According For Oak Cliff Teen Intern Jade Mitchell,
“For Oak Cliff is a non-profit organization that advocates and helps the Oak Cliff community. For Oak Cliff has opened a community center in order to fulfill the goal of helping out the community in as many ways as possible. The main goal is to liberate Oak Cliff from systemic oppression. This is so important because the zip code 75216, that is in Oak Cliff, has the highest number of incarcerated people than any other zip code in the United States.
“The programs For Oak Cliff does are significant, because they give people opportunities they wouldn’t normally have and lets them know that someone in the community is looking out for them. The center is not just focused on a particular age group or gender. Everyone is welcome here. There are a variety of different programs that we offer for all ages to be included.
“For Oak Cliff provides the community with multiple different education programs, because a little more knowledge can go a long way. The programs included can range from a newborn to adults. The LENA program is a program that accelerates speech development for children 0-3 years old. We also have a pre-school learning camp this summer for ages 3-5 and a BOOM summer camp that allows for more summer learning for elementary kids.
“Middle and high school students have been given an opportunity to be a part of the Teen Summer Workforce and learn about a variety of things while working such as financial literacy, coding, resume writing workshops, and more. This is a great time for the teenagers to learn life skills or any specific skills that may help them in the long run for their careers.
“There is also a GED program for anyone that did not finish high school and wants to go back and get their diploma. There is also a program for our older people, which provides chances for older people to go out, have a good time, and be with people that are the same ages as them. We don’t want the OG’s of the community sitting at home bored every day!
“A very important program we do every week is handing out food every week to the people who need it. There are no fresh and healthy food sources in the community for approximately 20 miles. Everyone in the community should have somewhere close they can go and purchase healthy food choices, because there is no grocery store that close, For Oak Cliff wants to provide the community with a food pantry and more options for their food and groceries.
“The biggest program we have is this annual Back to School Festival. This festival provides kids with great chances to receive backpacks and school supplies for the year. It also gives a chance for local vendors to come by and advertise with us. There can be benefits for anyone who attends the festival. There is also a basketball court, football field, and swimming pool that will be continuously opened for people to come and have fun with anytime. This is an important Oak Cliff community center that centers on helping people and watching them grow. This is a very important organization for this community.”
* Graphic/photo provided by For Oak Cliff ** Photo credit: Xavier Henderson *** Photo credit: Sorrhea Hobbs
In 12 years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $375 million into the North Texas community. In 2020, more than $58.8 million was raised through more than 106,000 donors benefiting over 3,200 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 23, support For Oak Cliff by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay