Heart House is a proud recipient of a $50,000 grant from The Meadows Foundation’s recent funding cycle. This new funding adds The Meadows Foundation to the list of pre-imminent funders and philanthropic supporters for Heart House. Since 2000, Heart House has collaborated with area partners, nonprofits, businesses, and volunteers to provide holistic, year-round services such as learning clubs, art therapy and counseling to support the refugee and underprivileged children of Vickery Meadow. Annually, it serves 143 students, free of charge, to families.

Funds from the grant will provide seed funding to launch expansion into a third location at Northwest Community Center, which will open with the 2018-2019 schoolyear and serve an additional 100 students.

“Heart House is honored to be awarded this grant from The Meadows Foundation,” says Lenita Dunlap, Heart House CEO. “This grant ensures a strong foundation for our expansion by allowing important investments into growing our footprint and strengthening organizational capacity. Our new location at Northwest Community Center will reach 100 more students, and offers the opportunity to continue refining our unique approach to providing holistic, trauma-informed, social emotional services to the children of Vickery Meadow.”

“Having The Meadows Foundation come alongside us in this growth will magnify our impact greatly, and help put the needs of refugee and underprivileged children—front and center,” shares Richard Mills, Heart House Board President.

“It’s easy for refugee families settling into a new culture, and new language to get lost,” shares Cindy Patrick, Meadows Foundation program officer. “Dallas prides itself in being a welcoming community, and this grant ensures that our youngest residents in Vickery Meadow have the best chance in life.”

Vickery Meadow is one of the most densely populated areas of Dallas. It has served as a major entry community for refugees resettling into the metroplex from places like Burma/ Myanmar, Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, and Mexico. To help address the traumas of fleeing war, persecution and life in refugee camps, Heart House provides a place for refugee children to move “From Chaos to Calm” through its after-school and summer programming, which supports academic, social-emotional learning, and character development.