Dallas Doing Good Editorial Board.
Thank you for the tremendous support you’ve provided Dallas Doing Good in 2024! Together, we’ve continued to showcase and uplift the remarkable leaders, organizations, and businesses making a difference in North Texas.
This year has been especially impactful as we expanded our DDG Fellowship Program, providing more opportunities for young community storytellers to develop their skills. We also launched an impact storytelling partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas, producing inspiring stories for North Texas Giving Day. Notably, four of our top 10 stories of the year came from that partnership.
Dallas has once again demonstrated incredible generosity, commitment, and promise, and we’ve cherished the chance to share these stories with you. As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited for even more opportunities to share good and inspire our community. Here are some of the most popular stories that resonated with our readers in 2024.
A bookstore in Oak Cliff is proving that reading is truly for everyone by symbolizing the transformative power of literature in building inclusive and empowered communities.
We Rock the Spectrum was designed for the developmental needs of children with sensory processing disorders in mind. There are 140 We Rock the Spectrum gyms nationwide, including locations in Dallas and Plano.
In a heartwarming collaboration, Fanatics, MLB, and Make-A-Wish North Texas organized an extraordinary experience for six special children and their families during the MLB All-Star Weekend at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington this summer.
As conversations around racial equity and justice continue to evolve, organizations like Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) are leading the way in reshaping community narratives and policies. Founded in 2016, Dallas TRHT is committed to creating a more equitable city through the power of storytelling, relationship building, and actionable change.
Located just six miles south of downtown Dallas, Joppy Momma’s Farm is deeply rooted in the history of Joppa, one of Texas’ last Freedman towns. Founded in 1872 by Henry Hines, an emancipated slave, Joppa became a sanctuary for freed Black families after the Civil War. Despite its rich heritage, the community has faced decades of marginalization and neglect. Today, Joppa remains one of the last Freedman towns in Texas and is now a federally declared food desert with limited access to fresh, healthy food.
Ask Roland Parrish why teaching and learning Black history is important, and he will be very clear: “We support Black history and other minority groups when we can. I am living Black history.” Roland has become a notable philanthropist and business mogul in North Texas. Originally from Hammond, Indiana, he attended Purdue University on academic and athletic scholarships.
In the heart of Pleasant Grove, tucked inside the Buckner Bazaar, Community Does It transforms lives with its holistic approach to mental health and community support. We spoke with Community Resource Officer Magdalena Aguirre and Therapist Nalleli Miranda about their mental health clinic, Cuenta Conmigo, and its crucial role in addressing the needs of this vibrant neighborhood. Founded in 2021 by Christine Roman, a former principal and public health advocate, Community Does It was born from community-led focus groups that identified a critical need for mental health resources, particularly for children.
Amy Martin, a lifelong Texan, has led a diverse career blending journalism, activism, and leadership, all while deeply rooted in spirituality and environmental concern. With over 40 years of experience as a writer and journalist, she authored Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature In and Around Dallas-Fort Worth (Timber Press). She also currently writes for GreenSource DFW while crafting a biography of Ned Fritz, a Texas environmentalist. Previously, she contributed to publications like the national magazine Garbage, Dallas Morning News, and D Magazine.
Viola’s House is a remarkable organization founded by Thana Hickman that is changing the lives of young mothers in Dallas. Viola’s House provides maternity housing and critical support services to homeless young mothers, offering them a safe haven and the resources they need to transition to self-sufficiency. In 2021, more than 2,200 of the 35,000 babies born in Dallas County were born to teen girls, a number that reflects the area’s teen birth rate being double the state and national average (CDC, 2021) and highlights the urgent need for resources like Viola’s House.
When Elizabeth Wattley’s father was six years old, he saw Imitation of Life at the Forest Forward Theater in South Dallas. It was 1959, so he was forced to sit on the balcony because the theater’s policy segregated people of color to the upper levels. Today, Elizabeth is the President and CEO of Forest Forward, the nonprofit that owns the theater and is working to revitalize it.
For the first time in its history, the Forest Theater on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is owned by a Black-led entity. “Historically, it has been owned by a Jewish family,” says Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward, the nonprofit that stewards the theater. “But now, it’s entirely owned by our organization.”
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