Faces of GRAND Prairie, A Community Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode, we talk about COPE, an initiative through the Grand Prairie Police Department that stands for “Community Outreach Partnership and Education.” I talk with City Councilman Jeff Copeland, Supervisor Of the Crisis Support Unit Courtney Runnels, and Officer Greg New about how this unique initiative came to be. This innovative information-sharing program allows first responders to have immediate access to helpful information when encountering those in a mental health crisis. To learn more about this program or to sign up yourself or a family member, go to https://www.grandprairiepolice.org/services/cope-program

Today, my guests are Dena Petty and Crystal Gaither with Mentors Care. Mentors Care is a 501C3 organization whose mission is to connect high school students who are at risk of not graduating with mentors, tools, and resources to help lead them toward graduation and purposeful, fulfilling lives. Mentors Care works with school districts that are historically underserved to enlist, train and equip adult volunteer mentors who care about and believe in the kids they serve. Crystal and Dena discuss how Mentors Care came to be and how it works within each school. We discuss the success stories from the organization and how mentors are trained throughout the process, how this differs from other mentorship programs and how it can greatly fill a need as students return back to school after the pandemic. Groups like this need you and other citizens who want to help students through this time and this episode will encourage and inspire you to do just that! I will have links to Mentor’s Care on the episode details so you can learn more about how to get involved. And now, here’s Crystal and Dena.

To find out more about Mentors Care, go to https://mentors.care. 

My guest today is Scott Jeffries. He’s the Director of the Library at Dallas Baptist University. Today, Scott and I talk about the job of a librarian at a university and some of the day to day help they give students. We talk about how to think critically about what you read in the news and discuss the obstacles students face in the current online landscape, as well as helping young people understand original source material and point of view. Being a literary and news junkie myself, I found this conversation especially enlightening and I greatly enjoyed discussing the nuances of the university library system and hearing how students are being helped to research within in it! To Support the podcast, go to paypal.me/facesofGP

Why should local news and local community matter? Jenna talks about why the podcast is GP focused. If you like what I am doing and want to support more of my local interviews with interesting residents and officials click here https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/facesofGP! https://youtu.be/M2AgIPXpNDc

My guest today is Julie Harding. Julie and I were friends at a very young age, when we met as across the street neighbors in Grand Prairie as young kids. We talk today about being neighborly and what we feel are some of the reasons that neighbors in communities have gotten away from getting to know one another. We discuss the negative impact it has on the older and younger generations when we don't intentionally foster relationships with those who live on the same street as we do and how fostering those relationships creates positive outcomes for the mental health and well-being for all, especially teenagers who need the mentorship of the older generation. We also discuss how to create a neighborhood event that's lowkey and low stress, especially as we are moving forward from the pandemic. It was so good to spend some time catching up with a lifelong friend and I think you'll enjoy being a fly on the wall of our conversation.

Today my guest is Duane Strawn, director of the Parks, Arts, and Recreation department of Grand Prairie. Duane talks to me today about his background as a landscape architect and how that fits into planning for a city. We talk about the unique vision of the grand prairie parks and recreation department compared to other cities and the city’s innovative attitude towards progress. We also discuss some of the things in the works and how people can get more involved to have a voice in their local government. It was a pleasure getting to know him better during this conversation! The sound on this one was kind of quiet, so I apologize for having to turn it up louder than normal!

Find out more about Parks, Arts, and Recreation here

You might be asking yourself, “where is she going with this podcast? What’s the goal?” They are good questions and I want to answer them. I also discuss my mission of keeping the podcast positive and uplifting and how I would love to teach others to record interviews as well.

Today my guest is Monica Gonzales. She’s the new executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Grand Prairie. Monica and I sat down at the center to discuss what this nonprofit does for our community. We discuss the center’s mission of helping women make informed decisions when facing an unplanned pregnancy. We discuss the center’s partnerships with local churches and why that’s important, why it’s important to partner with a charity you are passionate about, and how we can encourage and mentor young people to become more involved citizens in their communities. I had such a welcoming and uplifting visit with everyone at the center and my spirit was truly encouraged with this interview. Make sure to check out the podcast description for contact information if you are interested in learning more about the center.

To learn more about the PRC of GP website here

For Tickets to the Laugh for Life Fundraising Event Friday, April 30, click here

To contact the center regarding volunteer opportunities, the bottle fundraising drive for your church, or the upcoming Applauding Life Banquet, contact the center at 972.642.3877

Today my guest is Matthew Loh, owner of Asia Times Square. Asia Times Square at Pioneer and Great Southwest has been in Grand Prairie for about 13 years with Matthew leading its’ vision and mission. Matthew and I talk about his background before his family opened Asia Times Square, the value in overcoming adversity and being passionate about your purpose. We talk about how much he values his relationships within Grand Prairie, within the city, the business community and the police and how impactful cultivating those relationships are when starting a business. He also talks about some of the upcoming events and some of his future expansion projects. Matthew was delightful and I really enjoyed our conversation and I know you will as well. https://asiatimessquare.com/ https://www.thelohfoundation.org/

My guest today is Linda Ellis, superintendent of Grand Prairie Independent School District. She talks with me today about her background in business and education before becoming the superintendent for GPISD. We discuss coming into leadership during times of crisis and how the district handled unexpectedly losing its’ leader and the pandemic within an 8 month period and why Linda felt led to help during such a pivotal time. We talk about mentorship, what the position of a superintendent entails and how the district will move forward into the 2021-2022 school year. I want to thank Linda for such a welcoming conversation!