COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Forest Hills Service League works for neighborhood causes

TheForestHillsServiceLeague is young compared to other Dallas leagues, having been founded in the early 2000s. Despite the neighborhood having an active Garden Club that has been around for years, the Forest Hills Service League didn’t really take off until 2005, says Tamela Southan, the nonprofit organization’s event chairwoman.

Not coincidentally, 2005 was the year Southan movedtoForestHillsand began asking herself and others, “How can we get our community of Forest Hillsmoreinvolvedworkingtogether doing fun events for our neighbors?”

After some hard work and a lot of volunteer participation, the Forest Hills Service League now reaches out to the Forest Hills community by hosting at least four annual events — a Fourth of July parade, a fall festival, a holiday tree-lighting ceremony and a senior citizen social.

The volunteers who help with each eventarebothwomenandmen somewhat unusual among local leagues, whichareoftenmadeupentirelyof women.Though some leagues require nominationsandhavewaitinglists, Forest Hills’ league has more of a comeone, come-all approach. Southan does all of the planning for events and then mans them with as many volunteers as she can recruit.

There’s a commonthreadhere:“I am the service league,” Southan says, laughing.

This year, in conjunction with its other annual events, the Forest Hills Service Leagueheld a MemorialDaypicnic, and will host its inaugural Chili CookOffandPepperBlastFunRunOct. 15,withproceedsbenefittingSanger Elementary’s garden education (“So kids knowwhataneggplantis,”Southan says).The second senior social of the year happens Nov. 6, and a community non-perishable food drive will take place from Nov. 1-15. Neighborhood beautification projects and a “pet alert” round out the league’s busy schedule.

Most of the events benefit some sort of charity or cause. In the past, the Forest Hills Service League has donated the majority of the funds it raises to Jonathan’s Place and the White Rock Center of Hope. A portion of the money also goes into a fund for future events. Volunteer participation has also been on the rise. On average, five to 15 people volunteer for every event, Southan says.

“The more events we’re doing, we’re getting more volunteers,” she says. “People like to have fun, and when they see others having fun, they want to join in.”

Why does Southan juggle the responsi-