LVTRise Parent Engagement Initiative receives $30,000 grant
Published on October 18, 2022
LVTRise has received a $30,000 grant from the Fund to Advance Racial Equity at North Texas Community Foundation under the Supporting Community Leadership category. The grant will support hiring staff to support the Parent Engagement Initiative in the Las Vegas Trail neighborhood and provide food and clothing donations to students.
“The Fund to Advance Racial Equity provides grants to nonprofits working to build understanding and strengthen our community across racial lines,” said Lindy Calzada, community impact programs coordinator at North Texas Community Foundation. “The Fund’s grant committee, comprised of community leaders from diverse backgrounds, recognized the importance of LVT Rise’s Parent Engagement Initiative. A child’s education and the health of the school are improved when parents are engaged, and the staff supported by this grant will help more parents’ voices be heard in their child’s education.”
LVT began as a mobile community center providing social services and access to resources for area residents after a series of town hall meetings uncovered significant deficiencies and a lack of resources in this part of the community. In 2018, the Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project became the registered nonprofit currently known as LVTRise Inc.
In spring of 2019, Rise Community Center opened to the public, providing a permanent home for the organization. In January 2021, the Fort Worth Public Library opened a branch in the community center, furthering the resources available.
In May 2022, the Fort Worth City Council approved a land lease agreement that paved the way for a Las Vegas Trail Child Development Campus to become a reality for the high-need community. Child Care Associates will build and operate the new facility adjacent to the existing Rise Community Center. Construction is estimated to start in late fall of 2022 and is projected to take 18 months to build and finish out an eight-classroom, approximately 8,600-square-foot child development facility. An estimated 100 children and their families will be served through Head Start and Early Head Start.
Since its inception, LVTRise has dedicated its work to collaborating with community partners, empowering community members through training and case management and impacting the Las Vegas Trail community addressing education, improved quality housing and reducing neighborhood crime.
Photo: A youngster at the LVTRise Community Center receives a book from Rise Branch library assistant Tracy Lane during a neighborhood event.
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