Tamela Southan moved to Forest Hills in 2005. She is the muscle behind the Forest Hills Service League. Photo by Can Türkyilmaz
The Forest Hills Service League is young compared to other Dallas leagues, having been founded in the early 2000s. Despite the neighborhood having an active Garden Club that has been around for years, the Forest Hills Service League didn’t really take off until 2005, says Tamela Southan, the non-profit organization’s event chairwoman.
Not coincidentally, 2005 was the year Southan moved to Forest Hills and began asking herself and others, “How can we get our community of Forest Hills more involved working together doing fun events for our neighbors?”
After some hard work and a lot of volunteer participation, the Forest Hills Service League now reaches out to the Forest Hills community by hosting at least four annual events — a Fourth of July parade, a fall festival, a holiday tree-lighting ceremony and a senior citizen social.
The volunteers who help with each event are both women and men — somewhat unusual among local leagues, which are often made up entirely of women. Though some leagues require nominations and have waiting lists, Forest Hills’ league has more of a come-one, come-all approach. Southan does all of the planning for events and then mans them with as many volunteers as she can recruit.
There’s a common thread here: “I am the service league,” Southan says, laughing.
This year, in conjunction with its other annual events, the Forest Hills Service League held a Memorial Day picnic, and will host its inaugural Chili Cook-Off and Pepper Blast Fun Run on Oct. 15, with proceeds benefitting Sanger Elementary’s garden education (“So kids know what an eggplant is,” Southan says). The second senior social of the year happens Nov. 6, and a community non-perishable food drive will take place from Nov. 1-15. Neighborhood beautification projects and a “pet alert” round out the league’s busy schedule.
Most of the events benefit some sort of charity or cause. In the past, the Forest Hills Service League has donated the majority of the funds it raises to Jonathan’s Place and the White Rock Center of Hope. A portion of the money also goes into a fund for future events.
Volunteer participation has also been on the rise. On average, five to 15 people volunteer for every event, Southan says.
“The more events we’re doing, we’re getting more volunteers,” she says. “People like to have fun, and when they see others having fun, they want to join in.”
Why does Southan juggle the responsibilities of working full-time and also planning events for the Forest Hills Service League?
“It is a lot of volunteer work, but it helps you get to know people,” Southan says. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it.”
