Approximately 250 Kurdish refugees will be arriving in East Dallas in late September and early October, according to Franz Schemmel, area director for the Lutheran Social Service of Texas Inc.
And the refugees, divided into 10 families with six to 13 members each, will need donations of beds and bedding, living room and kitchen furniture, pots and pans, household goods, and financial contributions, says Pastor Harold V. Meissner, who is coordinating the East Dallas effort on behalf of Lutheran Social Service. Meissner is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, 7112 Gaston Avenue.
The refugees will live near Oates and Ferguson in Far East Dallas, where they will join a small Kurdish community established in 1977. The refugees have been granted political asylum and are relocating from Turkey, where they fled five years ago from Iraq following chemical warfare techniques to crush opposition to Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
If you would like to assist in the relocation effort, contact Meissner at 327-2729 or Schemmel at 817-923-7141.
YWCA Offers Gymnastics Course for Children
Steve Fleming and 20 other gymnasts have initiated a gymnastics program for children who are members of the Central YWCA, according to YWCA officials.
Classes will be offered Monday and Wednesday from 3:15 to 4 p.m. for preschool students, and from 4 to 5 p.m. for school-age students. On Saturday, preschool students meet from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. and from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m.; school-age students meet from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
“Gymnastics is a preparatory sport for all other sports,” Fleming says. “It will help with strength, endurance, flexibility and balance.”
Registration fee is $5; courses cost $25 monthly. For information call the Central YWCA, 4621 Ross Avenue, at 960-1108.
Habitat for Humanity Plans Nine-Day Building Blitz
HomeWork ’91, a nine-day event coordinated by the Dallas Habitat for Humanity, is scheduled October 5-13, according to Habitat’s Wink Dickey.
More than 1,000 volunteers are needed to complete three houses for needy families during the event, which will take place in the Garrett Park East neighborhood in East Dallas. Also needed are food and beverage donations, as well as financial assistance, Dickey says.
Habitat for Humanity assists needy families build and purchase homes through sweat equity, and has been active in the Garret Park East neighborhood. Contact Susan Dunlap, 827-3990, for information.
Henderson Named Stonewall Principal; Fall Carnival Planned
Olivia Henderson has taken over as principal of Stonewall Jackson Elementary School, 5828 E. Mockingbird.
Henderson grew up in Dallas and has been employed by the Dallas Independent School District for 21 years, handling a variety of teaching jobs and serving as principal at Stephen C. Foster prior to joining Stonewall.
She received a bachelor’s in education from Texas Women’s University and a master’s in education from Southern Methodist University. Henderson is married and has three children.
In other Stonewall news, a Fall Carnival is scheduled October 26 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the school. Events will include a silent auction, raffle drawings, game booths, a costume parade, and a Mexican dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Call 823-9906 for more information.
East Dallas YMCA Basketball Classic Planned October 5
The annual YMCA Basketball Classic, open to participants from seven years old through senior citizens, is scheduled October 5, according to YMCA staff member Rick Casner.
The event is an accuracy competition; participants shoot baskets from designated court areas. Points are awarded according to the shot’s difficulty.
Winners from each YMCA branch will participate in a citywide shootout during halftime of a Mavericks game. Citywide winners may participate in a national shootout, Casner says.
Categories include 7 to 8 years old, 11-12 years, 13-14 years, 15-18 years, 19-25 years, 25-35 years, 36-50 years, 51-65 years, and 66 years and older. Entry fee is $5, and advance registration is required. All participants receive a commemorative water bottle.
Contact the East Dallas YMCA, 824-8139, for more information. Sponsors include the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Morning News, WFAA-TV, KPLX-FM, and KLIF-AM.
Halloween Promotion at Casa Linda Benefits Gaston Middle School
Casa Linda Plaza will be decked with hay bales and Halloween decorations Saturday, October 26, as part of a pumpkin sale benefiting Gaston Middle School.
Children are invited to dress up in costumes for trick-or-treating throughout the Plaza, where Halloween characters will pass out candy. A country and western bank will provide additional entertainment.
The promotion is planned in front of the Casa Linda Theater from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lakewood Service League Announces Grant Awards
Twelve organizations received grants totaling $30,000 this year from the Lakewood Service League, according to past League president Sherryl Thomas.
Among the groups receiving funds were Our Friends Place, Greater Shepherd Center, East Dallas Community School, Wilkinson Center. St. Barbaras Philoptochos Society, Visiting Nurse Association, East Dallas Young Life, YWCA – Camp Young at Heart, Lakewood Service League Meal Program, Lakewood United Methodist Tutorial, J.L. Long Middle School, and the Park Fund.
Funds were raised through cookbook sales and the League’s annual auction party, Thomas says. The group also assists in community events such as the Lakewood Pre-School PTA Home Tour and the Wilkinson Garden Tour.
The League was founded in 1982 to promote East Dallas and Lakewood neighborhood organizations, and membership is open to area women. Members must volunteer a minimum of 36 hours annually.
Neighborhood Notes
TUTORING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The Vietnamese Mutual Assistance Association is sponsoring English as a Second Language classes and tutoring Monday through Thursday from 5:15 to 7 p.m. at the Vietnamese Activities Center, 4308 Bryan. Volunteers are needed for the program. Contact Bob Booker, 826-6181, for information.
YWCA GROUP RECEIVES GRANT: The YWCA Women’s Resource Center has received a $10,000 grant from Exxon Corporation to support the group’s job development and placement program. Participants are taught job search techniques and self-marketing skills. Job placement assistance also is offered. The program is open to men and women; contact Mary L. Hicks, 821-9595, for more information.
CHARITY AUCTION PLANNED: Ruth Ann Burton Prude, Woodrow Class of ’76, a former drill team captain and second generation Wildcat (mother Ruth Kolius Burton ’47) is organizing the troops.
Burton is working on a charity auction to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 7, at the Southland Center Hotel Downtown to benefit Christian Services of the Southwest, a non-profit agency offering maternity, adoption and foster care. Tickets are $35; call 381-8265 for information.
