Kristy Bleau -The Right Thing To Do

Kristy Bleau of Lake Dallas lives by a simple philosophy, offering an equally simple answer to people who ask why she crams so much time and effort into Lake Cities Hope, the non-profit she founded to fill the needs of people living in the Lake Cities area.

Go ahead. Ask her. Why do you do it, Kristy? “Because,” she answers, “It’s the path God put me on, and it’s the right thing to do.”

Living in southern California, debilitating depression was Kristy’s nearly constant companion from childhood forward. Her days moved from one to the next according to the schedule of her prescribed meds.

Regardless of her mental state, Kristy always felt a core urge to help others. She floundered for a while before finding a path from her church to two very vulnerable groups.

“I began working with parolees and the homeless in Santa Ana,” she said. “Our main purpose was to bring church to them, meeting them exactly where they were.

“Honestly, I don’t have any real talent other than an ability to meet people wherever they are at that moment and begin helping them. That’s it.”

Kristy soon noticed a correlation between her service to others and her depression. 

“The more I worked with them, the fewer meds I needed. After a while, I quit everything cold turkey which, I was later told, was not a good idea. Fortunately, it worked out, and I ended up receiving much more than I gave.” 

Kristy moved from California to Texas in 2018, leaving behind her adult daughter, mother, and sister. The move was a repeat performance. She’d unsuccessfully attempted the same thing a few years earlier.

“I tried to structure and plan the 2018 version — including a two-year plan,” she said. “I secured a job as a 911 dispatcher in Grapevine before packing.” Her choice was based exclusively on salary. 

“I knew how much money I needed to live,” she said. “I had no police or fire experience going into the dispatcher position, and it turned out to be the hardest gig I’d ever done. I had no choice but to make it work because I didn’t have a Plan B!

“I talk to people on the worst day of their lives. While helping them, I must also be mindful of my officers’ and firefighters’ safety. We have a lot of continued training, as well as tons of on-the-job learning.”

Kristy brought her desire to serve and to help others with her from California. It bloomed more profusely than ever when she found her way to the Lake Cities area, settling in an 800-square-foot “bungalow” in Lake Dallas with her three rescue dogs. 

She was hired as a 911 dispatcher for Lake Dallas. She was elected to the city council. She jumped in with both feet. 

“It was very important to me that whatever I did would serve all the cities and not just Lake Dallas,” she emphasized. “The first thing was the Lake Cities Buzz website, keeping residents informed. After a while, I decided most projects would be best served through a 501(3)c non-profit. We have a Trade Days/Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from April 6 to September 7. It’s under the trees, behind the First Baptist Church in Lake Dallas, and being a non-profit means we can apply to accept food stamps. We have activities for kids, and some of our vendors are teenagers with their first business.”

No one knows how Kristy has more hours in her day than anyone else. Her dispatch shifts are long, but her project list is longer. 2024 marks the third Christmas parade for Lake Dallas. The city told her there was no money in the budget for a parade. No problem. She raised $14,000. 

Lake Cities Hope picked up many Christmas programs, including the Angel Trees. There are the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for Seniors, the School Supply Drive for more than 400 kids, bottled water collection for police and firefighters in all the Lake Cities, and a canned food drive. There’s also the FabYouLous Dress Closet with dozens of beautiful dresses for proms, galas, and weddings to “rent” for no charge. There is a car seat project for Lake Dallas Elementary, and dozens of individual fundraisers. And more!

“I don’t do anything that anyone else couldn’t do,” Kristy said. “I’m just doing the right thing, which should be the norm rather than the exception.” Indeed!