“My son Zontel has been getting all A’s. Head Start helped him get to that point,” Latisha Livas said.

As a mother of two, Livas has seen the Dallas program of Head Start from the inside out. With her daughter still in the program and hours of volunteering, Lavis is confident that “Head Start is a great program for little kids.”

Head Start representative Kenyatta Henderson said, “Head Start is a very close knit family. Once your children enters Head Start you are embraced [into] the family.”

This is a family that Mustang Heroes has become a part of. Mustang Heroes, a creation by the Southern Methodist University class of 2014, has partnered with Head Start as a way to “really make an impact on peoples lives,” founder Daniel Poku said.

Dr. Lori White praised Mustang Heroes.

“Contrary to the stereotype of SMU, we have students willing to step out of the bubble,” White said.

The mission of Head Start of Greater Dallas is to provide children with the foundation they need to be successful in school and life and foster self-reliant families and communities.

With 22 centers, the Dallas Head Start program has been operating for 20 years and was recently recognized by the National Head Start Association as the Program of Excellence in 2010.

With 79 children at the Fair Park center, the program is at no cost for the families and teaches children lessons on education, health, nutrition and basic elementary skills through interactive fun.

As an organization, Mustang Heroes has already volunteered in the greater Dallas area by feeding the homeless, promoting the donation of books to Children’s Medical Center and visiting the local Promise House.

Always looking for new members, Mustang Heroes welcomes anyone who wishes to volunteer.

The next meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Theater.