Dallas Volunteers Gear Up for GOP Convention

Nancy Anderton knows how to make people feel welcome. The 71-year-old Dallas resident recently hosted neighbors at her home, complete with an ice cream truck in the driveway, to meet local candidates.

Now she's taking that hospitality to a bigger stage. Anderton is among hundreds of North Texas volunteers helping their city host a September Republican convention at the American Airlines Center.

"I'm just one of those people that pitches in when they send out an email and say, 'hey, we need help for this,'" she said. "I'm really excited."

Organizers need more than 750 volunteers each day for the two-day event. Anderton signed up immediately and shared the volunteer form widely with her community.

Her journey into civic engagement started in 2020 when she and her husband became election judges. They made it a family project, recruiting her daughter and nephew as student clerks.

Leslie Barrows, a 53-year-old Southlake attorney, sees volunteering as a way to model civic participation for her three teenage sons. "I don't know if we'll get them going to the convention, but maybe one day when they're older, they'll think it would be a great experience," she said.

For Jim Neale, this convention brings things full circle. Forty years ago, as a college sophomore, he volunteered at Dallas's 1984 Republican convention. He still remembers helping set up and being part of President Reagan's motorcade team.

The Ripple Effect

These volunteers represent something bigger than one event. They're part of a tradition of citizens stepping up to help their communities shine on a national stage. Whether greeting visitors, managing logistics, or simply showing up, they're proving that civic engagement happens one willing hand at a time.

When cities host major events, it's everyday people who make them work.