FOR RELEASE

March 17, 2022

Media Inquiries

Andrea Hawkins, Dallas Park and Recreation     

(214) 670-4678                                                    

andrea.hawkins@dallascityhall.com

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Dallas Park and Recreation tackle health disparities among south Dallas residents

(DALLAS) – The Metropolitan Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Sorority, Incorporated joins with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department to host an a Health and Wellness Expo at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 2901 Pennsylvania Ave, Dallas 75215. The free event is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26, 2020.

Families and individuals of all ages will can get a variety of health screenings, senior and mental health services and more from 50 specialized vendors. Event organizers have said the expo will connect residents with affordable resources families need to have a long, healthy life.

Together, these organizations recognize the importance of improved public health and access.

In a 2019 Dallas County Health Assessment Report, health disparities are the most acute five south Dallas zip codes: 75210, 75215, 75216, 75217 and 75241. The average life expectancy for someone living in the 75215 zip code is the lowest in the county at 66 compared to the highest life expectancy of 90 years in the 75204 zip code that is just north of downtown.

Both organizations have a mutual commitment to improving the health of communities. Through its Five Point Programmatic Thrust, the sorority offers initiatives in physical and mental health. in alignment with the National Park and Recreation Association, Dallas' park department  facilitates programs consistent with NRPA's three guiding pillars of recreation - health and wellness, conservation and social equity. 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (www.deltasigmatheta.org), founded on January 13, 1913, is a private, not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world. Since its founding more than 200,000 women have joined the organization. The organization is a sisterhood of predominantly Black, college educated women. The sorority currently has 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, Canada, Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa), Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Republic of Korea.

Dallas Park and Recreation Department (DPR), one of the nation’s largest urban park systems, is responsible for the management, capital improvements, and maintenance of 388 parks, 154 miles of hike and bike trails, 43 recreation centers, 24 outreach after-school programs, 21 Send-A-Kid-To-Camp sites, 19 aquatic facilities, 3 DISD pool pilot sites, 6 golf courses, 5 tennis centers, Fair Park, Dallas Zoo, Dallas Arboretum, Cedar Ridge Preserve, Texas Discovery Garden, MoneyGram Soccer Complex, Trinity River Audubon Center, Southern Skates Roller Rink, Kiest Softball Complex, Elm Fork Shooting Range and more than 25 concession operations at the City’s athletic fields and parks. Visit dallasparks.org for information about program activities.