Pay It Forward

Whopping $100K donation from Reliant grants last wishes for moms

Thanks to a recent game-changing donation from Reliant, the local nonprofit Ally's Wish will be able to grant last wishes to 20 terminally ill mothers.

The $100,000 that Ally's Wish won is thanks to the thousands of people who voted during Reliant Gives, the company's charitable-giving program that's held twice a year. Established in 2016, the Reliant Gives program has now donated more than $1 million to 27 deserving nonprofits across the state of Texas, including $530,000 to 10 nonprofits in the North Texas area alone.

"Being able to grant these extra 20 wishes means 20 moms get to create memories with their kids that don't include hospitals, treatments, illness, and sadness," says Missy Phipps, the founder and president of Ally's Wish. "It means that maybe, for just a moment, they will forget the tragic road they are walking and focus on the good stuff. If they can forget for a moment and create that special memory, then we have been successful."

While Ally's Wish secured the top donation, two other deserving local nonprofits, Vogel Alcove and Texans Can Academies of Dallas, received $20,000 and $10,000, respectively.

"These three exceptional organizations are making a real difference in the lives of families and children throughout the North Texas community, and we're honored to support their work," says Reliant president Elizabeth Killinger. "Thank you to our dedicated employees for nominating such deserving organizations, and for the public's support in helping us decide where to invest $130,000 to local causes."

Wishes from Ally's Wish are granted in the form of services, gifts, transportation, lodging, or any other wish the mother may have.

The nonprofit receiving the $20,000 donation, Vogel Alcove, is on a mission to help young children and families overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness. They provide specialized trauma-informed care, quality early childhood education and services that address developmental delays, and mental health and health needs.

And the nonprofit receiving the $10,000 donation, Texans Can Academies of Dallas, has for the past 35 years rescued thousands of underprivileged kids who lost their way in school and brought them to graduation and beyond — ensuring brighter, more prosperous futures for themselves and their families.

Whether it's organizing food drives, planting trees, walking for a cause, or fundraising on behalf of nonprofits, Reliant is committed to giving to the communities where its employees live and work. For more information on Reliant Gives, visit reliant.com/reliantgives.

The nonprofit Ally's Wish won a $100K donation.

Reliant Gives Ally's Wish

Photo courtesy of Reliant

The nonprofit Ally's Wish won a $100K donation.

kids awards fundraisers promoted inspiration charity families

Park news

New I-35 deck park in southern Dallas moves closer to spring 2026 debut

Halperin Park

Courtesy rendering

Renderings for Halperin Park.

A massive deck park spanning Interstate 35E in southern Dallas is set to open in late spring 2026. Called Halperin Park, the five-acre community space has been under construction since 2017 and will be completed in two phases:

Phase One (finishing in late spring) will include the section from Ewing Avenue to Lancaster Avenue and will feature a pavilion, amphitheater, playground area, interactive fountains, a second level overlooking the Dallas Zoo and the highway, and a large event room for every dining and special events.

Phase Two (to be completed over the next five years) will add the park section toward Marsalis Avenue, with an additional pavilion and extra gathering space.

The project is being developed by the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation and built by the Texas Department of Transportation. Funding comes from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, as well as the private Halperin Foundation, which donated $23 million in 2024 and secured naming rights.

In January, the Dallas City Council approved spending up to $8 million to complete Phase One for spring completion.

The public-private initiative will create $1 billion in economy impact over the next five years, according to a study by UNT Dallas.

Rendering of Halperin ParkCourtesy rendering

A park with purpose
Developers say the park aims to integrate the west side of Oak Cliff, which was somewhat segregated with the construction of I-35 in Oak Cliff in the 1960s, leading to low-income communities and generational poverty.

The project started nine years ago, when the Texas Department of transportation planned a reconstruction of I-35 and began gathering neighbors’ feedback. The result was a plan to widen bicycle and pedestrian lanes in the service roads alongside the highway, and to build a deck over the highway between Ewing and Marsalis avenues, adjacent to the Dallas Zoo. (Similar Klyde Warren Park's "deck park" concept.)

While the project faced some skepticism at first, it later gained momentum as private supporters continued to join.

“Forty percent of the Dallas population lives in South Dallas, yet this segment only accounts for 15 percent of the tax base,” says April Allen, President and CEO of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, citing the opportunity to address the economic equality in the area through the development of the park and all the business it can bring.

Rendering of Halperin Park.Courtesy rendering

Neighborhood pride
For Allen, this project is personal. The Toronto-born executive first moved to Dallas 22 years ago to work at Neiman Marcus, after getting her engineering degree in Canada and her MBA at Harvard. Oak Cliff felt like the right place for her as an intown neighborhood, with a confluency of cultures, local pride and an entrepreneurial spirit, as she describes it. Her first Realtor told her Oak Cliff was “not the right place for her." Instead of choosing a different neighborhood, Allen chose a new Realtor.

She has lived on the same street in North Cliff since, now raising her two kids with her husband, an Oak Cliff native, whom she credits for her further understanding of the neighborhood, its roots and civic dynamics.

Under Allen’s leadership, Halperin Park is focused on a community-first approach that provides support to the neighbors through programs around health and wellness, after-school activities, local food trucks and markets, and educational workshops to help expand homeownership and financial acumen.

To highlight the history and culture of Oak Cliff, they will feature an annual Walk of Fame, lifting up the stories of those who contributed to Oak Cliff history, with the first one happening as part of the inauguration of the park, organizers say.

They will provide their own 24-hour security team to ensure a safe place for families and kids, with clean and well-lit crosswalks.

Given their proximity with the zoo, parking will be available on the East side of the park at the zoo site, with a walkway to the park. They are working on parking options for the West side.

“We want to create a space for community growth and more business in the area," says Allen. "We are already seeing this come to life with projects such as East Dock, and we are excited for future investment that the park will bring."

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