Tim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee, Heisman Trophy winner, Author and Woodrow Wilson Alumnus, to Provide Keynote Address
March 5, 2015 – Dallas, Texas – Juliette Fowler Communities will honor three women at the Visionary Women luncheon on April 7 for exemplifying the spirit of the organization’s founder and Dallas pioneer, Juliette Peak Fowler. The 123-year old intergenerational residential community located in East Dallas will honor Woodrow Wilson High School legendary teaching team, Marca Lee Bircher and Patricia Hardman as their Visionary Women. For many years, Woodrow Wilson High School and Juliette Fowler Communities have been partners in serving the East Dallas community. The 2015 Faith & Service Award will honor Texas Christian University social work student Erin Jacobs for modeling a Juliette Fowler-like spirit of servant leadership through volunteerism and community service.
Tim Brown, considered one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play in the National Football League, will be the keynote speaker for the event. Copies of Mr. Brown’s new book, The Making of a Man: How Men and Boys Honor God and Live With Integrity, will be for sale prior to his remarks and after the program. Born in Dallas and a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, Tim has gone on to serve as a television analyst for Fox Sports, NBC, ESPN, and Sirius XM Satellite radio, and devotes his time and efforts to numerous charitable causes.
The Visionary Women Luncheon benefiting the One Heart Fund at Juliette Fowler Communities will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2015 from 12:00 to 1:30pm at the Omni Dallas Hotel, 555 S. Lamar, Dallas 75202. Emmy Award-winning journalist and WFAA anchor Shelly Slater will serve as emcee for the event. The Visionary Women Honorary Chairs are The Rev. Dr. Donald E. McKenzie Family and the Luncheon Chair is Mindy Cunningham. Previous honorees include Ebby Halliday Acers in 2013 and Vivian Anderson Castleberry in 2014. Individual tickets are $125 and sponsorships begin at $2,500. Sponsorship information and tickets are available online at http://www.fowlercommunities.org/visionary_women.aspx or by contacting Coleman Rabourn at 214-515-1342 or colemanr@fowlercommunities.org.
“This year’s Visionary Women honorees are outstanding leaders and mentors … truly embracing the Fowler Communities mission of ‘faithfully caring for generations,’” said Sabrina R. Porter, president and chief executive officer of Juliette Fowler Communities.
“When we think of those individuals that have inspired us in action and deed, we often think of our teachers. Life Changers. Two such teachers are Marca Lee Bircher and Patricia Hardman and Juliette Fowler Communities honors them for 30 years of service at Woodrow Wilson High School and to our community,” added Mrs. Porter.
As visionary women, fellow teachers and good friends, Marca Lee Bircher and Patti Hardman were the creative team behind Woodrow Wilson High School’s tremendously popular music and theater productions for nearly three decades. Many of the Fowler youth were involved in the school’s musicals and they knew that they were loved and they could be successful under the guidance of these two women. Elaborate stage productions and choral performances breathed new life into the declining neighborhood and the teaching duo is often credited by community leaders with “saving” Woodrow from being closed by DISD. In 1979, Miss Bircher and Miss Hardman founded the nationally recognized show choir, Variations. The group was originally formed just to perform at the school's 50th anniversary celebration, but they continue to this day. Marca Lee and Patti retired in 2003 and their teaching legacy continues through judging, attending Woodrow events and observing more than 50 of their students who have gone on to careers in movies, television and the arts. Juliette Fowler now serves as Woodrow’s costume house providing space for the Moms, volunteers and students to design, sew and fit the costumes for the school’s productions.
The 2015 Juliette Fowler Faith & Service Award will be presented to Erin Jacobs at the Visionary Women luncheon. The annual service award is given to a TCU student who has demonstrated leadership, excellence, and a humanitarian spirit that reflect the life and legacy of the Fowler Communities legendary namesake, Juliette Peak Fowler.
As the daughter of two Disciples of Christ ministers, Revs. Bill and Mary Jacobs, the 21-year old social work student has understood from an early age the importance servant leadership. Erin embraces diversity and relationships in her campus and community experiences by working as a volunteer at the Tarrant Area Food Bank, a church camp counselor, a minority student leadership conference assistant and a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Upon graduation Erin hopes to work with children who suffer traumatic grief or loss and wants to help ignite a passion for people to reach out a hand and help someone else.
The Visionary Women luncheon is one of the primary fundraising sources for the One Heart Fund at Juliette Fowler Communities. The One Heart Fund provides financial assistance to residents who have outlived their savings, helps create a safe and loving home for children in need of foster care and assists young women who have aged-out of foster care.
Founded in 1892, Juliette Fowler Communities, a 501 (c)(3) organization, has served thousands of elders, children, youth and families at its historic East Dallas location. Named for Dallas’ first female philanthropist, Juliette Peak Fowler, Fowler offers a full continuum of care that includes independent living, assisted living, and memory care as well as a Five-Star rated nursing and rehabilitation center. In collaboration with Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services, children are served at the East Dallas location through a foster care program. In 2014, Fowler opened “The Ebby House,” a residential program designed for young women who have aged out of foster care.
Visionary Women Luncheon Resources
http://www.fowlercommunities.org/visionary_women.aspx (Luncheon overview)
https://donate.fowlerhomes.org/visionary-women-registration (Buy Tickets/Tables)
http://www.fowlerhomes.org/Downloads/VW_SponsorshipForm.pdf (Sponsor Form)
Contact: Coleman Rabourn, 214-515-1342 or colemanr@fowlercommunities.org
Tim Brown http://www.makingofaman.net, http://www.profootballhof.com
Juliette Fowler Communities
http://www.fowlercommunities.org/visionary_women.aspx (General overview)
http://www.fowlercommunities.org/volunteer.aspx (Volunteer)
www.facebook.com/JulietteFowlerHomes (FB)
https://twitter.com/JFCommunities (Twitter)
Publicity: Kris Martin, krismartinpr@gmail.com, 214-287-1068
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Juliette Fowler Communities • 1234 Abrams Road, Dallas, TX 75214 • 214-827-0813 • www.FowlerCommunities.org