U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson spent time at a nonprofit Tuesday organizing and wrapping Christmas gifts. Genesis Women's Shelter helps women and children who have been affected by domestic violence.
"They're helping us make Christmas merry and bright for those children who thought Santa couldn't find them at the shelter," Chief Executive Jan Langbein said.
Genesis opened in 1985 and has grown from a shelter to include services like counseling and case management. Langbein said the shelter would provide gifts for 400 mothers and children this year.
"Particularly during the holiday season, this can become a very stressful and difficult time for some of these families," Cornyn said.
Cornyn joined a bipartisan group of senators in introducing the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act." The measure would continue funding for nonprofits like Genesis through 2027.
"Thanks for letting us come by and wrap a few packages poorly, in my case, but it's the thought that counts," Cornyn said.
Cornyn served a term as Texas attorney general before his election to the U.S. Senate in 2002. At the time, his office oversaw child support payments for 1.2 million kids.
"It really exposed me for the first time to some of the most vulnerable people, fragile families in our state," he said.
Cornyn said volunteer work can serve as a reminder of how many families do not live in a two-parent household or have to deal with domestic violence.
"It's very important for us to raise awareness that, particularly during the holiday season, this can become a very stressful, very difficult time for some of these families experiencing brokenness, domestic violence and the like," he said.
In Dallas, Johnson said reports of domestic violence and aggravated assault have dropped 12% over the past year.
"This is never a subject where you take a victory lap," he said. "As long as there are any children or families at risk, we have work to do."
Johnson said the number of domestic violence cases is likely underreported because the crime often happens in the home or a private place.
"Domestic violence is obviously a scourge on our society," he said.
Dallas created a domestic violence task force in 1987 to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing Dallas police of an unofficial policy in which officers would not intervene or make arrests in domestic violence cases. Johnson said the task force works with police to look at how they can track and prevent violence.
He said repeat offenders are responsible for a lot of these cases, saying law enforcement is doing its job to arrest dangerous people, but they often wind up back on the street within a few days.
"We need our district attorney and judges on the same page as our law enforcement," Johnson said.
He said they also work to try to prevent felons from having guns.
"This is something we talk about all the time. We want to make sure folks who shouldn't have weapons don't have weapons," Johnson said. "That puts people at risk."
Johnson said the city is also working with Dallas ISD to show kids violence will not solve conflicts.
"A lot of this is intergenerational," Cornyn said. "Kids grow up seeing their parents model a certain behavior including violent behavior toward a spouse, another member of the household, or another child. Then they go on, frequently, to repeat that when they become adults."
Cornyn said their visit aims to highlight the work nonprofits do to help families escape violence and help kids grow up in a positive environment so they can contribute to their community as adults.
"There's plenty of work for all of us to do at the local level, on a volunteer basis, or writing a check as you can to organizations like Genesis," he said.
More information about the organization is here.
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