South Dallas can feel a lot like a small town, where people know their neighbors and stay involved in each other’s lives. Bonton resident Ms. Willie has lived on the same street here for close to 40 years, so it’s no surprise the neighbors all know and respect her. Everyone knows her- even the kids, who refer to her as “Mama.”
We first came to know of Ms. Willie through her neighbors, when John Sizemore, our Community Services Associate, was evaluating the needs of the community with what he calls Adopt-A-Home, a part of our Adopt-A-Block program.
Adopt-A-Home raises the value of a home by partnering with the resident over a longer season, allowing us to focus on larger projects and truly addressing the needs of the home.
When John started working with Ms. Willie, he made a promise to fix up several things in her backyard, and every piece of this work has been donated, including much of the labor being done by volunteers on our short term Adopt-A-Block volunteer days. It started with building a brand-new porch and turned into resodding the yard, rebuilding the shed, building and staining the fence, and more. In the coming months, we will turn our attention inside the house to work on electric and plumbing.
As a result of our work, Ms. Willie can live in her home safely and pass it down to her children. Beyond that, there is the newfound friendship between her and John, as well as all the volunteers that have helped with her home.
As we sat on her prized porch and talked over this past year and the changes to her home, we learned from all she had to say about this neighborhood and her experiences in South Dallas. To Ms. Willie, we’re the same. We bleed the same blood, and that gives us all the same value. There are more people like Ms. Willie here in South Dallas that just need a little help to fix up their homes, and for volunteers like you to assist us with future Adopt-A-Home projects. If you’re interested in supporting or volunteering with this initiative, please email John Sizemore at jsizemore@bridgebuilders.org.
“I’ve never had a porch like this. I dreamed about a porch like this.””
