Each year, I Got Your Back reminds us what is possible when a community unites around its children. This year, more than 500 South Dallas students received backpacks and school supplies to help them begin the school year prepared and confident. We were proud to see so many families participate and make the day a meaningful celebration of their children and their futures!

The name of this event represents a promise: our children and families do not walk alone. We are incredibly proud of our students, parents, educators, South Dallas neighbors, and YOU! It is an honor to stand together as we continue building a future filled with achievement, opportunity, and hope.

At BridgeBuilders, part of our mission is to equip and empower students in South Dallas to pursue their God-given potential. True transformation begins when people are given the tools and support they need to lead in their own communities. Summer of 2025 presented a unique opportunity to mobilize a young leader who truly embodies our mission.

Octaveus, known as Okie, is a soon-to-be senior at Lincoln High School, and has chosen to spend his summer giving back to the community that helped shape him into the young man he is today. A Bonton resident since age six, Okie has grown up alongside many of the students now attending our programs. He has seen firsthand the benefit that community support and mentorship have in a young person’s life, and now he is providing that to the generations following him.

One of the key points in a young person’s life is when they start to grow closer to God and develop their spiritual life. At least half of teens report sharing the same religious beliefs as their parents, so the guidance a child receives on faith is crucial to their future. This reality led us to implement a Faith Assessment to better understand and reach the students in our program.

We asked students 10 questions to assess their understanding of the Christian faith, prompting real conversation around their beliefs, knowledge, and spiritual development. Questions like, “Do you feel that God loves you?” and “Do you ask God’s forgiveness when you do something wrong?” provided answers that directed the structure and topics of "God Time," our weekly Bible study sessions after school.

"God Time" is led by Pastor Brandon Rowe of Bonton Bible Church, a local community congregation that meets at BridgeBuilder’s facilities every Sunday. Strengthening the students' connection with their neighborhood pastor fosters long-term faith mentorship–an approach supported by studies that show consistent, trusted adult relationships significantly enhance youth spiritual growth and moral development.

BridgeBuilders mission is about restoration, the kind that only unfolds when people show up hands ready and hearts open–a posture exemplified by Park Place Dealerships.

Through their Park Place Cares program, volunteers showed up to serve; where a single day’s work became a lasting impact! Their first effort was repainting the parking lot lines for our apartment residents. This seemingly small detail bears great importance as clean, safe parking areas communicate dignity and care in communities where those qualities aren’t guaranteed. Furthermore, Park Place handling this project saved us the cost of hiring a crew–allowing our resources to support critical programs for our neighbors.

This effort would have been enough, but they weren’t finished. Behind our South Dallas Community Market sat a plain concrete slab, faded and forgotten. But with teamwork, vision, and fresh paint Park Place turned it into something purposeful: a basketball court for our kids. This is the first court in walking distance within the Ideal neighborhood, giving local students a place to play after school, on weekends, and while their parents shop at our free grocery store.

Picture a slow cooker filled with beef and vegetables, simmering in a delectable stock for 12 hours to develop the flavor. Maybe you can recall the aroma of a family dinner from your childhood as you read. Just like this delicious dinner, our community benefits greatly from time, opportunities, and assets compassionately given. 

Similar to popular meal-kit products on the market today, The SharedDish is providing care package meals for our neighbors along with a Crock-Pot to easily cook them. All the meats, veggies, spices, and ingredients are provided with simple instructions for preparation.

Distributed twice per month, these free meals make a delicious difference for our neighbors! Creating simple and healthy recipes keeps good food on the table where less nutritious options are often so much cheaper and more available.

BridgeBuilders is dedicated to restoring hope and transforming communities, and lasting change begins with empowered, community-anchored leadership. One significant partnership we love to support is Bonton Bible Church, a beacon of faith and community in the heart of South Dallas.

A Shared Vision for Bonton

Bonton Bible Church’s mission is deeply aligned with BridgeBuilders–bringing hope, restoration, and transformation to Bonton through the message of the Gospel. Led by local leaders with deep roots in the neighborhood, Bonton Bible Church understands the unique challenges their community faces and seeks to meet those needs holistically, through relationships, spiritual growth, and practical support. This church is a space of community life, spiritual growth, and worship.

We believe in using the resources and opportunities we have to elevate leaders from within our community. This commitment isn’t just about providing services or meeting immediate needs; it’s about empowering our neighbors to lead initiatives that bring lasting change to South Dallas.

Last year, we celebrated the launch of the South Dallas Driving Academy and Bonton Bible Church—both of which continue to create ripple effects of transformation in our neighborhoods. These efforts weren’t isolated acts of support; they were part of a broader strategy to create sustainable, community-anchored leadership. This year, our focus has expanded as we continue to cultivate leadership through the formation of two local nonprofits, one of which is Dallas United for Good.

Creating safe learning experiences for teenagers.

Kids are growing up extra fast nowadays, and they become teenagers, then adults– all before we’re ready! With the evolving needs and wants of modern-day teenagers, here’s a few thoughts on how we can engage them safely and meaningfully with access to learning and opportunities to grow.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV)

And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”

Mark 6:35-37 (ESV)

The Bible gives us many calls to serve others, and Jesus modeled this in His life perfectly. What can a servant of God learn from Jesus’s order to the apostles to feed His followers?

We aim to create spaces to celebrate our kids and facilitate a positive experience with creativity, which is made possible with the Dallas Museum of Art as an enrichment partner. DMA art experts came in to host a 3-week pop-up with hands-on art education and experience. They also guided the kids on a personal tour of the DMA and helped make a showcase at Bonton Farms where families, friends, and the community could view their artwork.