Give Back Day: Cali Franks (Ladders & Lagers)

At Lawline we encourage our employees to give back to their community and to do that, we offer 4 give back days a year! Check out how Cali Frank, Program Attorney, utilized one of her give back days. 

In 2022, Dallas Fire-Rescue celebrates 150 years of service alongside the Dallas Firefighter’s Museum which celebrated 50 years of operation this year. Cali Franks, the daughter of a retired firefighter, sits on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Firefighters Museum and volunteered to lead the only public celebration for these milestones. Cali created the Ladders & Lagers Festival, a three-day celebration honoring the history of the Dallas Fire. This celebration included The Firefighter Challenge, family activities including face paint, balloon artists, Sparky the Fire Dog, and 9 local and national musicians that played over three days. The festival was held at a local brewery which created a limited-edition beer for the event: Valor. All proceeds of the beer and festival benefited the Dallas Firefighters Museum 10 million dollar Capital Campaign. 

How was your experience leading the Initiative? 

I can sum up my experience from running this festival in one word - humbling. Running an event of this size has its challenge and last-minute issues (including an all-day rain storm on Friday). However, when I took a step back and realized that the first responders surrounding me sacrificed and woke up every day not knowing what was in store, I was quickly grounded in what was really important. To me, what was important was celebrating those who are willing to go into a burning building on a daily basis without hesitation so, I think I can handle a little rain and some changes to my plan. 

What is the biggest lesson you learned while giving back? 

The biggest lesson I learned was to trust those who trust you. As someone who was always the person that did the work in group projects, it quickly became apparent I could not do this festival single-handedly. That was a tough pill to swallow. However, I had people come around me and beside me, willing to help me and follow my directions. Until this event, when I would volunteer or help out a friend, I never thought twice about what it meant to them but I now see the importance of volunteering your time in a whole new light. I could not have done it without the help of those who stepped up!

How could someone reach out and volunteer with the group?

The Dallas Firefighter’s Museum is in the middle of a 10 million dollar Capital Campaign to redo the entire inside of the building. There are numerous ways to help out, including visiting, volunteering, donating, purchasing merchandise (you might even see some Ladders & Laggers merch), and buying coffee!