In the late 1980s, members of Spring Valley United Methodist Church became concerned about their neighbors in the apartment complexes across Coit Road from the church because many of these hard-working people could not afford regular out-of-school supervision for their children. The situation was serious because of the high crime rate in the area, which exposed unsupervised children to violence and  gang activities.  The church soon realized that the problem was larger than it could handle alone, and In response a group of church members organized Neighborhood Service Council (NSC) in 1989 as a secular, not-for-profit corporation that could operate with broad financial support from the entire community.

NSC employed, as Executive Director, Janis Reid Dumas, with degrees in sociology and with long experience in directing children's programs. Spring Valley United Methodist Church generously offered its basement as a site for NSC's operations. These began with a day camp in the summer of 1989, offered free to children in the age range10-15 whose parents could not afford other programs. Mrs. Dumas named it "My Time."  During the summer she laid plans for a second program, an after-school camp which she named "Adventure Time." and NSC offered it for the first time in the fall of 1989, again offered free, to children from kindergarten through 6th grade.

From the beginning, the children in "Adventure Time" have been required to do their homework, and NSC recruited a host of volunteer tutors to help them. For the majority of the children, learning good English was important because by the mid-1990s the population of the apartment complexes had become 75% Hispanic, and in addition the the largest proportion if the other residents spoke some language other than English. Consequently the children were required to read aloud to a volunteer each day. The result of these efforts, which Mrs. Dumas called the "Bringing up Grades (BUG)" program, was that almost every child enrolled in Adventure Time started making better grades in school. This led to NSC's receiving both local and state awards for its impact on education. Also some of its "alumni" have gone on to success in college, as documented in another section of this website. The significance of this contribution to the community is reflected in the new slogan that NSC adopted in 2006, "Expanding Kids' Horizons."

Mrs. Dumas also established "Parents' Nights," six mandatory informal sessions throughout the year for the parents of children in NSC's programs, in which they receive valuable information as to resources and techniques for the betterment of their children.

NSC over the years steadily developed partnerships with other agencies, for example the City of Dallas, which opened its swimming pools, recreation centers and libraries to the children in NSC's programs. NSC was able to inform parents of many free or low cost programs offered in the community that parents would otherwise have not known about, such as the Summer Free Lunch Program and the Women's, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.  NSC initiated the first soccer league for kids in the apartment complexes and has operated it since, largely through the efforts of Mrs. Carolyn Stewart. NSC brought the first ESL classes to the area. Previously they had been available only at Richland College, far away from the apartment complexes. 

One of NSC's proudest accomplishments was the rejuvenation of Cottonwood Park in Dallas, on Midpark Road, which had fallen into almost complete disuse and degradation. NSC organized  the Cottonwood Park Task Group, involving the City of Dallas, area churches, and local businesses, foremost among them Texas Instruments.  There were several massive Cleanup Days, and in time Cottonwood Creek ran free and clear again through the park.  Texas Instruments contributed funds to create a nature trail along the creek.  The City of Dallas has since installed play facilities and a shelter. The complete park renovation was finished in 1999 with a park dedication in April of that year.

Year after year, NSC continued its core programs, Adventure Time and My Time. It developed very close relationships with local schools, all of them part of the Richardson Independent School District, in particular Dobie Primary School, RISD Academy, and Carolyn Bukhair Elementary School.

NSC made a major change at the beginning of the summer of 2008, moving physically from Spring Valley United Methodist Church, its host for 19 years, to a separate building near the church that provides much more space for activities, staff offices and storage. At the same time, Mrs. Dumas resigned to pursue other interests. Ginger York replaced her.

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