Who We Are - Rae’s Hope

About Us

Who We Are

Rae’s Hope was founded in 2008 by Angela Rae Fields. The programs of Rae’s Hope have evolved out of years of observation and experience regarding what makes a difference in the lives of girls and the life of a thriving community. Rae’s Hope works with girls from South Dallas and surrounding communities, ages 5-18 years old to create opportunity, nurture potential, and inspire achievement.

Rae’s Hope applies a multi-faceted approach that combines team sports with a rich curricula of life skills, healthy living, social skills, education, financial literacy and community service. The goal of these programs is to provide girls with a better vision of the future and help them achieve their dreams.

Rae’s Hope is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that operates on individual, corporate and philanthropic organization donations. If you’d like to support the work of Rae’s Hope please go to the donation page. Thank you for your support!

Rae’s Hope Is A Community-Based Non-Profit Organization That Offers A Holistic Youth Development Program For Girls Ages 5-18. Our Program Focuses On Life Skills Training And Sports In South Dallas And The Surrounding Areas.

Rae’s Hope

Mission & Purpose

Mission
Empower girls to take charge of their lives and become productive members of their community.

Purpose
Revive our communities, one child at a time. Rae’s Hope is committed to increasing the number of girls who stay in school, perform academically, live healthy lives, achieve competency in critical life and financial skills, and contribute to their communities.

Rae’s Hope

Our History

1999

South Oak Cliff High School And South Fair
Started South Dallas Starling Volleyball with National Starling Volleyball Club. Nine elementary school volleyball teams funded by Dallas After School All Stars and South Dallas Weed and Seed.

1999

South Dallas Starlings And South Dallas Weed And Seed
250 teens and 900 elementary students

2007

Rae’s Hope Inc. Inception At Albert S. Johnston Elementary (Rockwall Boys And Girls Club)
Rae’s Hope program started with girls at Albert S. Johnson volleyball and etiquette programs (Pearl Girls), played volleyball at Plano Sports Authority.

2007

Larry Johnson, Elise Lundy Rec Center, Salvation Army St. Philips And SMU Circle Of Support Camp
Rae’s Hope provides volleyball programs and summer camp with Girls in Motion (healthy living programs) , played volleyball at Plano Sports Authority

2008

Larry Johnson, Elise Lundy Rec Center, Salvation Army St. Philips And SMU Circle Of Support Camp
402 elementary girls

2012

Rae’s Hope At Park South YMCA And Lake West YMCA
Rae’s Hope programs at YMCA healthy living financial literacy and volleyball collaborations with Plano Sports Authority Chase Bank

2012

Rae’s Hope At Park South YMCA And Lake West YMCA
170 elementary, middle, and high school girls

2014

Rae’s Hope At Dallas Bethlehem Center
Rae’s Hope life skills programs provide volleyball, healthy living, financial literacy, community projects, social skills, bike training, partners with Spokes for Folks, Bike Friendly, Frost Bank, Girls Inc., North Texas Alliance to Reduce Teen Pregnancy at Plano Sports Authority Summer Camps DBC.

2014

Rae’s Hope At Dallas Bethlehem Center
Approximately 400+ participants

2018

Rae’s Hope At Cedar Crest And Other Schools
100 participants

2018

Rae’s Hope At Cedar Crest And Other Schools
Rae’s Hope programs move to 3 elementary schools: Cedar Crest, William Brown Miller, and Paul L. Dunbar. Continue life skills program. Play volleyball at Plano Sports Academy.

2019

Rae’s Hope At Juanita Craft Center
Rae’s Hope life skills programs provide volleyball, healthy living, financial literacy, community projects, social skills, bike training, Partners with Spokes for Folks, Bike Friendly, Helping Hands, and others

2020

Rae’s Hope At Juanita Craft Center
100 participants

2021-2022

Juanita Craft Umphrey Bridge Builders Partnership

Rae’s Hope

Our Participants Face Significant
Community Challenges

South Dallas

Girls in this community attend Title I schools that are under-resourced and therefore experience educational challenges compared to their peers in affluent neighborhoods down the road.

Housing

Neighborhood demographics: 51-57% of homes are rented and 20-22% of homes are vacant.

Employment

51% of adults in the neighborhood are unemployed and 98% are considered economically disadvantaged.

Teen Pregnancy

The area has a teenage pregnancy rate of 1 out of every 9 girls-the highest in Dallas.

Transportation

There is extremely low vehicle access.

Food Desert

Zip codes are in areas considered to be food deserts, where there is limited access to healthy, fresh, and affordable food.

Overlooked

Girls reside in marginalized zip codes and do not have the support network necessary to succeed.

Poor Nutrition

Most of the girls live below the poverty level, and families rely on convenience stores for groceries, meaning limited healthy options. This can cause long-term nutritional deficiencies which may lead to illness.

Disproportionate

Approximately 90% of Rae’s Hope participants are eligible for subsidized school lunches, as opposed to the statewide average of 53%.

Scarce Resources

Many girls come from working, single-parent families who are unable to offer the quality after-school educational experiences that Rae’s Hope provides.

Rae’s Hope

How We Help

We have mentors who are positive adult role models with diverse backgrounds and a variety of experiences coming from various professional industries. We assist in creating a foundation of effective communication skills, conflict-resolution skills, teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal relationships.

Participants receive guidance through our systematic and explicit instruction and modeling for social-emotional learning. This includes personal boundaries, self-worth, positive relationships, emotional awareness, and responsible decision-making, which support personal and academic growth. We provide exposure to new environments, neighborhoods, communities, and activities through field trips to local festivals and youth-oriented events.

Contact

Get In Touch

Email Address

info@raeshope.org

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