Paige Charbonnet has been named executive director of LVTRise, the organization’s board announced Tuesday (July 19). Charbonnet had been serving as interim director since April. The announcement of Charbonnet’s appointment coincided with the recent opening of a new Boys and Girls Club at the LVTRise Community Center, 8201 Calmont Ave. LVTRise, also known as the Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project, is a collaboration and partnership of private companies, human service organizations and government agencies dedicated to helping residents of the Las Vegas Trail area improve their neighborhood and day-to-day lives.
The Boys and Girls Club began operating last month out of a newly built facility at the Rise Community Center and is serving between 50-60 children per day, with programming focused on education, arts and crafts, and health and wellness. The new space gives the Boys and Girls Club the capacity to serve 4-5 times more area youth than it could when it occupied a smaller location across the street, LVTRise said in a news release.
“We are very excited to have this beautiful new club where youth can come and feel safe, encouraged and where they can form new friendships,” said Daphne Barlow Stigliano, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County. “We know by elevating our space that we are also elevating the experiences of area children, which in turn elevates the entire community.”
Before Charbonnet became interim executive director, she served LVTRise as a board member and board secretary. She and her family live in a neighboring area near Las Vegas Trail, and began supporting LVTRise after learning about the needs in the community.
“Our tide is slowly rising,” Charbonnet said. “We have a growing board, active programming and new opportunities ahead, but there is still much to do for those who call LVT home. I want to thank those who came before me for their hard work and dedication, as well as those who continue to walk hand-in-hand with us to make a better way of life for the folks in this community.”
“We are so fortunate to have Paige as our newly appointed executive director,” said board president Ty Stimpson. “Thanks to her professionalism, dedication and leadership, the transition has been seamless. I have no doubt she is the right person at the right time to lead this organization into a new phase of hope and continued evolution for those we serve in this community.”
LVTRise also announced the addition of three new board members:
- Assistant Fort Worth Police Chief Julie Ann Swearingin. A graduate of Tarleton State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration, Swearingin is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. She has been employed with the Fort Worth Police Department for more than 26-years.
- Tori White, vice president and associate market manager, Veritex Community Bank. White built a relationship with LVTRise as a volunteer at the Food Pantry and has coordinated opportunities for other Fort Worth Veritex Bank employees to get involved at LVTRise.
- Felipe Gutierrez, vice president of development and engagement for One Safe Place. Gutierrez serves on the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission and volunteers as a member of the FWPD Advisory Board.
LVTRise began as a mobile community center providing social services and access to resources for area residents after a series of town hall meetings revealed significant deficiencies and a lack of resources in the area. In 2018, the Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project became the registered nonprofit currently known as LVTRise Inc. Rise Community Center opened to the public in October 2020. For more information, visit the LVTRise website.
