For nonprofit Be An Angel, helping children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or those with special medical needs and their families has been its mission for more than 30 years.
Founded in Houston with a DFW chapter opening two years ago, the 501(c)(3) non-profit has built a legacy of improving the quality of life for children and their families by providing wheelchairs, hearing aids, respite care, and other adaptive equipment and services.
Marti Boone, Executive Director of the organization, says DFW has a critical need for Be An Angel’s services and support.
“The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the nation, and home to many children with disabilities needing services, support and equipment to improve their day-to-day lives,” she said.
“In fact, we’ve identified more than 20,000 families in Dallas-Fort Worth alone who may be in need of our services. To be able to bring a hearing aid, wheelchair, playground, mobility device or other personal adaptive equipment to these precious children is our mission, and we’re so excited to be doing so in DFW.”
Helping Children with Disabilities
One impactful program is Be An Angel’s annual Christmas Gift Program, which gifts $40 in toys and supplies to more than 6,100 children from 335 schools in 30 different Texas school districts, including North Texas. In DFW alone for the 2023 season, Be An Angel has provided gifts for more than 660 children in the special needs programs in Dallas, Burleson, Mesquite, and the Jo Kelly School in Fort Worth.
According to Denise Coffman, Director of Development for Be An Angel DFW, the charity has seen the impact it’s already had on families in North Texas and realizes there is so much more it can offer in North Texas.
“We’ve already been able to help several families with services such as van conversions for wheelchairs, hearing aids and special adaptive equipment for children with multiple disabilities,” she said. “Our goal is to build on this foundation we’ve started in DFW and provide even more services and support for these special angels and their families.”
In addition to the annual Christmas Gift Program, a major undertaking for the charity is building barrier-free playgrounds that give children with special needs and those with multiple handicaps the ability to play and enjoy a playground that is designed for them and their unique needs.
The charity has installed 36 of these playgrounds in Houston and DFW, including the one at the Jo Kelly School in Fort Worth. A new wheelchair-adaptive We-Go-Swing was installed last fall at Jo Kelly, giving children in wheelchairs an opportunity to participate in safe play—and more playgrounds are in the plans at other locations across North Texas.
Other Be An Angel programs include providing personal equipment such as wheelchairs, special trikes and play therapy equipment. The DFW program is also expanding to offer respite care so parents and caregivers can run errands, make appointments or attend other activities. A camp program (already in place in Houston) is also planned for the North Texas region, offering children with special needs and their families an opportunity to experience the joy of summer camp activities.
To support these programs in North Texas, Be An Angel DFW hosts an annual Purses & Prosecco event with games, designer purses, raffles and door prizes each fall. The charity’s second annual Catch An Angel Celebrity Golf Tournament, hosted by former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and Be An Angel DFW board member Mike Renfro, is planned for May 6, 2024 in Trophy Club and offers an opportunity to pair up with a Dallas Cowboys alum or other celebrity while raising money for the DFW chapter. The charity’s ultimate goal is to help provide and maintain a good quality of life for children with disabilities and their families.
If you want to be involved, learn about volunteer opportunities, events or contribute, visit beanangel.org/dfw.
Sponsored content for Be An Angel.
This sponsored content article was originally published in December 2023.
