Rockwall, TX (October 11, 2024) – Twice a year a group of community members devoted to helping people and organizations in the county gather for an hour of inspiration. The group, Lakeside Leaders, with Lacy Deckard and Russ Porter spearheading the mission, are working to help nonprofits raise money and spread awareness.
“Lakeside Leaders is an extension of who we are,” says Russ Porter. “Rockwall is known as a community that loves people and supports local businesses. This group embodies that spirit by bringing business and community leaders together to support and promote local nonprofits that serve our residents.”
This is not your typical fundraiser though. Taking just an hour of time, these Leaders gather with the goal of donating $10,000.
The Lakeside Leaders Gathering
Each spring and fall, the members of Lakeside Leaders come together, each with $100 and one hour of time. With one hundred (or more) members in attendance, three nonprofits are drawn to present their organization’s mission, projects, and financial needs. After the presentations are completed, those assembled will vote for the evening’s recipient.
The organizations not selected to present or as recipient will have the opportunity to receive individual donations and spread their message before the evening ends.
The Fall 2024 Nonprofit Presentations
Hosting the fall event, Sarah Naylor encouraged and thanked Lakeside Leaders for their support to benefit the community. She then introduced the randomly drawn nonprofits, Lone Star CASA, Meals on Wheels Senior Services, and Greater Rockwall Youth Symphony, who would present for the attendees’ consideration.
Lone Star CASA’s, Lauren Rowe, detailed their mission to support children going through the foster care system because of child abuse. Training volunteers to serve as child advocates, CASA sees hundreds of children in Rockwall and Kaufman counties each year come through their organization. Surprisingly, attendees learned only 12% of the Rockwall County children remain local with most sent to relatives or homes further away. “We want our volunteers to look like the people they serve” says Rowe. “We do not want finances to prevent advocates from serving so we want to reimburse them for their travels, including plane fare in some cases.” The cost of providing this important face-to-face, personal attention and support by the Child Advocate is part of their budget.
Margie Verhagen with Meals on Wheels Senior Services of Rockwall County spoke to their goal of helping keep elderly and disabled in their homes, living independently, as long as they possibly can. Although they serve over 100,000 meals each year, Meals on Wheels is “more than meals” says Verhagen. “We provide daily human contact and connect them to needed resources so that no senior or disabled person is left behind. Our Ani-meals program also helps our clients keep their pet, which is their companion providing them a sense of purpose.” While Meals on Wheels has been undergoing a capital campaign, Verhagen addressed an urgent need – the cost of food having increased by 60% – further complicated with the recent announcement that the federal government would decrease the organizations funding.
“Connecting kids through music” is how Amanda Casper describes the Greater Rockwall Youth Symphony. The symphony provides an opportunity for young musicians to participate in orchestra, not offered in all schools, while playing for veteran groups, senior citizens, and other nonprofits. As founder and Executive Director, Casper shared the critical need for funding to cover the cost of instruments as well as their larger mission. “Having served over 200 students, and with a large percentage coming from lower incomes, we also provide food, mentorship, and access to ensemble playing” says Casper. Adding the benefits of “getting kids involved in community service”.
The Vote
With compelling stories and important missions, there was no doubt that these three organizations, each serving a particular need, were very deserving. The time came for the vote. Considering each option, Leaders came forward to submit their vote, and the winning recipient was announced – Meals on Wheels Senior Services!
Join Lakeside Leaders
The organization is not limited to 100 participants, hoping to see many more get involved.
“It has been inspiring to see this group of individuals come together”, says Deckard. “The impact each person has by donating $100 individually is great, but the impact of 200 people each donating $100 at one event is huge – that would be $20,000 raised in just one hour for a Rockwall County nonprofit.”
Lakeside Leaders invites more members to join! The fall gathering held at Standard Service in Heath included a large crowd with sponsors Victor Cantu, Toro Steam Cleaning, and Roger Williamson of Williamson Foundation Repair. The spring gathering will be announced later. Interested parties can learn more about Lakeside Leaders and apply online https://www.lakesideleadersrw.com/
Blue Ribbon News Staff Report, photos by Blue Ribbon News.
Rockwall County Lakeside Leaders, leading by example added by Melanie M on
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