Some of the most meaningful change starts with a single corner lot.
This past holiday season, VolunteerNow partnered with the Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) and The United Peoples Coalition to begin transforming an empty lot near The Shops at RedBird into a space the whole community can enjoy. The vision is simple but powerful: activate vacant land to create a healthy environment where connection and social equity can thrive.
On December 13, 2024, twenty youth volunteers from Cityscape School joined volunteers from Origin Bank to kick off Phase 1 of the project, a holiday gift of service to the RedBird neighborhood.
The change didn’t go unnoticed. Shania Wilhite, Events Manager at The Shops at RedBird, watched the work unfold from across the street.
“Looking across the street, I was like, oh my God, is somebody actually doing something with this old abandoned property?” she said. “I think a lot of people don’t realize how many kids are in this area that don’t have anywhere to go.”
For Shania, the project represents more than a cleaner corner. It’s a beginning. “I hope they [the youth volunteers] realize what they’re doing is important,” she said. “I hope they think back on this and remember they did something incredible. Even though it seems so small, it starts with those seeds, and it plants other seeds.”
The seeds planted that December grew into Red Bird Landing, which officially opened to the community on June 7, 2025. And the neighborhood is already feeling the difference.
According to data from CPAL, which monitors crime trends across Dallas neighborhoods, violent crime incidents in the area dropped by 18 in 2025 compared to 2024, a decrease of more than 55%. It’s a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when neighbors, partners, and volunteers come together to reclaim a space. A vacant lot that once sat empty is now a place where families gather and kids have somewhere to go.
