The Dallas community mourns activist Sylvia Collins, missing after an apartment explosion, as friends honor her enduring legacy of selfless volunteerism.
DALLAS — As the community rallies around those impacted by the Dallas apartment explosion, one person is notably absent: Sylvia Collins, a community activist who remains missing.
“If she had not been a victim yesterday, she would have been there helping,” Frances Rizo told WFAA.
Rizo said she and Collins are best friends who bond over family and give back to the community. Most people know her as the “number one volunteer.” Not seeing her anywhere is just one red flag that something’s wrong. The other red flag is that her friends can’t get through to her.
“We would talk a couple of times, even three times a day,” said Rizo. “Of course, all of us had started calling Sylvia, but her phone stopped functioning. There was not even a recorded message that the number wasn’t available. It just stopped going through.”
When describing Collins, Rizo said she was filled with a giving spirit and didn’t like to take credit or recognition for her volunteer work.
Collins’s silence is saying so much out loud. Seeing her picture and name spread on social media is shocking to those who know her.
“To have her face show up on Facebook …it just kind of hits you right here in the heart,” Carolyn King Arnold told WFAA.
The worst part for her loved ones is that some just saw her the night before the explosion. She was working on the election on Tuesday and the day after.
“She was helping everyone and getting everybody situated. She was making sure everything was in process,” Omar Jimenez, chair of the 23rd Senatorial District Tejano Democrats, said.
After volunteering for two long days, she told her team she would spend Thursday resting. Her loved ones are now dealing with the reality that the rest is eternal.
“You just can’t think of the unimaginable that could happen,” Jimenez added. “I’m going to miss so much, including her can-do attitude and always helping out. I’m going to miss her involvement, her strength and always showing up.”
For those who knew her, simply mourning isn’t enough because Collins gave too much to be remembered quietly.
The community is honoring Collins and the other two victims at a vigil on May 29. Collins friends said they’re rallying together already to propose a permanent way of honoring her life and volunteer work in Dallas, such as naming a park or street after her.