Irving Masonic Lodge 1218 A.F.&A.M…read more Stated Meetings are the Second Tuesday of the month. A meal is served at 6:30pm and the meeting starts promptly at 7:30pm. Attire is Business Professional. Come join us for fellowship and Brotherly Love. #2B1ASK1 Check out the website: IrvingMasons.com "Making Good Men Better"

Yesterday, I was blessed with the opportunity to volunteer at The Main Place. Prior to learning…read moreabout their services through my employer, I had never heard about them. Now, I can share their story to my fellow Yelpers! To begin, The Main Place is a non-profit organization that provides clothing to homeless teens in the area. Their unique motto is "A retail store without a cash register." Let's face it, there are many, many people who do not have a home, a place to call their own. Families live in their vehicles, kids "couch-hop" from one friend's home to another. These kids have no options and are stuck to make the best of their situations. Since there are other organizations that provide assistance, this organization opened to help clothe these teens. The Main Place originally started as a means to provide attire for proms for these kids. If you really think about it, it is such a loving idea. Most of these homeless kids who still attend school wear the same clothes daily, so of course, they would not have nice clothes to attend school dances that we all take for granted. Soon, the organization realized daily clothes are needed, as well. As mentioned prior, The Main Place is non-profit and is SOLELY run by 100% volunteers. NO employees. How it works: school counselors refer these kids to TMP, the kids are given vouchers, and it works by appointments only. The store is divided by little "stores"- a boys and girls dress clothes area, a girls prom wear, casual clothes for boys and girls, and items for infants. What I think is a great idea is that they have those areas that provide nice, dressy clothes that these kids can wear for job interviews. They, too, need to dress to impress. The director of TMP is a gal named Jennifer. Wow, I was so impressed with her. Her excitement was infectious! It was obvious just how much she loves this organization and helping those less fortunate. A couple of families arrived while we were there, and the volunteers got busy helping them, like a personal shopper! They put together entire wardrobes, right down to shoes, jewelry, and hats. It was wonderful to witness the joy on the teens' faces! If you have it in your heart (and closet), I ask that you please help this great, little "store." What they need: new and gently used clothes, shoes, and accessories. And, of course, money to pay for utilities. For those who work in the business world, they really need dressy clothes so these teens can look nice for interviews. Also, they really need new undergarments (would you wear used undies?), socks and shoes--especially ladies shoes that are small, like sizes 5-6. I thank any of you who have read this and I apologize for the lengthiness, there is just so much info to share! And remember, pay it forward!

Really helped me and my family get through some tough times. There are clothes you won't be ashamed…read moreto wear, and it's staffed by great folks with caring hearts. Highly recommended!!

My children and I were living in a domestic violence situation that was progressively getting…read moreworse. After the police being called to our home several times, my local police department referred me to the Brighter Tomorrows shelter. With nowhere to turn, and no family to rely on, I made the call for help. The two women I dealt with on the hotline were warm, friendly, and understanding. We lived in the homeless shelter for a few months. The rules and restrictions were tough to abide by, but understandably so. They had to keep it safe for everyone that came through the door. There are people from all walks of life and backgrounds seeking help from the shelter. The shelter offered an abundance of food for everyone that was to reside in the shelter, and not just the basic nutritional, school lunch, inedible type of food. We had food a plenty! We frequently received even finer imported foods as donations. I will never forget the French imported truffle mushroom cheese...WOW! Many of us seek comfort in food, and the shelter made sure there was always an abundance of food to go around for every resident. The case managers helped me place my children back into school and gave them uniforms to attend their schools. They also helped other women find employment, and even gave them clothing allowances to purchase interview attire. The children were also given toys, and taken to children's events together to take their minds off of everything. Churches often provided Spa days to the women. This was a HUGE stress reliever! There were a few women that tried to make the best of turning to a homeless shelter for assistance, like myself. After a few months of residing in the shelter, I interviewed for the chance at being a part of the transitional housing program Brighter Tomorrows also had to offer. This was, by far, the best decision I've made in my life. Brighter Tomorrows provided us our very own, fully furnished, apartment to call our own, for nearly two whole years. It was stocked full of food, and even had a washer and dryer. During our stay, we were provided a wide variety of resources to help reestablish my footing into the world as a single mom. We had the most caring Case Manager named Larry Matthews that supported us through every struggle, need, and milestone. When we faced adversities, he did everything in his power to ensure we were taken care of. He was there for us every step of the way, to encourage and support. He was also a great role model to my son, who was in need of a positive male leader to look up to. Larry was instrumental in me becoming a successful graduate of the transitional program offered by Brighter Tomorrows. My children and I were provided free counseling to help us with our emotional struggles of the divorce, and all of the new surroundings we were in. We had access to a donation room any day needed. This donation room was always a room full of surprises. We never knew what we would find in there, and good finds were much to be had. Every week, mandatory classes were provided. Life Skills classes offered information on how to do a variety of things in life, such as cooking, saving money at the grocery store, how to make cost effective meals. Most importantly, they taught us how to break the generational oppressions, and provide a better life for my children. We had classes on parenting. These classes helped me learn how to do activities with my kids on a budget, disciplinary suggestions, and how to create a loving environment. My favorite class was Financial Literacy. The skills I learned in this class will follow me for the rest of my days. I learned how to track my spending, and how to play the game of the credit world that we live in. I now know how to raise my credit score, without falling into a credit war. I managed to not only pay off all of my debt while in the program, but was also able to save enough money to put a nice down payment on a home if needed. This amount was above the amount paid to my attorney for a lengthy and costly divorce attorney. Fortunately for me, I was awarded the house during the divorce, where my children and I continue to reside. Brighter Tomorrows was clearly one of the greatest blessings in my life. They turned the hopeless into the fortunate, and provided all the tools to get there. Thank you.

As a TCFV (The Texas Council on Family Violence) in Getting assistance for Housing help w/out…read moreShelter. Brighter Tomorrows & many others a extremely & pathetically LACKING to provide victims/survivors into safe housing w/ assistance for families & single woman displaced from from family violence. Texas & these Domestic Violence Programs NEED TO DO BETTER!! Look at how little they help w/assistance into safe housing that is already difficult w/multiple barriers victims deal with. As a victim/survivor of high safety risk, multiple safe moves to get away from abuser w/still no help to get into housing & because restraining orders in Texas are a joke it's just another piece of paper here. Picture shows just how little help you'll get from Brighter Tomorrows & other DFW DV programs to help get you into safe housing. TCFV shows the help by DV programs for HOUSING BEYOND SHELTER *Flexible finding direct client assistance: Zero no assist provided! *Scattered Site Transitional Housing: Zero no assist provided! *Rapid Re-Housing (RRH): Zero no assist provided! *Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH): Zero no assist provided! *Tax Credit Properties: Zero no assist provided! *Homelessness Prevention: Zero no assist provided! Voucher Based Housing: Zero assist provided. Why??? UNACCEPTABLE! Info provided from: https://tcfv.org/wp-content/uploads/tcfv_housing_beyond_shelter_chart_2021-1.pdf

Wow. Just wow. I'm so blown away with this incredible place helping this homeless female vet in my…read moredire time of need. Reached out to them in desperation as I was living in my car and they reached out next morning asap eager to provide any assistance they could. I had been calling 20-30 homeless shelters and organizations a day trying to seek immediate shelter, and this ranch is the only place that stepped up to take me in . The owners are generous beyond words, just unconditional love and support every step of the way. Their cause is noble, their hearts are boundless, and they truly live by example. Could gush over them for days for all the help they've given me. Amazing housing accommodations- literally fully stocked cottage with the most tasteful decor and well thought out necessities already provided. If something wasn't there, they were eager to provide it asap. The farm is just adorable; all the animals are well taken care of and are such a pleasure to visit. It's quiet, comfortable, peaceful, and you can tell how much care was poured into putting these places together. Just all the little touches they've added. There's a full-sized oven/stove, refrigerator and freezer, microwave, washer and dryer provided, a place to shower, storage embedded for me to squirrel away belongings as needed, too lol. Roku TV was installed in my current unit today. Free and good Wi-Fi. Keurig for coffee. Even a water purifier! O_O Seriously what homeless shelter does that?? None. None I tell you. I've been there, lived in a shelter for 6 months, and this ranch blows every other place out of the water. If you are a woman veteran in need of housing assistance, please consider reaching out to Valor Ranch! If you are looking for a non-profit organization to support, I cannot recommend this lovely ranch enough!

From the owner: Passionately empowering our nation's SHEROES "Women Veterans" to write the rest of their story.read more

Angela and her team were a delight to work with. After over a decade of being an H&R Block client…read more(who burned me bad last year), I decided to give a new tax office a try. I am so glad I found Community Income Tax of Irving. The office is easy to get to, clean, smells great, with a friendly staff and knowledgeable tax specialists. No wait either! Angela addressed all my questions and took great care of me. I will be returning next year, I've found my new tax office. Thank you Angela and team!

Dropped by with no appointment. Was treated so nicely. Took no time at all. Highly recommend. You…read morewill see me next year for sure. Thank you!

Crystal images have been supplying expertly crafted trophies for our Annual Charity Golf Tournament…read morefor the past three years. They have a wide range and an expansive selection of trophies, plaques, sculptures, for any occasion, celebration, or commemorative event. Crystal Images offers items for the budget conscious and those looking for a little something extra. Their novelty trophies are an especially big hit for our first place in the Ugly Pants contest. Even with the reduced inventory and increased supply chain issues that have been felt throughout the entire country with the pandemic, the team at Crystal Images were able to keep prices reasonable and the quality of their products high. The staff is always very friendly and accommodating, and always find a way to get the customer what they need. It's always a pleasure dealing with Melanie and the rest of the team. If you need the perfect compliments for your tournaments, events, and celebrations, give Crystal Images a call. They'll take great care of you.

I have ordered several items that were to be engraved - both for very sentimental occasions. The…read morefist one was perfect and exceeded my expectations. When I received the second one I was disappointed as the engraving was very hard to read. I contacted the representative with my concerns. Melanie did not hesitate and told me to just send it back and she will have it re-done. She did and sent it back to me and it is PERFECT. Melanie and this company have renewed my hope that exceptional customer service still exists. No doubt I will continue to order special items from Crystal Images.

I've been in BBBSNT for about 2 years now and it's a great program. Helps that North Texas has one…read moreof the biggest and most active districts. They always provide tickets and info about a variety of local activities such as music, arts, and sports for kids and they host great picnics every May as well. The only problem I have is that we have had 4 different match consultants, so I have never felt like any consultant really known my little and I. If anyone is interested in the program, feel free to pm me with questions, maybe we can go to an info-meeting/lunch together.

I have been a Big Brother to a 9 year old boy for 1 year and 5 months so far and it has been an…read moreamazing experience. We hang out for about an hour once a week unless I'm traveling or sick. Sometimes BBBS gives us tickets to special events or I take him for ice cream but the most important thing I can do is spend time with him even if it's just walking around the park or going to the library. I don't consider myself a stellar role model but just getting consistent attention from a male is something he has lacked and I've seen a lot more stability and happiness in him since we started. A few other people have complained of their match support contact changing but I have had Elizabeth as my contact since the beginning and she has been great. Also, it's important to set boundaries from the beginning otherwise the kids will see how much they can get you to spend on them. But as long as you give them clear expectations on how much time and money you will invest, then when you tell them 'no I'm sorry I can't do that' then they will still trust and love you (even though they may pout). For example, I explained to my Little that it was his Mom's job to provide for him and that, as his big brother, I like treating him occasionally but it is not my role to feed him and if he's ever hungry there is plenty of food at his home. Again, the main thing they need from you is attention on a somewhat consistent basis so you don't have to be a super hero. As I said, this has been awesome and even though there are weeks where I'm exhausted and don't feel like going to see him, we have formed such a close bond that I find myself bragging about how smart and funny he is to all my friends. All systems are flawed so don't expect perfection but overall this is a great program and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to invest a few hours a month to make a lifetime impact on a person.