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WELCOME TO, IT'S HAPPENING IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
I'M GEORGIA CLEMSON, AND WE HAVE A GREAT GUEST TO GET US STARTED TODAY, WE HAVE AMY SPRINKLES.
AND WE'RE SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU, AMY.
UH, NOW AMY, YOU'RE INVOLVED IN SO MANY THINGS, BUT TODAY WE GET TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS.
WHAT IS IT WE GET TO TALK ABOUT LIFELINE FOR FAMILIES AND OUR BEST IN THE CITY? I'M GONNA SAY
IT'S JUST A, IT'S A GREAT TIME FOR FRIENDS AND FELLOWSHIP AND TO HELP A VERY WORTHY CAUSE.
NOW, AMY, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MISSION OF LIFELINE FOR FAMILIES, FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T HEARD.
UM, OUR MISSION IS, UM, SOMEWHAT UNIQUE.
IT'S KIND OF NICHE, BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT.
WE HELP KEEP KIDS IN THE GRAND PRIX SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THEIR HOMES.
SO THEIR FAMILIES ARE FACING AN ACUTE SITUATION.
SO THEY, THEY MAY LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.
THEY HAVE A BIG CAR REPAIR OR A BIG HEALTH BILL OR A WHATEVER, UH, EXPENSE COME, COME UP AND THEY CAN'T PAY THE RENT AND THEY CAN'T.
DO I GET THE CAR FIXED OR DO I PAY RENT? THEY GET THE CAR FIXED SO THEY CAN GO TO WORK, KEEP MY JOB.
SO THEY, WE HELP THOSE ACUTE SITUATIONS.
WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH G-P-I-S-D COUNSELORS TO IDENTIFY OUR FAMILIES AND, UM, HELP THEM IN A DESCENDING SCALE.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE FROM THREE TO SIX MONTHS, DEPENDING ON THE NEED.
UM, AND SO THEY GET TO STAY IN THEIR HOME.
AND WE DO FINANCIAL PLANNING WITH THE PARENTS JUST TO MAKE SURE THERE, 'CAUSE SOMETIMES WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU LIVE THAT CLOSELY, YOU'RE NOT ALWAYS MAKING LONG-TERM DECISIONS WITH REGARD TO YOUR FINANCES OR YOUR FINANCIAL PLANNING.
AND, UM, THE BEST PART FOR ME IS G-P-I-S-D TRACKS OUR KIDS AND EV A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE TIME ATTENDANCE BEHAVIOR AND GRADES ALL IMPROVE.
SO WE KNOW WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THESE FAMILIES.
IT IS SUCH A BIG, BIG BLESSING.
AND WE HELP ABOUT 150 FAMILIES A YEAR OVER THE, OVER OUR 24 YEAR HISTORY.
THIS IS OUR 24TH FREEDOM LUNCH.
UM, SO LIFELINE MAY BE 25 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR.
I, YOU'RE CORRECT, BECAUSE I THINK WE WERE A, A YEAR BEFORE WE DID THIS, DIDN'T WE? YES.
UM, THAT WE'VE HELPED THOUSANDS OF KIDS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
AND, UM, GIVE US A LITTLE HISTORY ON HOW LIFELINE GOT STARTED WITH ANGELA.
SO OUR FOUNDER, ANGELA GESNER, UM, AND YOU MAY HAVE TO REMIND ME, SHE SAW A, A YOUNG MAN, A FAMILY LIVING IN A CAR BEHIND KRO OR KROGER.
UM, AND IT MADE SOME INQUIRIES, FOUND OUT WHAT THE SITUATION WAS.
THERE WAS NO ONE IN TOWN, NO AGENCY IN TOWN BUILT TO HELP WITH THAT KIND OF SITUATION.
AND SO SHE SAID, LET'S DO SOMETHING.
AND I BELIEVE YOU WERE ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WENT AROUND FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO IT.
AND ACTUALLY IT WAS, UH, VERY HARD TO UM, CONVINCE SOME OF OUR CITIZENS THAT WE HAD A HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM, PRAIRIE.
AND THIS SPECIFIC HOMELESS ISSUE IS NOT PARTICULARLY VISIBLE 'CAUSE OUR FAMILIES ARE ON THE CUSP OF EVICTION OR THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN EVICTED AND THEY ARE COUCH SURFING, I CALL IT.
THEY GO FROM FRIEND TO FRIEND, FAMILY TO FAMILY TO FRIEND, AND THEN MAY END UP IN THEIR CAR FOR A LITTLE BIT AND THEN ROTATE BACK THROUGH.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP THEM FROM DOING THAT.
'CAUSE IT'S VERY DISRUPTIVE TO THE CHILDREN.
THEY GET VERY STRESSED IF THEY DON'T HAVE THAT CERTAINTY OF HOME.
UM, AND UM, WE ALSO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH KIDS INC.
WHICH IS ALSO HOUSED WHERE OUR LIFELINE HEADQUARTERS IS.
AND YOU AND I ARE BOTH INVOLVED IN THAT TOO.
WE PROVIDE THE KIDS WITH THEIR CLOTHING NEEDS AND LOTS OF TIMES IT'S THE UNIFORM AND THE SHOES AND SOCKS.
IT IS THE UNIFORM AND THE UNDERGARMENTS, THE SHOES, THE SOCKS.
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AND WE DO HELP MORE THAN JUST THE CHILD.SO IT'S, IT'S, WE DON'T HAVE ANY ADULT WE CLOTHES.
BUT, BUT WE DO HAVE FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES, INCLUDING IN HIGH SCHOOL.
'CAUSE WE SOMETIMES FORGET ABOUT OUR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.
AND LAST TIME I WAS IN THE CLOSET, THERE WERE EVEN PROM DRESSES IN THERE TO HELP WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.
UM, NOW BACK TO LIFELINE MM-HMM
UM, THIS IS, LIKE YOU SAID, ONE OF THE MOST FUN EVENTS.
AND IT'S AT THE RUTHIE JACKSON CENTER.
WE SELL OUT, WE GO TO CAPACITY.
THE WEBSITE IS OPEN, TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW.
SO LIFELINE FOR FAMILIES.ORG AND ON THE FREEDOM LUNCH, UH, YOU CAN BUY A $45 INDIVIDUAL TICKET.
YOU CAN BUY A TABLE FOR EIGHT, FOR $400.
AND WE ALWAYS WELCOME OUR SPONSORS AND THERE'S A VARIETY OF SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS ON THE WEBSITE FOR THOSE WHO MAY WANNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
WE APPRECIATE OUR SPONSORS AND OUR, EVERYBODY THAT COMES BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A WONDERFUL EVENT AND LIKE YOU SAID, FOR THE BEST CAUSE AND IT'S VERY REWARDING.
AND YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES THE FAMILIES THEMSELVES, WE ONLY HAVE TWO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S, WE ARE VERY LEAN AND WE'RE, AND GPSD COVERS OUR OVERHEAD.
WE HOUSE IN ONE OF THEIR FACILITIES, WHICH IS A BLESSING AS WELL.
SO THE FUNDS THAT WE DO GET CAN GO DIRECTLY TO, UM, MOST OF THE TIME GO DIRECTLY TO THE FAMILIES.
AND A LOT OF TIMES, AMY, UM, PEOPLE SAY, OH, WELL WHO ARE THEY AND WHAT CAN WE DO? AND WHATEVER MM-HMM
BUT A LOT OF TIMES THEY WANT TO STAY UNDER THE RADAR MM-HMM
WHERE IT'S NOT EMBARRASSING FOR THE CHILDREN.
AND THEY CAN HAVE, UM, PRIVACY IN THAT WAY.
THEY, IT, IT, IT'S FOLKS THAT ARE, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THEY WERE IN TROUBLE NECESSARILY FOR THE MOST PART.
UM, BUT A LOT OF TIMES SINGLE FAMILY, SINGLE PARENT HOMES AND, UM, SOMETIMES MAJOR HEALTH ISSUES IN THE HOME THAT, THAT CAUSE THAT UNEXPECTED EXPENSE.
SO, UM, IT DOES TEND TO FLY UNDER THE RADAR.
BUT OUR FREEDOM LUNCHEON IS WAY ABOVE THE RA, WAY ABOVE THE RADAR.
WITH OPEN HEARTS AND OPEN POCKETS,
AND, UM, MANY TIMES, UM, PEOPLE, THEY'RE GONNA FIND SOMETHING THAT THEY LOVE EITHER ON THE SILENT AUCTION MM-HMM
OR THE AUDIBLE AUCTION MM-HMM
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN, UM, TELL 'EM ABOUT ON LOOK FORWARD TO ON LIVE? YES.
SO WE'VE GOT, UM, A BEACH HOUSE ON THE GULF COAST, UH, FOR SEVEN DAYS.
AND WE HAVE A QUARTER SIDE OF WAGYU BEEF WITH A FREEZER.
WE HAVE, UH, PALACE POKER WITH THE MAYOR TELECAST.
AND WE'VE GOT, UM, AN HVAC INSTALLATION WITH BON AIR.
WE'VE GOT A LOVELY CUSTOM ETCHED, UM, HUNTING RIFLE WITH CUSTOM ETCHED, I THINK THEY CALL IT THE STALK UHHUH, THE WOOD PART ON THE BACK.
AND WE'VE PAIRED THAT WITH A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP AT A GUN RANGE IN GRAPEVINE.
SO THIS IS A DISPLAY QUALITY RIFLE, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE USED FOR HUNTING.
THAT GIVES THEM SOME IDEA OF WHAT MM-HMM
OF THE ITEMS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE WITH THE PENTHOUSE SUITE AT LONE STAR PARK.
GOOD FOR ANY NIGHTS AVAILABLE.
UM, SOMETHING FOR, FOR EVERYBODY.
SOME OTHER SURPRISE THAT WE GOT A SPORTS PACKAGE WITH TICKETS TO STARS AND MAVERICKS AND RANGERS.
AND I'M WRANGLING SOME COWBOYS TICKETS TO ADD TO THAT.
AND A SILENT AUCTIONS JUST GONNA BE GREAT AS WELL.
AND IF THEY DON'T FIND SOMETHING THERE, THEY CAN ALWAYS JUST MAKE A NICE DONATION FROM THE HEART, A GIFT FROM THEIR HEART.
AND KNOW THAT THEY'RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
AND REMIND US THE DATE AND HOW WE CAN GET OUR TICKETS AND GET ALL SIGNED UP.
JUNE 4TH, WHICH IS A THURSDAY.
WE, UM, DOORS OPEN AT 10 30 SO YOU CAN SHOP EARLY, UH, BUT TECHNICALLY 11 TO ONE.
UM, AND YOU CAN BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE, LIFELINE FOR FAMILIES.ORG OR YOU CAN CONTACT ME AND MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS, UM, I STILL WORK PART-TIME AT THE CITY, SO IT'S A SPRINKLES AT GPT X.ORG AND I CAN GET YOU CONNECTED.
HOW TO BUY A TICKET IF YOU DON'T WANNA DO IT ONLINE.
AND CAN YOU TELL 'EM, DO YOU THINK, UH, THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GOLDEN TICKET? WE ARE WORKING ON THE GOLDEN TICKET.
IT'S GONNA BE LIVE ON THE WEBSITE SOON.
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OKAY.SO WE SELL 100 GOLDEN TICKETS FOR $100 EACH.
AND THEN YOU, IF YOU BUY A GOLDEN TICKET, YOU GET TO PICK WHICH LIVE AUCTION ITEM YOU WANT.
SO IF YOU PICK IT AND YOU WIN, IT'S OFF THE LIVE.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A RAFFLE FOR THE MONEY TREE.
IT'S TOO MUCH FUN TO TALK ABOUT IN ONE LITTLE SEGMENT ON THIS SHOW.
WE HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING PEOPLE TO SIT DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION SOMETIMES, DON'T WE
WE HAVE TO READ MISS RUTHIE'S BELL AND TELL.
OKAY GUYS, IT'S TIME TO SIT DOWN.
WELL, AMY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR LIFELINE.
AND WE KNOW THAT THAT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THAT.
AND IT'S A JOY TO DO BE OF SERVICE TO LIFELINE AND WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE WEST NILE VIRUS.
USE INSECT SPRAY WITH DEEP WEAR, LONG SLEEVES AND PANTS.
ANYTHING WITH STANDING WATER STOP.
GET MORE INFORMATION@GPTX.ORG SLASH BIKE.
THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE OFFERS ALERT GP A HIGH SPEED COMMUNICATION SERVICE FOR EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS.
RECEIVE ALERTS FROM THE GRAND PRAIRIE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM BY GOING TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND FOLLOWING THE SIGNUP INSTRUCTIONS ALERT.
GP CAN NOTIFY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN A SHORT TIME.
IT TARGETS THE ENTIRE CITY OR SPECIFIC AREAS WHERE CRITICAL COMMUNITY ALERTS ARE NECESSARY.
IF WE CAN'T REACH YOU, WE CAN'T ALERT YOU.
VISIT GPTX.ORG/ALERT GP AND SIGN UP TODAY.
WELCOME BACK AND WELCOME TO OUR NEXT GUEST, ASHLEY WHITE FROM THE GRAND PRAIRIE LIBRARY.
NOW, TELL OUR VIEWERS WHAT YOUR TITLE IS AT THE LIBRARY.
I'M THE PROGRAM, UM, ADMINISTRATOR.
SO I AM OVERALL OF PROGRAMMING AT ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
AND THAT'S A BIG JOB AND IT'S A FABULOUS CREATIVE JOB.
AND, UM, LIKE THE MAYOR SAYS, WHO KNEW YOU COULD HAVE SO MUCH FUN AT THE LIBRARY? YES.
NOW YOU HAVE SOMETHING EXCITING COMING UP FOR SUMMERTIME, DON'T YOU? OH, YES.
WE'RE HAVING OUR SUMMER READING CLUB.
DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE THEME IS? I WANT TO KNOW
WE'RE THROWING IT BACK BACK TO THE EIGHTIES.
DO YOU, WERE YOU AROUND IN THE EIGHTIES? WELL, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN
SO, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW VIBRANT AND HOW FUN IT WAS WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT STYLES AND ALL OF THAT.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE REWINDING IT BACK TO THE EIGHTIES AND IT'S JUST, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FUN.
OUR, UM, OUR DATES ARE MAY 30TH THROUGH AUGUST 8TH.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF PACKED INTO THOSE COUPLE OF MONTHS AT THE LIBRARIES.
UM, OUR BIG KICKOFF IS GOING TO BE MAY 30TH, SATURDAY MAY 30TH FROM 10:00 AM TO NOON.
SO WE'RE ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO COME OUT TO THE GRAND PRAIRIE LIBRARY.
WE'RE, UH, THE MAIN LIBRARY MAIN.
WE'RE GOING TO, UM, TRANSFORM THE MAIN LIBRARY INTO AN EIGHTIES INSPIRED MALL.
AND, UM, TELL US HOW YOU GET, UM, INVOLVED IN THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM.
YEAH, SO WE ARE DOING BEAN STACK AGAIN THIS YEAR.
AND OUR, OUR WHOLE THING IS THAT WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE LITERACY.
SO DURING THE SUMMER WHILE KIDDOS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL, STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY, THEY TEND TO KIND OF DECLINE AS FAR AS LIKE EDUCATION.
THEY KIND OF LIKE LOSE THAT, UM, THAT CONSISTENCY WITH LEARNING, RIGHT? YES.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE STAYING ENGAGED AND NOT JUST WITH EDUCATION AND NOT JUST LIKE, KEEPING THEIR MINDS AND THEIR BRAINS LIKE WORKING AND READING.
UM, BUT ALSO SOCIALLY, LIKE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT KIDS ARE OUT HAVING FUN AND, YOU KNOW, DOING AS MUCH GOOD STUFF AS THEY CAN
SO WE ARE ENCOURAGING KIDDOS TO COME IN AND READ, BUT NOT JUST KIDS, UH, TEENS, ADULTS, FOLKS OF ALL AGES.
UM, AND THEY CAN USE BEAN STACK REAL EASY, VERY, VERY USER FRIENDLY APP.
UM, YOU GET ON THERE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT, OR IF YOU HAD ONE LAST YEAR, YOU JUST LOG IN AND BRING IT BACK UP FOR THIS YEAR.
AND THEN YOU'LL CHOOSE, UM, YOUR READING CHALLENGE AND YOU LOG YOUR HOURS AND YOU WIN PRIZES.
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DO YOU CHALLENGE 'EM TO READ A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF BOOKS OR PAGES OR HOW DO YOU DO THAT? YEAH, SO EVERY FIVE HOURS THAT YOU READ, YOU GET A, WHAT'S CONSIDERED A BADGE OR LIKE A PRIZE.SO FOR KIDS, WHENEVER THEY READ FIVE HOURS, THEY GET TO COME TO THE LIBRARY, SHOW ONE OF OUR LIBRARY STAFF MEMBERS, HEY, I READ FIVE HOURS, LIKE LOOK AT THE APP.
AND THEN WE LOG IN ON OUR SIDE, WE CHECK OFF THAT BADGE FOR THEM AND THEY CAN GET, UM, A TREASURE CHEST ITEM.
THEY CAN GET A FREE BOOK TO TAKE HOME AND KEEP, UM, OR THEY CAN GET A COUPON FROM ONE OF OUR AMAZING COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT HAVE DONATED TO SUPPORT SUMMER READING.