I have been making a conscious effort to get more involved in our
community for a couple of years now, from volunteering with GLBT job fairs and food pantry operations for the Resource Center of Dallas, to
organizing a spur-of-the-moment canned food drive during the influx of people fleeing New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, to the
recent Winter Coat Drive that has proven to be such a success (thank you all so much!)
I say all that not to pat myself on the back, but to lead into what I'm up
to now! I have decided to form an informal organization to help those "Regular Joes" in our midst (such as me) find a way to do something
to contribute to society and the betterment of our local community. It's
called Central Dallas Community Outreach or CDCO.
CDCO is a grassroots informal nonprofit seeking to bring some change to growing and persistent issues that affect the areas of Oak
Lawn, Oak Cliff, downtown Dallas, and West Dallas. It will be a central place under which to organize and carry out small gestures that
hopefully will have a big impact on our brothers and sisters in Central
Dallas.
CDCO is a way for individuals who love and care about our city and our communities to have a chance not only to give back in a way that
each person is able, but also exists to foster awareness and increase the mentality and prevalence of social action in Dallas.
I hope to achieve some measure of good through drives (food, coats, toys, etc.), fundraisers, partnering with individuals and local
organizations (such as UUCOC), increasing social awareness and shedding light on problems our community faces such as
homelessness, etc., and other means that will directly impact social services and citizens in the communities of Dallas' urban core.
To find out more, please visit CDCO at www.myspace.com/centraldallasoutreach. You may also e-mail
dallasoutreach@gmail.com. There is much to do, and I'm making plans continually. I look forward to working with anyone who wants to
help out, in any way they can. I truly feel I would not be able to do anything like this without the loving support and fostering spirit of this
church.
Check out Dee Stofko's Article:
"Oak Cliff church putting on social film series"
on Pegasus News.
Clearing space for a Compost Pile as
part of our Green Sanctuary Project
November, 2007 - The congregation of the UUCOC voted to accept an invitation to join the Dallas Area Interfaith Association; a group of 60 religious congregations in the Dallas metropolitan area.
Rev. Mark Walz speaks at a rally in downtown Dallas
to end the Iraq war.
Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff
