Blog

September 9, 2020

Volunteers rally together for the 19th annual Freedom Day centered around Equity and Justice for All!

Communities Foundation of Texas’ 19th annual Freedom Day community service event will be held in observance of the 19^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the federally-recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance, September 11 and as part of the North Texas Giving Day season. Hundreds of volunteers representing CFT for Business member companies, sponsors, CFT fund holders, staff, and DFW-area veterans will join in service around the theme of Equity and Justice for All. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, recent economic crisis, and urgent demands to end systemic racism have created tremendous need in our community. This year’s Freedom Day will activate volunteers to help nonprofit partners meet growing needs related to these issues, with a focus on building thriving communities for all. Volunteers will be activated in 18 virtual, remote, and physically distanced projects.                                

WHEN

Friday, September 11, 2020
 
8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Opening Ceremony will be held virtually, featuring CFT’s President and CEO, Dave Scullin, and Pastor Richie Butler of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church, who serves on CFT’s Board of Trustees. Join via zoom here: Freedom Day Opening Ceremony.
 
9:15 a.m. – 5 p.m. Volunteers participate in volunteer projects virtually, remotely, and at physically distanced project sites. Notable locations listed below*
 
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 a.m. Special lunch and learn program featuring Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. Join via ring central here: Freedom Day Lunch and Learn.

WHO

Volunteers will be activated in 18 virtual, remote, and physically distanced projects. Volunteers include employees from Communities Foundation of Texas for Business (CFT4B) Member Companies who joined CFT4B because of their commitment to corporate social responsibility, as well as Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) fund holders, Freedom Day sponsors, service partners, and partnering nonprofits. In recognition of the courage and bravery of the men and women who serve as first responders and fight for freedom, CFT4B dedicates this grand day of service to them.

WHY

To turn a day of tragedy into a day of doing good. CFT for Business (CFT4B), a program of Communities Foundation of Texas, facilitates community involvement and philanthropy for companies of all sizes that want to serve their communities.  Since the first Freedom Day in 2002, more than 14,000 volunteers from CFT4B Member and Sponsor Companies have completed more than 50,000 hours of service on 9/11 to turn a day of tragedy into a day of doing good. In 2019, more than 1,500 volunteers supported 24 nonprofits across 35 projects. Living during a pandemic, economic crisis, and demands to end systemic racism has created tremendous need in our community, and CFT is committed to helping our nonprofit partners meet these urgent and growing needs.
 

*Notable service locations and activities

Physically Distanced Projects:

Farmers Assisting Returning Military (F.A.R.M.) Fall Garden Build

• Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
• Address: 700 South Good Latimer Freeway, Dallas, TX
• Visuals: 50 volunteers will assist with fall garden building and planting for this veteran-led nonprofit that provides food security and helps veterans find peace, purpose and opportunity through therapeutic agricultural training.
• Onsite media contact – Melissa Hawkins, melissa@sfmg.com,  mobile: (469) 233-4023, office: (972) 674-2568, Manager of Client Service, SFMG Wealth Advisor
• OR Earle J. “Chip” Bensing, ebensing@employsolutions.com, mobile: 214.649.8681, office: 214.453.8814, CFO. Employ Solutions/ES OnDemand

Hunger Busters – Operation Healthy Summer Box

• Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
• Address: CVS, 3030 Sylvan Avenue, Dallas, TX 75212
• Visuals: 30 volunteers will register families and load boxes of fresh produce and gallons of milk into their vehicles
• Onsite media contact – Michael Holmes, mholmes@platinumids.com, mobile: 214.729.2729, President and CEO, Platinum Intelligent Data Solutions

North Texas Food Bank – Food box sorting and packing

• Time: Morning: 8:30 – 11:30 am and 12:30 – 3:30 pm
• Address: 3677 Mapleshade Lane, Plano, TX 75075
• Visuals: 120 volunteers will help bring hope and joy to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity by filling boxes with necessary food items at North Texas Food Bank
• Onsite media contact Lisa Causey, lcausey@cftexas.org, mobile: 214.448.7860, office: 214.750.4131, Facilities and Events Manager, Communities Foundation of Texas

Birthday Party Project: 100 volunteers will create birthday cards for children of families experiencing homelessness and submit them virtually.Virtual projects with nonprofit partners include:

• Catholic Charities of Fort Worth: 100 volunteers will create encouraging letters for individuals, families and veterans served by Catholic Charities of Fort Worth and submit them virtually.
• Cohen Family Clinic: 100 volunteers will create encouraging letters for military members, their spouse, and/or children and submit them virtually.
• Mosaic: 100 volunteers will create encouraging letters for women and children survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking and submit them virtually. 20 volunteers will create Storytime videos reaching children’s books to children survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
• The Senior Source: 100 volunteers will create encouraging notes for seniors and submit them virtually.
• Texas Health Resources: 100 volunteers will create thank you notes and encouraging letters for health care heroes fighting COVID-19 on the front lines and submit them virtually.
• Unbound Fort Worth: 100 volunteers will create encouraging notes for human trafficking victims and will submit them virtually
• Dallas TRHT volunteers will help us change the narrative to tell a fuller story of the city by collecting oral histories/testimonies of community members and/or curating artifacts and resources for our digital library

Learning Opportunities include:

• Dallas TRHT Lunch and Learn – 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. –The mission of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation is to create a radically inclusive city by addressing race and racism through narrative change, relationship building and equitable policies and practices. This lunchtime presentation will provide tools you can use to help achieve this mission. Join via ring central here: Freedom Day Lunch and Learn.