Celebrating Community One “Like” at a Time

A Bon Mot Birthday Give Back

Ready or not here comes a birthday…   May is generally one of the craziest months of the year with grading finals, end of school, graduations, summer preparations, etc., so I tend to gloss over any real celebration.  Plus, once you get to a certain age, it’s often better to just ignore the completion of another trip around the sun.  Nonetheless, I’m delighted with the likes of Facebook and other social media outlets that make it so easy to honor birthday boys and girls with gifts to charity. So I decided to do a little experiment.  Throughout this month, I’ll donate one whole dollar (that’s right, $1!) for every new like, follow, and blog subscription we rack up here at Being Bon Mot.   My dearest Auntie Margo, who was notorious for ridiculously long birthday feting, always encouraged me to draw the celebration out as long as possible so I’m honoring her and starting today.     

It’s my birthday, and I’ll give if I want to…

All of the money raised during this “Share the Love” campaign/drive/whatever we’re calling it will be donated to Bonton Farms.  Bonton Farms is one of my favorite nonprofit organizations in Dallas (or really anywhere). And since I’m a believer in direct giving to charity, I’ll keep tabs on our progress and report often to Bon Mot followers (whether you like it or not).  My goal is $250, and I’m committed to give more if things get crazy.  I’m not sure what will happen with this little experiment, but I sincerely hope it will make an impact.

Bonton is a neighborhood in south Dallas where 85% of the men have been to prison and incidences of cancer and diabetes are more than 50% higher than the rest of the city.  Named during its golden age of “high class” (loose translation of bon ton and generally accepted history of the name), Bonton quickly devolved into a food desert with few job opportunities and rampant poverty.  Access to fresh foods was non-existent in the neighborhood. The nearest grocery store was a three-hour roundtrip bus ride for residents. And then Bonton Farms planted its roots firmly in the neighborhood’s soil.  Now Bonton Farms is thriving and the organization’s investment in the health of citizens and the health of community is paying off.  

Bonton Farms honey and fresh eggs are a fixture at the Dallas Farmers Market, and their beloved goats should have their own Instagram page.  The farm’s 40-acre extension is one of the nation’s largest urban gardens and provides seasonal produce in easy walking-distance to neighborhood residents. While the idea of an urban farm isn’t necessarily a new one, the use of their crops to grow confidence, develop skills, and support a thriving culture is entirely innovative in our community. Simply put, Bonton Farms is an oasis.

Daron, Trog, Patrick, and the whole team are dedicated to sowing seeds in a struggling community and to the promise of growth in everyone there.  What’s more, the folks at Bonton Farms have always been more than willing to welcome me, my family, and my students to mill about the farm and frolic with the goats and chicks.  We’ve also put in work tending to the livestock and crops there.  Farm staff have even served on a Homeless and Hunger Awareness panel I hosted on campus.  So I’m dedicating my birthday month to cultivating more admirers of the awesome work happening at Bonton Farms and in community gardens everywhere.   

You can never go wrong with a Friends reference…

Listen, I acknowledge that this initiative is also slightly selfish in nature.  I mean, aren’t most all things philanthropically-focused?  There was an entire episode of Friends, cleverly titled “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS,” dedicated to Phoebe’s pursuit of an entirely selfless act (1998 spoiler alert: She loses the bet.). Regardless of the obviously shameless and transparent self-promotion, I hope you’ll consider taking a minute to explore the great work of Bonton Farms or the community garden in your area.  If you have more time and you’re a local, stop by the Bonton Market or spend a Saturday helping out around the farm.  Whatever you choose to do, I’m grateful you took the time to read this post.