“Meet Frisco” Community Event Brings Together Frisco City Leadership & Citizen Volunteers

Featured Photo: “Meet Frisco” Leadership, 2019. Courtesy of Madisyn Harden. (Details to follow story.)

“Meet Frisco” brought together Frisco city leaders, Frisco ISD Board of Trustees, the Fire Chief, Assistant Chief of Police, Frisco Library, Frisco Family Services, and nearly 300 residents on Saturday, September 28. This community event to rally volunteers and to encourage city leadership interaction was hosted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At the kickoff meeting, Mayor Jeff Cheney was inspired by the opening hymn, “Because I Have Been Given Much.” He said he woke up the morning of the event and asked Siri how many events he had to attend. When he heard 14, he wanted to go back to bed. But as he listened to the song, he was reminded of his blessings and desire to serve and give back to the Frisco community.

Cheney thanked the FISD trustees in attendance and said, “The ceiling of a community is set by the quality of schools.” He accredited their efforts in our schools as one of the reasons for Frisco reaching the status of the fastest growing city in America. “Bring your big, audacious dreams here,” he said.

Cheney shared that a big challenge of growth is knowing the needs and names of community members. With 1,000 residents moving into Frisco each month, he said the city needs volunteers like those in attendance to help with city cleanups, volunteer at the food pantry, or other demands the city cannot keep up with alone.

He shared that one of his favorite things as mayor is to hear about people who have made a big difference in their community.

Individuals, organizations, and churches can all importantly help with making a difference by serving and strengthening our community. Because of that desire to serve, Frisco Stake President Kris Katseanas shared the news that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approved a grant to donate half a semi-truck of food to Frisco Family Services. He also shared that the Church has a 15,000 square foot storehouse in Carrollton that offers food for the needy in North Texas.

In addition to these resources, the Church of Jesus Christ has over 4,000 members in Frisco who are encouraged and willing to volunteer in the community. One way they can serve, Katseanas said, is by offering translators when needed, because of the 35 different languages spoken among Frisco members of the Church.

Chad Rudy, President for the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees, invited volunteers to consider volunteering for EDU as mentors or business sponsors. He also encouraged the community to fill out the survey on full-day, pre-k, which can be found on the Frisco ISD website.

After messages from these leaders, attendees were able to visit booths, interact with Frisco city leaders, hear stories from the Frisco Library, and explore a police vehicle and fire truck.

Featured Photo: Frisco ISD Board of Trustees:  Gopal Ponangi, Anne McCausland, John Classe, Debbie Gillespie, Chad Rudy (President); Mayor Jeff Cheney; Frisco Stake Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: President Kris Katseanas, Taylor Frederickson, Kory Aoyama

Back row (starting with white shirt): Brian Livingston, Council Member, Place 6; Fire Chief Mark Piland; Assistant Police Chief Darren Stevens; McKinney Mayor Pro Tem Rainey Rogers; Frisco Chamber of Commerce president Tony Felker; McKinney Mayor George Fuller

Front Row (starting with red shirt): Will Sowell, Council Member, Place 3; Bill Woodard, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, Place 4; Shona Hoffman, Council Member, Place 2; Frisco Stake Young Women President (youth ministry) Kendra O’Connell, Frisco Stake Primary President (children’s ministry) Anne Copeland

This article was published in the Frisco Enterprise