Wesley-Rankin Community Center

Celebrating 122 years of service, Wesley-Rankin Community Center hosts a variety of programs for children, adults, and older adults in West Dallas. Using a model of collaboration and continuous improvement, Wesley-Rankin tailors services to meet the needs of our neighbors.

WRAP, a pre-apprenticeship program for high school students, addresses gaps in workplace readiness and low living wages using a 4-part approach: technical instruction, soft skills coaching, financial support, and literacy and parent education. Last school year, we served 56 students across the 4-year program, pursuing careers in business technology and automobile repair with enrollment projected to increase next Fall. In May, 7 students graduated from the program, all of whom are either college-bound, entering a career, or both!

Scholars, in partnership with the June Shelton School, provides tutoring for students with diagnosed and suspected learning differences. Last year, 56 students participated in the program between our main Center and partner site, St. Mary of Carmel Catholic School. The program continues to graduate Scholars like Javier, Ethan, and Jose. All three Scholars entered the program in the 2nd grade when their parents and teachers noticed significant gaps in their reading and writing abilities. Because of early intervention, the Scholars team was able to quickly identify the gaps and begin to address them, with quick improvement in reading accuracy and fluency. After 5 years of weekly remediation strategies, these three Scholars graduated in 7th grade, reading and spelling at or above grade level.

Afterschool’s comprehensive model individualizes learning/needs through homework support, STEAM activities, reading intervention, and leadership groups such as Tri-B Scouts and the GoH GoH Girls. In June, Wesley-Rankin's Afterschool Program achieved the Program Quality Award. This certification recognizes Wesley-Rankin as an official mastery site of the Dallas Afterschool Program Quality Initiative. Wesley-Rankin demonstrated competency in all 10 elements of a high-quality afterschool program, including: Parent, Family, and Community Partnerships, Staffing and Professional Development, and Program Sustainability and Growth. This accomplishment is the culmination of years of hard work from all of our dedicated Afterschool staff, students, parents, and volunteers! Over 100 students are registered for the fall semester.

In the Spring of 2024, the Wesley-Rankin Adult Academy served 55 adults through 7 nine-week courses covering a range of skills. Youth 180 taught an introduction to leadership skills course while Elias Florido, a member of the WRCC Leadership Council, led a popular ESL course teaching the fundamentals of vocabulary and grammar. Staff from the Golden Cross clinic, a program provided by the Methodist Health System educated participants on nutrition while two Leadership Council members led related cooking demonstrations. Comp-U-Dopt taught 26 parents introductory computer skills and 21 parents practiced yoga, mindfulness, and self-care in the evenings. Planned Parenthood taught tools for improved communication within families. Dallas Innovation Alliance led an intermediate digital skills training. In addition to nine-week courses, our team offered 13 community workshops led by groups like Community Does It, Methodist Health System, Parkland, WINGS, and more. KERA led a multigenerational STEM night, allowing parents and children to learn and play together.

This year, we launched a new Housing and Homestead Initiative to address the financial pressure of gentrification on the West Dallas community, with property taxes increasing by 1,200% in under a decade. With the Toler Company, we supported 150 families in protesting their property taxes and filing exemptions. We are also working with Builders of Hope to offer the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) to provide immediate financial relief for legacy West Dallas residents. See our work highlighted in the news here.

The Older Adult Program, Casa Feliz, targets social isolation, strength and balance, nutrition, cognitive health, and chronic disease management. The older adults are by far our liveliest on campus! Dancing, singing, and celebrating, every day is filled with joy! Lovers Lane UMC provides weekly produce and partners such as Teatro Dallas, Youth 180 and YMCA engage older adults daily. The Feliz en Casa, outreach program offers visits, calls, and meals to those who are isolated due to health. 62 older adults are enrolled in the in-person Casa Feliz program and 13 in the Feliz en Casa Program. 

Wesley-Rankin continues to respond to needs in the neighborhood. We have a history of being a site of support in times of the pandemic, winter storms, housing crisises and other events that come our way. Although the world tends to be unpredictable, the West Dallas community can rest assured that Wesley-Rankin will continue to assess and provide resources where most needed.