For almost 155 years, the Joppa-Joppee Community has stood as a testament to resilience, strength, family, and community. Yet, for far too long, this historic Dallas community has faced limited access to the resources, opportunities, and spaces that help communities thrive.
Melissa Pierce Project, Inc. is changing that story.
Our mission is to preserve the legacy of Joppa-Joppee while creating pathways for a stronger, healthier, and more prosperous future. Through community programs, education, workforce development, youth engagement, neighborhood revitalization, and historic preservation, we are investing directly in the people who call Joppa-Joppee home.
Our Progress Is Real
We are not simply dreaming about what Joppa-Joppee could become, we are building toward it.
Our greatest vision is The Place at Honey Springs, a planned state-of-the-art, 20,000+ square-foot multipurpose community center designed to become a hub for opportunity, connection, and celebration.
The Place at Honey Springs will provide space for youth programs, educational and workforce initiatives, community events, trainings, workshops, studios, a shared kitchen, event rentals, and a stadium-grade basketball gym. Most importantly, it will give generations of Joppa-Joppee residents a place to learn, gather, grow, and build.
We have already made significant progress toward making this vision a reality, including advancing pre-development efforts, building community partnerships, expanding programming, engaging corporate and civic partners, and securing a $5 million contingency commitment toward construction of the center.
But there is still work to do.
North Texas Giving Day gives our community and everyone who believes in the power of historically underserved communities, the opportunity to help us take the next step.
Give. Share. Invest in Joppa-Joppee.
Together, we are building a place where history meets opportunity.
The mission of the Melissa Pierce Project, Inc. is to cultivate a connected and empowered community while honoring our rich history through education, the arts, and recreation in the historic Joppa-Joppee community.
The Joppa-Joppee Community deserves a state-of-the-art, inclusive playground that reflects the history, culture, and future of our community. For generations, families have lacked access to a high-quality recreational space designed to welcome children and adults of all ages and abilities.
We have an exciting opportunity to change that. A Juneteenth-themed playground has been specifically designed for Joppa-Joppee incorporating accessible equipment and spaces for toddlers, children, individuals who use wheelchairs, individuals with autism and other disabilities, families, and seniors. This will be more than a playground, it will be a place where generations can gather, play, connect, and celebrate our community’s legacy.
The cost of the playground equipment alone is $206,761.86. We are incredibly grateful to have received a $103,381.00 matching grant, putting us nearly halfway to our equipment goal. Now, we need to raise the remaining $103,380.86 to fully fund the equipment.
Your North Texas Giving Day gift can help us secure this match and bring this transformative playground to life. Every dollar donated helps close the gap and moves Joppa-Joppee closer to having a safe, accessible, and welcoming recreational space for everyone.
Help us turn this vision into reality. Help us build a playground that honors our past, serves our present, and creates a lasting legacy for generations to come.
Our Commitment to Equity
At Melissa Pierce Project, Inc., we believe equity means ensuring that every person has access to the resources, opportunities, safe spaces, and support needed to thrive, regardless of their ZIP code or the history of disinvestment in their community.
Joppa-Joppee is a historic community with almost more than 155 years of resilience, culture, and community leadership. Yet, generations of residents have experienced inequities in access to quality educational opportunities, recreational facilities, workforce development, community resources, and neighborhood investment.
We are committed to changing that.
Our work centers the voices and experiences of Joppa-Joppee residents. We partner with community members, businesses, educational institutions, nonprofits, and civic organizations to create opportunities that respond to identified needs rather than imposing solutions from outside the community.
The Place at Honey Springs is a major part of that commitment. The planned multipurpose center will create a welcoming space where children can learn and play, families can gather, residents can access workforce and educational opportunities, and the broader community can connect with resources and partnerships.
Equity also means investing in people before a building is completed. That is why Melissa Pierce Project, Inc. continues to provide programming, community engagement, youth initiatives, literacy opportunities, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization efforts while we work toward construction.
We are not seeking to change the identity of Joppa-Joppee, we are working to strengthen the community while preserving its history, honoring its residents, and creating greater access to opportunity.
Our vision is a Joppa-Joppee where children have the resources to succeed, families have access to opportunity, residents can build meaningful careers, and community members have a voice in the future of the place they call home.
Equity is not simply part of our mission. It is the foundation of our work.
Organization name
Melissa Pierce Project Inc
Tax id (EIN)
86-3672467
Causes
Community Improvement
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx
BIPOC Leadership
Executive Director/CEO
Address
7822 Hull Ave.