Announcement
Stormy weather couldn’t stop refugee families and employees from Fleishman Hillard from having a blast at SPARK! in Dallas on Thursday. 33 children, accompanied by parents and IRC staff members, embarked on the DART for the SPARK! center in Dallas for an afternoon exploring their creative sides. Refugee families in attendance were from Syria, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burma. The field trip was organized by GenR member, Tala Chmiel, and funded by her employer, Fleishman Hillard. 15 employees from Fleishman Hillard in Dallas also joined for the afternoon’s festivities.
SPARK!, which could be described as an indoor jungle gym and activities center, opened in 2015 with the mission of igniting “the spark of creativity inherent in all children.” The nonprofit organization provides opportunities for children (between 2nd grade and high school) to immerse themselves in a hands-on and creative learning environment. The organization is strategically placed in South Dallas in order to be in close proximity to many low-income families.
Refugee kids with Fleishman-Hillard employees
Refugee girl with Fleishman-Hillard employee
Fleishman Hillard employees were able to play and interact with the refugee children and their parents while making arts and crafts, playing musical instruments, having some snacks, and exploring an indoor jungle gym. One employee shared the following sentiment:
“During these tense times, it truly meant a lot to see these kids, who have been subjected to so much scrutiny, prejudice and debate, be able to just run around, have fun and be kids. It made me so happy to realize that when you put 40 people in a room with a giant jungle gym, we’re not that different.”
-Fleishman Hillard employee
Arts & Crafts fun
Event participants left SPARK! with colorful new works of art, a few more community connections, and renewed sense of creativity!
The IRC would like to give a special thanks to the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Fund for providing a van home for refugee clients, after inclement weather caused delays in DART transportation.
Is your company or organization interested in sponsoring an Explore Dallas field trip with the IRC? Interested groups may contact [email protected].
Written by: Casey Sublett