.rainmakertx.com LI#7732

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 30+ years exp. Ll 6295 M-469-853-2326. John

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Your Personal Yard Service by Uwe Reisch uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

WATER-WISE URBAN LANDSCAPES www.TexasXeriscapes.com 469-586-9054

WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Rmv, Cable Repair, Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergency Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313 JUST

214.394.2414

ParkerTreeService.biz

Family Owned since 1937

PEST

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 + Tax

For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services. 214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

All Plumbing Repairs. Slab Leak Specialists. Licensed & Insured. ML# M36843.

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521

# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers

• Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days

*Joe Faz 214-794-7566 - Se Habla Español*

PLUMBING

ARRIAGA PLUMBING General Plumbing

Since the 80’s. Insured. Lic# M- 20754 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116, CC’s accepted.

ARRIAGA PLUMBING Water Heater Installed $875/Disposal $250. Lic#M-20754. Insd. Since the 80’s. 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116. CC’s accepted.

HAYES PLUMBING INC. Repairs. Insured, 214-343-1427 License M13238

JUSTIN’S PLUMBING SERVICE

For All Your Plumbing Needs. ml#M24406 972-523-1336. www.justinsplumbing.com

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913 Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

SPECK PLUMBING

Over 30 Yrs Exp. Licensed/Insured. 214-732-4769, 214-562-2360

UPTOWN PLUMBING. Serving Dallas 40 + Yrs. 214-747-1103. M-13800 uptownplumbing.com

POOLS

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

1 month free service for new customers. Call for details. 469-358-0665.

LOCK’S POOL SERVICE - 469-235-2072

40 years experience. Pool Electrical TICL #550

ROOFING & GUTTERS

A&B GUTTER 972-530-5699

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IN AND OUT – AND GONE.

Third-row seats can fetch big bucks online, and they’re often stolen. Lakewood resident Amy Cuccia was a victim of this crime recently when someone jimmied open her backdoor window and made off with the seat. She is still amazed at the risk someone would take in removing it from her Chevy Yukon XL.

“In my mind, it would be real difficult to get in and get it out so quickly, but I guess it wasn’t,” she says. “It was kind of weird. When I got in, I thought, ‘Who left the seat down?’ I then noticed it was gone.”

The Victim: Amy Cuccia

The Crime: Burglary of a motor vehicle

Date: Monday, Nov. 3

Time: Between 8:30 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Location: 6400 block of Anita

Third-row seats have become an increasingly popular target for thieves in recent years, and Cuccia says she has heard of other similar crimes in the Lakewood area recently.

Replacing the third-row seat has been particularly frustrating.

“The process has been a real pain in the butt and super expensive,” she says.

Dallas Police Sgt. Keitric Jones of the Northeast Patrol Division says this is a common target for theft, along with wheels and rims of high-end SUVs. He reminds residents to keep cars in a garage when at all possible; if not, park in well-lit areas. A car alarm can help deter criminals as well.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

ONLINE POLICE REPORTS LESS TRANSPARENT

The Dallas Police Department in June upgraded a 40-year-old system that made police reports available to the public online, but the new system offers much less information than the previous one. Online police reports previously offered limited narratives about crimes — anything from a sentence to a couple of paragraphs describing the crime. Now the online reports list the type of crime, location, time and date, but they offer no specific information, no narrative, on the crime. That’s because the new system requires two data entry fields — one public and one for internal police purposes. The old system had just one data field that would cut information off at a certain point in the narrative. When the new system first rolled out in June, patrol officers began copy and pasting the same narratives into both data entry fields. That resulted in confidential information inappropriately being made public. So the police decided to keep all narratives out of public view until they can find a solution, says Maj. Robert Sherwin.

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SO MANY CHOICES

DISD’s success in Lakewood creates a new kind of conundrum for parents

After pointing out the Rookwood tile fireplace and refinished hardwood floors in the M Streets home, our real estate agent then shared with my husband and I a fact clearly intended to close the deal. “Your elementary school is … Stonewall.”

We looked at her blankly and nodded politely. This was 15 years ago, more than a decade before our first child, and we knew nothing about Dallas ISD or the local schools. Realizing our ignorance, our real estate agent educated us on the greatness that was Stonewall Jackson Elementary: its exemplary status, its sign language program, its active PTA, its garden.

“Stonewall” quickly became part of the identity of our new home when we described it to others. Our fellow East Dallasites immediately understood the significance. “Ahhhh, Stonewall,” they would say, “what a terrific school.”

And it is. So after all this time, it’s a bit unsettling to struggle with where to send our firstborn next fall. It’s not that Stonewall has deteriorated in any way — if anything, it has improved over the last decade. And it’s not that we’re looking to go private. It’s that another nearby public elementary school has us intrigued.

Sitting just a mile south of Stonewall is Robert E. Lee Elementary. Lee has long been overlooked when com-

pared to Stonewall and Lakewood elementaries. But that is changing. Lee, like Stonewall and Lakewood, is a state exemplary school. It has an integrated dual-language program and is applying for International Baccalaureate certification, which would make it the second IB elementary school in DISD. Like Stonewall, Lee has an award-winning education garden managed by a Master Gardener in conjunction with Texas A&M University.

Most significantly, Lee is garnering tremendous support from the surrounding community. In mid-November, Dallas City Councilmembers Philip Kingston and Adam Medrano, along with DISD Superintendent Mike Miles, Board President Miguel Solis and East Dallas Trustee Mike Morath, held a kick-off event at the school to promote Lee. More than 100 residents, business owners, community leaders and parents joined them to hear the new principal, Bridget Ransom, describe all that Lee has to offer and the exciting changes that are just around the bend.

The fact that we can even consider an elementary school outside of Stonewall’s boundaries is attributable to DISD’s new program that allows parents within the Woodrow Wilson High School feeder pattern to choose among its six elementaries. Preference is given to families within the elementary school’s boundaries, and then those outside the boundaries may apply.

When I sought Morath’s thoughts about our Stonewall versus Lee quandary, he advised us to run, not walk, to Lee’s dual-language pro-

gram before pointing out the real selling point for the school: “They have a rock wall in the gym. A rock wall.”

Morath is quick to boast about all the schools in the Woodrow feeder pattern, noting that Stonewall and Lakewood’s academic outcomes are equivalent to those of Armstrong Elementary in Highland Park, that Lakewood’s Outdoor Learning Area and Math Maniacs program provide an incredible math-science education, that William Lipscomb Elementary, like Lee, has two-way dual-language classes and is seeking IB accreditation. Mount Auburn Elementary is transforming into a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) academy and Eduardo Mata Elementary recently re-launched as a remarkably successful dual-language Montessori school described as an “educational Xanadu” by parents.

Solis argues that the tremendous community support and alignment among the school district, principals, teachers, parents and neighborhoods has propelled the Woodrow feeder schools to success: “Imagine what the future of Dallas would look like if we were able to capture the synergistic energy brewing in the Woodrow feeder pattern and spread it across the district.”

Yes, but all these great schools create some really tough choices for parents. Now we’re considering not only Lee, but Mata as well (duallanguage Montessori!?!). When I lamented our conundrum to Kingston, he chuckled. “That’s the beauty of living in East Dallas. It’s a great problem to have.”

Angela Hunt is a neighborhood resident and former Dallas City Councilwoman in East Dallas. She writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or email ahunt@advocatemag.com.

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