In 2007, visionary founder John and Barabara Neill established the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation with a powerful vision to empower students residing in the neighborhood of Vickery Meadow. By recognizing the immense potential within these students, VMYDF began seeking out support and resources that would provide opportunities to nurture the academic growth of young people throughout the entire community.

After speaking with principals at the local schools, VMYDF leadership determined that while programs were available for struggling students, no programming existed that helped higher achieving students move forward. As a result, the planning of an EAGLE Scholars college readiness program started. An annual fundraiser called Great Investment Business Ideas (GIBI) was established to generate funds for the organization.

Sherril English, former principal of St. Phillips School and Community Center and adjunct professor at SMU Simmons School of Education and Human Development, worked with Martha Stowe to create a 5-week summer program based around college preparation.

The program sought out high-potential 7th - 12th grade students who would be first-generation college students, working with teachers at Tasby Middle School to identify students. Ms. English continued growing and leading the program for the next five summers. The program began with 30 7th graders and increased a grade level each year until reaching 12th grade.

Blanca Lerma, a resident in Vickery Meadow, was hired to recruit Hispanic moms and create community-led mom’s groups, facilitated in Spanish. The groups met weekly in apartment complexes and schools, choosing what topics they wanted to learn about. The groups provided moms the opportunity to collaboratively learn strategies that could help their children be successful in school.

In 2021, an additional Burmese mom’s group was formed. In 2022, through a partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an Afghan (Dari) mom’s group was formed. Some of the mom’s groups curriculum include Juego con Migo (Play with Me) in collaboration with University of Texas at Dallas’s Center for Children and Families, PPP (Postive Parenting Programs in partnership with Family Compass, and parenting curriculum through Anthem Strong Families.

College Scholarships: VMYDF started offering financial assistance for first-generation college students from Conrad high school and the EAGLE Scholars program. To date, VMYDF has provided over $1.5 million in scholarships to first-generation college students.

Vickery Community Garden: At the request of the community, VMYDF approached the Dallas Independent School District for use of a plot of land at the corner of Ridgecrest Rd. and Eastridge Dr. After receiving permission to use the land, VMYDF worked with the community to create a plan for a community garden.

Job Ready: A program was instituted at McShan elementary school that offered parents, who had never worked outside the home, to be paid to assist in the classrooms where their children learned. Over 1000 parents benefitted from this opportunity.

Vickery Brain Trust: The Brain Trust was started after Ebola in order to bring together nonprofit professionals working in the community to be able to quickly respond and mobilize resources for happenings that disproportionately impact Vickery Meadow. As a result, the group has been able to nimbly respond to Ebola, COVID, the Texas freeze of 2021, and various city concerns. Additionally, the group works together on the annual Festival of Lights and Back to School events.

Book Distribution: Since 2013, VMYDF has provided over 35,000 books to 2nd and 3rd graders in the Vickery Meadow community to encourage reading over the summer and winter holidays.

Building on its initial success, EAGLE Scholars became a year-round program, identifying and nurturing high-potential 7th - 12th grade students with limited resources. By engaging with parents and students, VMYDF was able to understand the barriers families face and begin to set up programming that would help them push through those systemic barriers. EAGLE Scholars serves 150 middle and high school students, 50 college students, and has seen over 39 students graduate from four-year universities.

Vickery Community Action Team: Initially started in 1987 and facilitated by the Vickery Meadow Improvement District, VMYDF picked up leadership of the group and continues to bring nonprofit, business, and school entities in Vickery Meadow together to form relationships and collaborations, as well as to gain an understanding of what resources are available in the community and what challenges the community is facing.

Vickery Festival of Lights: In collaboration with the many nonprofits in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood, an annual festival was formed. Every first Tuesday in December, the Festival seeks provide an opportunity for the community within Vickery Meadow, as well as the broader DFW community, to gather and celebrate the many cultures in the Vickery Meadow neighborhood.

Vickery Meadow Food Pantry: VMYDF was instrumental in helping the Vickery Meadow Food pantry get started. The pantry, to date, has served over 40,000 families and over 162,000 individuals since its opening in 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for the organization and the community it served. VMYDF swiftly adapted its programs to virtual platforms, ensuring that students continued to receive vital support during this difficult time.

The EAGLE Scholars program was awarded the Superintendent’s award due to their innovative, relationship-focused approach coupled with successfully engaging project-based learning and academic support.

Marking a significant milestone in the organization's journey, VMYDF inaugurated The Success Center, a 10,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art facility. This expansion allowed VMYDF to begin offering educational opportunities and programming to more young people and expand their educational services to adults. With the new building as an anchor in the community, VMYDF aspires to nurture even greater dreams and aspirations for the students in the Vickery Meadow community.

Today, VMYDF stands as a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives that create an inclusive ecosystem of support for the families and children in the Vickery Meadow community.

With the generous support of donors and the dedication of volunteers, VMYDF is able to continue supporting first-generation college students and their families in a journey to navigating the educational system, reaching the goal of higher education, and helping the entire family move toward their dreams and goals.

Looking ahead, VMYDF remains committed to its mission of transforming lives through education. With the ongoing support of donors and volunteers, the organization envisions a future where every student in the community has the tools and resources they need to succeed in college and beyond.

At VMYDF, our goal is to create an inclusive ecosystem of support for families and children in the Vickery Meadow community by focusing on a community cultural wealth model while also utilizing the strengths of our partner organizations. We welcome partners who would like to join with us in creating that vision.