When you walk through the doors of Grand Prairie United Charities (GPUC), you’re not just entering a food pantry. You’re stepping into a community built on service, dignity, and “just a little bit of help” at exactly the right time. At the August DFW Cyber Lions Club Lunch & Learn, Executive Director Patti Brock shared how a small, local nonprofit is quietly feeding thousands, keeping utilities on, and partnering across the city to make sure no one in Grand Prairie slips thro

This month I had the privilege of hosting Thuy Layhew, President of Neuro Fitness Foundation (NFF). Thuy wears every hat imaginable at NFF, from board president to program director, to make sure people who can't afford traditional therapy still have a place to go after a traumatic brain injury, serious physical injury, or other neurological condition. Thuy's Story Thuy opened with her own history, and it explained everything that came after. Her family came to the U.S. from V

Hi y'all, and welcome back to yet another behind-the-scenes blog post for United by Hope! This month’s episode looked a little different from what was originally planned… We were set to highlight STEPS with Horses, an incredible organization doing meaningful work in our community. Unfortunately, I got sick and wasn't able to follow through with filming. Thankfully, Dr. Bunn stepped in with a last-minute idea that completely changed the direction of this month's episode and ho

Hi y’all, and welcome back to another behind-the-scenes blog post for our (~semi) new vlog series, United by Hope. On a special note, happy Autism Awareness Month. This episode felt especially meaningful, and I’m so excited to share it with you!! For Episode Four, I had the honor of sitting down with Dr. Rhonda Brown-Crowder, founder and CEO of Caleb’s Community, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families navigating life with children who have special needs. Her story begin

Hi y’all, and welcome back to our semi-new (still claiming that) blog series, United by Hope Unfolded . If you’re new here, welcome! Each month, I get the opportunity to visit a different nonprofit organization, tour their facilities, interview the people who make everything happen, and share their impact with our community. You can watch the video production version of this visit on our YouTube channel, but this blog is where I get to slow things down a bit, share my perspec

Hi y’all, and welcome back to our second behind-the-scenes blog post for United by Hope, our new year-long production series where each month I get to visit a different nonprofit, tour their facilities, interview someone involved, and share their impact with our community. This month, we’re already switching things up! Instead of focusing on one organization’s facility, Episode Two centers around the Affordable Housing development at Alice Court in Grand Prairie. It’s a coll

As part of our new year‑long series, United by Hope, I have the privilege of visiting a different nonprofit each month to learn about their mission, meet the people behind the work, and share their impact with our community. It is my first time leading on‑camera interviews, so if you watched the video version of this visit, you may have noticed the unmistakable posture of someone trying very hard to remember what to do with their hands. This blog serves as the calmer, behind‑

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On this first day of 2024, I am sitting in my favorite place, looking at the beach. I see little waves meeting the shoreline from a...

Many of us celebrated Thanksgiving last week by gathering with friends and family to enjoy a feast and share all the things for which we...