Elizabeth Esterchild and Judy Mank volunteer at Midway Hills Christian Church making blankets as part of Project Linus.

Pictures and happenings from around the neighborhood, like the undefeated third grade boys’ flag football team from Providence Christian School.

Nathan Adams Elementary students have fun building their new learning garden. (Photo by Louisa Meyer)

On Saturday, volunteers gathered at Nathan Adams Elementary to build a learning garden with help from United Way and REAL School Gardens, an organization that partners with high poverty schools to install gardens. It’s based on the idea that children learn better in nature.

Neighborhood resident Louisa Meyer sent us these photos from the event where students, parents and staff prepared vegetable gardens, built entry arbors and laid granite and stones for a lovely walkway through the garden.

Here is a rendering of the new design:

(Click to enlarge)

Pictures and happenings from our neck of the woods.

TexProtects, the Texas Association for the Protection of Children, recently held its seventh annual fundraiser at a home in Bluffview. The organization works to provide assistance to abused and neglected children in Texas. According to TexProtects, 227 children died from abuse and neglect during last year alone.

High-profile attendees at the fundraiser included Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Dr. Kern Wildenthal and former President of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Students from Ursuline Academy volunteered at the event, too.

More than 500 people from the local business community attended the Ursuline Academy “Lunch With A View” speaker series at the Fairmont Dallas. The event featured Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D., New York Times bestselling author of “My Stroke of Insight.” Major corporate underwriters included Comerica Bank, Mary Kay, Merrill Lynch, and PepsiCo. Net proceeds from the annual luncheon, this year totaled more than $50,000 to benefit need-based scholarships for qualified students at Ursuline Academy.

The Devonshire Neighborhood Association hosted its third annual chili cook-off Saturday at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Board president Mike Kissner says there were 14 entries – more than ever before. They invited me to stop by and visit, and I snapped these photos while I was there.

Good Shepherd Episcopal School honored 40 veterans today, including some who are staff members, parish members from the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and the Town North YMCA community. The group included fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers and uncles of 27 Good Shepherd students, as well as Good Shepherd alumni, Purple Heart recipients, one veteran who participated in over 70 missions in Korea and one veteran of the Battle of the Bulge.

Here’s a couple of good news stories coming out of Nathan Adams Elementary from neighbor Louisa Meyer.

CompuCom has adopted Nathan Adams Elementary and recently donated a large amount of classroom supplies to the school. CompuCom representatives Tonya Crump and Steve Buchanan are surrounded by student representatives who recently thanked them on behalf of the school.

These students qualified for the All City Orchestra: Jose Cazales, Averie Elkhay, Stephanie Atkinson, teacher Aracy McCallie, Jennifer Pitre and Julian Luna.

This month, the Franklin Middle School Student Council led a successful breast cancer awareness campaign in which students would donated $1 and wore pink to school. All proceeds are going to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The event was particularly personal for seventh grade language arts teacher Karen Puckett. She’s a breast cancer survivor. And her first period class jumped at the chance to show their love and support.

“Upon hearing on the morning announcements that there was one Franklin teacher (me!) who was a breast cancer survivor, they asked for construction paper, markers, etc,” Puckett said in an email. ” They proceeded to go into the hallway and made many posters supporting me and my continued good health.  They told me I had to stay in the room.  What a moment for me!  I was so very touched upon seeing their beautiful artwork.”