2016 September Lakewood

The Pet Issue

POTENTIAL

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LAKEWOOD 611 N GLASGOW DRIVE

HIP POCKET

THE DOG DAYS

Neighbors are giving up their time, money and homes to help hopeless canines.

IN THIS ISSUE

20

RAPTORS RULE THE ROOST AT WHITE ROCK LAKE NEIGHBOR ERICH NEUPERT IS REHABILITATING OWLS AND HAWKS AND RELEASING THEM IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

24

BOMBS AWAY

COLD WAR ERA BOMB SHELTERS LITTER THE CITY. 52

A NUMBER OF WAYS TO SUCCEED LOCAL NONPROFITS HAVE DIFFERENT TACTICS TO COMPETE FOR DONATIONS DURING NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY.

58

I.B.P. — EASY AS 1,2,3 FIND OUT WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON WITH DALLAS ISD’S INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM.

68

DOG PARKS ARE FOR PEOPLE TOO WHITE ROCK LAKE DOG PARK ISN’T JUST FOR PUPS. WHEN DISASTER HITS DALLAS, IT BECOMES A SAFE HAVEN FOR PEOPLE LOOKING FOR A CONNECTION.

(Photo by Dany Fulgencio)

ON THE COVER: Glory is just one of countless Dallas dogs in need of a permanent home. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

IN EVERY ISSUE

ZAMARRIPA LOST HER STEPSON ON JULY 7. HE WAS ONE OF FIVE

AMBUSH AFTER A BLACK LIVES MATTER RALLY.

“People have gotten offended. They tell me they don’t want to see dead dogs in their feed. But we have gotten more and more rescuers by showing what is really going on.”

Tarashevska, founder of Dallas Dogs RRR page

Memorial service at Thanksgiving Square. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

WORTH SAVING

KNOWING WHAT TO KEEP MIGHT BE A MOM SUPERPOWER

Those “hoarder” shows on television are something, aren’t they?

The lifestyle is both fascinating and frightening: What people save, and why they save it, sometimes stretches the boundaries of sanity.

I bring this up because I just returned from a trip to my childhood home, a Minnesota farm where my parents lived for 57 years. The time had come to move them to a place that doesn’t require maintenance and snow-shoveling, a place with a single closet as opposed to four huge farm storage buildings. It was time to go through a half-century of “treasures” one final time.

Somewhere along the line, Mom made a conscious but frequently questioned decision: She decided to save everything — gloves and caps we wore at age 10 during our 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily cattle-feeding shifts. Ancient snowmobile suits. Dusty rain boots. All hanging on the same hooks we last hung them on 30 or 40 or 50 years ago.

And the closets in our bedrooms — I kid you not when I tell you that I could model my entire 10th grade wardrobe right now. Mom saved everything, “just in case.”

Mom always talked reverentially about “the grainery,” a farm building ostensibly built to hold oats and wheat between harvest and sale. Every time she mentioned the grainery, my sisters and I cringed: The building had become little more than a dusty, rodent-scented black hole, a place where Mom kept her most precious things in boxes and bags.

Trips to visit us in Texas always involved the interstate transfer of goods from the grainery. My first typewriter from college turned up. My report card from second grade. The first Polaroid camera I received for

Christmas, along with the first tiny black-and-white instant photos that popped out of it.

“Why keep all of this stuff?” we asked Mom over the years.

Even Dad joined in the chorus: “Mother, no one wants any of that stuff.”

So it was on my last trip up the grainery’s wood steps, Mom unable to supervise due to back woes. And on a final search-or-forever-destroy mission, I scrounged through her treasures.

There was my original G.I. Joe, lovingly packed in a re-sealable freezer bag and wearing the brightly colored and definitely not Army-issued pajamas my mom sewed for him. There was an old yellow Tonka truck I played with daily as a kid. There were boxes of green plastic soldiers that many times over helped me protect the United States from foreign incursion.

I laughed out loud at what she had saved. I remembered every one of those things — each took me back to when the only thing on my “to do” list was to have fun.

And it was at that point I realized something that eluded me all of these years: I imagine every trip to the grainery reminded Mom of those long-ago days, too, back when her hair was dark, her skin was smooth and the days ahead seemed endless.

It took me until this last trip to our farm, sadly sifting through 57 years of tangible memories, to realize the singular difference between Mom and the TV hoarders.

She saved that stuff not for herself but for us. It was her way of making sure we remembered where we came from and who we are.

Thanks for not listening to us all of those years, Mom.

Rick Wamre

is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by emailing rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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EDITORIAL

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contributing editors: Sally Wamre

contributors: Sam Gillespie, Angela Hunt, Lauren Law, George Mason, Kristen Massad, Brent McDougal

photo editor: Danny Fulgencio

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contributing photographers: Rasy Ran, Kathy Tran

editorial interns: Will Maddox

Advocate, © 2016, is published monthly by East Dallas – Lakewood People Inc. Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for the content of all advertisements printed, and therefore assume responsibility for any and all claims against the Advocate. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material. Opinions set forth in the Advocate are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s viewpoint. More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

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“WHEN WE DON’T ALLOW FAMILIES TO CHOOSE DISD AT A PRE-K LEVEL, WE’RE MISSING THE POINT IN TIME WHEN THEY’RE MAKING EDUCATIONAL DECISIONS.”

DUSTIN MARSHALL ON OPENING DISD PRE KINDERGARTEN TO PAYING CUSTOMERS

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M GOING TO DO WITHOUT HIM. I JUST DON’T KNOW.”

LATIFA AMDUR AFTER HER DOG, ROMEO, WAS KILLED BY A LOOSE DOG

“Don’t isolate yourself, don’t be out in the dark, don’t be on your own. I don’t get the fascination with the game. But there’s still a world going on, you’ve got to pay attention.”

LT. CHRIS HARMON ON POKEMON GO PLAYERS

FREE BIRDS

RESCUING WINGED CREATURES OF THE URBAN WILD, AND LETTING THEM FLY

There’s an old story that mother birds will ignore baby birds if they are touched by humans. That’s not true.

The best thing to do with a baby bird is to leave it alone if it doesn’t look injured, or you can put it back in the nest.

“The nest is the best,” so says Erich Neupert, who g rew up around the Mecca of ornithology: Cornell University.

These wise words are but a taste of the smorgasbord of knowledge in his head.

His grandmother, he says, is

called the First Lady of Birding at the Ivy Leaguer because of the work she did with Peter Paul Kellogg and Doc Allen, founders of the institution’s ornithology school.

When Neupert was a child his grandmother still worked at Cornell.

“I spent lots of time there

This 2-year-old screech owl is about to be released in our neighborhood after a stint at the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

learning and studying,” Neupert says of his upstate New York upbringing.

“She introduced me to ornithology,” Neupert says. “She put something in me about birds, and now here I am running a raptor center.”

The White Rock area resident now brings that education and spirit to North Texas as the executive director of the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center. It is the only raptor center in North Texas and works with more than 30 raptor species.

Neupert frees raptors all around our city, but White Rock Lake serves as one of the most popular release locations for rehabilitated birds of prey, he says. The lake is a perfect environment for screech owls, great horned owls, Cooper’s hawks and red shouldered hawks. Which is great news for the surrounding area, he adds.

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“Raptors are the best natural pest control.” Especially screech owls, whose favorite foods include large cockroaches, sometimes called waterbugs, a common sight in North Texas.

“Whenever I tell people that, they’re excited to hear we release screech owls in the area,” he says. But cockroaches aren’t the only pests on the menu.

“Raptors are a top predator on the food web. They eat rats, snakes, mice, rabbits, some squirrel. The smaller ones eat insects. Their job is they kind of help keep some of that in balance.”

And balance is critical. Neupert says the best outcome is to return animals to where they are found, but that doesn’t always work. Blackland Prairie has a computer program that tracks all their releases and notifies

“I see more Sold signs than For Sale signs in the neighborhoods where I’d like to live.”

We get it.

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“Raptors are the best natural pest control.”

them before an area is oversaturated with raptors.

“If we put them all in one area it wouldn’t be good for the area or the birds,” he says.

So far this year the center has seen more than 235 raptors come through and has released 17 screech owls around White Rock Lake. More are coming soon because quite a few of the small owls are still being treated. Birds you might spot at White Rock include two great horned owls, two Cooper’s hawks and two red shouldered hawks, all released by Neupert and Blackland Prairie.

In 2004 Neupert joined Blackland Prairie as a volunteer, along with five others. Two years later he was asked to take over operations.

“I wanted to see how we could grow and expand.”

At the time it wasn’t much more than an outreach effort. Today, they host 200 programs a year, have 14 educational birds to display and this year, they’re open to the public the first Saturday of every month and they’ve added a temporary raptor hospital.

“It’s getting quite busy,” Neupert says of the facility. “Just today we’ve

received seven raptors and there’s another one on the way.”

The center also moved to an endangered Blackland Prairie north of Dallas, changing its name to honor the tall grass that used to cover more than 23,500 square miles of Texas from the Red River to San Antonio.

Overall plans for the center include an education facility, interpretive trails through native Blackland Prairie, demonstration gardens with native species and the creation of a raptor rehabilitation center.

The rehabilitation center will be tackled next, Neupert says. It will include a permanent hospital with a surgical center and will be capable of housing up to 900 raptors at once.

“It will make us one of the larger [centers] in the country.”

The permanent rehabilitation center is crucial because injured birds arrive for a variety of reasons. However, the most common reason the center receives calls, especially from our neighborhood, is due to baby birds found on the ground.

“Now, most of the time, those birds are fine. They’re just learning

to fly and they don’t need our help,” he says. “We call them orphans, even though they aren’t truly orphans.”

The center also sees raptors that have flown into windows or get hit by cars. Some are sick after eating a rat or mouse that has ingested rat poison. Others, Neupert says, are even shot at, which is illegal. Birds also come in with second-degree burns on their feet because of fertilizer that has been left on lawns. Neupert says it happens when the fertilizer isn’t watered correctly.

“That takes about a month, once we get a bird in with those kind of burns, to get them off.”

If a bird has been injured like that, the center tries to find a new area to release them, keeping them out of harm’s way.

“We do a lot of scouting to find good areas for birds,” he says. “They’re part of a balanced ecosystem. It’s important that they’re out there.”

To learn more or to volunteer, visit bpraptorcenter.org. Or give to Blackland Prairie on North Texas Giving Day — see p. 52.

—STEVE DICKERSON

Erich Neupert prepares to release a recently rehabilitated screech owl near White Rock Lake, a popular release point. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

PAST & PRESENT

PARKS ESTATE

Joseph Parks made his fortune in the business of death. The founder of the Dallas Coffin Co. and his wife, Lucy, built their dream home in 1922 at 6220 Worth St. and raised five children there. In 1957 the property was sold to the YMCA, which conducted extensive renovations. But in the mid-2000s, Tom and Kathi Lind purchased the home and hired architect Norman Alston to spend two years restoring the classic mission style home, for which they earned an award from Preservation Dallas.

1930s 2016

Elizabeth Mast

Vice President 214-914-6075

emast@briggsfreeman.com

Robby Sturgeon Vice President 214-533-6633

rsturgeon@briggsfreeman.com

maststurgeongroup.com

DUCK AND COVER

A LOOK BACK AT BOMB SHELTERS AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Emergencies and disasters are a part of life. Some are manmade, others are natural. Dallas has seen its share of emergencies — from yellow fever and influenza pandemics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to 100-plus years of recorded floods, to the devastating Oak Cliff tornado of 1957, and beyond.

While emergency management has existed in crude form in Dallas since the 1870s, it wasn’t until the Cold War era — 1954 to be exact — when the nation was gripped with fear of another World War, and the Dallas City Council established the City-County Civil Defense and Disaster Commission. In response to the threat of nuclear attack, the commission built emergency shelters all over Dallas, including

a number in East Dallas and Lakewood.

Stocked with food and survival supplies, these shelters were located in both public buildings and private businesses — From St. Thomas Aquinas School on Abrams and the East Dallas YMCA on Worth Street to the Dallas Independent School District headquarters on Ross Avenue. Even Woodrow Wilson High and Baylor University Medical Center had their own fallout shelters. Today, most have been deactivated following disuse and the diminished threat of nuclear war.

In 1962 at the peak of the nuclear scare, the council created a Civil Defense Emergency Operations center underneath the former Fair Park Health and Science Museum — complete with

a 1962 kitchenette and aluminum sliding panel doors to serve as a situation room. Eric Green’s civildefensemuseum.com includes a video tour of the Fair Park facility. Like the others, that space is no longer used as any sort of emergency shelter.

Emergency preparedness continues today in the city’s Office of Emergency Management, which works before, during and after emergencies to minimize impacts on the community. Their work coordinates with other departments in government, the private sector and community stakeholders to advocate for planning, response, recovery and mitigation following any sort of disaster.

David Bush

JOHN SLATE is the city archivist for Dallas who pens pieces on local history.

THE CITY OF DALLAS IS OBSERVING NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH THIS SEPTEMBER. THE DALLAS MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES PARTNERED WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO PRODUCE THE EXHIBIT “EMERGENCY,” ON DISPLAY IN THE MAIN LOBBY OF DALLAS CITY HALL SEPT. 1-30. THE EXHIBIT FEATURES BOTH HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS FROM THE ARCHIVES’ EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COLLECTIONS AS WELL AS BOMB SHELTER ARTIFACTS.

Clockwise: Flooding at White Rock Lake in 1962; a Fair Park sign during the Cold War; the location of the city’s bomb shelters. (Courtesy of Dallas City Archives)

ONLY IN EAST DALLAS

You can always tell what time of the year it is by looking at this highly visible tree on Buckner Boulevard. The tree is decorated seasonally, with a current nod to the upcoming election. We’d love to feature whoever adorns this tree — if you know the mystery decorator, tip us off at editor@advocatemag.com.

(Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

THE goods

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

to advertise call 214.560.4203

MOURNING IN THE SPOTLIGHT

AFTER LOSING HER STEPSON IN THE AMBUSH ON DALLAS POLICE, A WOODROW GRAD FINDS SOLACE IN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

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CITY VIEW ANTIQUE MALL

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Grief is normally a private emotion, experienced in quiet, solemn moments, surrounded by the closest friends and family. When your grief is shared with the entire world, and you are turning down meetings with President Barack Obama because you need time to yourself, you enter a level that few have experienced.

Maria “Rosie” Saldaña Zamarripa.

Story by Will Maddox | Photos by Danny Fulgencio

When 14 officers were gunned down in downtown Dallas on July 7 following a Black Lives Matter protest, Patricio was one of the five officers who didn’t make it home. “That next day, we had no time to mourn, there were so many reporters. Never in my life have I experienced anything like that,” says Zamarripa. “I was in shock, and had so many emotions at the time.”

Despite the mixed feelings that came with public grieving, Zamarripa has used her platform for unity in divisive times. While on CNN, she was able to meet the girlfriend of Alton Sterling, the man slain by police in Baton Rouge while he sold music outside of a store. What could have been another chapter in the conflict between blacks and police became a beautiful moment of solidarity. “We held hands in New York City, and were able to comfort each other. We plan on staying in touch, my heart went out to her,” Zamarripa remembers.

On the topic of violence in retaliation for violence, Zamarripa’s husband, Rick, pleaded on CNN, “This has to stop.”

After growing up as quiet girl in East Dallas, Zamarripa never thought she would be featured on the national

Maria “Rosie” Saldaña Zamarripa, Woodrow Wilson graduate and stepmother of Officer Patricio “Patrick” Zamarripa, knows all too well the joy and frustration of grieving in front of a national audience.

Memorial service at Thanksgiving Square.

news. “My mother was very protective because I was the only girl, so I only went to a couple of football games, and didn’t go out much” she says. “We are quiet people.”

Following the shooting, reporters came from near and far to camp out in front of the Zamarripas’ house in Saginaw, but the attention was not always desired. Dealing with grief and loss in front of cameras created a strange cocktail of gratitude and frustration for the family. “At one point we had to put a sign on the door to keep the reporters away,” she says.

Zamarripa says meeting President Obama was always a dream of hers, but when the commander in chief came to meet the families of the fallen, the day was cloaked in anxiety. “When we went to meet him, we were so nervous. We went through some back doors, and none of us knew where we were going. We were escorted the whole time.”

It was a surreal moment, feeling the anguish of loss in the company of

the most powerful couple in America. “He was just really friendly, he hugged us and expressed condolences to us. He was just letting us know he cared, and even played with the kids.” She couldn’t help but notice the First Lady as well, ”I just told her how tall and beautiful she was; they

are both so tall!” Zamarripa, who is 4’11”, is able to chuckle to herself about these memories.

The President’s speech that soon followed in Dallas, which Zamarripa attended, is a bit foggy looking back. “I was in so much shock about the whole thing, I don’t really remember

Memorial service at Thanksgiving Square.

much about it. I was still in disbelief about the whole thing.” She does remember being moved by the five reserved chairs each with the peaked cap of a police officer for each of the slain, accompanied by their picture. “It was all so touching, such an amazing experience,” she says.

She admitted that there are some media outlets to which she cannot say no. “But we also felt so much gratitude for everyone, how do you thank so many people? It made us feel good to put his name out there and celebrate his life.”

Zamarripa’s East Dallas roots burned bright in the dark times.

“Seeing all the Facebook comments and the memorial at Woodrow made me proud to be a Wildcat,” she says. “When I saw the comments mentioning Rosie, I knew they remembered me by my nickname in high school. It showed that they were talking about me, and that they cared about me.”

Losing her stepson, who had been

on the force for more than five years after serving three tours in Iraq with the Navy, has helped Zamarripa realize how much he meant to the community in which he worked. “He never talked about the work he did when he came to see us. When we heard people’s stories, we were like, ‘Patrick did that?’ He was always just a family man to us, he was just

Patrick around here.”

In the time since Patrick’s passing, hundreds of people have reached out to the family, attended his funeral and demonstrated their appreciation for his sacrifice.

“Patrick was so close with his father,” Zamarripa says. “His father was his hero and he was his father’s hero.”

But there has been a silver lining to the family’s public mourning. People have come out of the woodwork to share stories of their son, stories they likely wouldn’t have heard otherwise.

“We never knew that he fed homeless people on the job, or anything like that,” she says.

Of hearing people talk about him on the news and at the funeral, Zamarripa says, “We are in awe. He went out in style. My daughter is going to give her son the middle name of Patricio in his honor. I have a feeling there will be a lot of babies named Patricio this year. So many people will never forget him.”

Rick Zamarripa, Officer Patricio “Patrick” Zamarripa’s father.

18

Sept. 7

COLORING AND WINE

Take some time to relax, color and enjoy some wine. Tickets must be purchased in advanced, and includes coloring sheets, use of creative supplies and a complimentary glass of wine.

Times Ten Cellars, 6324 Prospect, 214.824.9463, creativeoasiscoaching.com/coloring-parties-information, $30

Sept. 7

ART CONTEST

Winners from the summer painting reproduction contest will be announced for all age groups, music will be played and refreshments will be served. It’s also the last chance to see Chuck McCarter and Stephen Potter’s original works hanging next to their recreations.

Lakewood Conservatory of Fine Arts, 7328 Gaston, 214.856.8728, lakewoodconservatory.com, free

Sept. 17

LIBRARYFEST AND BOOK SALE

If your summer reading list has dwindled, head over to the Lakewood Library’s book sale. It features free activities for children and more than 15,000 items on sale, including signed books. Find raffle items from local merchants along with yarn items from the Lakewood Knit Wits. All proceeds support the Lakewood Library. Lakewood Library, 6121 Worth, 214.670.1376, lakewoodlibraryfriendsdallas.org, free

Sept. 18

SUNDAY CINEMA SERIES

The Sunday Cinema Series continues its second season at Knife at The Highland Dallas. This year’s series focuses on Chef John Tesar’s favorite director: Wes Anderson. The evening includes gourmet snacks from Knife and local beers from the crafty Four Corners Brewing Company. Of every ticket sold, $10 benefits the Dallas Film Society. Knife at The Highlands Dallas, 5300 E Mockingbird, 214.443.9339, knifedallas.com, $35

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 21-Oct. 1

‘THE TEMPEST’

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” tells the tale of an exiled duke and his daughter who are shipwrecked on an island by a major storm. Hopefully the outdoor showing at the Samuell Grand Amphitheater includes a splash zone. Samuell-Grand Amphitheater, 1500 Tenison Parkway, 214.559.2778, shakespearedallas.org, $7

Sept. 24

THE OH HELLOS

This Texas-based acoustic folk and pop rock group features siblings Tyler and Maggie Heath.

Grandada Theater, 3524 Greenville, 214.824.9933, granadatheater.com, $22-$39

Sept. 30

PUMPKIN VILLAGE

It might not feel like it yet, but it’s pumpkin season. Catch the 1-acre Pumpkin Village featuring America’s favorite gourd at the Dallas Arboretum. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, 214.515.6500, dallasarboretum.org, free with admission

Delicious

Ruby’s Sno-Balls features unusual flavors like basil, earl grey, nectar cream and Vietnamese coffee.

(Photo by Kathy Tran)

RUBY’S SNO-BALLS

Let’s make one thing clear: Ruby’s Sno-Balls aren’t snow cones.

Sure, a snowball and a snow cone are both refreshing mounds of shaved ice with flavoring, but Ruby’s is a light, fluffy delight. Not some run-of-the-mill ballpark snow cone with hard, granular chunks of ice and cloyingly sweet syrups.

Jessica Fultner, the mastermind behind Ruby’s, was visiting her husband’s hometown of New Orleans when she first discovered snowballs. She waited in line for more than an hour to get her first taste. It was nothing like she expected, and it sparked an idea.

“[My husband] was always very frustrated that he couldn’t get what he referred to as a snowball in our area. The first time that he ever took me to a snowball stand in New Orleans, I knew this is what I wanted to bring to my neighborhood.”

She started making the regional treats last summer, but in early August

Fultner took a leap of faith by opening Ruby’s in the back of the La Victoria Mexican Restaurant on Haskell. “It’s literally a hole in the wall,” Fultner says.

The new location allows her to highlight one of the main differences between snowballs and snow cones: the flavors. Fultner says snowballs are known for having non-traditional flavors.

So far Ruby’s has featured flavors like basil, coconut cream, earl grey, ginger-cayenne lemonade, grapefruit, Texas peach, strawberry-black pepper, Vietnamese coffee and nectar cream. All of the flavors are homemade, which is where Fultner has her fun. She keeps her flavor menu rotating, which allows her to try new combinations and take suggestions.

“I don’t want a stagnant, boring menu. I’d rather it just be that we put a lot of thought into these flavors.”

The fact that the flavors are all homemade and sometimes experimental shows that her approach is about quality,

not quantity.

“We’re not going to be offering 50 flavors. We’re honing it down to like 10 or 15 flavors weekly, and we’ll rotate them out,” she says. “If I were to make 50 different flavors, I would have to use preservatives, and if you use preservatives the shelf life is like six months.”

That means she wouldn’t be allowed to experiment with flavors as much. And where’s the fun in that?

—STEVE DICKERSON

RUBY’S SNO-BALLS

1605 N Haskell

469.403.6121

rdsnoballs.com

AMBIANCE: Hole-in-the-wall

PRICE RANGE: $3-$5

HOURS: 1-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday

DID YOU KNOW: Ruby’s also has traditional flavors like banana, blackberry and cherry.

dining SPOTLIGHT

BREAKFAST/LUNCH

BREAKFAST/LUNCH

Another Broken Egg Cafe

It’s our passion to create exceptional dishes for breakfast, brunch and lunch that are “craveably” delicious with an artisanal flair.

Mon-Sun 7:00 -2:00 pm

1152 N. Bucker Blvd. Suite H100 AnotherBrokenEgg.com 214.954.7182

MEXICAN GRILL

Enchilada’s

Voted by Advocate Readers as Best Date Night in Lake Highlands

Dog Days of Summer call for a chilly beverage

Enjoy the Big E margarita along with Tex Mex favorites

enchiladasrestaurants.com

Like us on Facebook For Catering Call The Fiesta Line 214.691.1390

Haute Sweets Patisserie

Treat yourself & the ones you love with the finest desserts, French Macarons, cookies, cakes & more. Award-winning chefs bring premium restaurant quality treats right to our neighborhood. Paleo & Gluten-free available.

Mon-Fri: 9:00am-7:00pm Sat: 10:00am-6:00pm

10230 E. Northwest Hwy. HSPdallas.com

214.856.0166

BREAKFAST/LUNCH

504 Bar & Grill

Check out our website for Daily Specials and Special Events

• Open for Lunch • 16 Big Screen TV’s

• Happy Hour 11am-7pm

• Private Room Available

• Voted Top 5 Brunch Spot by Dallas Morning News

• Plenty of Free Parking • Kid-Friendly

SEAFOOD

Palapas Seafood Bar

Come see why we were voted one of the best patios in Dallas for 2016. Experience our special flavorings & recipes from Mexico’s seafood capital Sinaloa.

Enjoy our Happy Hour from 4-7pm.

1418 Greenville Avenue 214.824.3000 palapasseafoodbar.com

Alfonso’s

• Celebrating 33 Years of Service!

• Newly Remodeled Dining Room

• Rustic Italian Cuisine

• 16-Seat Full Bar / New Wine List!

• Mondays: 50% off glasses of house wine & $3-off pizza 12”or larger

718 N. Buckner #222 214.327.7777

AlfonsosItalianRestaurant.com

“Like” us on facebook

$5 OFF a Purchase of $25 or more. Dine in only. Not valid w/ any other offer.

Exp. 9/30/16 Happy Hour M-F 2-6pm 1/2 off all starters & pizzas

$4 Premium well liquor drinks

$2 off all drafts · 1/2 off wine by the glass

Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 11am-9:30pm Fri.-Sat. 11am-10:30pm

AMERICAN BAR & GRILL

LUNCHBOX SEASON IS BACK

Summers are made up of late nights, no routine and a lot of tiresome fun, and it is not always easy getting back into the school routine. For me, the early mornings are the hardest part. Getting everyone up, dressed, fed a nutritious breakfast, lunches packed and out the door on time can be a challenge.

As important as breakfast is for ourselves and our kids, so is the lunch we pack to fuel the rest of their day. The lunch box routine does not have to be intimidating or stressful when you have an organized refrigerator of simple and healthy options. In my family, we love a classic sandwich, but I always like to change it up so lunches don’t look the same every day. Here’s some easy-to-make crowd pleasers to get your school year started on the right note with plenty of big flavor.

IN THE LUNCHBOX:

Turkey and cheese skewers

Sweet potato chips

Grapes

Edamame

PBJ Roll Ups

Apple slices

Carrots and ranch

Pretzel sticks

Salami and crackers

Mozzarella balls

Cucumbers and tomatoes

Dried fruit mix

Pasta salad

Sugar snap peas

Strawberries with yogurt dip

Popcorn

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.

RETHINK retirement.

AT PRESBYTERIAN VILLAGE NORTH, we’re creating new ways to help you make each day better than the one that came before it. A new Lifestyle Fitness Center and Spa, Café and wellness programs. New villas for independent living. New residences offering health services, too. Martins Landing and Leonard Rose apartments are set to open this year. Don’t wait to reserve. You wouldn’t want to miss out on a future this bright.

RESCUE ME

THE PATRON SAINTS OF LOST-CAUSE CANINES

STORY CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB PHOTOS DANNY FULGENCIO

A STRAY WANDERING THE STREETS OF EAST DALLAS TENDS TO ATTRACT ATTENTION.

Reuniting lost dogs and owners is a familiar process around here, expedited by microchips and social media.

Our frequent favorable experiences with doggie drifters make it easy to forget nightmarish scenarios playing out across town, where sections of southern Dallas are riddled with sick, dying and grossly at-risk animals whose chances at happiness hover around zero.

But once you know about what’s going on, “it keeps you up at night,” says White Rock area resident Marina Tarashevska, for whom Dallas’ oft overlooked canine perdition is all consuming.

A year ago, this petite, raven-haired Ukrainian native gave up her part-time marketing job to concentrate on her militant, in-the-trenches animal activism.

“It isn’t something I can do a little,” she says. “Once you know, once you start, you can only focus 100 percent.”

Her public Facebook page contains graphic evidence of a horrific problem, one image after another of mangy, frightened, mutilated animals or, worse, their carcasses, bones and skulls.

“People have gotten offended. They tell me they don’t want to see dead dogs in their feed. But we have gotten more and more rescuers by showing what is really going on,” says Tarashevska, who adds that even when she lived in Detroit, a city whose stray dog problem was reported by Atlantic magazine and other national media, she did not see circumstances as distressing as those in Dallas. (That is in part because winters in Detroit kill much of the stray population, she notes.)

She understands images of dogs injured by cars or puppies left to die in tightly knotted bags are tough to see. It is easier on the psyche, not to mention the social life, to forget southern Dallas, where she suspects the loose dog

Marina Tarashevska and her foster Chihuahua, the flower-laden Faith Hill.

and dog-dumping crisis is an extension of deeper societal problems. Southern Dallas is contending with some 8,700 loose dogs, according to a recent Boston Consulting Group study for Dallas Animal Services. The problem goes mostly unseen by residents north of I-30 (where there is not a significant number of loose dogs).

Once she understood the degree of suffering — which required no studies, just a visit to the impacted area — she dedicated her life to saving abandoned animals.

As she utilized social media to garner attention, thousands offered support — and there are countless ways one can help, she assures.

Tarashevska’s level of commitment means long, hot or freezing days salvaging dogs from perilous places. It involves exposure to nervously gnashing teeth, contagious skin conditions, angry pet owners and, sometimes, biting criticism. Vacations, dinners out, clean carpets, general sanity and regular sleep all are part of a past life.

“But there are a lot of us,” she says. “There are so many people helping, and that is what keeps you optimistic.”

Hundreds of Dallas residents joined Tarashevska in her crusade to save animals citywide, and many others do similar work independently or through one of hundreds of animal-rescue organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

If the following stories of sacrifice and salvation — not to mention the irresistible images of healed, happy pups prepping for their forever homes — move you, see the “Ways to Help” boxes on pages 35 and 38.

By the time of publication, we hope, many of our featured fosters will have been adopted, but never will there be a shortage of amazing animals waiting for a new best friend.

RESCUE ME

MARINA TARASHEVSKA IS A LOCALLY FAMOUS, SOMETIMES CONTROVERSIAL, CANINE CRUSADER.

Behind a front door affixed “Beware of Dog” sign, she holds back an anxious Chihuahua in a pink-flower choker, Faith Hill. Bella, a small beige and white mutt, hides behind her rescuer’s legs, barking in quick bursts. Miriam, a stocky older hound with a starched paw-patterned bandana knotted around her neck, keeps her distance, hesitant to inject herself into the entryway chaos. Tarashevska holds up a bowl containing bite-sized treats.

“You give it to them,” she says. The idea is that they will warm up to us strangers when we feed them, and it works. There are more — two black Labrador mixes lounge side by side in a sunroom.

Tarashevska’s home is packed with rescue dogs like Miriam.

“That’s Coco and Chanel, and we think they are related. They are inseparable,” she explains.

Tarashevska mothers as many fosters at a time as humanly possible, often taking in litters of parentless puppies in addition to the others. She participates in the Feral Friends trap, neuter, release program, too, so a cat colony resides in her yard.

Tarashevska spends days in the woods along southeast Dallas’ Dowdy Ferry Road, a known dumping ground for unwanted, sick, lame or dead dogs.

She encounters several carcasses — sometimes only pieces — for every live dog. She embraces each saved life. But the work can mess up a person’s mind.

her; other times they curse her. One woman tried to run her down with a car.

Growing up in a destitute Ukrainian neighborhood, Tarashevska watched her grandmother drown whole litters of kittens.

“I hated her for it; I hated it at the time, but now I know she was showing mercy, doing what had to be done,” she says, because there were no resources to keep them alive. The experience lit a fire inside her.

After moving to Dallas she started her rescuing and activism independently because, she says, “I wanted to be able to speak my mind,” and she did not want to be beholden to an organization.

She is known to rage on social media about the incompetency of Dallas Animal Services (our city’s shelter once accidentally killed three dogs that she was scheduled to pick up, a case well-documented by Dallas media), and she has left dead dogs at the shelter’s front doors as a statement of protest against ignoring Southern Dallas’ dog dumping problem. (For the record, she also has acknowledged when they get it right.)

However when the offers of aid and donations grew to the thousands, she decided to form the nonprofit Dallas DogRRR (Rescue, Rehab, Reform).

Group members and supporters take in fosters, raise money for food and medical expenses and, following Tarashevska’s lead, fight like hell for neglected animals.

They have adopted Tarashevska’s ferocity and her no-dog-left-behind attitude.

“I wish there was a switch I could turn off in my head to stop the flashbacks of the awful horrifying things I saw,” she says following a particularly grueling day. “How am I supposed to be normal and happy and interested in anything? I know I won't be able to put any food in my mouth today, I won't be able to sleep, my stupid brain won't stop running through ‘what ifs’ and ‘whys.’ ”

Each live animal rescue is different.

“Some of the dogs we find are so desperate to be loved that they jump into one of our cars and do not look back. Others are hesitant to trust and are gradually won over by our regular feeding.”

Some days she approaches neglectful owners who have dogs tied up in yards with no food or water and offers to relieve them of responsibility.

At times people have surrendered their animals to

When an abused pup recently needed a midnight rescue and a $3,000 surgery, one Facebook follower suggested letting the dog “go” and using funds raised “to help 10 other dogs.”

The commenter was met with swift, harsh criticism from the group.

Sarah Cooper, who handles adoption applications for DogRRR, says the thought makes her want to cry. “That is not how we do things,” she says. “Every life deserves a shot. There are no lost causes.”

Cooper says that’s what makes Dallas DogRRR different from many other dog rescues. “They can pull the pure breeds or healthy puppies,” she explains, but DogRRR pulls dogs off the streets, from abusive homes and the ones in shelters that face certain death. “We pick up whatever. Marina doesn’t care. It all started with her, and it grew so big in a couple years and now we can save so many dogs it is mind blowing.”

Dallas DogRRR, founded by Tarashevska, rescues street dogs.

BRUTALIZED BY A SPEEDING CAR AND LEFT TO DIE IN THE DARK, SPIRIT IS NOW A SHINING LIGHT

The first public photos of Spirit came early last spring with a “graphic content” warning — blood matted the lanky Labrador’s blonde fur, one outstretched paw, mangled; his face and ear, sliced and shredded; his deep-set, dark eyes, downturned.

A car struck the dog, leaving him to die alone in a roadside ditch. But a passerby sent word that reached the now-established DogRRR group, whose members swooped in to save the ani-

mal, long shot though he was.

Then on an August afternoon, the reason Tarashevska and her crew do this comes at you as clear as the Texas sky — the reason bounds toward the front gate of a townhome on three legs, nuzzling its golden nose into your belly and hugging you, placing one large paw on your shoulder and licking your face.

“He is excited to see you,” says Cooper, who has been fostering Spirit

since he left his first major surgery last spring.

A GoFundMe page raised some $16,000 to treat Spirit’s massive injuries, which required three surgeries including an eventual amputation of one leg. His body also was riddled with heartworms. Now that the treatment is almost complete, Spirit is technically almost ready for adoption.

But it is clear that Cooper and Spirit are hopelessly attached. “I don’t

Last year, Spirit was hit by a car and left to die in a ditch.

have a husband. This dog is like the husband,” says Cooper, a German native who still speaks with an accent. She’s talking about their sleeping arrangements — the young woman, who is studying to become a nurse, shares a queen-sized bed with Spirit, his good arm draped across her no doubt, as well as her own dog, Chambers, a gentle medium-sized sweetheart of unknown breed. There is a third, Glory, another foster and hit-and-run victim. The Joker-style scar on the right side of Glory’s face and his maimed foot only add to his certain cool-guy factor, “though Spirit still kicks his ass in a

race,” Cooper says laughing.

Spirit might end up a “foster fail,” a lighthearted term used to describe a foster parent that winds up permanently keeping the dog.

The goal is to find good permanent homes for all foster dogs, but it is still bittersweet when they are adopted, Cooper admits. She never wants to say goodbye to Glory or Spirit, as she did not want to let go of the others she’s adopted out, but that is part of the hardcore sacrifices made by volunteers of her ilk.

“Yes, I cry like a baby when they leave.”

A brutal collision left Glory with scars on his face and ears.

RESCUE ME

HEATHER AND HER THREE BLACK BEAUTIES

Black dog syndrome, the theory that black dogs and black cats tend to be the last ones adopted from shelters, seems real to experienced rescuers.

“I’ve seen it,” says core Dallas DogRRR volunteer Heather Harris. That also means they are more likely to be euthanized when they wind up in kill shelters. Standing inside Harris’ White Rock area home, surrounded by three black foster dogs, it seems impossible.

All under a year old, and potty trained (save a wee bit of excitable urination here and there), these three ebony creatures are the embodiment of hope, love and all things good in this cruel world. Melodramatic? Maybe, but you are guaranteed to feel some of that when you lift the littlest one, Shirley, and she hugs you tightly, like a sleepy baby might.

Ace Ventura, whose shiny fur was nonexistent upon his rescue due to a bout with sarcoptic mange, now sits poised proudly, awaiting his glamor shot. Gentle and playful, his one vice might be nibbling the edges of those skinny notebooks used by reporters.

Leonard, who looks like Ace but with a white face, was rescued from a kill shelter in Mesquite. His calm demeanor sends him to a corner when the other two begin to roughhouse, yet outside, chasing a ball, he’s a swift, sure beast.

In another room of the house, Harris’ three permanent dogs wait semi-patiently for their turn to play.

Like DogRRR’s other core members,

Harris has dedicated the better part of her life to saving animals.

“I lived in a condo before this. I have a real estate agent friend who helped me find a house. She said, ‘You must have a house if you are going to keep having all these dogs.’ ” When she moved into her house, she acquired more fosters and the

agent/friend said, “I did not mean so you could get more!”

Donations to DogRRR help fosters like Harris maintain — “They pay for food, medical, accessories like pee pads, crates. People make donations and think my $5 or $10 doesn’t help, well, it actually does,” she says.

Clockwise: Shirley. Ace Ventura. Leonard.

DALLAS DOGRRR (RESCUE. REHAB. REFORM.)

ABOUT: Volunteers support abandoned dogs by collecting supplies, paying vet bills, locating foster families, facilitating adoptions and advocating for a more hopeful future. They often work the trenches of poverty stricken areas of Dallas rescuing forgotten dogs. No paid staff means all donations go to the dogs.

HOW TO HELP: Adopting a dog or cat, rather than purchasing a pet from a breeder or pet store, is one way to curb the problem. To make a major impact, consider becoming a foster. Many foster volunteers have as many as four or five animals in addition to their own pets. The demand for foster parents is high, Dallas DogRRR founder Marina Tarashevska says. DogRRR supplies food and pays all medical expenses. Fosters provide a temporary home. You can also help by donating money, food or supplies, or volunteering your time to drive pets to and from medical appointments.

CONTACT: Dallasdogrrr.org and follow the group on Facebook to learn about its most pressing needs.

SUCKED IN

Erstwhile Richardson ISD teacher Janeye Pritchard was on summer break when the irresistible request from a neighborhood animal advocate popped up on her Facebook timeline.

“They needed help bottle feeding a puppy,” she says. “This little hand-sized baby needed to be fed every two hours,

like clockwork. It was so cool.”

After watching that first pup grow to a hundred healthy pounds of dog, there was no turning back.

“I went to an adoption event, met people and knew this was something I’d like to do more.”

Soon she sheltered a whole litter of

abandoned puppies. Her roommate Ashley Bradford fell in love with and adopted one, she notes, a bull terrier — “like the Target dog, you know?”

Both women now are hooked on helping animals — serving on the DogRRR board, fostering and striving to find happy homes for as many animals as possible

Gatsby was found wandering the streets.

RESCUE ME

— though volunteering often is a far cry from Pritchard’s precious first experience. Reality is that volunteers operate in a sea of disappointments and treading-water, getting-nowhere feelings.

“It can be a neverending, thankless, often seemingly hopeless job,” she says of rescuing. “[Volunteers] write grant [applications], beg for donations, deliver supplies, schedule and drive dogs to medical appointments, arrange adoption events and rush out in the middle of the night when a dog is injured ...”

She recalls one live puppy found among its dead siblings inside a bag

tossed off a Southern Dallas overpass. She religiously watches “euthanasia lists” supplied by shelters in Dallas, Garland and surrounding cities, sometimes knowing there is no more she can do.

“It just never seems to be enough,” she says, expressing gratitude for all of Dallas’ animal rescue groups and volunteers.

Her most recent foster, Gatsby, so named for his black and white coat that resembles a tuxedo, was wandering the streets of Southern Dallas with an open leg wound, suffering demodectic mange and severe malnourishment. In Pritchard’s care, Gatsby recovered and proved to be a cuddly, loving friend to fellow fosters in the home. And he’s a paragon of why the toil is worthwhile, she says.

“What an amazing feeling, to swoop a dog up out of the jaws of death, nurse it back to health ... and then watch that dog find a loving forever home.”

“IT JUST NEVER SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH.”

ARE YOU MY MOMMY?

MORE RESCUES SEEKING FOREVER HOMES

BY STEVE DICKERSON | PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

SHASTA NEEDS SOME STABILITY

When you picture a dog, odds are you imagine Shasta. Looking at the 45-pound, yellow lab who loves to run and play, you don’t see the puppy found in a ditch just off of Interstate 30 on a cold, rainy October day.

Lilia Hollis, Shasta’s foster caregiver through White Rock Dog Rescue, says an older lady drove by and thought she saw something moving in the ditch. Ignoring the ‘80s horror movie setting she found herself in, the woman pulled over and found a 3-month-old puppy.

“She was just sitting there,” Hollis says, recalling the story as it was told to her. “I don’t know how she ended up there, but she was reasonably well fed. She was just a little wet and dirty.”

A picturesque family promptly adopted the picturesque dog. The mother, father and two not-too-young children fell in love immediately. But when the mother of the family suffered what Hollis describes as a “catastrophic health crisis,” they no longer had time for a puppy, and Shasta was returned to WRDR. Now she lives with Hollis again while they wait to find

the right family.

“She’s a beautiful dog,” Hollis says. “I don’t think she fully realizes her size, but she’s so playful and loves people.”

KNOCKED DOWN, BUT SHE GETS UP AGAIN

Lolita looks like a bit of a pushover. After all, the Chihuahua mix maxes out at about 15 pounds on a good day. But she’s tougher than you might think.

When rescuers with WRDR located Lolita, she had a terrible limp.

“The foot was turned and she couldn’t put any weight on it,” Hollis says. The veterinarians said Lolita had been hit by a car and it had broken her front leg in three places. “They wanted to amputate,”

WHITE ROCK DOG RESCUE

ABOUT: White Rock Dog Rescue is dedicated to saving homeless dogs found in East Dallas and around White Rock Lake. Volunteers are needed to provide foster care for dogs until a permanent home can be found.

HOW TO HELP: If you don’t think you have the space or time to foster a dog, you can still help White Rock Dog Rescue. The nonprofit is in need of supplies to help them take care of animals while they wait to find a new home. They will always take food for dogs and puppies, plastic and folding crates, and all sizes of dog beds, treats and harnesses.

CONTACT: 214.507.4016 whiterockdog.org

stay in for a month, and there was a pin left in her leg for two months after that.

Hollis says, but she wanted a second opinion. “I wanted to try to see if they would set the bone at another vet.”

Hollis found the right vet. Lolita’s surgery was a success, but she needed to

And now? “The dog is perfect. She runs, she plays. She’s great,” Hollis says.

Lolita isn’t as timid as a lot of Chihuahuas, Hollis says, which makes her great companion.

SPENCER IS CONTENT TO CHILL

Spencer is an old soul. Sure, the 55 pound black lab and shepherd mix likes to run and play. He is a dog after all. But at the end of the day, he wants to find a good spot on the couch with his people.

“He will get laid back,” says Basil Timmons, Spencer’s WRDR foster. “I think part of that is the lab in him. For a family dog he’s great.”

Ideally, that family might already have a dog, Timmons says, especially one that is about his size. “He loves to play and he loves to play with other dogs.”

But once the day is done, Spencer is a bit of a couch potato. “You get him to where you’ve burned out his energy and he gets a little bit of sleep in him. He’ll put his paws on your lap and then you can scratch him behind his ears. It’s great.”

CASSIDY IS LOOKING FOR LOVE

If you’re a pitbull-terrier mix with a lot of energy, sometimes the world’s perception of you is different than the reality. That’s the world in which Cassidy lives. The 50-pound white dog has energy to burn, which can scare some people. But Cassidy is a lover, not a fighter, according to Timmons.

A few years ago WRDR set up a dog-kissing booth at an adoption event. Cassidy was there, and people that ended up on her side of the booth got their money’s worth, Timmons says. “She was just there as a small pup, and she would just kiss everybody.”

Cassidy is a dog that is going to have to find the right fit with a family before she is adopted, Timmons says. Because of her high energy, she probably wouldn’t work well in a family with young children. “She’s a runner, so she’ll need somebody who does activities like running” to work out some of that extra vigor.

50%

of the 10 East Dallas nonprofits that received the most donations were considered small or medium

$209.27 average donation size from our neighborhood NTGD has raised $118,600,000 in seven years

A DAY FOR GIVING

North Texas Giving Day and the nonprofits who benefit

110 donations made every minute

$1,625,891

from East Dallas donors on NTGD

7,769

Donations given by East Dallas

Top 9

charities in our neighborhood were large organizations or private schools

$2,062,919

3 NONPROFITS, 3 APPROACHES, 3 SUCCESS STORIES

Nearly 8,000 neighbors donated to a variety of North Texas charities last year during North Texas Giving Day. The event, held this year on Sept. 22, is a huge fundraising opportunity for the area’s nonprofits. As you might expect, much of the attention

is given to the local behemoths: places like the Dallas Arboretum, Promising Youth Alliance and the Dallas Leadership Foundation. These three groups combined brought in more than $455,000 last year.

But several East Dallas groups — ones without PR firms sending out press releases — manage to

wrangle a large number of donors, sometimes grossing more individual donations than the big nonprofits.

A DUCK TEAM FOR DOGS

Odds are you’ve probably never heard of Duck Team 6 Street Dog Rescue, but you know why its cause is important. Loose dogs have become a huge issue in Dallas,

East Dallas charities raised

on NTGD in 2015

Dr. Michael McGuiness

Karen Adams PA-C

Dr. Natalie Wright

Stormie Tuma

Laser Specialist

and it showed when it came time to donate last year. Duck Team 6 received 434 donations — the most of any East Dallas nonprofit (St. John’s Episcopal School came in second with 337). The last two years Duck Team 6 has been on top of the list of individual donors during North Texas Giving Day (NTGD).

Yvonne Ybarra, president of Duck Team 6, says her nonprofit depends on social networking to drive donations.

“We have a really engaged supporter base. They are definitely following us, so they know when this is coming up,” Ybarra says. “The majority of our donors are our current followers and supporters and they spread the word to their friends and family.”

The key to nailing a social media-driven fundraiser is timing, Ybarra says. You don’t want to begin too early. “Then people tend to tune us out.” But a few weeks ahead of time you need to start reminding people. And then when the big day actually arrives, you hit them hard.

“It’s kind of like all hands on deck on the day. We take shifts to make sure someone’s always on social media.”

It also helps when you can form a friendly rivalry. The first year Duck Team 6 participated in the NTGD, it was neck and neck with a bat sanctuary the entire day. Both groups started having fun with each other online and it earned them more attention.

“We were just feeding off each other. We both raised so much more money because of it,” she says.

That money helps the group with its core mission — rescuing dogs from the street and finding permanent homes for them — but it also helps with outreach and a spay and neuter program. Ybarra says education has become a huge part of what Duck Team 6 does.

“We’re trying to give the people all of the knowledge that we can to help this problem,” she says. “We don’t have as many capture attempts as we once did because, at the time, we were trying to handle everything ourselves. Now we’re trying to spread things out by doing more outreach. And our outreach requests have gone through the roof.”

A DO-GOODER COFFEE SHOP

Duck Team 6 wasn’t the only group to have a big day last year. Union Coffee, located off Dyer and Greenville, received 155 donations, sixth most in East Dallas.

The Rev. Mike Baughman, community curator for the neighborhood coffee shop, says much of the support his group receives is from coffee shop regulars, people Baughman calls “do-gooders.”

Baughman gave the customers the nickname because 10 percent of sales from Union go to other nonprofits and charities around the city. Every year the coffee shop selects three causes to donate money to, and filters through them every four months.

“That’s long enough so that we can really get some of our customers to really fall in love with that cause and work with it once we’ve moved on to another one.”

The coffee shop has donated money to the Junior Players, Project Transformation, Capes 4 Kids, Cafe Momentum, North Texas Tornado Relief and United Methodist Disaster Relief, to name a few.

“When we adopt a cause, we do more than just raise money for them. We intentionally raise awareness and engagement for them. Every time a person makes a purchase at Union, they are told about the cause they’re supporting,” Baughman says.

So, why donate to a coffee

shop that filters money to other nonprofits? Well, that’s not all Union does.

It schedules events around each cause. When Union donated money to tornado relief, it organized volunteers to clean up and do roofing work on damaged homes. When it supported Junior Players — a group that brings children from all over Dallas together to work in the arts — Union hosted

Charities all over East Dallas and beyond will be raising funds during this year’s North Texas Giving Day, set for Sept. 22. Head over to NorthPark Center to see the fundraising madness in live action, or donate online at northtexsgivingday.org.

a get together so the young performing artists could talk to local artists who are making a living in the art world.

One of the other things Union does is kind of intangible, Baughman says, but it involves creating connections. A few years ago Union launched Capes 4 Kids.

“Once a month Union turns into a cape-making factory. [Volunteers] create as many kid sized capes as possible and then they are delivered to children with chronic illnesses by volunteers dressed as superheroes.” That idea started with a customer who didn’t know how to get it off the ground, he says. “We were able to connect them to resources and people ... to make it a reality.”

Baughman says one of Union’s core values is apostleship — the coffee shop is connected to the United Methodist church — which is “kind of a ‘churchy’ way of saying entrepreneurship.”

Because of that, Union reaches out to the community in a variety of different ways. It started the Spoken Language Arts Movement, or S.L.A.M., the second Saturday

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of every month. The night features high school and middle school students performing spoken word poetry. Union also recently launched Flow, an organization that works for gender equity in the city.

It has opened the coffee shop space up to LGBTQ-friendly church services, an open storytelling night called The Naked Stage and monthly talks about race called The Conversation.

NTGD helps Union do all of that, Baughman says, because the donations help the shop cover operational costs. Most coffee shops aren’t normally as large as Union is. But most coffee shops don’t also turn into cape assembly lines every month.

A CREATIVE SPACE FOR WRITERS

Unlike the previous nonprofits, The Writer’s Garret isn’t one of the new kids on the block. The literary learning center located in East Dallas recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The group helps foster the love of writing and reading, especially in school districts where students don’t always get oneon-one attention, according to Audrey Turner, assistant program specialist.

The Writer’s Garret has always had a variety of programs to offer. The Word of Mouth Reading Series was established in 1995 and has brought a number of authors to the metroplex. The Writers Community and Mentor Program (C.A.M.P) offers college and graduate schoollevel training to those whose financial or time restraints prevent their pursuit of a traditional university degree.

Turner says that the garret recently set up a scholarship program for people affected by cancer and have started special programs for veterans and their families.

Those programs have been successful for the nonprofit and they largely depends on donations.

“It’s huge,” Turner says of NTGD. “It’s one of our biggest days, definitely.” Last year the group received 119 donations, which was the ninth most on the day.

Like Duck Team 6, Turner does a social media push and email blasts leading up to the event, and

makes sure she and volunteers go all out on the day of the event. But they also have an old-school form of outreach. Much of the work done by The Writer’s Garret is done at schools and libraries, and that creates good word of mouth for the group. “We are fairly small in size, but we do reach a big audience.”

The dual outreach worked last year — that was Turner’s first year with the nonprofit.

The group hopes to go bigger this year. Turner has received more volunteers to help ask for donations and spread the word when the big days comes. “We started to get ready for this in June,” she says.

Her team has even discussed attending the event in person, which can lead to more funds.

If they do, Turner says her group will have some tough competition to deal with.

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“It’s kind of like all hands on deck on the Day. We take shifts to make sure someone’s always on social media.”

STORY BY KERI MITCHELL | PHOTO BY DANNY FULGENCIO

When Kelly Ritchie was hired at Woodrow Wilson High School three years ago, she discovered a problem with the school’s vaunted International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

“I met with a lot of students who couldn’t explain IB or why they were in it,” she says.

“The community was confused about the requirements and also what the benefits were. There were teachers here who didn’t know about IB and didn’t support IB in theory but were working with our students, so that was creating real problems because of the disconnect.

“We had a handful of seniors who had made it that far but weren’t sure what they were doing or why they were doing it.”

From a marketing standpoint, Ritchie knew that IB was a hit for Woodrow and for the district.

But she also knew IB couldn’t succeed unless the program had total buy-in — and not just from eager parents.

“If you’ve got a child being drug through this program by the parents, it’s almost impossible to finish,” she says.

Ritchie knew her task: Make the IB program’s value to students live up to its hype.

WHAT IS IB ANYWAY?

Woodrow was the catalyst of IB curriculum in Dallas ISD, which has spread to eight other schools since 2009. The rigorous program previously was available only at select private and charter schools in Dallas.

When IB launched at Woodrow seven years ago, a parent-led “Choose Woodrow” campaign was in full swing, and public school families were exploring ways to attract other families back to DISD. The district needed a marketing

plan, something exciting that would refocus parents’ interest in Dallas public schools.

A group of parents, teachers and administrators approached DISD with an idea: What if Woodrow became the incubator for the IB curriculum in Dallas? What if that working group could raise enough money to complete the lengthy application process and devise a curriculum to meet IB’s stringent requirements?

Would DISD fund the teacher training needed to offer the program and help promote it throughout the Dallas area?

The Woodrow IB group had a powerful ally with firsthand IB experience: Mike Morath, then DISD board member for the East Dallas/Preston Hollow area, graduated with an IB degree from Garland ISD and loved the program.

Morath backed the idea, the Woodrow IB group completed its fundraising and curriculum planning, and DISD provided the necessary tactical and financial support.

And in 2011, Woodrow became DISD’s flagship IB school.

The IB website defines the program like this: “(IB) is a nonprofit educational foundation offering four highly respected programmes of international education that develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world… The IB has a hard-earned reputation for high standards of teaching, pedagogical leadership and student achievement. We work with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.”

IB students simply read more, write more and work harder than students in other programs, and the

learning is said to be more holistic. Instead of students asking “Why do I need to learn this?”, the program is structured to make obvious what students can do with their newfound knowledge.

STOP. LOOK. LISTEN.

Once Woodrow was certified for IB, neighborhood parents’ unofficial PR machine kicked into high gear, students flocked to the program, and IB in Dallas public schools was off and running.

And then Ritchie came onto the scene.

She quickly identified the opportunities and the issues: To make things right with Woodrow’s program, the program’s promotion needed overhauling. That meant correcting misconceptions.

“There’s a perception that this program was for a particular

demographic,” Ritchie says. “That’s absolutely not the case. Those statements come from people who don’t know our students. In the junior class, our [IB] minority students outnumber our white students.”

intrinsically motivated, can meet deadlines,” she says. “It’s not, ‘Here, your test is going to be on this, be ready on Friday.’ ”

Her IB diploma candidates include students who will be the first in their families to go to college. Some have little to no support at home; some have parents who don’t speak English.

Skin color, family size, extracurricular portfolio — none of those characteristics determine whether a student will succeed or fail in IB, she says.

“There’s really no mold for IB,” Ritchie says. “It’s very much based on motivation. That’s the unifying factor for all of our students.”

The student who succeeds in IB will have “a love of learning, be

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“Those students may not earn the diploma, but it doesn’t matter because they’ve done something that students in much different situations couldn’t do or chose not to do,” Ritchie says.

Earning the diploma requires not just completing the program but scoring high enough on exams. Students who earn the diploma can be awarded as many as 24 credits at many colleges, and Ritchie says her graduates have used those credits to finish college early or

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“There’s really no mold for IB. It’s very much based on motivation. That’s the unifying factor for all of our students.”

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even double major and still finish in four years, or perhaps spend a semester abroad.

Only 10 Woodrow graduates received the diploma in 2014 and 2015, the first two years with seniors who started in the IB program as freshmen. That number doubled this year — 21 earned an IB diploma — as did the number of juniors who opted to continue on the diploma path — 62 this fall, compared to 29 in fall 2013.

Those numbers should grow over time, but the diploma numbers themselves do not drive Ritchie, nor does she exit students from the program who don’t show potential to earn the diploma, as many other IB schools do to increase their passing percentages. The diploma is not the be-all, end-all of IB, she maintains; it’s icing on the cake.

IB’S IMPACT SPREADS TO FEEDER SCHOOLS

IB isn’t just for high school students. An affiliated program also is offered for elementary and middle schools.

In high school, students apply to become part of the IB program, however, for elementary and middle schools, the program is baked into the entire curriculum.

The presumed ability to raise the bar for all students encouraged Woodrow feeder schools J.L. Long Middle School and Robert E. Lee and Lipscomb elementaries to become IB schools. (Hillcrest High School and schools under its umbrella — Franklin Middle School along with Preston Hollow and Kramer elementaries — also have signed up as IB schools. DISD magnet Harry Stone Montessori now has an IB academy for its seventh-

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eighth-grade students.)

Woodrow, Long and Harry Stone are the only DISD schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate organization; the rest are in various stages of candidacy, which lasts at least three years as campuses work to implement IB instruction and philosophies.

IB schools accomplish two goals, says Tracie Fraley, executive director of Woodrow and its feeder schools: “attract people back, and raise the floor for everyone.”

That’s what Tiffany Yackuboskey says she has observed at Long over the past four years.

Yackuboskey was the school’s 2015-16 IB coordinator, but when she started at Long, she taught remedial classes. IB at Long is just as much for remedial students as it is for advanced students, she says. It doesn’t put them on the same

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level, but it pushes all of them to their own next level.

Long hosted a student-led IB showcase last year for the community, and Yackuboskey marveled at the crowd’s diversity. People anticipated that an IB program at Long would “speak to” more affluent families in the East Dallas neighborhoods and “get them back in our doors again,” she says.

Those families were present at the showcase, but so were a lot of Spanish-speaking parents, who followed student translators through the classrooms, and parents of deaf and special education students. Teachers handpicked these parents’ children as shining examples of IB’s success.

“We don’t just learn math over here; we see that math happens in social studies.”

Yackuboskey remembers thinking: “These are the possibilities we’ve been waiting to see.”

As people walked through Long that night, they observed projects showing off IB’s holistic ideals. In one classroom, students had been asked to write a screenplay, with an accompanying movie poster, on what would happen if the moon didn’t exist.

“One kid incorporated Channing Tatum and Donald Trump into his story,” Yackuboskey says. “You can see how that type of learning in the classroom is way more impactful than if the kid just took notes on what the moon does and then took a test on it.”

IB instruction “gets the kids to take their learning to a deeper level that isn’t a multiple-choice test, but could be covered in a multiplechoice test,” Yackuboskey says.

Lipscomb principal Roxanne Cheek is seeing those effects at her own school, where “across the board, our students are thriving.”

Cheek says Lipscomb ranked in the top 10 percent of 200-plus elementary schools across the district this past year, with scores “above and beyond what they were the previous year.”

The “holistic approach to everything” is the key, says Keith Peeler, Lipscomb dad and chairman of the school’s site-based decisionmaking committee.

“We don’t just learn math over here; we see that math happens in social studies,” he says. “It’s the blending of it all. I don’t hear my kids struggling with one subject anymore.”

WHICH STUDENTS ENROLL IN IB?

At Long, Lee and Lipscomb, IB is for everyone. By the time students reach Woodrow, however, the program’s rigor steepens. The 95 students who will enter the program as freshmen this year were chosen from roughly 175 applications.

Those applications come from throughout Dallas. In Ritchie’s three years at Woodrow, about a third of her IB students attended Long, another third attended other DISD schools, and another third are private, charter or homeschooled students before they enter.

Ritchie and her team look carefully at the applicants — their writing skills (“The program is heavily writing based; there’s no real redemption in regard to that,” she says); their grades (“Sometimes a pattern leaves us wondering if they’re very serious about their work”); absences (“You really need to be able to be on campus absorbing material”); and indications of behavioral issues.

That said, Ritchie says she tries not to exclude students solely on their eighth-grade selves.

“We’ve extended invitations to kids who haven’t fit the exact mold you would expect,” she says. “We’ve talked to students personally, and

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some have a compelling story about a desire for bettering themselves in the future. We give them that opportunity to make a change for their life.”

It’s not true that being a Woodrow IB student means giving up everything else, she says.

But the program does require total commitment, she says. Its higher-level classes expect more from students, not to mention the required 4,000-word research essay (by way of comparison, this story is roughly 2,000 words).

“There are external requirements you cannot do within school hours. Students have to be motivated and engaged in the process,” Ritchie says. “They will be giving up nights and weekends when their friends are out doing the things they want to do, and they have to be OK with that, ultimately.

“Anybody can do it, but not everybody will.”

Now that IB has made its way to Long, Lee and Lipscomb, within a few years, Woodrow will begin to welcome students who became familiar with IB in elementary school, immersed themselves deeper in middle school, and arrive at high school truly understanding what IB is.

“Hopefully they will see IB as a viable option and not something scary that they don’t want to tackle because they will already be in the mindset of what we’re doing here — developing your voice, thinking critically about what you’re being told, what you’re being read,” Ritchie says.

This could increase the number of Woodrow IB students who attended Long. Ritchie’s goal, however, is not to stuff as many students as she can into the IB box, but to locate each and every student who already fits.

“The kids who genuinely need to be in this program will find us,” she says, “and we will find them.”

NEW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The Minyard Sun Fresh Market on Mockingbird-Abrams closed up shop this month. The neighborhood location, along with six others in Dallas, was bought by the San Antonio based H-E-B. Minyard moved into the Mockingbird spot after buying up the former Albertsons in late 2014. Minyard has been a mainstay in Lakewood. For many years the grocery store was stationed where Lakewood Whole Foods is now, at Abrams and Richmond. That store closed in 2007.

ing aromatherapy and candles, jewelry and decor items that were collected from around the world by owner Eddie Bicker. The location previously housed Unleashed by Petco, which vacated the space in January citing poor visibility in the Lakewood Shopping Center.

The Grove apartments on Easton near Garland Road have been there since the late 1960s and received an overhaul last year, when they were purchased by Keller Springs-based S2 Capital, owner of several Dallas complexes. To match its new look, the property received a new name, The Zeke, reportedly after the Dallas Cowboys’ new running back, Ezekiel Elliot. Elliot is under investigation right now, accused of domestic abuse. He denies all charges; Cowboys tell reporters that they back their rookie.

IN THE ASHES

WE’RE IN LAKEWOOD BECAUSE LAKEWOOD IS IN US.

For three decades now, Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate agents have not only represented buyers and sellers seeking to deepen their family’s Lakewood roots, but have put down roots here as well.

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Meso Maya made its neighborhood debut this summer when the Mexican restaurant opened at the southeast corner of Mockingbird and Abrams. Meso Maya has two other locations, one downtown near the Perot museum, in between El Fenix and Taqueria La Ventana, and one at Preston-Forest in the northwest corner’s strip center. The 6,000 square-foot location was first announced nearly a year ago. Alamo Drafthouse finally has found its East Dallas home. The long-anticipated cinema will open at the former Tom Thumb space at Skillman-Abrams, across from the SuperTarget.

A new neighborhood market with an old school vibe opened next door to Garden Cafe in East Dallas recently. It even has the same owner. The market “is a throwback to the local shops of old. Supporting its direct community through friendly, personal service,” according to owner Mark Wootton.

Turquoise and Lavender opened its doors as a specialty boutique featur-

Firefighters arrived just after midnight to battle a fire that destroyed the interiors of Frutería Cano and Fide’s Beauty Salon in the 800 block of S. Beacon. Firefighters attempted to put out the fire from inside the building, but by the time they arrived the roof had been badly compromised and soon after collapsed. It took nearly two hours for crews to fully extinguish the flames.

After 15 years, the Rockfish Seafood Grill at Mockingbird Station closed its doors for the last time. A manager at the now closed location says the seafood grill couldn’t come to an agreement on a new lease for the 5331 E. Mockingbird restaurant. In an email blast, the restaurant thanked its loyal customers, saying, “We enjoyed being a part of your neighborhood and we hope you will come to see us soon.” The next nearest Rockfish is located at 11661 Preston.

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

Jimmy’s Food Store celebrated its 50th anniversary this summer. The neighborhood gem at 4901 Bryan first started serving customers in August 1966.

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Meso Maya at the corner of Mockingbird and Abrams.

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. By limiting class size, teachers are able to build a strong educational foundation to ensure confidence in academics, athletics, and the creative and performing arts. Highlander offers a “classic” education which cannot be equaled. Monthly tours offered; call for a reservation.

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.

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.

THE LAMPLIGHTER SCHOOL

11611 Inwood Road Dallas TX 75229/ 214-369-9201/ thelamplighterschool.org

Lamplighter delivers serious education wrapped in the wonder of childhood. The Pre-K through fourth grade years are fleeting, but filled with pure potential. What we, as parents and educators, ignite in these primary years establishes the trajectory of a child’s future. Lamplighter helps set children on a path toward rewarding lives as forever learners. The independent, co-educational school promotes academic excellence through innovative curriculum that merges fine arts with language arts, math, environmental science, social studies, physical education, and Spanish

ISCOPAL 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.

SPANISH HOUSE

Four East Dallas Locations / 214.826.4410/ DallasSpanishHouse.com Spanish Immersion Program in East Dallas! Nursery, Preschool, Elementary and Adult Programs available. Our new K-5 Dual-Language Elementary School will be open for the 2016-2017 school year at 7159 E. Grand Avenue. Please visit our website (DallasSpanishHouse. com) or call 214.826.4410 for a tour.

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. Characterbuilding and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and stateof-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.

FINDING PEACE IN THE DOG PARK

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES, MANY IN EAST DALLAS TURN TO WHITE ROCK LAKE DOG PARK

“The dog is a gentleman,” Mark Twain once mused. “I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.”

No doubt about it, we love our dogs. We spoil them with squeaky toys and bacon treats, surrender precious bed space, and, in recent years, take them to their very own parks. East Dallas dogs and fourlegged visitors enjoy White Rock Lake Dog Park, with its wide-open spaces and a “dog launch,” where Fido and Fifi can bound into the lake to practice their dogpaddle.

Time has revealed, though, that the park is as beneficial for people as it is for canines. It has evolved as a place for heeling and healing.

As such a popular and well-loved park, it’s difficult to remember when it wasn’t part of the neighborhood. But co-founders Andie Comini and Melissa Tinning can tell you all about the early days. They met when they (and others) were taking their pups to an “illegal off-leash,” an open field off Winsted Drive. “One day,” recalls Comini, “signage went up saying ‘No Dogs Off Leash.’ ” Within hours, they and their dog-loving friends commenced to calling “every city official we could think of, demanding a park for our pups.”

Then-City Councilman Gary Griffith stepped forward.

One of the last major cities to embrace the idea of dog parks, Dallas initially pushed back. Comini and Tinning remember a solid year of hard work convincing the city, neighborhood associations, the parks department and others of the need for a play area for pooches. Fortunately, they had done their homework.

“We had data,” says Tinning, “from other parks and municipalities to support the development. And For the Love of the Lake were tremen-

dous in their support.”

They also had private donations, including $5,000 from the Texas Rangers, for initial development.

Eric Nadel, voice of the Texas Rangers and fellow dog lover, brought them in and eventually arranged for baseball legend Nolan Ryan to be present at the ribbon cutting of the White Rock Lake Dog Park in July 2001. More than 1,000 showed up for the ceremony — the dog park was a perfect fit in East Dallas.

The dogs of Dallas were overjoyed with their new space to run, romp and socialize. And though co-founders Comini and Tinning knew the human benefits of the park — a base for additional community and a proven asset for real estate values — they could not have imagined just how deeply healing the park would be. They would make that sad but comforting discovery a mere two months later.

September 11, 2001 brought the country to its knees. “When 9/11 hit, the dog park was flooded with people desperate to connect with others and just cuddle a loving dog,” Comini remembers. “People with and without dogs just walked around in a daze, often crying. The dogs sensed people were upset and would go up to them offering unconditional love.”

Tinning agrees. “For about two weeks after that horrible day, people just came to the dog park. People who didn’t have dogs. Folks from retirement communities, parents with young children and apartment dwellers all seemed to congregate there. They’d ask us, ‘Is it okay if we pet the dogs?’ or ‘May I just sit in the park for a while?’ ”

Comini and Tinning went to the park every evening, standing close

to the gate, pointing weary, dazed folks to the more docile dogs for pats and hugs.

Over the years, the dog park would prove time and again to be a place of healing. Peggy Compton, another early supporter of the park and frequent visitor with dogs Brently and Clifford, remembers “an influx of people and dogs during non-peak hours” during the recession in 2008 when many lost their jobs. “The dog park was a networking center for job seekers with their dogs. Job interviews took place at the park for a local retail pet supply company. Many people were able to make job connections from the other parkers and have fun with their dogs at the same time.”

Tragedy again struck in July when Dallas police officers were ambushed during a peaceful protest downtown. “In the aftermath of that Thursday night, the dog park was again visited by such quiet, sad peo-

ple who were looking for the comfort that is uniquely and lovingly given by dogs,” says Tinning. Nods Comini, “The dog park offered a place to go, to connect with others and to help start the healing process. In a split second, our lives forever changed, but our pups, so innocent, continued to happily play, oblivious to the news. That alone helped bring some smiles to mask our pain.”

Day to day, White Rock Lake Dog Park is therapeutic. Compton has many a time seen busloads of seniors from retirement centers smiling and petting dogs. Comini has witnessed grieving widows/ widowers left with a pet, finding comfort and company at the park. Susan Abrahamson, who frequents the park with her dogs Kindle and Grover, recalls a conversation with a group home caregiver who had brought a small group of autistic young men to the park. He explained to Abrahamson that simply watching the dogs was helpful to them emotionally.

“When we started the dog park,” reflects Comini, “we had no idea the benefits would extend to include us as well as the dogs. I feel as lucky as the pups when I go to the park.”

PATTI VINSON is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for over 15 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine, and has taught college writing.

White Rock Lake Dog Park features a “Dog Launch” for any pooch not afraid to take the plunge.

(Photo by Rasy Ran)

FINDING REFUGE IN OLYMPIC VILLAGE

TEAM REFUGEES REMINDS US OF THE NEED FOR SAFE HAVENS EVERYWHERE

For all the gold medal performances, for all the world records that fell in Rio,

WORSHIP

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS EAST DALLAS / allsaintseastdallas.org

Sunday worship service at 5:00 pm

Meeting at Central Lutheran Church / 1000 Easton Road

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Sunday School 9:15am & Worship 10:30am

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

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

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

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 / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / 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

GRACE UMC / Diverse, Inclusive, Missional

Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 am / Worship, 10:50 am 4105 Junius St. / 214.824.2533 / graceumcdallas.org

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 & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

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

Sundays: 9:00 am Early Service, 11:00 am Celebration Service

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

one of the best stories was the Refugee Olympic Team. Ten athletes who no longer have a country to call home were invited to participate in the games under the Olympic flag.

Five members of the refugee team were from South Sudan, two each from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria, and one from Ethiopia. They competed in athletics, swimming and judo. They lived in the Olympic Village along with all the other competitors.

The invitation meant to raise global consciousness about the plight of the refugee, humanize refugees in the eyes of the world, and sow seeds of peace. Let’s pray all those things result.

As one journalist noted, however, while the world is moved by Team Refugees, it is unmoved by refugees.

Refugees flee their countries because they are making a choice between life and death. They leave home because their homeland has left them homeless. They often are heroic in braving every obstacle to safety.

Yet often they are met with suspicion, if not contempt. While many countries have accepted and welcomed some refugees, and often more than they can easily integrate into their communities, fear of terrorists infiltrating refugee ranks and worries about clashes of religion and culture tend to dominate our responses to the desperate pleas for sanctuary.

The ancient Olympics were self-consciously religious. Athletes competed in the name of various Greek gods and the winners were

George Mason

crowned with wreaths from the garden of Zeus. Winners achieved near divine status in the eyes of the “hoi poloi.”

The modern Olympic movement has evolved into a kind of civil religion. There’s an Olympic flag, an anthem and the ritual of lighting the torch. Athletes are accorded celebrity worship and granted enduring admiration.

But what of our actual religious communities?

Most refugees today are Muslims fleeing violence from fellow Muslims. While some Muslim countries like Jordan have done a remarkable job of aiding refugees, too many others have put sectarian differences ahead of humanitarian likeness.

Jews and Christians both know something about exile consciousness. Abraham and Sarah left their homeland and Jews forever thereafter have confessed, “My ancestors were wandering Arameans …” The 40 years of wandering in the wilderness beyond the Jordan after the exodus from Egypt, the modern diaspora from the Promised Land and the flight from pogroms and the Holocaust have hardened a pilgrim identity into the Jewish experience that even the rebirth of Israel as a state has not fully overcome. While Christians in the West most often think of themselves as settled, we too have at the core of our history a sense of being “resident aliens” in the world.

When robust religious communities fail to advocate for refugees, we forget our own history and mute our witness. The well-intended yet unsustainable support of a few refugees by the quasireligious Olympic movement still leaves multitudes awaiting our actionable compassion. But a gesture can serve as a reminder.

is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

BACKING THE BLUE

Beyoncé’s got nothing on these two neighborhood teens. One Saturday morning the friends, Campbell and Olivia, made lemonade and cookies and donated all of the proceeds to the Dallas Police Department. The lemonade stand was just one of several ways neighbors found to support officers after the July ambush.

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Days: Mon & Wed. Students bring supplies. Nights: 1xt month workshop, supplies furnished. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829,

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER More than 500 adult art classes/ workshops from metal to mosaic! www.creativeartscenter.org

FARMERS BRANCH AQUATICS CENTER Visit our new natatorium. Begin swim, fitness classes & open swim. fbh2o.com

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING Get FAA Certification. No HS Diploma or GED. We Can Help. Approved For Military Benefits. Financial Aid If Qualified. Job Placement Assistance. Aviation Institute Of Maintenance. 866-453-6204

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

SERVICES FOR YOU

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

COMPUTER HELP! Viruses, Data Recovery, Upgrades, WiFi Problems, Onsite Tech. 214-533-6216 WebersComputers.com

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

MCCLELLAND GUN SHOP Clean, Repair, Restore. New/Used Guns. 214-321-0231 McClellandGun.com

MY OFFICE Offers Mailing, Copying, Shipping, Office & School Supplies. 9660 Audelia Rd. myofficelh.com 214-221-0011

NEIGHBORHOOD ENERGY EXPERT Helps you earn rewards for free energy, travel points & more. Call Elaine today for a free electric bill review. 214-500-3667 Make the Switch & Save!

LEGAL SERVICES

A FREE CONSULTATION Wills/Probate/Guardianships. MaryGlennAttorney.com 214-802-6768

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

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 214-577-7450

LICENSED PHYCHOLOGIST Academic, behavioral, ADHD, emotional testing. Children, adolescents, adults. Therapy. Dr. Katherine Pang 214-531-7624 lighthousepsychtesting.com

NEED

A

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

OAKCLIFF-LMT.COM Between Kessler & Stevens Park. Swedish & deep tissue massage. LMT Renee, 214-704-8193.

PET SERVICES

DOGGIE DEN DALLAS Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 DoggieDenDallas.com

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

In-Home Pet Sitting Daily Walks Overnight Stays Scheduled Visit Times Administer Medications Mail, Paper and Delivery Pick-up Plant Care And Much Much More! We offer personalized pet sitting care for your pet, in your home and on your schedule! 214-821-3900 societypetsitter.com info@societypetsitter.com Bonded and Insured since 1994

BUY/SELL/TRADE

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models. 2000-2016. Any Condition. Running Or Not. Top $$$ Paid. Free Towing. We’re Nationwide. Call Now. 1-888-985-1806

DONATE YOUR CAR FOR BREAST CANCER Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, support programs. Fast free pickup. 24 Hour response. Tax deduction. 855-403-0213

RANGERS, STARS & MAVS

Share front-row Texas Rangers, Stars & Mavs seats. Tickets are available in sets of 10 games (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Participants randomly draw numbers prior to season to determine a draft order fair to everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM

Estate Sales, Moving & DownSizing Sales. Since 2001. Ph/Txt Donna 972-679-3100

ORGANIZEANDREJUVENATE.COM

Declutter/Files/Feng Shui. 972-816-8004

OVERWHELMED? CALL All Points: “A Solutions Company” AllPointsEstateServices.com • 214-802-2781

OCT. DEADLINE SEPT. 7 • TO ADVERTISE

CALL 214.560.4203

AC & HEAT

CLEANING SERVICES

TWO SISTERS & A MOP Move in/Out. Reliable/Dependable 20 Yrs Exp. 214-283-9732 twosistersamopmaidservice.com

EXTERIOR CLEANING

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

FENCING & DECKS

FOUNDATION REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

We raise our kids here, too!

Family Owned & Operated 972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

TACLB29169E

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993

Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers

• Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Custom Built-ins and Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Full Kitchen and Bath Remodels. For information, contact Jim @ 214-324-7398

Licensed Contractor proudly serving Lakewood/ East Dallas since 1995 squarenailwoodworking.com Visa/MC accptd.

CLEANING SERVICES

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

AFFORDABLE CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. Routine Cleaning. Reliable. Dependable. Residential/ Commercial. References. 28+yrs. Delta Cleaning. 972-943-9280.

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

$100 off 1st clean for new weekly/bi-weekly clients. Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

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

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

CLEAN FREAKS Since 2005. Free Estimates. DallasCleanFreaks.com Call Today! 214-821-8888

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

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN Great Prices $$. Family owned business. 15 years exp. Reliable. Excellent Refs. Call Sunny @ 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

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

CONCRETE/MASONRY/ PAVING

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Tuck Pointing / Crack Repair. Mortar Color Matching. Windows,Doors, Cracks Etc. Don 214-704-1722

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

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS

Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (36 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

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333 TECL 31347 Lighting and Electrical Services

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

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

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

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

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. EST. 96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, ambassadorfenceco.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com charliehookerswoodwork.com 214-766-6422

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 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

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 30 Yrs.

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

Restoration Flooring

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS

972-521-6567. install, Repair, Service, Sales.

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

EAST DALLAS WINDOW CLEANING Power Wash. Free Est. Dependable. Derek. 214-360-0120

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 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 214-622-7488, 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

G & P HANDYMAN Plumbing, AC, Electrical, Painting, Roofing, Fix Appliances. 214-576-6824

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

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

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

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

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.

HOUSE PAINTING

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

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

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

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

OAK CLIFF PAINT MASTERS Interior & Exterior - Free quote at no obligation 214-650-3981

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

TOP COAT 30 yrs. exp. Reliable, Quality Repair/Remodel Phil @ 214-770-2863

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

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/ GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels. Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate. Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

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

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS

Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Remove, Cabling, Bracing/Bolting. Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergencies, Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313. arborwizard.com

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

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

YOUR TREES could look like a WORK OF ART, I Guarantee It.

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

Tip: Signs you might have a potential roofing problem:

1. Stains on ceiling or walls.

2. Seeing water in your attic after a heavy rain.

3. Seeing missing, cracked or curling shingles.

4. Mold or ‘bald spots’ on your roof.

MOVING

AM MOVING COMPANY Specialty Moving & Delivery.469-278-2304 ammovingcompany.com

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

Kirk Scott Scott Exteriors 214.503.7663 scottexteriors.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

A&B LANDSCAPING Degreed Horticulturist. Landscape & Stone Work. 214-534-3816

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

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

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

LIGHT IT UP DALLAS

Your lighting specialists. 972-591-8383 Parties, Weddings, Patios, Landscape.

LocalWorks.advocatemag.com

LAWNS, GARDENS

Dallas Groundskeeper

"We treat

•

DALLASGROUNDSKEEPER.COM

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.

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521 # M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days *Joe Faz 469-346-1814 - Se Habla Español*

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

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

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

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

WE REFINISH! www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LSI LAWN SPRINKLERS “Making Water Work” Irrigation system Service & Repair. Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

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

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

THE PLUMBING MANN LLC

All Plumbing! Since 1978. RMP/Master-14240 Insured. 214-FAST-FIX/ 214-327-8349

PLUMBING

Plumbing

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

PLUMBING

Lic.# M16620

REMODELING

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS

30+ Yrs. in Business • Major Additions Complete Renovations • Kitchens/Baths

214-341-1155

bobmcdonaldco.net

Chandler Design Group Design / Build / Renovate we'll turn your vision into reality

Heath Chandler 214.938.8242

www.chandlerdesigng roup.com

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOL SERVICE Parts/Service. Chemicals/Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

REMODELING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Build On Your Own Lot. Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

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

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

ROOFING & GUTTERS

GUARDIAN ROOFING & SOLAR

Roof Repair & Solar Installation. Project Mgr. John Beasley 214-772-7362 guardianroofingandsolar.com

BERT ROOFING INC.

Family owned and operated for over 40 years

• Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates www.bertroofing.com 214.321.9341

Jeff Godsey Roofing

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.

PEOPLE

Dallas native and “Bachelorette” star JoJo Fletcher isn’t leaving her hometown after finding love in the ABC reality show. She and fiancé Jordan Rodger are leasing a 1,547-square-foot home in the M Streets.

Rhett Miller , the Old 97’s frontman and former East Dallas neighbor, shared his painful past as part of the Okay To Say movement, which encourages people to speak openly about personal experiences with mental illness, with the goal of reducing stigma and urging sufferers and their loved ones to seek help.

Miller says he’s “spent the better part of my life in and out of therapy, more in than out,” stressing how lucky he is to actually have access to such treatment. He describes a “particularly dark time” when he was about 14 years old and attempted suicide. “It was an attempt

that probably should have worked but it didn’t, and I am so glad that it didn’t.” Following that he became acutely aware of his mental health, he says. That near-tragic day “doesn’t seem like 30 years ago,” he says.

EDUCATION

The robotics team at Woodrow Wilson High School earned a state championship at the inaugural state summer robotics program hosted by University Interscholastic League.

This year’s game required different school teams to complete tasks together to earn points. The RoboCats were teamed with Clear Creek ISD in League City, Greenville High School and Harlandale ISD from San Antonio. Woodrow Wilson High School students Julianna Sweeney, Rance

Albert, Esmerelda Miguel and Tammy

Land participated in the Mayor’s Intern Fellowship Program this summer. The fellowship offers a variety of experiences for students. Sweeney, who is a senior cheerleader at Woodrow and worked in the UT Southwestern Human Resources department, says she feels like she has received a great deal of experience in the real world of employment. “I have been able to see how the hospital hires and fires people and learn more about the employment process.” Miguel has been put on a special project for the communications department where she interviews other interns on camera, edits the clips and creates a video meant to recruit other interns and young employees to her summer employer. “I was kind of nervous at first, I had never interviewed anyone, but I have become more professional and experienced in my time here,” she says.

TRUE CRIME: OUT ON PAROLE

Dallas Police say two of the teens who were arrested in connection with multiple armed robberies in East Dallas on Aug. 2 were on parole for the 2011 capital murder of a man they knocked into a DART train.

Royneco Harris, 18, and Cortney Woods, 17, were charged with aggravated robbery in connection with an Aug. 2 incident in the 4800 block of Bryan Street.

That same night, several suspects robbed two individuals walking in the 700 block of S. Good Latimer at gunpoint. Two of the suspects pointed handguns at the victims and demanded their property. Police say one of the victims sprayed the suspects with mace before fleeing on foot. Harris, Woods and Kristian Rios, 17, also were charged in the S. Good Latimer robbery.

Harris and Woods were on parole

for the Nov. 22, 2011, murder of 19-year-old Octavius Lanier.

That day, Lanier stepped off the train at the DART MLK Station in South Dallas, when four teenagers began beating him. The teens eventually pushed him onto the tracks as the train was pulling away.

There was a third robbery on Aug. 2 that was similar to the first two. According to police, the suspects held a man at gunpoint as he entered his apartment in the 4800 block of Junius Street just before 2 a.m. Two of the suspects pointed handguns at the victim and demanded his property before fleeing. DPD have not said if that robbery is connected to the other two.

Anyone with information about the robberies should call Detective C. Cardenas at 214.671.3658. Anonymous tips may be made to Crime Stoppers at 214.373.8477.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

THE FAIR PARK DEBATE COMES DOWN TO ONE THING: CONTRACTS

Comment. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search Angela Hunt to tell us what you think.

I’m going to share something personal with you, but it’s got to stay between us.

I like details. No, I mean, I really like details. Like, unnaturally so. Like, if I could marry details, I would. Give me a few dense legal contracts, a ream of spreadsheets and a box of historical news clippings, and I’m in heaven.

But we need to keep this unhealthy predilection of mine on the down-low because I’m fairly certain that if I’m found out, there are some in this city who will label me as anti-Dallas. (Or perhaps even a “hater.”)

There’s a troubling (and I would argue, dangerous) civic fidelity test that has grown in popularity among the powers-that-be in our city. It posits that one’s love for Dallas is directly proportional to the degree to which one will disregard facts and blithely and blindly support a particular civic effort. The more extravagant and expensive and complex the project, the more devout are those who enthusiastically advocate for it without question.

According to this perspective, if you truly and dearly love our city, you should be perfectly comfortable signing off on nothing more than a concept — an idea. You shouldn’t need details or contracts or case studies, all of which reveal a lack of faith in our city leaders — and that’s just rude.

In the recent past, we’ve seen this litmus test utilized by sitting mayors and others in relation to a multitude of large-scale, publicly-funded projects: Ask too many questions about the projected mobility impact of the Trinity Toll Road and you’ll be labeled as trying to kill the entire Trinity River Project. Wonder aloud about taxpayer protections in the convention center hotel contract and you’ll be chastised for not wanting downtown to flourish. Ask for examples of horse parks and golf courses that have transformed blighted urban areas and you’ll be vilified for hating southern Dallas.

This antagonism between concept and contract is evident in the current debate about the future of Fair Park. The mayor has been pushing for a private nonprofit foundation, led by former Hunt Oil executive Walt Humann, to take over management of Fair Park. Conceptually, that may or may not be a good idea.

But the question isn’t whether we want to save Fair Park, whether we care about Fair Park, or whether privatization is a good idea. All of that’s prelude, an appetizer. The meat of this debate is the contract itself. The real question — the only question — is whether the written contract between the City of Dallas and Humann’s Fair Park Foundation is a good one.

Luckily, five members of the Dallas Park Board like details. In early August, Park Board members Becky Rader, Jesse Moreno, Paul Sims (my husband), Marlon Rollins and Barbara Barbee foiled heavy-handed attempts to limit debate on this 30year, $800 million contract. They didn’t have the time or support to

completely fix the agreement, but thanks to their hard work, the Fair Park contract coming to City Council in late August is much improved. And it’s the contract that counts.

You shouldn’t need details or contracts or case studies, all of which reveal a lack of faith in our city leaders — and that’s just rude.

All these lofty ideas, whether about Fair Park, the Trinity River or the Convention Center Hotel, are meaningless hot air until they are boiled down to very concrete terms in a written contract. And once these ideas are given solid legal form, once they are parsed into black and white letters and inscribed on a page, and once the council has voted to approve a very particular combination of words, those words bind the City of Dallas. They create legal obligations and financial responsibilities guaranteed by Dallas taxpayers, often for decades and usually for hundreds of millions of dollars.

I can’t help but think that if these massive civic projects were privately funded, if certain cheerleading, wheeler-dealer types who pull the strings at City Hall had to ante up their own money instead of putting taxpayers on the hook, that there would be a lot more questions asked before anyone signed on the dotted line.

I suspect we would discover that they secretly love details, too.

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 ahunt@advocatemag.com.

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