When volunteers from Allie Beth Allman & Associates gave their time at the S.M. Wright Foundation’s annual Christmas in the Park this year, they knew they were helping grow a longtime Dallas tradition of giving back to the community.
For just about two decades, the brokerage family has partnered with the S.M. Wright Foundation to bring holiday cheer to people all over Dallas.
This year, the Christmas In the Park event honored the late Pierce Allman, who was the longtime Foundation Board vice chair. The event included an opening ceremony remembering him and a musical tribute in his honor.
Christmas in the Park began modestly in a church where people experiencing hard times could come for a holiday meal and a Christmas gift.
The following year, the sanctuary was transformed into a toy wonderland. An ever-growing response soon necessitated an even larger space.
Today the celebration at Fair Park serves as many as 50,000 people annually. In addition to a meal, guests receive food to take home, toys, clothes, books, bikes and more. For many attendees, this is the only Christmas celebration they will have. Gospel choirs serenade them with yuletide favorites, enhancing the few hours of holiday joy.
Community service has long been a part of the brokerage’s mission. One of Pierce Allman’s credos was, “You give where you live,” a lesson the Highland Park native learned from his father. The Allmans have carried on that legacy by supporting local charities and encouraging the agents in their company to do the same.
The partnership with the S.M. Wright Foundation is special, as the brokerage has been there since the beginning for Christmas in the Park.
“I met S.M. Wright and became good friends with him when he was having a real hard time with his organization,” said Allie Beth Allman. “We adopted it as our company charity and worked with him since the very beginning. It used to be just 300 people and now there are thousands that come.
“It’s the most effective help for South Dallas families to become self-sufficient,” she said. “Christmas in the Park is Dallas’ biggest holiday outreach.”
The organization helps those in need throughout the year at the South Dallas Community Clothing & Resource Center, which received a major renovation this year.
“We totally renovated the center from top to bottom, ensuring that the entire structure is more user friendly with several upgrades, which is just what the community needed,” the Rev. S.M. Wright II (who continued his father’s legacy) told the Texas MetroNews.
To volunteer your time or donate to the S.M. Wright Foundation, email info@smwrightfoundation.org.