Thursday, March 28, 2024

Southlake Cares: Serving the Southlake Community One Partnership At A Time

North Texans gave it their all last week to help local nonprofits across the area.

Over $60 million in donations were received by Communities Foundation of Texas during the 14th Annual North Texas Giving Day.

Today, we take the time to reflect on the City of Southlake’s continued commitment to helping these organizations succeed by highlighting Southlake Cares.

The Southlake Cares initiative began in 2020 with the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic. During that time, we challenged residents to support local organizations that tirelessly serve our community. Southlake residents rose to the challenge with their generosity. Southlake Cares is another way the City wishes to promote local non-profits.

Our residents benefit from the City’s partnership with select community organizations. Did you know the City has nine Community Service Agreements with Southlake and Tarrant County organizations? Each year, the City provides funding to these organizations to support their mission of providing cultural, emergency, educational, transportation, and crisis services to residents in need. Southlake City Council recently renewed our Community Services Agreements with these organizations, reaffirming our partnership with them.

Here is a list of the incredible organizations that enhance our community:

APEX Arts League: The City of Southlake partners with the APEX Arts League to host various art events in the community. APEX is dedicated to actively advancing the arts, artists, and arts education while promoting the concept and reality of a regional home for the arts in the Southlake area. Its mission is “to enhance appreciation, provide access, and promote participation in the arts in our community- the APEX of the DFW metroplex- through partnerships with leading arts and civic organizations.”

Arts Council NorthEast: With a vision of access to the arts for all and a mission to provide artistic, cultural, and educational opportunities to improve the quality of life in our communities, Arts Council North East partners with the City to present the annual Masterworks Series. The Masterworks Concert Series provides free concerts to the community and includes all genres of music.

Call A Ride Southlake: Call A Ride of Southlake, Inc. (CARS) is a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose is to provide free, non-emergency transportation for medical, dental, social, business, shopping, and personal needs to Southlake seniors and disabled adult citizens. They depend on volunteer drivers to transport our 55 and better community where they need to be.

Grapevine Relief and Community Exchange (GRACE): Grapevine Relief And Community Exchange (GRACE) is a Grapevine, Texas-based non-profit relief agency which provides food, clothing, financial assistance, and other vital necessities to people who are struggling with a limited income or recent emergency.

Metroport Meals on Wheels (MMOW): Metroport Meals On Wheels, Inc. is a non-profit organization that organizes volunteers to deliver hot lunches to homes of individuals who are elderly, frail, chronically ill, or homebound. They also host weekly luncheons at the Southlake Senior Activity Center.

SafeHaven of Tarrant County: SafeHaven of Tarrant County is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end domestic violence through safety, support, prevention, and social change.

Southlake Community Band: Southlake Community Band is a concert band of more than seventy talented adult amateur musicians who regularly perform in the North Texas cities of Southlake, Grapevine, Keller, Colleyville, and surrounding communities. Don’t miss them at annual City events like the Stars and Stripes Festival and Home for the Holidays!

Southlake Historical Society: The Southlake Historical Society collects and preserves the history of Southlake for those now living in the area and for future generations. In addition, they host yearly educational events such as the Cemetery Tour and the summer Historical Society exhibits in Town Hall!

Southlake Sister Cities: Southlake Sister Cities is a non-profit organization that aims to foster global understanding, friendship, and communication through education and exchanges. Southlake Sister Cities represents Southlake abroad to our two sister cities, Tome, Japan, and Suzhou Wuzhong District in China!

While the challenge may have ended, it’s not too late to help! We invite you to join us in partnering with these incredible organizations by volunteering or making a donation.

It’s always the right time to show the world that Southlake Cares! For more information, visit our Southlake Cares webpage.

Call A Ride of Southlake Continues to Connect our Community

Ridesharing has become as commonplace in our modern culture as Tik Tok challenges. Taking advantage of unused resources like the extra seats in your car to turn a profit converted various startups into multi-million-dollar companies. Call A Ride of Southlake (CARS) also relies exclusively on ridesharing to provide reliable transportation to older and disabled adults, except it does it for free!

The City of Southlake is blessed to partner with various nonprofit organizations to enhance the premier services provided to our residents. A world-class organization, CARS provides transportation services for senior citizens and disabled Southlake adults within a 25- mile radius. Founded in 2000, CARS and its incredible network of volunteer drivers ensure those who cannot drive themselves have access to medical, dental, social, business, and personal services.

CARS volunteers have provided over 400 one-way trips to more than 525 registered clients this year. While their efforts are extraordinary, they need more volunteers to continue providing these vital services to our community. Increasing their arsenal of volunteer drivers is more important than ever as seniors become more and more comfortable leaving their homes after the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is a volunteer opportunity for you if you love to drive and are looking for an impactful way to give back to your community. Help give our 55 and better community their autonomy back and become a volunteer driver!

For more information about becoming a CARS volunteer, visit www.callaridesouthlake.org.

The Southlake Cares Challenge

We need you, Southlake!  A challenge is at hand, and we need your help to conquer need in our community. The Southlake Cares Six-Month Challenge will raise awareness of these particular organizations’ needs and ask for specific aid to meet them.

Economic Stress Creates High Demand for Assistance

It’s a difficult time in our nation and our communities. Families desperately need the essentials of food, medicine, shelter, and more in our area, and local service organizations have a growing need of support from the community for money, in-kind donations, and volunteers. In some instances, the demands have tripled, while revenue sources have declined.  The City of Southlake has a history of partnership with these six service organizations and relies on them to help provide services to the community in meaningful ways.

How to Help

Visit the Southlake Cares website and learn more about these organizations. See where you might fill a need and then click on the button that says Learn More. On that page, there are links to take you to our partners websites.  From there, you can choose how you want to make a difference. If you do decide to give, please be sure to indicate Southlake Cares as your honoree.

Over the next six months, we will feature each one of our partners and tell you how they are helping the City.  We will also track the challenge’s progress to let you know how things are going and if our organizations are encountering a specific need.

We need your help to show we’re Southlake Strong and that Southlake Cares. Won’t you join us?

Volunteers needed for Call a Ride Southlake!

Without Call A Ride of Southlake (CARS), losing the ability to drive meant seeing the same four walls every day, all day long. CARS provides rides to Southlake seniors and disabled adults but they can’t do it without your help. Without more volunteer drivers, seniors like my dad are going to be turned away. As Southlake’s population continues to age, CARS can’t fill all of the requests from seniors. CARS needs your help!

Taking my dad’s keys wasn’t easy, not on me, not on my dad. Dad, could no longer enjoy the activities that gave him a sense of happiness and independence.  Distance made it impossible for me to help. Not driving wasn’t the biggest threat to my dad’s independence. The biggest threat to his independence was social isolation.  He could no longer do the things he enjoyed.  Activities like meeting his buddies for breakfast on Tuesday mornings were no longer possible. Thankfully, CARS was able to help my dad. CARS volunteers allowed my dad to continue experiencing life, participating in activities and nurturing old friendships and developing new ones.

CARS can’t help seniors in the community without your help. Without more volunteer drivers, more and more seniors are going to be confined to the same four walls every day, all day long.

Volunteer to Give a Neighbor A Lift. You’ll lift their spirits and your own. For more information about Call A Ride of Southlake visit their website at www.CallARide.org.

Call A Ride Southlake Hosts Fundraiser October 7 at Fish City Grill

Fish City Grill 2014 Save the Date (1)

Click to enlarge flyer.

Call A Ride of Southlake, Inc. (CARS) will host its 4th Annual First Tuesday Benefit at Fish City Grill Southlake on October 7, 11:00am to 9:00pm. Fish City Grill will donate 15 percent of all sales – including lunch, dinner, to-go orders and catering – during the October 7 fundraiser.

“Enjoy a great meal knowing that 15 percent of the purchase will be going towards supporting CARS and their efforts to provide transportation for our local senior citizens and disabled adults,” said Dave Garner, co-owner of Fish City Grill and local resident.

CARS is a volunteer organization which provides vital transportation for medical appointments and other approved purposes in and around Southlake. Board members will be in attendance at this event and will be available to provide further information about the nonprofit which has been providing service since 2000.

For more information, call (817) 798-4022 or go to  www.CallARideSouthlake.org.