Vision
Vision Team, Inc. serves as the vital nonprofit arm of The Dallas Examiner™, a weekly newspaper and multimedia publication dedicated to uplifting the African American community. Through Vision Team’s unwavering commitment, it has provided and sponsored a diverse array of essential services – including education, journalism and government– enriching the lives of children, teens and adults throughout the community.
Mission
Vision Team’s mission is to provide education and awareness regarding major issues affecting the social welfare of the general public and specifically the African American community.
Vision Team Membership Levels & Benefits
____ $1,200 annual / $23 per week – Examiner
____ $520 annual / $10 per week – Examiner Visionary
____ $250 annual / $5 per week – Examiner Sustainer
____: Other Amount
Examiner – Benefits
- Name listed in The Dallas Examiner
- Examiner Sustainer Merch (mug, sweatshirt, etc.)
- Lunch once a year with Mollie and an Examiner writer, editor, and/or staffer – Examiner member and a plus one.
- Invitation to “Members Only” Community Conversations once a quarter with The Dallas Examiner and an influencer in the community. 2 VIP Reception tickets.
- Receive The Dallas Examiner Newsletters Monday – Friday
Monday Your Money Matters
Tuesday Local News and Invents
Wednesday Voices from the Community
Thursday Healthy Balance
Friday Headline News
Examiner Visionary – benefits
- Name listed in The Dallas Examiner
- Examiner Sustainer Merch (mug, sweatshirt, etc.)
- Invitation to “Members Only” Community Conversations once a quarter with The Dallas Examiner and an influencer in the community. 2 VIP Reception tickets.
- Receive The Dallas Examiner Newsletters Monday – Friday
Monday Your Money Matters
Tuesday Local News and Invents
Wednesday Voices from the Community
Thursday Healthy Balance
Friday Headline News
Examiner Sustainer – benefits
- Name listed in The Dallas Examiner
- Examiner Sustainer Merch (mug, sweatshirt, etc.)
- Receive The Dallas Examiner Newsletters Monday – Friday
Monday Your Money Matters
Tuesday Local News and Invents
Wednesday Voices from the Community
Thursday Healthy Balance
Friday Headline News
An Appeal from the Publisher
“A labor of love,” was how congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson described my dedication to The Dallas Examiner™ and the Dallas community. The Dallas Examiner, was established in 1986 by my father, Fred J. Finch, Esq., to meet the need for “hard news for the [Black] community.” And we have not wavered from our mission since 1986.
My parents, Fred J. Finch, Esq. and Mildred Newton Finch, started The Dallas Examiner with their own money, and for three generations we have continued, as a family, to pour our personal resources into the paper. My maternal grandfather, a Methodist Minister, was a model for service and generosity.
As an only child, inheriting The Dallas Examiner, was more than an opportunity to carry on my father’s desire for “hard news” for our community, but also an opportunity to help the community, and for me that has kept me going.
In 1989, my husband and I saw the need for a formal vehicle for The Dallas Examiner to give back. As a result, Vision Team, the non-profit arm of The Dallas Examiner was established. It allowed us to launch the program “Future Speak – tomorrow’s voices today” with a $50,000 donation from AT&T which provided stipends to students in the program learning the newspaper and journalism business.
My children, son James, currently The Dallas Examiner Vice Present of Advertising, and my daughter, Dr. Melanie Belt, a physician in Austin, TX, both worked at the paper in many roles in their youth. Today they continue to contribute their time, talent, and treasure by serving on the board of Vision Team.
Several years ago, we began to have problems with the ceiling and roof over the archival space in our offices at 4510 S. Malcolm X Blvd. Dallas, TX. The City of Dallas has awarded The Dallas Examiner a $82,000 matching grant to fix the roof and other structural repairs. This grant will expire September 30, 2025.
I’m asking the public to help us reach this goal. The Dallas Examiner will celebrate 40 years next year. We invite you to join us in investing in our community.
All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Donations made to Vision Team. Tax ID #75-2750583.
History
Vision Team is a Texas Nonprofit Corporation founded by Mollie and James Belt on February 27, 1998. It was designated by IRS as a 501 © 3 in 1998.
The organization operated consistently from 1998 through 2005 and experienced a decline in revenues due to economic climate. The organization received significant funding in the beginning that allowed it to meet its charitable objectives and provide youth access to pursuing their journalism goals while providing social and health awareness to underserved communities.
Throughout the years, the organization has broadened its services.
Vision Team Programs:
1. Future Speak, Young Journalist Training Program. The Future Speak Program was started in 1998 with a $25,000.00 grant from the AT&T Foundation. AT&T increased the grant to $50,000.00 a year. Additional funds were provided by Coca Cola and Frost Bank The program ceased when funding was not available due to the recession.
Future Speak was a program of Vision Team that provided high school students who were interested in journalism an opportunity to practice their craft. Students were recruited from Dallas area high schools with large minority student populations. The students worked in the newsroom of The Dallas Examiner. Their work area was equipped with newly purchased computers, with internet access and publishing capabilities as well as networked printers. In an effort to fashion the total effect of a newsroom, the initiative further equipped the work environment with laptops and cameras all designed to create a professional work setting.
The publication, aptly titled, Future Speak, was published weekly. Students worked in the newsroom after school on Monday – Friday and received a small stipend for participating in the program. Student writers prepared feature stories, crafted op-ed opinions, attended relatable events and prepared written accounts. In addition, it was their responsibility to do the editing, design, and layout. This real-life experience proved to be a masterful example that spoke directly to their motto: “Tomorrow’s Voices Today.” The weekly end product was inserted into The Dallas Examiner.
The grant awards also covered the costs associated with their participation and attendance at the National Association of Black Journalist regional meetings and the Unity conference of journalists of color in Seattle, Washington.
In-kind on-the job training in the areas of production, editing, design, and layout were provided by the professional staff of The Dallas Examiner. Future Speak received numerous awards.
2. WeVote, A Get-Out-the-Vote Initiative. Initiative to encourage African Americans to vote. No outside funding provided. Ads published in The Dallas Examiner to educate and stress importance of voting. Seminar held at Paul Quinn College with community leaders to provide them with information on how to get the vote out. Partnered with Friends of the American Way headquartered in D.C. to use their Arrive with 5 programs.
3. Freedom School, Educational Services. Sponsorship of a Freedom School in Oak Cliff section of Dallas, Texas named OurStoryFreedom School . It provided six weeks of all day instruction for 50 students during the summer. The program was designed primarily to increase literacy among children who are performing below their age and grade level. OurStoryFreedom School is part of the national Freedom School program. It is a structured program with proven curriculum.
Six Interns who were undergraduate and graduate school students taught the students and there was one site coordinator. The interns and site coordinator attended training at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee from June 4, 2017, to June 11, 2017.
OurStoryFreedom School was located at Pease Elementary School, a Dallas Independent School elementary school located in Oak Cliff (an underserved community of Dallas with a majority African American population). Dallas ISD provided in-kind contribution that also included breakfast, lunch and dinner for the students. The school operated for six weeks, June 18 -July 28, 2017, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Total cost for the Freedom School was $64,000.00. Funders were Commit, Big Thought, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Trinity Church.
4. Health Education in African American Community. Publication, Battling AIDS in Our Community published in February 2017. A grant for $11,525.00 was obtained from Gilead Sciences to publish “Battling AIDS in Our Community.” Battling AIDS in Our Community was an information piece on AIDS, the causes, prevention, service providers in Dallas County. The largest number of new HIV/AIDS cases in Dallas County in 2027 was African American women.
The publication was distributed in The Dallas Examiner and at an AIDS event in the community for Black AIDS Awareness Day in February 2017. Additionally, Methodist Hospitals and PRISM Health purchased ads in the publication for $1,500.0 and $1,400.00 respectively.
5. Our Vote is Our Voice (OVOV). Fiscal agent for OVOV. Donations given to register and mobilize people to vote in Dallas County. Donations given by The Methodist Church and Black Voters Matter Fund.
6. Youth Make a Difference. A sponsor of Youth Make A Difference, a youth-focused virtual forum on the importance of voting. The forum was held in 2022 to educate local youth about the importance of voting and how it affects the world around them. Hosted by youth from the community, it included a panel of community/youth leaders with a background in civic engagement, knowledge of politics and understanding the importance of voting. It was co-sponsored by Vision Team, Raise Your Hand Texas and March to the Polls.
7. Voted sticker contest. A sponsor of the 2022 I Voted sticker contest a contest for students around the Dallas area to redesign the “I Voted” sticker that voters wear after they participate in an election. The first-place winner’s design was printed for use in the November election. It was presented by the nonprofit March to the Polls, in partnership with the Dallas County Elections Department, The Dallas Examiner and Raise Your Hand Texas. Multiple winners for prizes. Vision Team provided the winners with placement certificates.
Our Board Members
Bank Account: JP Morgan Chase
Accounting Firm: Farrell & Hornberger LLC
Vision Team is a Texas Nonprofit Corporation