7 things to do in Lake Highlands this July

THROUGH JULY 8

THE HIGH SEAS

“How I Became a Pirate” is a musical about Jeremy Jacob learning the rules of pirate life and finding places to bury his treasure, even though he misses his family at home.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman St., 214.978.0110, dct. org, $23-$30

THROUGH JULY 31

FAMILY FUN FRIDAYS

It wouldn’t be summer without a trip to the Dallas Arboretum. Each Friday, the arboretum offers face painting, a petting zoo and music.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, 214.515.6500, dallasarboretum.org, $10-$15

JULY 7, 14, 21, 28

EAT YOUR VEGGIES

Purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at White Rock Market, open every Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. The market also offers specialty foods, arts and crafts.

Lake Pointe Church, 9150 Garland Road, goodlocalmarket. org, free

JULY 12

VAMPIRE PARTY

Sony Pictures releases “Hotel Transylvania

3: Summer Vacation”

July 13, and the library is celebrating with a costume party from 2:30-3:30 p.m. They’ll also have games and crafts.

Audelia Road Library, 10045 Audelia Road, 214.670.1350, dallaslibrary.com, free

JULY 14

TOO HOT TO HANDLE

Can you take the heat? Prove it at one of White Rock Lake’s most popular running events. There are 5k, 10k and 15k options starting at 7:30 a.m., followed by snacks, live music and beer at Norbuck Park. Norbuck Park, 200 N. Buckner Road, 214.660.1100, runproject.org, $35$65

JULY 18

FOSSIL FUN

Kids can learn about fossils and make their own in this 3-4 p.m. workshop from the Dallas Foundation and the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. SkillmanSouthwestern Library, 5707 Skillman St., 214.670.6078, dallaslibrary.org, free

Entrepreneurs. Game-changers. Adventurers. Risk-takers. They’re definitely your dream TED Talk lineup or someone you’d like to sit next to at a cocktail party. These women are boldly transforming their worlds in business, technology, philanthropy, arts, education and more. Meet some of the interesting women in our neighborhood.

BY ELISSA CHUDWIN | PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

ina Riley is Hamilton Park’s unofficial manager. Her parents were one of the first homeowners in the neighborhood in 1957, and she’s returned there to care for her childhood home. Besides her 35-year career in finance, Riley is the community liaison and special events organizer for Hamilton Park. She is actively involved with Hamilton Park Preservation Foundation, Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet School and New Mount Zion Baptist Church. As if she wasn’t already busy, she also volunteers with local seniors.

Why she started volunteering:

I started volunteering at Wiley B. Johnson Recreation Center back in 1993. I did that primarily because of my daughter, now 34 years old, Gia. I wanted her to have interaction with community. As she grew up, she went with me to provide resources for the community, host special events and provide outreach to seniors, single moms and those who had been struggling with addiction.

Her motivation:

I attribute what I do to my mom. My mom, Bessie Riley, now deceased, was in the first group of African American cosmetologists for Hamilton Park.

Where the post office is now, there was a Hamilton Park Village filled with African American shop owners. We just had a bunch of entrepreneurs back then. So getting involved and getting out of my comfort zone was one of the things I sought after. You can either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. I’m the person who looks at how it’s going to impact all of us.

How she helps seniors: When I’m not doing my thing in the community, I’m delivering and serving seniors that can’t get out. They’re homebound or facility bound. I do pamper parties. My daughter is a freelance makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics. We get together and do little things that are going to make them feel as beautiful as they’ve always been.

If she could, she’d have dinner with:

I have to say Denzel, because I like to be in the presence of intellectual, smooth operators. We have this saying, “Oh man, he’s so Denzel.” Him or Patrick Swayze. Both of them just have the air that “I’m here, I’m in the room, and you need to be thankful I’m in your space.”

She treats everyone like family:

When I introduce someone that I’ve come into contact with — whether it be a partner, a resource, somebody I’m serving — I say, “This is my Auntie Jo,” my aunt from another mother. There’s a strong love there when you create partner- ships and relationships.

Best advice:

How is it going to benefit all? Are we going to be consistent? Can you sleep at night when you’ve made the decisions you’ve made?

Her goals for her neighborhood:

Our future is making sure Hamilton Park hasn’t been wiped off the face of the earth like other African American communities have been. That’s why we determine our future; we vet the people who need to be vetted. We have a say-so at the table. We will not let our precious Hamilton Park become anything but the best of what we’ve always known it to be. We have an obligation to our elders and ancestors to keep it intact and make sure it’s just as beautiful and competitive as it was intended to be.

How she handles discrimination: annah Hargrove-Roberts thought she had the rest of her life planned. She’d leave her gig at Auto Zone in East Texas and return to Lake Highlands. She’d marry her longtime boyfriend and hopefully have two children while she transitioned into managing her family’s salvage shop, Orr-Reed Wrecking. Instead, the day after her father, John Hargrove, was murdered in a bar brawl, Hargrove-Roberts took over the business. She was 23. Despite customers’ skepticism, Hargrove-Roberts has spent the past six years managing and revamping Orr-Reed Wrecking. She also volunteers for Meals on Wheels, serves on Bethany Lutheran Church’s Child Development Center board and Richardson ISD’s Ignite camp.

You can’t do anything except for make people understand that you are responsible for how you’re perceived. You are responsible for how you react. You hope that when you are in the midst of adversity, you’re able to let the person see your worth. I look at those as opportunities. A lot of times, even in my day-to-day work, there may be someone from another generation or who was taught differently. At the end of the conversation, there’s respect, because they see me for who I am, not just the color of my skin.

She grew up in the family business: At 3 ½, my parents bought this place. Just like my son, I was here every day. As a little kid, this is what I was going to do. I was going to run the junkyard, and I was going to save things. My dad was the number-A boss, and I was the number-B boss, and everybody must know that.

Growing up in Lake Highlands, you’re surrounded by a lot of doctors’ kids, lawyers’ kids, executives’ kids. My father was the junk man. When I got older, I became ashamed of that. As I grew out of puberty, I realized what my father did was way cooler.

She hires people who need second chances: As a sometimes-recovering alcoholic, my father was very passionate about giving people second, third or one-hundredth chances. I feel the same way. I don’t have the capacity to hire the amount of people he did, but when I do need extra work, the first places I call are the halfway homes. You get burned a lot — heartbreaking stories where you’re just trying to help somebody and addiction takes over. But it’s worth it for the one in 20 you’re able to successfully help.

Misconceptions about the industry: What I do is not great money. Instead of having a crew of two guys and a machine, I have a crew of six guys. We salvage whatever we can that’s relevant. We don’t make any money from a demolition because all the money we’re being paid goes toward restoring what we save. A big misconception is we’ll pay to pick people’s houses apart. If I had to do that, I would have to sell what we salvage for so expensive. That’s no business model. One thing breaks you even, and the other is how you make your money. How she handles sexism and ageism: Auto Zone was really helpful. I was in East Texas doing a very maledominated job. I had men legitimately come and ask me, “Why aren’t you at home making your man a sandwich?” I had a woman call me a hussy once because I was working in a male-dominated field. When you’re told those things for three years, it becomes very easy just to let it slide off. At this point, if they want to act like they know more, I will kindly prove they don’t. Honestly, it’s more amusing that way. Her favorite neighborhood spots: My three big ones are Rooster Hardware, because small business women have got to support other small business women; Top Drawer Antiques, because they have the coolest stuff and, again, women support other women; and my church, Bethany Lutheran. achel Roberts-Pickett had just accepted a job in Dallas when she packed up and moved to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. She spent seven years in Mississippi and Louisiana, where she worked for Hagerty Consulting to redevelop storm-stricken areas. She’s returned to her Texas roots now and is the vice president of strategic operations at Red Leaf Investments.

Her favorite neighborhood spots:

We go to Shady’s all the time. My son is an athlete, so he’s always doing games. It’s the reliable family spot where we can chill after the game, and the food is really good. Bigger than Shady’s is the Audelia Library. My son and I probably go there twice a week. Our library at home is so massive that I just finally decided it didn’t make sense to buy books. They do the best events for kids and continuing education. I just think it’s a gem.

What she’s most proud of professionally:

During Katrina, I would say I’m most proud that 15 or 16 years after the hurricane, I see the fruits of my labor, the work that I did there. You see the revitalization. You see the beach has been basically reconstructed. You see all of these municipal buildings that are back online. Even the basic things like police officers in uniform. Those were part of the process for me when I was writing grants for municipalities and things of that nature. With Red Leaf, this is such a different animal. We had just bought a golf course that neither my boss nor I had any experience in. It was one of those things where it wasn’t as successful as it probably could be and needed to be. Within the first year of being here, we completed a $3-million renovation of the place.

What it’s like switching from the public to the private sector:

I have this entrepreneurial spirit. I just needed the opportunity to go out and pursue it on some level, so definitely no regrets. When you’re working in public sector or you’re working in nonprofit, you always get to see the fruits of your labor. This is more about making money, but you’re also helping build jobs, you’re helping to grow a company. So those are attributes I don’t dismiss at the end of the day.

Scariest moment in her career: I have gone into things where I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing. Katrina is a perfect example. You’re given this authority. You walk onto a scene, and you’ve never been given this level of experience. You walk into a situation where it’s a disaster zone. When I show people the pictures I have from Katrina, they say to me, “This looks like when I was in Iraq and a bomb went off.” You are literally driving through that. You don’t have any experience, and you’re like, “I need to figure out a way to make these people whole.”

What leadership qualities she values:

I always want to be the type of leader that people feel comfortable coming to. I always want to be that person that someone doesn’t feel like, “I don’t know what I’m doing here, but I’m nervous to tell my boss that I don’t know.” They can learn from me. I’m holding them accountable, but they are not fearful.

How she handles gender discrimination:

This #MeToo movement has brought up so many moments in your career that you think about and just cringe. I would say I’ve been very fortunate but not unscathed. Probably the biggest place I experienced it would be during my time in New Orleans and Mississippi. You’re working in a male-dominated environment dominated by these hardnose construction types. As far as direct incidences, we had some crazy things. When we first started the project, we were in hotels that didn’t necessarily have security, and we’d get knocks on the door from these drunken construction guys. It was scary sometimes.

PROFESSIONAL • ACCESSIBLE • RESPONSIVE

I have been marketing the finest homes in the most desirable neighborhoods around White Rock Lake for over twenty years. I will put your interests above all others, including my own.

If this is your time to sell or purchase a home, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

Kevin Sayre 214.384.2657 | kevin@davidbushhomes.com

f you viewed a human brain at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, you partially have Jenny King to thank. The public affairs manager was part of a team that opened the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute’s lab to the public as part of Science in the City, a collaborative partnership with the Dallas Morning News, SMU and TalkSTEM. King also has volunteered with several organizations, including Headstart of Greater Dallas and Austin College’s Alumni Board.

How she became so involved:

It was a build-up. My mother was very involved in the Dallas community. I always called her a professional volunteer when I was a kid. She’d be running late to pick me up from ballet or school or wherever because she was coming from some meeting. She was really a role model on how to be engaged in the community. I learned about important issues and how to be involved and how to maybe make a difference. I really believe anytime you volunteer to make a difference you don’t always see the result of it. I do believe everyone’s efforts move us all collectively forward.

Her proudest moment: I was new on the board of Head Start of Greater Dallas. I just loved my time on that board. We went on a joint retreat with our board and with our parent-family council. We all sat mixed up at these tables. There’s this grandmother who was raising her grandson. At another meeting, two years later, she said, “You know that time you went to that retreat? I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with this, but you made me want to stay and be involved in this leadership program.” That made me feel so good because I was just being friendly and chatting with her. That’s why I really believe you make a difference all the time. People just don’t always know it.

What she hopes for Lake Highlands:

Right now, as we get kids into school, we have kids from all around the world who live in Lake Highlands. They don’t speak English. They have a hard time learning. By third grade, you’re reading to learn, versus learning to read. Head Start can really make a difference for families. We serve families who speak English, and we serve families who don’t. If I had a dream for Lake Highlands, it would be to have Head Start or a similar robust early childhood education in our community.

Challenges in her career: Honestly, maintaining balance between work and family is perennial. Someone very wise many years ago told me, “Don’t plan your family around your job. Plan your job around your family. It will work out.” Sometimes it’s harder for things to work out than others. It’s not easy to do that. The prime years to work are also the prime years to have children. I tend to go all in, so stepping back and having a break from work [is hard]. Her work with Science in the City: That kind of outreach hasn’t happened yet, so this is a first for us. We are excited to be celebrating 75 years. For us to partner with the Morning News, SMU and TalkSTEM, to bring science literacy to the public, that’s an honor.

hen Vicky Taylor relocated from Kansas City, Missouri, to Lake Highlands, she noticed that her children’s new elementary school didn’t have as many opportunities as their previous school. So she decided she’d volunteer, and her tireless efforts transformed into a full-time job. Now the Lake Highlands Public Improvement District’s public safety coordinator, Taylor organizes community events and works with apartment owners, police and residents to reduce crime.

Why she started to volunteer:

I moved here about 17 years ago. We were zoned to go to Northlake Elementary School. Coming from Kansas City, Missouri, the volunteer level was totally different. It made me take more of a leadership role and get involved. It started at Northlake, where at one point in time I pretty much worked at the school as an unpaid worker.

How her childhood shaped her:

I’m the youngest of 12. I have nine brothers. I had to tell them what to do. I was the boss growing up.

How she started working for the PID:

My involvement with the PID comes from Kathy Stewart. She used to own Highlands Café — I worked at the restaurant for about 10 years. Kathy sold the restaurant when an opportunity for her became available for this PID. She knew, as a good team worker I am, that she wanted me on her team. Within a year, I ended up coming to work for Kathy because she’s such a great person and role model for me. All the things I was doing in the community that I feel passionate about, I have the opportunity to get paid for.

Her third neighborhood home:

That answer would have to be Lake Highlands High School. This is my fourth child to go through Lake Highlands. It’s pretty much my other home. When I’m there, I have several hats. In August, I was in charge of scheduled pick-up. Also, I’ve been football parent advisor. This was my third time around, my third football player. Yearround is crazy busy. It’s just organizing anything from meals to senior activities to pictures to all-sports awards to the Red and White game. It’s a lot. That’s what I like to do, though.

What makes her proud:

What I’m most proud of, personally, is my family. I have four handsome boys who have all graduated. I have a wonderful husband who has tolerated me giving so much time to the community, and we are still together and love each other. They are why I do this. It’s seeing what I can provide to them, and seeing other kids do not have that. On a business level, I feel like there are so many obstacles for kids in this community and people in general. The fact I can bring something to this community that can better build it, that makes me very proud.

My biggest challenge: I’m an overachiever. You might not believe that. When my name is attached to things, I feel like I have to go above and beyond.

Best advice she’s received:

I think the best advice I’ve received would probably be from my mom, Gladys. She always told me to be myself, be strong, believe in myself and don’t let anything defeat you. I think that brought me into the world I am right now. I totally live by those words. It’s always been: You’re the best. Never think anybody is better than you, and if they do, prove them wrong. That’s what I do.

How she handles gender discrimination:

Truth: I have not. I think it’s because of my personality; it’s because of my tone; it’s because the way I speak. I just don’t think I give the vibe you can talk to me any kind of way. You can look at me crazy, but you can’t say anything. I have a presence when I walk around.

I think people recognize that. As a woman, I just feel like my upbringing has been a plus. I get a lot of respect, and I give respect. I don’t ask for anything I don’t give.

Interviews edited for clarity and brevity.

And so do we. KXT 91.7 is your member-supported, listener-driven, never-ending-lost-in-the-music public radio station. With local hosts. Local shows. And the best mix of live, local, new and legendary music. Welcome to the Republic.