Photo Friday + Calling All Volunteers!

This Photo Friday's photos come from the Thriving Minds Afterschool program at McShan Elementary.  Volunteers from Bank of America helped students with their art projects and showed off the site of the flower garden they plan to plant.

We couldn't do what we do without the support of our volunteers!  Interested in helping out?  We have volunteer opportunities in the following areas:

Read Out Program

Thriving Minds Afterschool program is looking for enthusiastic, caring volunteers to read to school-age children in your local neighborhood school. Volunteers are asked to read to children and lead hands-on activities such as making bookmarks and creating storybooks. Books and hands on activities are provided for you.

When: Volunteers are needed Fridays from 3-5 p.m.
Age: Must be 18 years or older

 Thriving Minds Afterschool Program
Volunteers are needed to assist with arts and crafts activities, promote reading to children and assist with homework. This program is ongoing in 31 Dallas ISD schools with the Big Thoughts vision of improving the quality of education. Volunteers are asked to bring their creativity and materials. Basic reading skills are required.
When: Monday through Friday from 3-6 p.m.
Age: Must be 18 years or older

For more information on volunteering, please visit our website.

Photo Friday on Monday - Kids Cafe Program Launches at Charles Rice Learning Center

Community Organizations Partner to Open First Kids Cafe in Dallas ISD

With many families struggling to make ends meet, several community organizations have stepped up to ensure that students at one Dallas ISD learning center receive a hot, nutritious  dinner three days a week before heading home.  Dallas-based education nonprofit Big Thought, in partnership with the North Texas Food Bank, recently launched a new Kids Cafe program serving students in the Thriving Minds after-school program at Charles Rice Learning Center in South Dallas. This is the first time a Kids Cafe program has been available to students on a Dallas ISD campus.

Kids Cafe programs provide free meals and snacks to low-income children through a variety of community locations where children already congregate. The Kids Cafe at Charles Rice Learning Center provides meals to nearly 120 students three evenings a week. The Kids Cafe is a national program of Feed America and is administered locally by the North Texas Food Bank.

According to Feed America, every fourth child in Texas does not know where their next meal is coming from, and in Dallas that amounts to nearly 200,000 kids said Isaac Burren, program services manager for the NTFB during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the program on April 12.

“There is an immediate and exact correlation between what’s in someone’s stomach and what they are able to produce in the classroom. And this helps us go one step further to all these little ones right here reaching their dreams,” Burren added.

Funding for the Kids Cafe at Charles Rice was provided by Chase, which has been instrumental in supporting the academic needs of students in the South Dallas community through the Thriving Minds initiative.

We’re excited to be part of One Man Dallas and Cadillac Cares Contest!

One Man Dallas is designed to encourage more men to volunteer with charitable organizations and engage in community projects that make our communities a better place to live and work. Held previously in Chicago and Minneapolis, One Man has come to Dallas to put the spotlight on men who can provide the inspiration for others to get involved.

One of our board members, Mark Melton, has been selected as Big Thought’s nominee. We are fortunate to have Mark as an advocate and supporter of Big Thought and the children we serve. Please help recognize Mark’s efforts by voting for him on the One Man Dallas website through May 19.

You can also support One Man Dallas by attending one of the free ‘Meet the Men’ happy hours:Tickets to the final event on May 19, where the winner will be announced, are available for purchase. Visit onemandallas.com for more information.

Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. at Park Place Mercedes Benz
Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at Nest on McKinney Avenue
Wednesday, May 4 at 6 p.m. at the Boardroom Salon
Thursday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at the Aloft Hotel 

Big Thought is also participating in the Cadillac Cares Contest, which runs through May 9. By ‘liking’ the Metroplex Cadillac Dealers’ Facebook page and casting a vote for Big Thought on their page, you can help us win a $50,000 advertising campaign to help us raise awareness about Big Thought’s mission. You can vote once a day every day between today and May 9!

Please share this information with your friends and encourage them to get involved! Thank you for your support as we strive to provide 100% of kids with the opportunity to think creatively, achieve academically, make healthy choices and become productive, forward-thinking and engaged citizens.

Photo Friday - SeaWorld visits Thriving Minds students

SeaWorld presented a program for some of the Thriving Minds After-School students at the Pleasant Grove Library. The program was provided by the Education and Conservation Department of SeaWorld and introduced students to information about coastal conservation, rescue and rehabilitation of animals affected by both natural and human causes, and how everyone, especially children, can work to make a positive difference in habitats around the world. The SeaWorld Cares program included both video and live presentations, interactive segments with student volunteers, a mock animal rescue, and visits by at least three animal ambassadors (a Roseate spoonbill, an American alligator, and Magellanic penguins)!

Photo Friday - Organic Chocolate & the Whole Planet program

Students in the Thriving Minds after-school program at Long Middle School partnered with Whole Foods Market Lakewood to make and sell their own line of organic gourmet chocolate treats. Whole Foods supplied the teens with organic chocolate, nuts and dried fruit in order to teach students about micro-lending and to raise funds for, and awareness about their Whole Planet program. The teens learned about entrepreneurship and developed their own company name (The Chocolate Tree) and logo.