I Got Your Back: Celebrating South Dallas Students
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.
The Event
Each year, I Got Your Back reminds us what is possible when a community unites around its children. This year, 441 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!
I Got Your Back is about much more than supplies: families connect with South Dallas nonprofit partners through our vendor fair, children enjoy activities, games, and a video game truck, and senior adults join the celebration with bingo. BridgeBuilders became a space where neighbors of all ages could gather, build relationships, access resources, and experience the joy of community.
The Purpose
This celebration feels especially meaningful following the release of the latest Texas Education Agency ratings. Dallas ISD earned a B rating, increasing its score by nine points since 2023, while 163 campuses received an A or B. We are particularly proud that South Oak Cliff, Carter, Pinkston, and Skyline–each high schools serving southern Dallas–earned A ratings. These results reflect the hard work of students, families, educators, and school leaders throughout our community. WFAA’s reporting shows what we’ve always known: South Dallas students possess extraordinary ability, determination, and potential. Dallas ISD reported the districtwide gains as well.
I Got Your Back is a mere part of the broader work of supporting students throughout the year–a mission made possible because donors, volunteers, and partners choose to unite with BridgeBuilders. We are deeply grateful to our partners, sponsors, donors, vendors, and friends for prioritizing our students and building their future:
Community Engagement & Opportunity Council
Avondale Dealerships
JPI Systemware, Inc.
Grace Bridge
Imaginuity
Bonton Bible Church
Mercy Street
Methodist Health System
Frito-Lay
PepsiCo
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Lynn Pokorny
Dallas Housing Authority
Their generosity, combined with the commitment and participation of our families, made I Got Your Back a true community effort!
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.
I Got Your Back Photos:
A Community Raising Leaders
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.
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 Okiy, 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, Okiy 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.
This summer, he’s leading our 1st and 2nd grade students with a natural sense of confidence and dedication to his role. Whether helping to facilitate creative art projects or hands-on science experiments, his true passion is coaching both on and off the court. Through active play, he not only keeps students engaged physically but also uses moments as an opportunity to teach valuable life lessons.
When asked why he chose to work in his own neighborhood, Okiy shared that it was important to him to invest in the same community that raised him. "It just feels natural," he says, explaining that he's always found himself in leadership roles among younger kids. His presence as a leader is a testament to his character and a powerful example of what it truly means to lead: to care for one’s own community and to treat all as neighbors.
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Luke 6:31 (NIV)
Okiy’s story reminds us that true leadership starts with service–and sometimes, the most impactful leaders are the ones raised by the community they serve. His example not only shows that young people can lead well, but they can also empower the next generation–at any age.
$1.75 a day is enough to provide food, school assistance, and spiritual learning to a student in South Dallas. You can join our community of passionate people supporting young leaders through BridgeBuddies!
The New Lines of Restoration
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.
What One Group Can Accomplish
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.
Content to keep raising the bar, Park Place also packed weekend meal kits for our Food for Kids program. Each kit includes four meals that nourish and support students in our programs over the weekend when after-school meals aren’t available. These meal kits fight food insecurity in a quiet but powerful way–and volunteers packing them with care is a helpful endeavor.
The attraction of this brand of volunteerism is not the work, but the spirit in which it’s offered. From first handshakes to final clean-up, the Park Place team brought enthusiasm, warmth, and a deep sense of purpose. They didn’t volunteer–they connected, served, and treated their work as part of something bigger than themselves.
We’re so encouraged by this new relationship with Park Place. Their values: excellence, generosity, and a genuine love for people align resoundingly with what we’re building in South Dallas. We’re excited for what’s ahead!
To everyone at Park Place: thank you. You’ve helped make our neighborhood safer, brighter, and more joyful, and we’re grateful for your partnership and friendship.
CBS News reported on this work, and their story is well worth the read here:
Small community improvements elevate youth opportunities in southern Dallas
Friendship is Sharing Food
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.
The Shared Dish Experience
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.
The SharedDish began by serving unhoused individuals, but they connected with BridgeBuilders through our co-founder, Velma Mitchell, to bring their services to the South Dallas Community Market and South Dallas senior citizens in our JOY Program.
SharedDish founder Sue Benton tells us, “I’m super excited. I think this is just the beginning. I hope I’m demonstrating Christ, being His hands and feet.”
The meal kits are assembled mostly by church volunteers, who help distribute 140 meals per week. The financial blessing of a free meal is vital, and The SharedDish has served almost 3,000 meals in their first year. Crock-Pot also got involved in their own way- donating many of the slow cookers that have been given to our neighbors.
For our seniors, Sue and her team demonstrating the cooking process for each meal and gathering to enjoy it makes the joy sweeter. They get to taste the meal they’ll be taking home and enjoy fellowship.
This has become a team and community-building project for the volunteers, who exercise their compassion and gifts for serving others. Retirees volunteer to stay involved in their community, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
South Dallas doesn’t have access to local grocery stores, so the need for unique ways to serve neighbors with healthy options and alternatives to the typical grocery store is ever-present.
“I’m hoping to spread the love through food, food is the tool,” Sue says, “we hope to demonstrate Christianity in a different way.” We’d say that mission has been a success.
One review from a senior neighbor tells a clear story:
“The roast beef- you put your heart in it!”
– Mary L, Bonton Resident
Giving funds and services is a step toward sharing in all things, and when you share a dish together, eating for energy can become dining with delight. We’re thankful for partners who come to our neighborhood to do that work.
Check out our new friends at theshareddish.org or on Facebook at The SharedDish!
Stronger Community through Partnership: Bonton Bible Church
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.
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.
Church at the Core of Community
In Biblical times, the temple was the center of the community, where people gathered for worship and life itself. The market and resources surrounded the temple. No matter what you needed, you were always heading toward the temple– to the heart of the community.
We believe everything we do must lead people to the Gospel, so the church must be the core of everything we offer. This is why our services are wrapped around Bonton Bible Church, so need for groceries, Christian counseling, student programming, or more will lead to the center of faith. A family at the Market meets Pastor Brandon Rowe, who leads the church with love and dedication. Seekers of Christian counseling receive care and are then pointed toward the church for ongoing spiritual support. Children in our student programs encounter a youth group rooted in the Gospel and connected to the same faith community.
Just as in Jesus’ time, where the temple was the guiding center of life, Bonton Bible Church is at the heart of the services we offer. Every need we meet–physical, emotional, or spiritual–is an opportunity to point people back to the church and ultimately to Jesus.
A Foundation of Faith and Service
Partnership with Bonton Bible Church shows us the power of faith to transform lives and communities. The church plays a vital role in addressing spiritual and physical needs. From Bible studies, prayer groups, and community outreach events, to organizing efforts to address food security and housing support, the church is a lifeline for many in Bonton.
Together, we put our faith in action–meeting people where they are and building relationships of belonging and purpose. As bridge-builders, we are humbled to come alongside Bonton Bible Church as they carry out this mission.
Looking Ahead
Our partnership with Bonton Bible Church is not a project, but a long-term commitment to the community of Bonton and the Kingdom of God. With Pastor Brandon’s leadership, the church continues to grow and expand its impact. We remain steadfast in our support, knowing that empowered local leadership is the key to a thriving and transformed community. Together, we are working to create a South Dallas where hope is restored, futures are bright, and faith is at the center of it all.
SPOTLIGHT: Pastor Brandon Rowe
Bonton Bible Church’s ministry is led by Pastor Brandon Rowe. Born and raised in Bonton, he attended local schools and proudly graduated from Lincoln High in 1998. During his senior year, Pastor Brandon answered a calling he could no longer ignore– in the quiet of the night, the voice of God thunderously commanded him to preach the Gospel! He tearfully accepted the call and began preaching at his home church and throughout Dallas-Fort Worth.
After graduating, Pastor Brandon joined the U.S. Navy and walked in his calling, leading Protestant religious services aboard the USS Fletcher. He married Barbara, his high school sweetheart, in 2001 and after completing his enlistment, returned to Dallas to start their family of two children. For two decades, Pastor Brandon led church and home Bible studies and served as part of the associate pastor team at Cornerstone Baptist Church under Pastor Chris Simmons.
Pastor Brandon holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Master’s Degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Thankfully, God has called him back home to Bonton, where he is shepherding the community through Bonton Bible Church.
Building Bridges: Dallas United For Good
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.
Building Bridges to Nonprofit Leadership in South Dallas
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.
Dallas United for Good: A Movement of Change
Dallas United for Good embodies the heart of South Dallas. It isn’t just an organization; it’s a passionate movement working to create lasting change in our city. Built on the belief that every individual deserves a chance at a better life, Dallas United for Good is tackling diverse challenges, from education and healthcare to environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation. What sets this organization apart is its unwavering commitment to sustainable, long-term impact.
Their mission is clear: to enhance the capabilities of individuals, regardless of their diverse backgrounds, in an unwavering endeavor to achieve positive outcomes. This mission resonates deeply with us at BridgeBuilders, as we share the belief that collective action can lift entire communities. By fostering partnerships, advocating for equity, and rallying the generosity of supporters, Dallas United for Good is building pathways to brighter tomorrows for many in our city.
Our Role in Building Leadership
We view our role as a bridge between resources and leadership. We don’t simply engage; we equip and empower. Dallas United for Good exemplifies the kind of community-rooted leadership we are dedicated to fostering. Their vision of empowering unity and igniting positive change through action and relationship aligns perfectly with our own.
In South Dallas, we are witnessing something remarkable: local leaders, supported by organizations like ours, are standing up to create solutions for their communities. By supporting Dallas United for Good and others like them, we are ensuring that our community has access to the tools and opportunities it needs to thrive—not just for today, but for generations to come. We believe that community-anchored leaders don’t just deserve a seat at the table; the table itself should be set in their homes, where their voices, experiences, and solutions are at the forefront.
Dallas United for Good in the News and Upcoming Gala
Dallas United for Good was recently featured in a WFAA article and news clip, highlighting their efforts in providing housing repairs for seniors in need. If you’d like to learn more about their work or support their mission, consider attending their inaugural Gala for Good or volunteering alongside them.
You Give Them Something to Eat
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.”
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?
You Give Them Something to Eat
An Oasis in South Dallas
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.”
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?
Feed the body and the soul
For those outside of South Dallas, the primary issue a food pantry addresses seems to be food insecurity. While that’s true, the South Dallas Community Market (a partnership with Brother Bill’s Helping Hand) seeks to address much more. The Market is a haven of dignity, a welcoming atmosphere where all that matters is that you are a neighbor that God brought through our doors.
The provision we need isn’t food alone, and the problems we can solve extend beyond a free meal. Local access to free food can mean a neighbor doesn’t require a bus pass to reach a store or help a neighbor cover important bills with money they would’ve spent on groceries. Most importantly, the Market can provide a space to love and be loved by others.
God gives all people dignity. None are better than others in His eyes, and any of us could be in a worse position tomorrow than we’ve been before. With that understanding, we can feed more than just the body when we serve.
God is with us in the desolate place
We have all experienced that downtrodden, less-than feeling that comes from being excluded from the joy and thriving of others, and this can bring insecurities we don’t even know are there. These can become generational insecurities if someone is made to feel like they’re out of reach of the love of God and others.
Our neighbors aren’t at fault for issues in their community where systems of prejudice create real trouble for racial and socioeconomic groups. Residents don’t cause these problems, and are, in fact, the very ones who create improvement through their undying hope.
We serve a community filled with families that love and take pride in their neighborhood. Any idea that South Dallas is home to victims who don’t strive to be active members of their community is false. Broken systems are an oppressive force and for most of our neighbors this is not a story of being the product of a bad environment.
For those that know nothing but Bonton+Ideal, the Market is a welcome addition, and seeing their neighbors fed for free is a gift. They feel the love of God and share it with their neighbors.
“This is my home. I’d rather [volunteer] for them than for anybody.”
– Bonton Resident
God provides for our neighbors in all places, and much of that provision comes through their own hard work, determination, and commitment to their community.
God’s provision can come from what we have
Bonton+Ideal is an enterprising neighborhood; they’ve bloomed throughout decades by way of resourcefulness. They’ve made a life while being denied the resources they deserve and in so many ways, they are overflowing with lemonade where once there were lemons.
The fact that this neighborhood is sustaining is a testament to a resilience that many other communities haven’t required. Committed to thriving in their own home, the difficulties they face don’t rise to define Bonton+Ideal– which is instead a rare culture of welcoming and joyfulness.
What should outsiders think about South Dallas? Ask those that live here, and ask what you can do to help. Be a part of the good going on here! Don’t judge from the outside, but let the insiders be your guide. This community is filled with joy, laughter, and hope. The South Dallas Community Market was built by our neighbors’ hope and can be seen as a response to their work.
Bonton+Ideal can be considered a food desert, but through the grit and commitment of our neighbors, it’s starting to feel more like a food oasis at the South Dallas Community Market.
