DALLAS — Dozens of children are staying busy in a loft-style building on South 2nd Avenue in South Dallas.
Tuesday, some children were painting on canvases while others were huddled around gaming consoles, reading, and eating snacks.
The atmosphere is the safe space Tabitha Wheeler-Reagan and Elizabeth Henderson imagined and worked hard to provide for neighborhood children through The Village Bridge Center’s first summer camp.
The free day camp became their mission following the increasing homicide rate and spike in violent crimes across the city of Dallas.
"The main thing with me… is these babies," Henderson said. "These babies are getting hurt."
The women say they grew frustrated as they heard report after report of innocent children becoming victims in recent homicides and gun violence in Dallas. The pair transformed an old beauty salon into a summer camp that’s now serving about 50 children on any given day.
It may all sound good. However, the women say there is a big problem.
“People say they’re going to help but they don’t,” Henderson said.
The camp organizers say they moved forward with the idea to open The Village Bridge Center summer camp after getting commitments from community members who promised to help out as volunteers and mentors. They claim those commitments followed a community safety meeting the Dallas Police Department held in May at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center.
“We had some commitment that people were going to come out and volunteer – that we were going to have mentors and different programs," Henderson said.
The camp directors say some men and women who initially promised to volunteer haven’t been showing up.
"We need mentors so bad for these kids," Henderson said. "Especially the boys. We have boys with anger problems and they just need a man, a strong man, to talk to them."
The organizers are calling it a desperate need for responsible men and women willing to step up as mentors or volunteers. It’s a need so critical, the camp directors have issued a call to action.
"I'm just asking, it can be a couple of minutes," Henderson said. "A couple of minutes. I don't care. It don't have to be hours. It don't have to be a full day. It don't have to be every day. I'm just asking for 30 minutes, an hour. That's all I'm asking."
The Village Bridge Center’s directors say they remain optimistic some responsible volunteers will come forward to help out. They believe just a little of your time could make a big difference.
The Village Bridge Center’s summer camp runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday until August 2. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer or mentor with the summer camp, you can contact The Village Bridge Center at 214-210-9661, or visit their website at https://thevillagebridgecenter.org.