- Drive Afghan women to English classes one day a week at Literacy Achieves in Vickery Meadow. Literacy Achieves has created a class just for them: Mon-Thur from Jun 6 to June 30.
Contact Sheila Stieglitz to be put on the schedule. Tutors are needed as well. - Help adults learn English at Literacy Achieves. at 6329 Ridgecrest Road, 75231 in Vickery Meadow.
Contact La’Tonya Coleman-Hill at lchill@LiteracyAchieves.org - Join the “McShan Reads” program to help children at McShan Elementary improve their reading skills during the school year. Email mcshanreads@gmail.com to volunteer. Read the editorial on 12/28/17 in the Dallas Morning News “Inspiring DISD Turnarounds” to see how McShan went from the failing list of schools to DISD’s top-ranked elementary school in only 7 years.
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/12/28/two-inspiring-disd-leaders-guiding-campuses-complete-180+
- Help immigrant and refugee children learn to read and write in English at the Vickery Meadow Summer Reading Academy. Classes will be held from July 5 – July 28 7am-12noon at McShan Elementary, 8307 Meadow Rd, 75231. Tutors are needed. VMSRA2022 Student Registration https://forms.gle/bKvXarxAXkDftjHf7+
- Volunteer at the Vickery Meadow Food Pantry and Clothes Closet. Stock shelves, sort items and/or help pick up donations from local supermarkets. The Pantry is located on Walnut Hill near Greenville Ave.
Contact Carol Weinstein at clnewb@gmail.com
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- Volunteer in our expanded Jill Stone Community Garden. We are expanding our current garden to help serve more immigrant families through IRC’s “New Roots” program. Our community gardeners meet every Sunday morning in the garden.
Contact Wendy Rosenfeld at shoremrcle@aol.com
+ - Volunteer at Heart House – an after school educational program for refugee children (grades K-5) that operates from 3-6pm on all DISD school days.
Contact Tori Hobbs at (214) 750-7637
Other Ways to Help
- Have children create “Welcome Cards” for the new families.
- Put together “Soup Kits” (bags of dried soup ingredients in soup pots).
- Have a party where everyone fills book bags with school supplies for school-aged children.
- Plan a coat drive to collect coats for the new families.
- Host a “Hygiene Kit” party by filling gallon-sized, zip-top bags with emergency supplies. Ask guests to bring the supplies and fill the bags at the party. Write a note to the recipient as well. The filled bags can then be delivered to the IRC to be distributed to new immigrants.
Ideas for the bags:
toothbrush
toothpaste
deodorant
shampoo
small hair brush
shower gel or bar of soap
hand sanitizer
facial tissues
socks
granola bar
bottled water
“Welcome to Dallas” note - Think up your own project!
Please contact Nancy Lubar if you would like to take on one of these projects.