Published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram Friday, September 22nd, 2006

I’m a volunteer at Mission Arlington®, and I’ve seen firsthand the numerous services that the organization provides to the less fortunate who come to the door. I was a little concerned about O.K. Carter’s Sept. 4 column, “Campus drag would benefit city.”

I found this:

“And, from a downtown redevelopment perspective at least, the massive dominance of the Mission Arlington®/Mission Metroplex® operation immediately north of the campus has been and will continue to be an impediment to development of campus night life.”

I’m having difficulty envisioning how a corridor dedicated to the “night life” of UT-Arlington students would be beneficial to the city, over against an organization whose sole purpose is helping the less fortunate of Arlington and the surrounding area.

Because of the activities at Mission Arlington®/Mission Metroplex®, the economic impact on the city of Arlington in 2005 was a plus: $5,847,839. Consider just the free dental clinic, which provided dental care for 2,726 patients in 2005, and the free medical clinic, which provided medical care for 5,840 patients in 2005.

One major example of Mission Arlington®/Mission Metroplex® help was the Hurricane Katrina disaster last year. More than 10,000 evacuees received food and clothing and other services.

Everyone should understand that Arlington is a richer, more benevolent city because of Mission Arlington®/Mission Metroplex® in its current location.

Ray Brown, Arlington