Friends of Bachman Lake Newsletter - February 2023
Updated: Feb 14, 2023
“The truth is: political reality changes quickly, so it's best to pick the things you want to see happen, and do your best to try to make them happen.” ― Nathan J. Robinson
Volunteering in 2023?
You've Got Many Opportunities
The Need is Real
Equal Heart
Our local food bank, only one mile north of Bachman Lake Park. Volunteers welcome every day. They can take up to 50 volunteers at a time, we just wrote up a blog post on their work, for inspiration!
Website: equalheart.org
Address: 2862 Nagle St. Dallas, TX 75220
Mission: Support people in times of adversity
Sort food for mobile pantry
Volunteer Hours: Monday- Friday from 10am-1pm
Contact: Patricio Gonzalez- volunteer@equalheart.org
Friends of Bachman Lake
A small group that helps coordinate park clean-ups and is looking to expand the amount of green space in the Bachman area by working with the city for access to the Frasier Recreation Area urban forest and by activating (through the removal of invasive species) 40 acres in the Bachman greenbelt.
Website: friendsofbachmanlake.org
Address: n/a. Clean-ups are along the lake shoreline.
Mission: Beautify, protect and expand Bachman Lake Park
Volunteer Activity: Coordinate a trash pickup with your team. There are trash bags and picker-users available for loan at the Bachman Recreation Center.
Sign-up to volunteer at: https://www.friendsofbachmanlake.org/volunteer or contact info@friendsofbachmanlake.org
Bachman Lake Together
This innovative non-profit has made a huge difference in the lives of many Bachman families by providing unique dual-generational programming. They work on high quality early education, parent leadership, family well-being and community. Their efforts are now being replicated in other areas of Dallas.
Website: bachmanlaketogether.org
Address: 9507 Overlake Dr. Dallas TX 75220
Mission: To unite the Bachman Lake community to fully prepare children for kindergarten - academically, socially and emotiollay - so they can thrive in school and in life.
Volunteer Activity examples: Hosting a donation drive; Supporting our annual back to school event; Volunteering at a PreK Enrollment event; Serving as a mentor to advanced parent leaders; Serving as an engagement and/or brand ambassador; Organizing a Family Center beautification event; Facility improvements; Assisting with data entry and data cleaning.
Sign-up to volunteer at: https://www.bachmanlaketogether.org/volunteer-application
Association for Independent Living (AFIL)
A non-profit focused on providing a safe and supportive living environment for adults with disabilities.
Website: afildfw.org
Address: 2826 Storey Lane, Dallas TX 75220
Mission: Provide a safe and supportive living environment for our adult residents who are diagnosed with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, elevating them to their highest independence and interdependence through life skills, education, and vocational guidance.
Volunteer Activity: AFIL has an annual event called Beautify AFIL, which typically occurs, weather permitting, on the 3rd or 4th Saturday of April. It is a day that we invite our families and other supporters/volunteers to come out and help us improve the campus by updating our flower beds, painting exterior doors, and any other projects we find necessary that could improve the aesthetics of our buildings/yards. The event is typically held from 9-1.
Contact: Sarah Causey (Executive Director) at Sarah.Causey@afildfw.org or 214-351-0798.
Greenspace Dallas
An environmental non-profit that single-handedly restored the Frasier Dam Recreation area to an urban forest, a hidden jewel. The Frasier is 1.5 miles away from Bachman Lake Park
Website: greenspacedallas.org
Address: Location for trash clean-ups varies on the weekend (see links below on finding out where/when).
Mission: Restore and develop national park-quality green spaces within the Trinity River corridor.
Join them for trash pickups, and invasive plant species privet removal.
Contact: To coordinate a large group event, contact operations@greenspacedallas.org
Buckner Family Hope Center
A non-profit focused on children and families
Website address: buckner.org
Address: 3300 Lombardy Lane, Dallas, TX 75220
Mission: The Family Hope Center is a child-centered, family-focused place where families go to find hope, support, and empowerment in their community to reach their fullest God-given potential.
Volunteer Activities: You can find all volunteer opportunities and sign-up for them via their Volunteer Calendar.
Help at community events like the Health Fair, Back-to-School, Fall Festival, or Christmas. These are one-time volunteer opportunities, and most shifts are 2-3 hours long.
Help with the after school program for kids ages 6-12. Volunteers can come once or multiple times and serve by helping kids with their homework, assisting with the day’s activity, playing games with kids, and helping serve dinner.
Contact: Volunteers can sign-up on the volunteer calendar or contact the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator, Robin Bruster, at rbruster@buckner.org or 972-725-4243.
EVENTS
Show up, pick up, clean up. Now every first Saturday!
Our monthly #Plogging event is now every first Saturday of the month! Picking up litter while jogging (or walking or cycling) is an easy way to stay healthy and keep the park looking great! Grab a bag, a friend and help make our recreational jewel shine! Check our events list for any changes.
See you this month!
Our ‘meeting of the minds’ at Bluffview Growler is on the 4th Wednesday of the month. No RSVP needed. Show up, say hello, grab a beverage and come sit with us to have some laughs and great talk!
Do you want to join the mailing list? Are you already on the list and need to update your information? Just click on the link below!