Imagine a rundown shopping center transformed in one week into a public park with amenities that enhance the surrounding neighborhood, such as green space, sport courts, a children’s play area, a walking path and dynamic programming from the community, for the community. That vision is about to become reality from October 15 to November 14 at the northwest corner of Forest Lane and Audelia Road in Northeast Dallas (9759 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75243). The community is invited to the official opening and activities on Saturday, October 16 at 12:30 p.m.

The Park at Forest-Audelia is a colorful and vibrant demonstration park, designed by the Better Block Foundation, to improve safety and function. About 3,500 square feet in area with landscaping and planters, the pop-up park features sport courts, wireless internet, flexible lawn space, shade, seating, a community garden, a children’s play area and daily activities. Kids U provides after school homework help the entire month; Junior Players teaches creative writing, flamenco dance and theater workshops; Pepsico provides meals and snacks. Weekends and weekdays are packed with entertainment, arts activities, exercise classes, health and library programs. Public seating can support more than 100 guests and includes signature Better Block’s Wikiblock furniture pieces, outdoor air hammocks, movable tables and café sets. A muralized, shaded stage supports a full-sized band or a dance group and also serves as an outdoor classroom.

Through an initiative with Project Safe Neighborhood and Dallas Parks Department, the Better Block Foundation and community leaders in the Forest-Audelia neighborhood are working to show that crime can be addressed and community built through the creation of beautiful and inviting public space. As the City of Dallas Parks Department recently bought the piece of property where the demonstration will be held, Better Block will showcase ideas that the community can give feedback on, thus influencing the long-term development of the property and improve the quality of life for all neighbors at Forest Audelia.

Kristin Leiber, Better Block senior project manager, said, “We have worked with the community to see what resources and elements they would like to see in the park, and their top choices were green space, resources and activities, and a kids’ play area. Along with the City of Dallas Parks Department, we are excited to be working on a design that meets the city’s and community’s needs. We have 30 days of programming from nonprofit partners and small businesses that will activate the space regularly and with purpose, especially on the weekends.”

Dallas Councilmember Adam McGough of District 10 said, “The persistence and resilience of so many made possible the launch of this temporary-park installation. This important step marks another key milestone on the journey toward making Forest-Audelia a safer, more vibrant place at which neighbors and families may live, work and gather. I’m thankful for the work of the Better Block Foundation and so many other community partners who are bringing to life the vision for a better future at this site. I’m eager to witness community members enjoying this temporary space and to listen to neighbors’ feedback to ensure the new, permanent space to come proves a longstanding community asset.”

To see the full calendar of events, visit https://www.betterblock.org/forestaudelia.

Neighbors will also be able to schedule events and meet-ups at this website.

Build dates, including community volunteer workshops, start on October 11. Those who are interested in volunteering can sign up here.

Leiber added, “The park is a tool, but the community engagement and activation are the heart of any grassroots project in a neighborhood. Help us build this park, and then join us at the many events.”

About the Better Block Foundation:

Better Block Foundation is an urban design nonprofit that educates, equips, and empowers communities and their leaders to reshape and reactivate built environments to promote the growth of healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Find out more by visiting betterblock.org.

Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) has announced a new live broadcast show and podcast titled “Lead with Love.” Rather than a traditional host, “Lead With Love” is a conversation between multiple voices of Dallas discussing ways that strong leadership, respect of diversity and inclusion, and celebration of local culture make a difference in the community. The show’s guests converse and answer audience questions in a lively manner during the live video broadcast. The 30-minute lunchtime interchange is a back-and-forth dialogue that aims to inspire, uplift and entertain.

The inaugural season kicks off on June 1 at 12:30 p.m. (Central) and can be watched live on Love Field’s social media: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Viewers are encouraged to comment and ask questions. After each episode airs, the recorded podcast is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify and iHeartRadio.

Aired in February 2021, the pilot episode featured Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, and Tex Moton, graffiti artist and muralist who designed the 2019 City Edition Mavs’ uniforms and Dallas Love Field’s Parking Garage C and terminal emblazoned with the Mavericks’ theme and “rowdy” messages. That episode can be seen at https://youtu.be/gSaTytE9dzQ and heard on Apple Podcast, Spotify and iHeartRadio (links above).

The Summer 2021 schedule:*

June 1 (Episode 2): James Faust, Artistic Director, Dallas Film Society and Dallas International Film Festival, and Barak Epstein, Owner of Aviation Cinema, which operates the Texas Theater, and Co-Founder of the Oak Cliff Film Festival

June 15 (Episode 3): Kevin Sherrington, Sports Columnist, The Dallas Morning News

June 29 (Episode 4): Anthony Hill, Head of Regional Partnerships, UberEats, and Podcast Host of "Legacy is More” and Sterling Melville, Senior Strategy Manager at Pepsico and President of The Melville Family Foundation

July 13 (Episode 5): Veletta Lill, Former Executive Director, Dallas Arts District

July 27 (Episode 6): Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent, Dallas ISD

August 10 (Episode 7): Sheri Crosby Wheeler, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Fossil Group, Inc. 

August 24 (Episode 8): Randall White, Founder, 24HourDallas, and Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson, Chief of Economic Development & Neighborhood Services, City of Dallas

September 7 (Episode 9): Jason Roberts, Founder of Better Block, Founder, Better Block, Urban Planner, Restaurateur, Civic Activist.

Chris Perry, Dallas Love Field’s external communications and marketing manager, said, “Lead with Love is an ongoing dialogue with the community about topics that transcend the airport—leadership, diversity and culture—and features local people who make a difference through support of good works and positive initiatives. The June 1 show with James and Barak should be fun, especially if you’re a film buff or a movie lover. Their film festivals support local and diverse new voices and talents.”

*Guests subject to change. To see the latest updates, visit Dallas Love Field’swebsite.

An award-winning airport, Dallas Love Field is a 2021 Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited facility – the gold standard for stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention. The airport has also won many of the most prestigious awards including multiple years with Travel+Leisure’s “Top 10 Domestic Airports,” Airports Council International World and North America. For more information visit dallas-lovefield.com or call the Airport Operations Center (214) 670-LOVE (5683). Follow Dallas Love Field on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Grant Halliburton Foundation welcomed Nora McInerny, best-selling author, speaker and podcast host, to share her personal story at the Beacon of Hope at Home Virtual Luncheon on April 30. Presented by The David B. Miller Family Foundation, the luncheon supports Grant Halliburton Foundation’s work providing education, resources and support for children, teen and young adult mental health.

Kylie Hughitt and Jessica Slay, LPC-S were luncheon chairs; honorary chairs were Karen and Mark Carney; and Barb Farmer is the founding luncheon chair. CICI Edwards, an award-winning slam poet/spoken word artist, gave a riveting performance about mental health. Steve Noviello, FOX 4 reporter, served as the luncheon emcee.

Eric Nadel, voice of the Texas Rangers, and The Sopranos actress Jamie Lynn Sigler both gave recorded messages urging viewers to support the Foundation’s work of providing hope and healing.

Vanita Halliburton, Grant Halliburton Foundation co-founder and executive chairman, spoke about supporting the organization she co-founded after losing her teen son to suicide 15 years ago. “I hope you will consider giving to the Foundation because you believe in the future we envision and strive for. A future where suicide is no longer the second leading cause of death for 10-year-olds to 24-year-olds. A future where stigma is a thing of the past, and no one is ashamed to seek help for depression, anxiety or other brain disorders. A future where people know the signs of suicidal crisis as well as they know the signs of an oncoming cold—and know how to get help. A future where children grow up to be resilient, healthy, strong adults.”

Halliburton presented the Beacon of Hope Award to Sharon Grigsby, The Dallas Morning News Metro columnist who has written extensively on mental health and suicide.

McInerny, best-selling author of memoirs It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too), No Happy Endings and The Hot Young Widows Club, shared about her life’s difficult journey. “Seven years ago, I was having a bad year: I miscarried, my dad died, and then my husband died.” When people asked her how she was doing, she would say, “fine.” She used the question, ‘how are you?’ and her least favorite four-letter-word—one that she bans from her blended family of two teens and a 4 and 8-year-old—as the basis of her talk.

“We answer a big meaningful question—'how are you’ -- with the reply ‘fine’ and turn it into small talk. We don’t want to be a burden, a bummer, and we don’t want your pity.” Yet, McInerny believes the honest truth is better than lying, a reason why she named her subsequent podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking. Her podcast is designed to get to the honest truth to the question, “How are you?”

She added, “Bring the honest truth. Model that truth. To be able to sit with our pain or somebody else’s and to validate it, that’s what keeps us going. The answer could be ‘I’m struggling.’”

About suicide, she said, “Suicide is a parent’s worse nightmare. Our kids are not weird or wrong or strange. Growing hurts. Grownups don’t have all the answers, but we’ll help and show up.” Her story of being resilient, living life after the loss of loved ones and mental health was uplifting and powerful.

In the last 15 years, Grant Halliburton Foundation has provided mental health education, training and support to more than 200,000 students, educators, parents and professionals, thanks to funds raised in part by the annual Beacon of Hope event. The Foundation also offers two free community tools to help North Texans find mental health and addiction information and resources:

• HereForTexas.com is a website with a searchable database of more than 900 North Texas providers, designed to help people make informed decisions about mental health care.
• The Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line is a helpline that offers people personal assistance with finding providers and resources that match their needs. Help is just a free phone call away at 972-525-8181, and Spanish speakers are available.

Special thanks to the sponsors:

Beacon: The David B. Miller Family Foundation

Visionary: Shelley and Jeff Becker in memory of Alec Becker, Karen and Mark Carney, Barb and David Farmer, Todd Abbott Memorial Fund.

Advocate: BKM Sowan Horan, Matejek Family Foundation, Alyson and Joe Ray, Lisa K. Simmons, Rene and Jimmy Wisch Family Charitable Fund of the Dallas Jewish Family Foundation.

Friend: Vanita and Terry Briley in memory of Grant Halliburton, Debbie and David Fosdick, Kevin and Sharon Hall, Cindi and Alan Halliburton in memory of Grant Halliburton, Parish Episcopal School, The Fullbrook Center.

Grant Halliburton Foundation was established in 2006 in memory of a Dallas teen who battled depression and bipolar disorder for several years before his suicide death at the age of 19. The Foundation that bears his name works to help families and young people recognize the signs of mental illness through a variety of avenues including education, conferences, collaboration and encouragement. Now in its 15th year, the Foundation has provided mental health education, training, and support to more than 200,000 students, educators, parents, and professionals. The Foundation also offers Here For Texas, which includes HereForTexas.com and the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line. These free community tools aim to offer easy access for North Texans seeking mental health and addiction information and resources. More information can be found at GrantHalliburton.org/.

Vanita Halliburton founded Grant Halliburton Foundation in 2006 after her son had taken his life following bouts of severe depression and bipolar disorder. When Grant was struggling, Vanita searched for resources and found little. Later, she resolved to provide critical mental health resources, so that other families wouldn’t have the same outcome as hers.

Out of that tragedy, Grant Halliburton Foundation was founded. Now in its 15^th year, the Foundation has provided mental health education, training and support to more than 200,000 students, educators, parents and professionals. The Foundation also offers many educational resources, such as HereForTexas.com and the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line.  These free community tools aim to offer easy access for North Texans seeking mental health and addiction information and resources.

Halliburton said, “In 15 years, we’ve been able to talk more openly about mental health and provide resources, but there’s still a stigma tied to this important issue. Our goal is to be the ‘go to’ organization for those who need resources and for those working with children to young adults. If you, your loved one or someone you know needs help, we encourage you to contact us.”  

According to the 2021 The State of Mental Health in America study, mental health and suicide are still critical issues among children and young adults:

• Texas ranked the second lowest in terms of access to mental healthcare.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 31% increase in mental health-related emergency room visits among children aged 12-17 years, during April-October 2020 compared to April-October 2019.

• Suicide is still the 2^nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10-24 (CDC, 2019).
• In Texas, the state loses a young person ages 10-24 to suicide at the rate of almost 2 per day. (CDC Wonder, 2019)
• Since COVID-19, pediatricians are seeing more patients come in with depression, anxiety, obesity and risky sexual behavior.

Cami Fields, Grant Halliburton Foundation director of outreach and education, said, “This report states that 60% of youth with depression don’t receive any mental health treatment, and I estimate that number is actually higher since many who need help don’t seek it. The pandemic also shifted school online, away from peers and friends, and home life into a bubble. So for those who were experiencing depression or other mental health symptoms, their conditions may have gotten worse.” 

She added, “The stigma of mental health isn’t going away, so we work hard to help as many as we can through a series of education, talks and programs.” During the pandemic, the Foundation shifted to doing a majority of its school presentations for students, parents, teachers, schools, counselors and others online.

Blanca Garcia, director of mental health resources at Grant Halliburton Foundation, has seen an increase in the severity of calls to the Mental Health Navigation Line during 2020. She remarked, “The calls lasted longer and highlighted more family problems. There was also a rise in elevated crisis calls, though we are not a crisis line, but we can refer them to other resources.”

She takes many of the Spanish calls and said, “Many said they felt anxious and stressed, had trouble sleeping and were short of breath. As I told them, these physical symptoms are linked to mental health, so it was both the adult family member and child who needed help.”

Callers are connected to a trained mental health navigator who can offer support and information about services and resources in their area. These are trained volunteers who gather pertinent information from the caller regarding their needs. Then, an experienced mental health professional helps to identify specific resources tailored to the caller’s needs within 24 hours. Note: the Mental Health Navigation Line is not a crisis line, but navigators can direct callers to additional crisis resources.

Garcia added that she would like more stories told of regular people dealing with mental health, and less about the celebrities and extreme cases.  “Feeling anxious or depressed is normal, and people can learn to cope with that. In some cases, they may need a professional to talk to, and that’s our role to help as many as possible.”

Grant Halliburton Foundation was established in 2006 in memory of a Dallas teen who battled depression and bipolar disorder for several years before his suicide death at the age of 19. The Foundation that bears his name works to help families and young people recognize the signs of mental illness through a variety of avenues including education, conferences, collaboration and encouragement. Now in its 15th year, the Foundation has provided mental health education, training, and support to more than 200,000 students, educators, parents, and professionals. The Foundation also offers Here For Texas, which includes HereForTexas.com and the Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line. These free community tools aim to offer easy access for North Texans seeking mental health and addiction information and resources. More information can be found at GrantHalliburton.org/.

To bring awareness to Sexual Assault Community Action Day on April 6^th and throughout April, The Women’s Center of Tarrant County (The Women’s Center) is selling teal t-shirts for $25 during its Victory Over Violence – Hope Starts Here campaign. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

To kick off the campaign, on April 6^th at 10 a.m., the nonprofit organization will address the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and will receive a proclamation declaring the day “Turn Tarrant Teal” Day (Tarrant County Administration Building, 100 E. Weatherford Street, Suite 502A, Fort Worth, Texas 76196).

The Women’s Center encourages the community to wear their teal t-shirts on April 6^th and throughout the month to raise awareness about issues of sexual violence, as well as to support survivors of rape, child sexual abuse and intimate partner violence. Supporters are also invited to wear their teal t-shirts for Denim Day on April 28^th.

During the month of April, The Women’s Center is also partnering with local universities—including TCU, UTA, TCC and UNTHSC—during on-campus events to educate students, faculty and the community of sexual and relationship violence prevention.

Confirmed events include participation with TCU’s “Take Back the Night” program, which raises awareness about sexual violence on college campuses. On the first Tuesday of April, The Women’s Center will participate in Teal Talk Tuesdays presented by UT Arlington. Additional events include TCC Southeast’s Sexual Assault Awareness Presentation with the Family Empowerment Center, as well as presentations with DASHH (Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Harassment, and Hazing) Prevention Squad.

Funds raised from teal t-shirt purchases and donations to The Women’s Center help provide continuum of care for the more than 100,000 women, men and children served in the Rape Crisis and Victim Services Program. Through this program, survivors receive the tools needed to heal from the devastating effects of violence, children and teens learn how to reduce their risk of abuse, and the community is empowered to prevent and respond to interpersonal violence through education and training. 

Visit https://www.womenscentertc.org/victory-over-violence-hope-starts-here-campaign/ to purchase a t-shirt or make a donation to the organization.

The Women’s Center hopes to raise awareness on these startling statistics:

• Every 73 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted (RAINN.org).
• Nearly one in three Texans will experience sexual assault in their lifetime, with women being twice as likely to be victimized as men.
• One in four girls and one in six boys experience some form of sexual abuse before their 18^th birthday.
• Eight out of ten rapes are committed by someone known to the victim (RAINN.org).

Laura Hilgart, The Women’s Center’s President and CEO, said, “Child and adult victims of interpersonal violence, already vulnerable and traumatized, have been made even more so by the COVID -19 pandemic. The Women’s Center is preparing to see an increase in victims seeking services, as many have been trapped in unsafe situations and may have experienced more extreme levels of violence. Since we are unable to have our Victory Over Violence Walk/Run, we need the community’s support to raise critical funds to sustain our work—work that prevents violence and helps survivors heal.”

About The Women’s Center:

Established in 1979, The Women’s Center addresses significant problems of violence, crisis, and poverty experienced by women and families in Tarrant County. The founders of The Center created a place of transformation that has served hundreds of thousands of women, men, and children over the past 40 years. This has been made possible through the commitment of expert staff, generous donors, dedicated volunteers, a passionate involved board of directors, and community partnerships. The mission of The Women’s Center is to inspire and empower women, men, and children to overcome violence, crisis, and poverty. For more information about The Women’s Center, please visit https://www.womenscentertc.org, or call 817.927.4040.