Unemployed Man Collects Shoes For Homeless
A North Texas man faced with unemployment decided to stop worrying about his future and instead focuses on what he can do to help those who are less fortunate, The Dallas Morning News reports. Ken Troupe says he was inspired to collect tennis shoes after listening to a radio call-in show. Now he's on a mission to collect and donate 100 pairs of shoes to the homeless.
Click here to watch the story from The Dallas Morning News.
$6,000 Raised For 6-Year-Old Liver Transplant Patient
The Frisco Rotary Club Christmas Party raised more than $6,000 Thursday night for a 6-year-old liver transplant child. Galen Horacek received a transplant in July after he experienced acute liver failure. The Capital One Bank in Frisco donated all of the food, beverages and facilities for the event. The money raised will help pay for his medical bills and continued care.
Click here to read more and see event photos on NBC DFW.
Santa Visits Children With Developmental Disabilities
Santa is making special arrangements for autistic kids who can't tolerate the one-size-fits-all mall Santa experience, the Dallas Morning News reports. The noise and the crowds can be too physically or cognitively overwhelming. This year, several area branches of Our Children's House at Baylor, which provides outpatient therapeutic services for kids with developmental disabilities, brought Santa to the kids. It was some kids' first chance seeing Santa in person.
Click here to read more from Dallas Morning News Columnist Jacquielynn Floyd.
Parents Facing Hard Times Shop for Free
For a few weeks each December a warehouse is transformed into a Christmas paradise where struggling parents can pick out gifts for their kids at no charge, the Southlake Times reports. When someone enters the warehouse, it looks just like they have walked into Toys ‘R’ Us or any other toy store. Shelves are filled with every toy imaginable from the latest dolls, to DVDs, bicycles and board games. The Christmas Cottage is an annual program that GRACE puts on for less-fortunate families in Grapevine, Colleyville, and Southlake. “This is unique because the parents get to come in and actually shop for their child,” said Pam Goldmann, the cottage's coordinator. “They get to pick out that individual doll or bicycle.”
Click here to read more from The Southlake Times.
Donations Lift Financially Strapped Animal Shelter
Donations are keeping the Dallas County Humane Society open for a while longer and also making it possible for the shelter to accept more dogs and cats. Since early November, the shelter has received canned goods, dog beds and $40,000 from people wanting to help. Last month, the shelter temporarily stopped taking animals for the first time in its 30-year history because of budget problems.
Click here to visit the Humane Society of Dallas County.
Plano Couple Spreads Holiday Spirit for Charity
Many Americans are putting Christmas decorations on the back burner as the nation suffers from the beginning effects of a recession, the Plano Insider reports. But not Scott and Lynn Zephries. The Zephries decked out their Plano house for their third annual Christmas Light Show, which began Thanksgiving night with 104,000 lights that are synchronized to 14 different Christmas songs. Additionally, attendees can tune into 92.3 FM to listen to the melodies on the radio as they watch the light show. The show benefits the North Texas Food Bank and Toys for Tots. Last Christmas, the light show collected more than 2,000 pounds of canned foods, more than 700 toys and between $1,000 and $2,000 in cash donations.
