DART VP Michael Miles, Kids-U Director Diana Baker, Healing Hands CEO Janna Gardner, Councilman Adam McGough, DART CEO Gary Thomas
When Adam McGough was elected to the Dallas City Council in 2015, the first person who visited asking for help was Janna Gardner. The founder and CEO of Healing Hands Ministries wanted him to navigate the complicated world of city hall and get the DART bus stop she’d been seeking near her clinic at Greenville Avenue and Royal Lane. She told him about her patients, who often walked walk miles for care – sometimes sick with fever, sometimes carrying children in their arms.
Easy, he told her. Consider it done.
It wasn’t so easy.
This morning, that bus stop finally did open – Route #84 in DART’s web of service in North Texas. On hand to celebrate the milestone were top DART officials, but also reps from other nearby ministries at the Gaston Christian Center, including Gateway of Grace and Kids-U, whose clients will gain access to critical services.
“It’s more than just about bus service. This is about connecting people in a way that can break the cycle of poverty. It connects people to work, to school and to healthcare,” said Janna Gardner. “As we’re about to launch our ob/gyn clinic and pediatric clinic, we’ll be adding about 10,000 more patients, so it’s super-important to have this stop here.”
“This is one of 11,000 bus stops in our service area, and I’ve never had so many people turn up to the opening of a bus stop,” joked DART CEO Gary Thomas. “It’s a testament to what you’re doing at this corner and the impact on people’s lives.”
A new DART bus stop at Royal and Greenville will connect needy families with helpful services and ministries
