Free Program to Provide Safe Haven for Dallas Children

Heart House Afterschool Opens in Vickery Meadows Community

While volunteering in a small neighborhood community in Dallas known as Vickery Meadows, two friends, Anna Land and Suzanne Kiefer, noticed that children in the area desperately needed a "safe" environment in which to obtain homework assistance, mentoring, friendship, and above all, protection from the idleness and negative influences they find in their daily after-school lives.

Two months later Heart House at Sterling Point became a reality. The center will be instrumental in providing the children with afterschool programs that influence higher academic achievement, prevent juvenile crime, and promote social skills which are vital for self-confidence and success. The center currently serves around 35 children grades K-8, with approximately 15 children attending on any given day.

"We first began surveying the community in 1992. Consistently since that time, the residents have identified afterschool programming as a critical need for the neighborhood," said Chris Harsdorff, Trustee of the Vickery Meadow Improvement District of Dallas. "We are delighted to welcome Heart House to Vickery Meadow."

Heart House at Sterling Point is located between the Sterling Point Apartments and the Pine Branch Apartments at 7407 Fair Oaks. The center is open M-F from 4 to7 p.m. In addition to homework assistance and tutoring, the center offers art enrichment programs and computer access free of charge.

"Community volunteers are working hard to bring hope to these children, but the need is great. I am asking that our citizens of Dallas invest in the future of their children. With their volunteer hours and donations, we will be able to accomplish even more," said Mrs. Land. "The evidence is overwhelming -- the more positive influences there are in a young person's life, the better off he or she will be."

Heart House has gained a groundswell of support from community resources, including a new interior decorated and supplied with toys from the Junior League of Dallas.