Get ready for DLF's gala by rediscovering the 1940s

As Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF) gets ready for a 20th-anniversary gala inspired by the 1940s, we're rediscovering the varied moods of the decade. You don't have to be a history buff to recognize that the 1940s spanned the gamut of human experience -- from World

Benny Goodman

War II to the atomic bomb, from the rise of Nazism and the evils of the Holocaust to the birth of the State of Israel, to the fall of colonialism in countries like Syria and Lebanon, Iceland and Indonesia. 

In the United States, civil rights groups resisted entrenched racial separation. Women expanded their roles in the workforce. The Great Depression was a fresh memory. Bebop, Swing, handsome crooners and lovely songtresses captured the hearts of many Americans. 

Langston Hughes

Movies and books exploded as artistic standards that we still admire today. In fact, a new television ad touting the merger between AT&T and DirecTV features a clip from the 1942 film, "Casablanca."  You see, the 40s are hard to forget.

Make it a throwback weekend and revisit the cultural moments of this memorable era. You'll understand why we're excited about celebrating our work in Dallas' neighborhoods with a 1940s theme! 


Here's the first of our throwback lists about the '40s:

Music: Dizzy Gillespie, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, LouisArmstrong, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Roy Rogers, Hank Williams, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland and Doris Day. 

Books: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Native Son by Richard Wright, Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell, For Whom theBell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, The Glass Menagerie by Tennesse Williams, and The Big Sea: The Collected Works of Langston Hughes. Good Reads offers a larger list. 

Movies: Movies: "Casablanca," "Citizen Kane," "Cabin in the Sky," It's A Wonderful Life," "Double Indemnity," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "The Big Sleep," and "Notorious. IMDb.com offers a list of the 100 greatest films in the 1940s.

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's 20th anniversary gala by visiting ttp://www.dlftx.org/donations. Buy your tickets and tables in August and they will be matched dollar for dollar during our $100K August Match Challenge.

You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.

We're dreaming about Christmas in August

Christmas can be tough for families when bills pile up, and rent or a house note are due. Gift-giving may take a back seat.

Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF) steps in and helps families who must choose the essentials over something special for their children. The Treasures of Hope Christmas Store helps them find quality and affordable gifts.

Treasures of Hope serves 400-500 families and nearly 1,500 children every year. Generous donations allow us to collect toys, household items, clothing, and more. Volunteers come in and decorate a large space with all the Christmas trimmings. Then churches or faith-based organizations refer families to shop for merchandise at 75% off of the retail value.

It's a win for everyone. We share our resources with families. They get to enjoy Christmas in a festive, loving, and Christ-like setting that doesn't strain their budget.

So that's why we're dreaming about Christmas in August -- and getting ready for a hope-filled holiday season that will transform the lives of many Dallas families.

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's Treasures of Hope by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/donations. Your contributions this month will be matched dollar for dollar during our $100K August Match Challenge.

You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.

The Tatums saw their family restored

Jeffrey Tatum doesn’t want to get ahead of God. He’s seen other men, ill-prepared for their new surroundings and desperate to make ends meet, land back in jail after a short period of time. They didn’t mentally adjust to life outside of prison and moved too quickly, he observed. Mr. Tatum doesn’t intend to make that same mistake. He wants God to navigate his circumstances.

 “I just want to make sure it’s a good fit for what He wants me to do,” said Mr. Tatum, who was released more than two years ago. He served 18 months in Hutchins State Jail and lived in Dallas Leadership Foundation’s faith-based dorm. 

Waiting on God has its benefits. The time has allowed him to reconnect with his family, which was important to him. Among the first steps he took after incarceration was to secure his relationships with his wife and his children. Eight-year-old twins and his 11-year-old stepson live with Mr. Tatum and his wife Juanita. 

“I got a chance to really apologize and get before them,” he said. He has three older children who don’t live with him, whom he spoke with by phone. 

James Reed, who leads the Church Prison Collaborative for Dallas Leadership Foundation, mentored Mr. Tatum in prison. Since Mr. Tatum’s release, Pastor Reed has
given him helpful advice, along with clothing and bus passes when Mr. Tatum needed them. “Pastor Reed is a genuine man who understands what it means to be a man,” Mr. Tatum said.“And then he loves God — and that’s something I’m really adamant about.” 

Mr. Tatum, a formerly licensed barber, has finished his résumé, and supporters are keeping an eye out for possible jobs. He’s attending classes at Southern Bible Institute, courtesy of a sponsor. He will attend in the evenings to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in theology. His focus: expository preaching.

Ring of Hope gym helps kids beat the odds

Fernando Hernandez is a very determined boy who trains at Dallas Leadership
Foundation’s Ring of Hope Boxing Club every day. After learning about the club from his
mother, Fernando took up boxing and fell in love with the sport. Since then the gym has
become a second home for him as he learns boxing techniques, discipline, and perseverance.

Fernando’s perseverance paid off when he won his first Ringside World Tournament
Championship title in Kansas City, Mo. After first losing the match the prior year, he was
determined to win the next time.

Fernando is also an eighth-grade student at J. L. Long Middle School in East Dallas and
shows the same discipline with his studies that he does with boxing. Every day he goes
home to first complete his homework before he goes to the gym. Fernando understands
the value of DLF’s Ring of Hope Club and stated, “A lot of kids out there are doing nothing
…the Ring of Hope gym provides an opportunity for kids to accomplish something… it
means a lot to us.”

Giving back to WWII Veteran who served his country

In 1944, Otis Weaver enlisted in the United States Air Force. He was stationed at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, where the formation of the all African American 99^th Fighter Squadron was officially started. The unit included a service arm of ground crew and pilots, including the famous Tuskegee Airmen. Mr. Weaver was subsequently deployed to the island of Guam during the height of the war between 1944-1947 as part of the 20^th Air Force Division.

In the years following the war, Mr. Weaver eventually married Minnie Weaver and bought a house in East Dallas in 1977.  The Weavers’ house is located in Owenwood, one of Dallas Leadership Foundation's target neighborhoods.

Mr. Weaver is 88 years old. Physically he is not able to get around like he used to, and he can no longer make repairs on his home. 

Before renovation

Six months ago, the Weaver house was in desperate need of major renovation. Both bathrooms in the Weaver house needed gutting, and the kitchen required updates. So when Mr. Woody Austin, president of the Owenwood Neighborhood Association, inquired about the Weavers’ need for home repairs, the couple was elated.  Mr. Austin connected the Weavers to Robert “T-Ray” Manley, Neighborhood and Community Development director at Dallas Leadership Foundation. 

After renovation

                      Today, Dallas Leadership Foundation has renovated the Weaver's bathrooms, kitchen, floors, and ceiling. The couple could not be happier. 

It's so nice to give back to a U.S. veteran who gave so much to his country.

Spark summer camp ignites God-given destiny in young leaders

School begins again in a few weeks, but the 100 young people who participated in the SPARK Youth Leadership Camp this year won't soon forget their days at camp. In the midst of play and making new friends, youth learned about the matchless life Jesus Christ offers them and every person on the planet. 

Youth participated in God-centric sessions on servant leadership, identity, relationships, and purpose in a safe and creative environment. "We wanted to utilize seven weeks of summer to prepare youth to stand before God and be acknowledged as a real Christian," said Robert Triggs, Dallas Leadership Foundation's Youth Leadership Movement (YLM) director. YLM hosts the annual camp. Watch what Nya Reese says about her time at SPARK:

YLM equips young people to become leaders God can use to transform their families and communities. The goal is to guide them as emerging leaders who one day will mature into standout adults who can say with conviction: "O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds" (Psalm 71:17).

Support Dallas Leadership Foundation's SPARK Youth Leadership Camp and other YLM activities such as in-school mentorship by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/donations.  Your contributions this month will be matched dollar for dollar during our $100K August Match Challenge.

You can also invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform.

Ex-offenders gain economic stability by owning a small business

With support and guidance, self-employment can be a phenomenal economic opportunity. Especially for ex-offenders. They're often shut out of economic prosperity because of their time in prison. Employers often refuse to hire them. Some ex-offenders lose hope. Some return to the criminal lifestyle that landed them in prison in the first place.

Dallas Leadership Foundation's Church Prison Collaborative seeks to break this cycle of rejection and recidivism by encouraging ex-offenders to become entrepreneurs. Flourishing small businesses crush the idea that the previously incarcerated must rely on an employment line alone after prison to gain economic stability. Owning a business offers a leadership opportunity that can transform the lives of ex-offenders and their families for generations.

From left to right: Michael Cox, Chruch Prison Collaborative Director James Reed and Euless Skinner.

Michael Cox, who was previously incarcerated, has successfully opened a business. He credits the Jesus-centric training he received from Dallas Leadership Foundation's CPC program for helping him on his personal journey.

 'The faith-based dorm was my building block for where I am today," Cox says in a DLF video. "I met everyone at DLF and they supported me upon my release. I went to the Onesimus House, and I learned so much there."

Support DLF's faith-based dorm and Onesimus House by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/donations. Every dollar you contribute this month will be matched dollar for dollar during our $100K August Match Challenge.

Invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform!

Onesimus House offers a fresh start for former offenders

Once on their own, many of the previously incarcerated struggle with fresh challenges. Through Dallas Leadership Foundation's pre- and post-entry program, DLF mentors and assists men as they transition from prison to their home communities.

James Reed oversees the Church Prison Collaborative (CPC), one of DLF's signature initiatives. CPC operates the faith-based dorm program at Hutchins State Jail where the incarcerated benefit from an array of classes and support.

DLF President Wil McCall with CPC Director James Reed and Warden Cockrell, who serves as the assistant under Warden Jeff Pringle at the Hutchins State Jail.

After release, CPC continues to stand with the men. Through the Onesimus House, CPC offers a transitional facility where former offenders start again after prison. 

Previous offenders are housed monthly in an East Dallas facility owned by DLF. They're provided with many services, including food, clothing, bus passes, and assistance in getting driver's licenses and birth certificates. They also have access to recovery support groups, church services, job assistance, spiritual counseling, and mentoring. 

Onesimus House

At every stage of their reentry to society, CPC encourages previous offenders to allow Jesus Christ to reconstruct their lives. At every point, they're urged to become leaders who demonstrate an amazingly transformed life. 

Support DLF's faith-based dorm and Onesimus House by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/donations. Every dollar you contribute this month will be matched dollar for dollar during our $100K August Match Challenge.

Invite others to support DLF by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #Give2Transform!

DLF to the men at Hutchins State Jail: We'll be there

When men participate at the faith-based dorm operated by Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF) at Hutchins State Jail, they learn one thing really fast.

The dorm volunteers intend to stand by them.

They’ll be there during Bible studies, and they’ll be there when participants face setback or success during their journey from prison to society. It's all part of the ongoing transformational leadership offered by the Church Prison Collaborative, the DLF initiative that oversees the faith-based dorm.

CPC is one of DLF's outreaches that will benefit from a generous match offered by an anonymous donor. During the month of August, every dollar donated to DLF will be matched up to $100,000.

About 80 volunteers support the faith-based dorm program led by James Reed, CPC’s director. CPC offers a pre- and post-entry program for participants.

“I want to thank God, Pastor Reed, and DLF for saving my life,” said Timothy Toole, a current participant in the faith-based dorm who also attended CPC's ninth anniversary celebration.

“I wouldn’t be here without the FBD,” said “Jacque,” who is among the faith-based dorm’s alumni and currently lives in DLF’s transitional facility, Onesimus House.

Displaying a solid commitment to the men is a key ingredient in CPC’s efforts. “It’s all about the continuity,” Reed said. “When all the dust settles, we’re still there. This shows the strength of the commitment to the participants -- that we’re just not going anywhere.”

Longtime volunteer Larry Land said of his years of volunteering at the dorm: "Spiritually uplifting. These are the bright lights that keep us going."

Men who complete the faith-based dorm program, and also those who attend only partially, have low recidivism rates that underscore the ongoing discipleship CPC offers. For instance, one year after completing the program, 93.3% of 250 participants did not return to jail, according to January 2014 figures provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Two years after completing the program, 84.1% did not recidivate, figures from the same time period show.

Even among men who had limited exposure to DLF’s faith-based dorm experienced low recidivism rates during the same time period. A year after release, 87.9% of 873 men had not returned to prison. Two years after release, 80.4% had stayed out of jail.

The program’s success is also clear to Fannell Smith. He was among the initial group of men who participated in the faith-based dorm.

"I see a lot of growth since I was here,” he said. “It was like 24 of us in the dorm when we started in 2007. There are so many more in the program now."

Support DLF's faith-based dorm by visiting http://www.dlftx.org/donations. You can also invite others to support Dallas Leadership Foundation by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #givetotransform!

Are you a change agent? Help DLF transform Dallas. Give.

Can your financial gift help Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF) transform Dallas? Absolutely. For 20 years, supporters like you have helped us develop leaders for ongoing and tangible community transformation. Your gifts have enabled DLF to partner with extraordinary leaders who serve proactively in ways that bring glory to Jesus Christ and benefit their neighbors.

We hope you’ll give again. An anonymous donor has expressed support for DLF by pledging to match every dollar donated up to $100,000 during the month of August. What a blessing! It's an amazing chance to expand our reach among families, schools, neighborhoods and prisons. Help us multiply this anonymous gift by making a generous donation today that helps us do more in the decades to come.

Invite others to support Dallas Leadership Foundation by sharing our posts on your favorite social networks and using the hashtag #givetotransform!