Photos c/o Dana Driensky, Clint Brewer and Cynthia SmootOn Saturday, December 19th thousands of Southern Dallas families gathered at Fair Park for the 17th Annual Christmas in the Park hosted by the S.M. Wright Foundation. Some came for basic necessities like clothes and food while others came to find a toy or bike to help make a child’s Christmas wish come true. There was also a Coats for Kids section where brand new winter coats were handed out. Ray Washburne, President and Managing Director, Highland Park Village and co-founder of MCrowd Restaurant Group, and his wife, Heather participated as this year's Honorary Chairs. Pat and Emmitt Smith were on hand representing Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities and brought along high school members from their Team 22 program to work registration. Also in attendance was Javier Collins, former Dallas Cowboy Offensive Lineman and Larry North, nationally known health and fitness expert. Run by the S.M. Wright Foundation, a non-profit organization providing support and stability to inner-city underprivileged children and less fortunate families in the South Dallas/Fair Park community, Christmas in the Park has grown from serving less than 200 underprivileged kids in 1998 to over 40,000 residents last year. An estimated 50,000 Southern Dallas residents participated in this year’s event. The S. M. Wright Foundation helps many families in need, through its community program centers, the South Dallas Community Food Center, its South Dallas Community Resource Center, the Community Furniture Bank, the Dallas Financial Literacy and Tutoring Center, its Beds for Kids Center, as well as the Annual Christmas at Fair Park event. To learn more, visit http://www.smwrightfoundation.org/.
