We are pleased to announce that Mission Central has hired Lola K. Nelson-Spay to serve as Director of Student Enrichment at the Village Library. Lola retires from the HEB Independent School District at the end of this school year and begins her new role with the After-School Tutoring Program on July 1st.

 Lola joins the team with a varied background in education which makes her an ideal person for the job. Most recently, Lola has served as a guidance counselor at Hurst Jr. High where she works with career counseling for junior high and high school students;  identifies, screens and provides services to at risk students; and works with individual, group and crisis counseling. Previously, she taught social studies to pregnant or parenting teens from sixth to twelfth grade; social studies and life management skills to 7th and 8th graders; and taught pre-school and kindergarten children. Lola has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Science degree from East Texas University.

 When asked about her interest in the position at the Village Library, Lola responded that she welcomes the opportunity to continue working with children after her retirement from a full-time position with the local school district. Lola clearly loves kids and wants to do what she can to help them succeed in school. Lola has extensive experience with volunteers and looks forward to getting to know the wonderful tutors who are a big part of our team.

 

The Director of Volunteer and Community Relations at Mission Central, Catherine Hollis, is recruiting volunteers to work with the children who will enroll at the Village Library in the summer and fall of 2015. Won't you join the volunteer team and work with our new Director of Student Enrichment to help our kindergarten through eighth grade students with homework, reading and math skills? Contact Catherine for a volunteer application and help our new Director of Student Enrichment make a difference in the lives of 50 neighborhood children.

 Welcome, Lola K. Nelson-Spay!

Looking to add some beauty to your garden this spring? Be sure to drop by North Pointe Baptist Church. Their annual plant sale will take place through May 3rd (or until the plants are all gone). They have many varieties of roses and trees, as well as hanging baskets and some bedding plants.

Proceeds from the plant sale benefit several organizations, including Mission Central, so every time your roses bloom, you'll remember that you helped empower your neighbors in need. North Pointe Baptist is located at 147 East Hurst Blvd. in Hurst.

On April 11th, 15 students from the University of Texas at Arlington came to work at the Village Garden as a part of UTA's Big Event. Held each spring, the Big Event is a day of outreach in the community for students, faculty, and staff of the University of Texas at Arlington. This year, a total of 800 people served agencies throughout DFW.

At the Village Garden, students  moved a "mountain" of soil to the back of the garden, did some spring cleaning of the gardening shed, and filled in the vegetables beds with soil. The work of these students will help the Village Garden grow more than 500 pounds of fresh, organic produce for our Village Pantry guests this year.