2020 NPD Celebration

A career FWISD educator and community activist, Lee has made a significant impact on the greater Fort Worth community. Lee is founding member of the Black Historical & Genealogical Society and member of several community organizations - Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission, AIDS Outreach committee, Evans Avenue Business Association, Good Samaritans, United Riverside Neighborhood Advisory Council, Habitat for Humanity, and Ethel Ransom Cultural Club. Lee helped resurrect the Community Food Bank after an arson fire and under her leadership acquired the current location, and is the Visionary behind the Opal’s Farm urban farming project to address food insecurity and to provide employment to previously incarcerated individuals seeking to better themselves with gainful employment. Lee is a board member of Unity Unlimited, Inc. and the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation and has worked to ensure Fort Worth celebrates Juneteenth for almost 45 years. She has worked to have Juneteenth declared a national holiday for almost 20 years. At age 90, she started her Opals Walk 2 DC walking campaign to bring awareness to the need for holiday legislation and at 93 launched her online petition drive to continue awareness garnering 1.5 million signatures. Opal Lee is a Fort Worth legend!  

National Charity League is a 95-year-old organization of mothers and daughters with 282 chartered chapters in 29 states. The Fort Worth Chapter started in 2012 and currently has 360 total members. The mothers and daughters in grades 7-12 have volunteered over 6,952 hours just since January 1. NCL partners with 20 area philanthropies where members donate their time to work at these worthwhile charities. When COVID-19 hit Fort Worth, it did not stop these women’s commitment to continue helping those in need. NCL sewed and delivered masks, made lunches for the homeless shelters, wrote letters of gratitude to first responders, and even read books on video for the children at Presbyterian Night Shelter, called Page Turners. The National Charity League Fort Worth Chapter continues to have a heart for service, no matter the challenges.

The Sprouts Committee is comprised of local young adults who have aged-out of the foster care system or who are experiencing homelessness. Members of the Sprouts Committee have dedicated over 200 volunteer hours to ACH Child and Family Services’ community garden. While growing flowers and vegetables for the community, these young adults have learned about the importance of carefully nurturing new endeavors and giving back to their community.

Emerging leaders are talented high-achievers in philanthropic practice already making a difference on behalf of charitable causes in the greater Fort Worth metro area.