Meet Kevin Pranoto | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Pranoto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Mission Oak Cliff has served the North Oak Cliff community of Dallas for over 70 years. As an organization, we are committed to improving food security, encouraging meaningful relationships, and teach life skills to people who are experiencing financial insecurity. In 2020 Mission Oak Cliff provided services to 16,348 unique individuals. Our programs include a client-choice food pantry, Homeless Welcome Center, ESL classes, community counseling center, and virtual parent support groups. We are passionate about fulfilling our vision of “A thriving Oak Cliff for all.”

What should our readers know about your business?
Mission Oak Cliff has been around for over 70 years, and is trusted by the community. Because we have been in the community for so long, many people trust us to help them with their needs. I have served in the Executive Director position at Mission Oak Cliff for one-and-a-half years now, starting the job 5 months before the pandemic caused devastating effects on our community. As a result, I have had to work through many challenges. I am really proud of the fact that we were able to continue serving our community despite the pandemic, and not only that, but we also expanded and launched new programs. For example, we launched a grocery delivery service for families experiencing transportation barriers and partnered with another nonprofit to provide free mental health services to the community.

I am a major proponent of collaboration. I strongly believe that if we want to go far, we have to work together as a community. That is why early on in my role I made it a point to network with other nonprofit leaders and community stakeholders. The time I took to visit different nonprofit agencies proved to be invaluable during the pandemic when we were all scrambling for resources and trying to determine what to do. I was able to glean on the wisdom of my colleagues in the community and also share resources to continue our operations and keep up with the demand for services. It was a beautiful thing to see nonprofits supporting each other and working together for the common good.

At Mission Oak Cliff, we emphasize the importance of relationships. It is much more dignifying to the individual when we can call them by name and know their story. We try really hard to make these meaningful connections with our clients, and I believe that is why many of them don’t give up on their situations. In actuality, many of our clients who are experiencing homelessness have been able to get out of the streets and into more permanent housing because they never lost hope and continued to believe in themselves. Many of them have come back to us stating that they are grateful for the encouragement and support they received through Mission Oak Cliff.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area, I would first take them to work out in the morning – probably to take my indoor cycling class that I teach at CycleBar Uptown. Then, I would take them out for a scrumptious brunch to replenish the calories lost at Jonathon’s in Oak Cliff. We’d then go shopping in the Bishop Arts district at DLM Supply or on Knox St. at Stag Provisions. We will probably want some more coffee and a snack, so what better place to go than The Salty for some donuts and latte. In the evening, I would take them out to eat at La Calle Doce for some seafood fondue and end the night with some drinks at The Botanist.

Some of my favorite workouts in the city include: CycleBar Uptown, Rise Nation Uptown, SolidCore Preston Hollow
Restaurants: El Trompo, BBBop, Knife, The Henry
Cafes: The Salty, Davis Street Espresso, La La Land Kind Caffe
Hang Out Spots: White Rock Lake, Trinity Skyline Trail
Drinks: The Botanist, Sixty Vines Uptown

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University is my alma mater and deserves all the credit for my successes. My professors and classmates helped sharpen and expand my skills, allowing me to maximize my potential as a social worker. I am especially grateful to the late Dr. Diana Garland for investing in me through the classroom experience and as her graduate assistant. To me, she exemplified the spirit of social work and solidified my passion for this field. I am the social worker that I am today because of the way she modeled our social work values of social justice, dignity and worth of the person, and service.

Website: www.missionaokcliff.org

Instagram: @kevin.w.p

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-pranoto-69b603110/

Facebook: facebook.com/kpranoto

Image Credits
Corrie Coleman