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M&S.1.jpg Grow the Grove co-chairs Muffin Lemak and Susan Palma

Dallas, Texas – The fun has already begun for honorary chairs Mary and Mike Terry and event co-chairs Muffin and John Lemak and Susan and Gene Palma, hosts of Cristo Rey Dallas’ second Grow the Grove event, happening on Friday, November 17, 2017 at 7 p.m.

Following last year’s sell-out event, Grow the Grove will take place at the venue sixty five hundred, located at 6500 Cedar Springs Road.  The denim to dresses event will include a chef-prepared meal, fine wine, a spirited signature cocktail, live auction and more.

Proceeds from Grow the Grove will benefit Cristo Rey Dallas, an innovative high school located in Pleasant Grove that offers students who would otherwise not consider private school a rigorous college prep education paired with a valuable work study program. 

“The important work happening at Cristo Rey Dallas is making a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of dedicated high school students and their families, as well as the Dallas community as whole through the school’s Corporate Work Study Program,” says Muffin Lemak.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate the great success of Cristo Rey Dallas,” says Susan Palma. “Grow to Grove will be a night of great fun that supports an even greater initiative—preparing hardworking students to go to and through college.”

Grow the Grove host committee members include: Lydia and Bill Addy; Helaine and Dan Blizzard; Becky and Ken Bruder; Susi and Peter Brundage; Jessica and Jeff Burrow; Karen and Mark Carney; Shelly and Tom Codd; Janie and David Condon; Claire and Dwight Emanuelson; Ola and Randall Fojtasek; Barbara and Brad Fritts; Susan and Mark Godvin; Jane and Greg Greene; Jean and Erik Hansen; Julie and Ed Hawes; Candace and Jimmy Krause; Leslie and Michael Lanahan; Patty and Mark Langdale; DeeDee and Jimmy Lee; Ann and Chris Mahowald; Kiley McGuire; Karla and Mark McKinley; Susan McSherry; Tricia and Bill Miller; Laura and Scott Moore; Michelle Moussa; Angela Nash; Ruthie and Jay Pack; Pam and Gary Patsley; Pam and Vin Perella; Susan and Jon Piot; Micki and Mike Rawlings; Randa and Doug Roach; Shelle and Michael Sills; Mary and Mike Smith; Mersina Stubbs; Beth and Chuck Thoele; Debbie and John Tolleson; Piper and Mike Wyatt; and Ana and Jim Yoder.

Sponsorships for Grow the Grove begin at $1,600.  Limited tickets will be available closer to the event at a cost of $320 each for preferred seating or $250 each for general admission.  For more information, contact Lisa Brunts, lbrunts@cristoreydallas.org or visit cristoreydallas.org.

 

About Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep

Located in Pleasant Grove, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep provides economically challenged students of all faiths with a college preparatory education enabling them to become men and women of purpose and service. Through a rigorous curriculum, integrated with a hands-on professional work experience, students graduate ready to succeed in college and in life. cristoreydallas.org.

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Jubilee Park 20th anniversary bracelets designed by Hazen Jewelry

Celebrating 20 years, Jubilee Park & Community Center is commemorating its milestone anniversary with a trio of bracelets designed by Dallas-based designer, Taylor Miller of Hazen Jewelry.

The handmade bracelets feature natural materials, including wood and chyrsophase beads, and a custom brass “Jubilee” charm.   The bracelets will go on sale beginning September 1 at the St. Michael’s Woman’s Exchange in Highland Park Village, on the Jubilee Park website, www.jubileecenter.org/jewelry , and every Sunday through September and October at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. 

“Jubilee’s impact over the last 20 years has been astounding to watch, and a joy to be part of.  We want more people to be a part of the celebration through these custom bracelets.  With each purchase, children who struggle with special learning needs will have the chance to thrive in Jubilee’s award-winning afterschool and summer program.  Plus they go with everything—a win-win!” remarked Lydia Addy, 20th Anniversary chair.

100% of proceeds from the bracelets will benefit Jubilee Park’s 20th Anniversary initiative to provide educational enrichment to low-income children with special learning needs. Each bracelet is $50 each or $125 for the set of all three.

“This little trio of bracelets is so versatile and stylish.  Our tagline for the 20th is ‘Celebrate, Love, Dream’ and I like to think these represent each of those words,” added Marilyn Harbison, 20th Anniversary host committee and jewelry committee member.  “We hope people will get their holiday shopping done early, and support this great cause.”

For more information about the 20th anniversary bracelets, visit jubileecenter.org.

  

About Jubilee Park:

Jubilee Park and Community Center is a catalyst for community renewal and enrichment to the Jubilee Park Neighborhood, a 62- block area in southeast Dallas. Founded in 1997, Jubilee Park and Community Center helps families and other members of the community identify and access resources that help to provide stability and enhance their quality of life through five pillars: education, affordable housing, public health, public safety and economic development.   For more information, visit www.jubileecenter.org.

  

About Hazen Jewelry

Since 2002, Hazen Jewelry has been dedicated to exquisitely handcrafting playful and feminine jewelry that embodies both timeless elegance and modern sensibility. Designer Taylor Miller finds inspiration at every turn, be it in a sunrise, architecture or a vintage textile. Taylor correlates what she finds awe-inspiring and beautiful in her surroundings into the construction of her work. Each piece is composed of luxurious semi-precious materials, emphasizing the natural stones’ brilliant colors and textures.

Worn with jeans or a little black dress, Hazen Jewelry finishes every outfit with its ease of wear and fashionable presence. Hazen Jewelry is a lifestyle brand, made for the woman who strives to live life passionately, gracefully, and most of all, joyfully. Hazen Jewelry is sold in boutiques and specialty stores worldwide for your convenience and enjoyment!

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Co-chairs Nusia Sookarow and Ashley Anderson Smith Co-chairs Nusia Sookarow and Ashley Anderson Smith

Mosaic Family Services gala co-chairs Ashley Anderson Smith and Nusia Sookarow, with honorary chair Susan Posnick, were joined by 40 attendees to the 8th Annual Gala Kick-off Party on Wednesday, August 2 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Akola Flagship store.

Host Brittany Merrill Underwood, founder and CEO of Akola, welcomed partygoers as they arrived in their summer chic attire.  DJ Trance provided a cool vibe as guests enjoyed cocktails and light bites and shopped the Akola jewelry collections, including a first-view of the latest fall designs.

The cocktail party was in celebration of the upcoming 8th Annual Mosaic Family Services Champion of Human Rights Gala, which will be held on Friday, October 6, 2017 from 7 p.m. – 12 a.m. at sixty five hundred, located at 6500 Cedar Springs in Dallas.  This year’s “a night in Monte Carlo” themed gala, will include cocktails, dinner by CN Catering, silent auction, raffle, casino, and music by DJ LC.   America’s sassiest lifestyle guru Steve Kemble will serve as this year’s emcee. 

A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the 2017 Champion of Human Rights Award to Ms. Underwood for her inspirational work empowering women in disadvantaged communities throughout the globe. Akola trains and employs women in poverty, including survivors of trafficking here in Dallas, so they can support themselves and meet the needs of their families.
  

Tickets for the Mosaic Family Services 8th Annual Champion of Human Rights Gala: Raising the Stakes are $150 each; sponsorships begin at $500. For tickets, sponsorships or more information, visit mosaicservices.org/events.

 

About Mosaic Family Services

Mosaic Family Services is a safe haven for survivors of human rights abuses, including domestic violence and human trafficking. The multicultural staff at Mosaic supports, educates, and empowers more than 25,000 people each year through direct services and outreach. Refugees and survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence receive shelter, legal representation, counseling, access to health care, and support services in more than 30 languages. Every year, Mosaic House provides emergency housing to hundreds of women and children fleeing domestic violence and human trafficking.  They are the only shelter in North Texas providing comprehensive services to multicultural survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.  For more information, visit www.mosaicservices.org.

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Ryan & Maleiah Rogers(3).jpg Hosts Ryan and Maleiah Rogers

Mary Kay Inc, The Mary Kay FoundationSM and Tootsies celebrated the 9th annual Suits for Shelters with a “Think Pink Launch Party” on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. 

Hosts Maleiah and Ryan Rogers welcomed 150 partygoers, who arrived with donations of new and gently used women’s professional attire for local domestic violence shelters. Each donor received a gift card as a “thank you” for their generous donation.

Attendees mingled while sipping wine and champagne and nibbling on light bites by Ford’s Kitchen Catering. Models, sporting the hottest summer trends, were on view, as partygoers shopped the store’s selections. 

Mystery boxes were available for purchase for $100, $250 and $500, featuring prizes of jewelry, local hot spots, sporting events, fashion items and more, with all proceeds benefiting The Mary Kay FoundationSM. Raffle tickets were also on sale, with attendees buying their chances to win one of three prizes: a $100 Tootsies gift card and a Mary Kay gift basket; a $500 Tootsies Gift Card, a personal styling session at Tootsies and a Mary Kay Gift Basket and the grand prize a $5,000 contribution in the winner’s name to the domestic violence shelter of their choice, donated by Maleiah and Ryan Rogers. 

Mid-way through the evening attendees gathered upstairs for brief remarks.  Ryan Rogers, chief investment officer for Mary Kay Inc welcomed all in attendance and thanked them for their support of the ninth annual Suits for Shelters program and the Mary Kay Foundation.  He then recognized the 12 program beneficiaries, as well as long-time community partners, including Tolleson Wealth for their sponsorship of the evening, media partner WFAA-TV and Tootsies, the evening’s host.

Rogers shared that the Mary Kay Foundation donates 97% of every dollar it receives to the causes it supports, including domestic violence.  He then asked everyone to consider purchasing a raffle ticket or mystery box, or make a direct donation to the Foundation to help them with their commitment of ending domestic violence.   In closing he raised his glass to the crowd in appreciation of their generosity and ongoing support.

WFAA-TV’s Cynthia Izaguirre followed with additional thanks and a last-call to purchase raffle tickets. Izaguirre then reminded everyone that donations of professional clothing to local domestic violence shelters would be accepted at Tootsies through August 4.  She added that for many of the recipients of the clothing donations, it means a lot more than a suit; It signifies financial independence, freedom from an abuser and to rebuild their lives with confidence, for a fresh start. 

The much-anticipated raffle winners were then announced with Piers Hurley winning the grand prize of a $5,000 contribution in his name to the domestic violence shelter of his choice. Unable to choose just one beneficiary, it was later announced that all seven program beneficiaries in attendance that evening would each receive a $5,000 donation to help support their work and help survivors of domestic violence, donated by Maleiah and Ryan Rogers. Program beneficiaries in attendance were Attitudes and Attire, Brighter Tomorrows, Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, Hope’s Door New Beginning Center, Mosaic Family Services, Salvation Army and The Family Place. 

As the celebration came to an end, guests were gifted a pink sachet of Mary Kay products including Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, Lash Intensity™ Mascara, and MKMen Skin Care Shave Foam as well as a $50 Tootsies gift card.

Since 2009 the Suits for Shelters program has donated more than 17,000 professional items to local domestic violence shelters.

 

About The Mary Kay FoundationSM

The Mary Kay Foundation was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. Since the Foundation’s inception, it has awarded nearly $44 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and more than $26 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. More than 97% of each donated dollar goes to the missions. To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation, log on to www.marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).

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Awards for Excellence for Arts Leadership recipients Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller

The Trustees of the Dallas Historical Society have announced the 2017 Awards for Excellence (AFE) in Community Service.  This honor is bestowed on selected recipients who have demonstrated generosity of spirit, civic leadership, and ability to encourage community-wide participation in a particular phase of the growth of the city. The recipients will be honored at the 36th AFE luncheon on Thursday, November 9, 2017 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Fairmont Dallas. 

Former award recipients JoAnne and Tony Roosevelt will serve as 2017 honorary co-chairs. With their generous gifts to the community of time and resources, the Roosevelts have provided volunteer leadership to numerous educational and charitable organizations, including co-chairing the Texas Chapter of the Theodore Roosevelt Association's annual Dallas Police Award luncheon since 1996.  Carol Montgomery and Kaysie Montgomery are the 2017 event co-chairs, with Louise Caldwell as advisor/coordinator. 

“The Dallas Historical Society proudly announces our 2017 Awards for Excellence recipients.  Each has made significant contributions to the history of our city, and we are honored to recognize them for their commitment and generosity to the Dallas community,” said William C. Helmbrecht III, chairman, Dallas Historical Society Board of Directors.

 

2017 Awards for Excellence recipients:

Arts Leadership – Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller

This award is given to that individual(s) who has enriched the cultural life of Dallas as planner, organizer, fundraiser, collector or art historian. 

Creative Arts – Carolyn Brown

This award is given to that individual whose prominence as a practitioner of the fine arts as artisan, architect, writer, composer, producer or performer has enriched the cultural environment of Dallas.

Education – B. Hobson Wildenthal, Ph D.

This award is given to that individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the field of education as a teacher, administrator or benefactor. 

History – Willis Cecil Winters

This award is given to that individual who has researched and chronicled aspects of the history of Dallas and Texas as a historian, journalist, researcher, folklorist or author.

Humanities – Nicole Ginsburg Small

This award is given to that individual whose active sense of civic duty has provided leadership in achieving specific community goals.

Health/Science – Steven M. Pounders, MD

This award is given to that individual who has made an outstanding contribution through prominence or public service in medicine, scientific research, the behavioral sciences or public health.

Philanthropy – Jorge Baldor

This award is given to that individual whose vision and personal generosity has greatly benefited this city.

Sports Leadership – Tony Dorsett

This award is given to that individual who has brought distinction or achievement to team or individual sports as an athlete, coach, journalist, promoter or sports advocate.

Volunteer Community Leadership – Peggy Carr

This award is given to that individual whose generous gift of self has enriched the community.

Jubilee History Maker – David O. Brown, Former Dallas Police Chief

Created in 1991 and given in recognition of Jubilee Dallas!, this award recognizes an individual whose achievements extend to more than one of the award categories.  

 

Tickets for the 36th annual Awards for Excellence Luncheon begin at $125, with table sales/underwriting levels beginning at $1000. For more information or to purchase a ticket or sponsorship, visit http://www.dallashistory.org/support/awards-for-excellence/ or contact Nora Lenhart, 214-421-4500 ext. 106 or Nora@dallashistory.org

 

 

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Steve Banta, CEO, Jewish Family Service; Thornton Hardie, president, The Rees-Jones Foundation; Randy Colen, president, Jewish Family Service; Jeff Rice, chairman, Jubilee Park board of directors; and Adam Medrano, Deputy Mayor Pro Temp Ben Leal, Jubilee Park CEO

Jubilee Park & Community Center and Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas celebrated the launch of its new innovative partnership to offer mental healthcare to Southeast Dallas residents on Tuesday, July 25 at a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration.  

 

Held at Jubilee Park & Community Center, located at 917 Bank Street in Dallas, the festivities began with remarks by Ben Leal, CEO, Jubilee Park & Community Center; Steve Banta, CEO, Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas and Deputy Mayor Pro Ten Adam Medrano, followed by an official ribbon-cutting and tours of the new mental healthcare counseling center.  Partners in attendance included Thornton “T.” Hardie, Rees-Jones Foundation; Sergeant Bridget Wilson-Jones, Dallas Police Department; and Eneida Padro, Principal of Oran M. Roberts Elementary School.

 

“Jubilee has become a destination for innovative partnerships and meaningful impact.  Our partnership with Jewish Family Service is a perfect example, combining our community relationships and assets with their clinical staff to provide unique services in Southeast Dallas,” remarked Ben Leal, CEO, Jubilee Park & Community Center.  “As the field of public health changes, and as we learn more and more about the importance of mental healthcare, Jubilee is proud to launch this groundbreaking.  As with all of our work, we hope that we can catalyze change across Dallas.”

 

Jubilee’s partnership with Jewish Family Service will be the only mental health program in South Dallas offering free counseling to children and adults.  A full-time family therapist and a full-time play therapist will provide direct care as well as lead community education events for parents and caregivers.  A part-time psychiatrist will supplement the program with clinical support.

 

The partnership launches this month, with all referrals made through Jubilee Park’s program staff.  For more information about the Jubilee Park and Jewish Family Service mental healthcare program, contact Marjorie Murat, Director of Program Services, 214-887-1364 or mmurat@jubileecenter.org.

 

About Jubilee Park & Community Center

Celebrating its 20th year, Jubilee Park and Community Center is a catalyst for community renewal and enrichment to the Jubilee Park Neighborhood, a 62- block area in southeast Dallas. Founded in 1997, Jubilee Park and Community Center helps families and other members of the community identify and access resources that help to provide stability and enhance their quality of life through five pillars: education, affordable housing, public health, public safety and economic development.   For more information, visit www.jubileecenter.org.

 

About Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas

Jewish Family Service provides professional, effective and affordable mental-health and social services that promote lifelong self-sufficiency and well-being for anyone in need regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or ability to pay. Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas is a United Way agency and in partnership with The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. We are accredited by the Council on Accreditation, which ensures we meet the highest standards of practice in the provision of our services, fiscal responsibility, agency governance and quality improvement. www.jfsdallas.org.

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Brittany Merrill Underwood, 2017 Champion of Human Rights Award Recipient

Mosaic Family Services announces Brittany Merrill Underwood, Founder and CEO of Akola, as the recipient of the 2017 Champion of Human Rights Award, which will be presented at the nonprofit’s 8th Annual Gala on Friday, October 6, 2017 from 7 p.m.– 12 a.m. at sixty five hundred on Cedar Springs.

 

The Champion of Human Rights Award is presented each year to individuals and/or groups who strive to ensure the protection of the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms to which all human beings are entitled. The award is presented to Ms. Underwood for her inspirational work empowering women in disadvantaged communities throughout the globe. Akola trains and employs women in poverty, including survivors of trafficking here in Dallas, so they can support themselves and meet the needs of their families.

“Brittany Underwood and Akola have transformed the lives of thousands of women and children around the world”, remarked Ashley Anderson Smith, event co-chair and Mosaic Family Services board member. “We are thrilled to honor her as a Champion of Human Rights. We hope the community will join us in ‘Raising the Stakes’ as we raise vital funds to support Mosaic Family Services and our mission of providing a safe haven for survivors of human rights abuses.”

 

Past award recipients include Councilmember Jennifer Staubach Gates, director and filmmaker Libby Spears; fashion designer Abi Ferrin; Judge Roberto Canas, Jr., presiding judge of Dallas County Criminal Court No. 10; Jan Langbein, executive director of Genesis Women’s Shelter, and Paige Flink, executive director of The Family Place; Ambassador-At-Large Luis C. deBaca; and local philanthropist and women’s and human rights activist, Lauren Embrey.

 

Chaired by Ashley Anderson Smith and Nusia Sookarow, with honorary chair Susan Posnick, the event will be a “night in Monte Carlo” themed gala, including cocktails, dinner by cn catering, silent auction, raffle, casino, and music by DJ LC.   America’s sassiest lifestyle guru Steve Kemble will serve as this year’s emcee.

 

Tickets for the Mosaic Family Services 8th Annual Champion of Human Rights Gala: Raising the Stakes are $150 each; sponsorships begin at $500. For tickets, sponsorships or more information, visit mosaicservices.org/events.

 

About Brittany Merrill Underwood

Brittany Merrill Underwood has made an extraordinary impact through her dedication over the past 13 years to transform the lives of impoverished women and families through the Akola Project. Akola operates a thriving social business designed to empower women in disadvantaged communities through training, employment and holistic care. Akola’s products are sold throughout the country, and their elevated jewelry line is the first Full-Impact Brand to be sold in the luxury space through their national launch in Neiman Marcus.

 

As a nonprofit, Akola reinvests 100% of their profits to support work opportunities, training, social programs and the construction of training centers and water wells in impoverished communities throughout the globe. Akola makes a social impact throughout its entire supply chain and offers women opportunities through the creation of handcrafted raw materials, assembly of the product, and in the distribution center that acts as a second chance job program. The hope of Akola is to encourage new thinking about international development and to inspire the next generation of social innovators to deliver the highest level of impact in disadvantaged communities.

 

In 2017, Brittany was named among the World’s Top 10 CEOs in Inc Magazine. In 2014, she was asked to join the mentoring class for the Laura Bush Women’s Initiative and joined the faculty of Southern Methodist University as an adjunct professor in 2015 where she teaches a new course on Social Innovation. As CEO of the Akola Project, Brittany continues to devote her life to creating a brand that empowers women through economic and holistic development.

 

 

About Mosaic Family Services

Mosaic Family Services is a safe haven for survivors of human rights abuses, including domestic violence and human trafficking. The multicultural staff at Mosaic supports, educates, and empowers more than 25,000 people each year through direct services and outreach. Refugees and survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence receive shelter, legal representation, counseling, access to health care, and support services in more than 30 languages. Every year, Mosaic House provides emergency housing to hundreds of women and children fleeing domestic violence and human trafficking.  They are the only shelter in North Texas providing comprehensive services to multicultural survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.  For more information, visit www.mosaicservices.org.

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Lisa Singleton, 2018 Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary Fashion Show & Luncheon Chair

The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary in Dallas announces that Lisa Singleton, crisis communications consultant and community volunteer, will serve as chair of the 2018 Fashion Show & Luncheon on Wednesday, May 9, 2018.

 

“I am honored to have been asked to carry on this 26-year tradition of raising funds to support The Salvation Army and those in need in North Texas,” said Ms. Singleton. “Although the event is a fashion show and luncheon, we can’t lose sight that through the dedication of the many volunteers involved in putting on this tremendous event, people in our communities receive the support they need. Together, we have the power to affect tremendous change.”

 

Held at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, event highlights will include an opening reception, silent auction, a first view of the runway collection and shopping in the Chic Boutique, where gently worn or never worn designer clothing and accessories donated by some of North Texas’ best dressed and finest retailers are available for sale. Attendees will enjoy a runway fashion show styled and produced by Jan Strimple Productions, featuring donated and new couture clothing which can be bid on following the show.  Afterwards, patrons will enjoy a seated lunch and final bidding on silent and runway auction items.

 

The shopping continues May 11-12 at the annual WEARhouse Sale, which is open to the public and includes both new and donated items at deep discounts. The sale is held annually at The Salvation Army’s Christmas and Disaster Center located at 9216 Harry Hines in Dallas.  Hours are 10:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on May 11 and 10 – 3 on May 12.

 

Since its inception in 1993, The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Fashion Show & Luncheon has raised over $ 9.5 million to support services provided at 13 local Salvation Army centers.

 

The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary 2018 Fashion Show & Luncheon will be held on May 9, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, located at 2300 Flora Street in the Dallas Arts District.  Sponsorships begin at $5,000 and individual tickets are $300.   For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Tina Trejo at 214-637-8121.

 

About The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary: 

The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary in Dallas is the local expression of a world-wide movement that seeks spiritual redemption and social rehabilitation of those it serves.  It functions as a fundraising and volunteer service group, and have many projects and programs that can satisfy an eagerness to volunteer.

 

All Executive Committee members and Committee Chairs are volunteers, and there are a variety of ways to serve. Some of our committees include Arrangements, Back to School, mass mailings, Christmas programs - Angel Tree, Kettles, Distribution and Santa Sacks -- as well as serving as a liaison for our community service programs.

 

Volunteer activities abound in the Auxiliary. Every year, they fill backpacks with school supplies and Santa sacks with gifts and essentials at Christmas.  There is plenty of work to do at the Angel Tree and Kettles at NorthPark, and distribute Angel Tree gifts at The Salvation Army Christmas and Disaster Center.  For those who are into fashion, sorting and pricing donated couture clothing for the annual Fashion Show & Luncheon is great fun (as is attending the Fashion Show!) and working at the WEARhouse after the show.

 

The ladies of the Women’s Auxiliary have a good time, work hard, and live by the vision of "Doing the Most Good."           

 

About The Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army is a worldwide Christian organization that in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex provides more than 70 different programs and services to help make life better for individuals and families. Services include: substance abuse treatment, homeless shelters, life-skills classes, non-perishable food, Christmas gifts for children, a domestic violence shelter, emergency financial assistance, after-school programs, summer day camps, computer training, senior citizens services, and low-cost youth sports activities.

 

The Salvation Army’s religious and social service activities serve millions of men, women and children in more than 125 nations around the world. Volunteers, contributors, and other supporters make the services possible in local communities across the country. For more information, go to salvationarmydfw.org.

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Dr. Richard R. Brettell and Peter Walker, 2017 Richard Brettell Award in the Arts recipient

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) hosted a reception and dinner honoring the first recipient of The Richard Brettell Award in the Arts, landscape architect Peter Walker, on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.

Dr. Richard C. Benson, president of UTD, and Dr. Richard R. Brettell, the Margaret McDermott Distinguished Chair of Arts and Aesthetic Studies and the Edith O’Donnell Distinguished Chair at UTD, were joined by more than 90 guests for the occasion, held in the Founders Building on the UTD campus.

As guests arrived, they mingled over cocktails and passed canapés while enjoying music from the Radiant Guitar Group.  After cocktails, patrons progressed to the dining room where tables displayed accents of gold and topiary centerpieces of magnolia leaves and white roses.

Dr. Benson welcomed attendees and introduced The Richard Brettell Award in the Arts that recognizes the essential and fundamental role of the arts in the life of the university.  As he shared, the award will honor an artist working in or between any of the broad spectrum of artistic endeavors, including the visual arts, music, literature, performance, and architecture/design.  Given every other year, the award consists of a prize of $150,000 and a week's residence on the UT Dallas campus and in Dallas, during which the awardee will present a major public lecture and interact in a variety of venues with the students, staff and faculty of UT Dallas and with the larger arts community of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

The concept of the Brettell Award is inspired by the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT, created by the McDermott Family at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974. The MIT McDermott Award is also made every other year, and it is planned to schedule the two events in alternating years.

Dr. Benson also extended his gratitude to Mrs. Margaret McDermott seated nearby, who provided the gift for the annual award.  He then took a few moments to recognize just a few of the many accomplishments of Dr. Brettell, to whom the award is named in honor of.

Dr. Brettell, who has three degrees from Yale University, came to UTD 15 years ago. His resume includes having served as curator of European paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago and director of the DMA, a position he held from 1988 to 1992. Brettell occupies the Margaret M. McDermott Distinguished Chair of Arts and Aesthetic Studies and the Edith O'Donnell Distinguished University Chair at UTD.

As dessert was served, Dr. Benson returned to introduce the first recipient of The Brettell Award, landscape architect Peter Walker.  Before formally presenting the award, Benson welcomed artist Linda Ridgway to the podium whose bronze and 24k gold sculpture, Nature’s first green is gold, 2016, served as this year’s award.  As Linda shared, the sculpture was inspired by poet Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” which she then recited for the audience. 

Dr. Brettell and Walker joined Dr. Benson and Ridgway as they unveiled the sculpture.

Walker, a renowned landscape architect whose work includes the transformation of the UT Dallas campus, the design of the sculpture garden at the Nasher Sculpture Center and the National 9/11 memorial, extended his thanks to Dr. Benson and the University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Richard Brettell, and Margaret McDermott for the distinct honor.  In his remarks, he humbly accepted the award on “behalf of all landscape architects.”

In closing, Dr. Benson asked all in attendance to raise up their glasses in a toast to Peter Walker, the first recipient of The Richard Brettell Award In the Arts.

For more information about The Richard Brettell Award in the Arts, visit http://www.utdallas.edu/brettell-award.

 About Peter Walker

A renowned landscape architect with over 50 years of experience in practice and teaching, Peter Walker is the mastermind behind the ongoing campus enhancement plan at UT Dallas, which includes the magnolia tree-lined mall, the trellised plaza, and the wooded area surrounding University Parkway. The scope of his concerns is expansive — from the planning of cities to the design of small gardens– with a particular emphasis on civic design, corporate headquarters, plazas, academic campuses, and urban renewal projects. Exploring the relationship of art, culture, and context, he has challenged traditional concepts of landscape design.

 

After graduating from Harvard's Graduate School of Design, Walker banded together with his professor Hideo Sasaki to found Sasaki, Walker and Associates in 1957, which later became The SWA Group. Walker spent seven years building up the company's reputation as an internationally recognized urban design firm before forming Peter Walker and Partners (now PWP Landscape Architecture) in 1983.

 

Walker also designed the landscape for the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas in collaboration with Renzo Piano Workshop. Framed by live oak and cedar-elm allées, rows of holly hedges, and a series of stone plinths, the garden design at the Nasher provides a stunning outdoor gallery for the museum's collection of sculptures.

 

The firm's architects challenge traditional concepts of design, and they frequently join with renowned architects to create significant projects. Advocating a landscape that responds to — as well as influences its environment — Walker has collaborated with architects of such stature as I. M. Pei, Arata Isozaki, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Yoshio Taniguchi, Ricardo Legorreta, and Helmut Jahn.

 

Over the years, Walker's firm has received honors and awards and won numerous design competitions, including the National September 11 Memorial in New York, the United States Embassy in Beijing, and the Library Walk at the University of California, San Diego.

 

About Richard Brettell

Richard Brettell is among the foremost authorities in the world on Impressionism and French Painting of the period 1830-1930. With three degrees from Yale University, he has taught at The University of Texas, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, Yale University, and Harvard University and is currently the Margaret M. McDermott Distinguished Chair of Art and Aesthetic Studies and the Edith O’Donnell Distinguished Chair at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is also an international museum consultant with projects in Europe, Asia, and the United States. He established the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Museums at UT Dallas.

 

In 1980, Dr. Brettell was appointed Searle Curator of European Painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1988, he became the McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA). Since leaving the DMA, Dr. Brettell has been involved with the purchase of the M.H.W. Ritchie Collection for the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, with the building and renovation program of the Portland Museum of Art (Oregon), and with the Millennium Gift of the Sara Lee Collection, for which the company won the National Medal for the Arts in 1999. He is Senior Advisor for International Art for the National Gallery of Australia and is working with Professor Stephen Eisenman of Northwestern University to catalogue the collection of 19th and 20th century French Paintings at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California.

 

Dr. Brettell worked with Elizabeth and Felix Rohatyn, former Ambassador to France, and Françoise Cachin, former Director of the French National Museums, to create FRAME (French/Regional/American Museum Exchange).

 

Dr. Brettell is actively engaged with architecture in Dallas, as a board member and founding president of the Dallas Architecture Forum, as a Consultant to Philip Johnson for The Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, and as curator of an exhibition devoted to "Five Dallas Modern Architects" for UT Dallas in January/February 2002. This exhibition has traveled to the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas in Austin, and the University of Houston. He has published architectural criticism, including "Beyond the Golden Age: Three New Art Museums for Texas" in Southwest Review (Vol. 87, no. 4) and "Lost in Translation: Ando's Building for The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth" for CITE: A Quarterly publication of the Rice Design Alliance.

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2016 recipient Alfredo Duarte, Taxco Food Produce; Irma Duarte; Nancy Nasher, founder's chair of Business Council for the Arts; Larry Glasgow, board chair, Business Council for the Arts

Business Council for the Arts (BCA) has opened nominations for the 2017 Obelisk Awards, which recognize companies and leaders in business and the arts for their invaluable contributions supporting arts and culture in North Texas. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, June 21, 2017. 

The award recipients will be honored at the 29th annual Obelisk Awards luncheon on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at the Belo Mansion.  Steven Roth, senior deputy general counsel of Parkland Health and Hospital System, and his wife Thai-lan Tran are serving as the 2017 Obelisk Awards co-chairs.

“For more than a quarter century, the Obelisk Awards have been the symbol of excellence recognizing support of the arts in our community.  Past recipients include visionaries who represent diverse industries, each one making a unique contribution to our cultural vibrancy and quality of life,” remarked Larry Glasgow, Chairman, Board of Directors, Business Council for the Arts.   “With the exponential growth of the arts in North Texas, we believe that this year’s nominations will include long-time arts supporters as well as the new and innovative.”

Nominations for the Obelisk Awards may be made by any individuals, organizations, businesses or groups. Award categories include:

  • For Businesses:
    • The New Initiatives Award recognizes businesses for supporting an innovative arts/cultural program created within the past three years. Awards are given to one large, medium and small business each.
    • The Arts Partnerships Award recognizes businesses that have provided sustained support to an arts/cultural organization for three or more years. Awards are given to one large, medium and small business each. A business may only win the Arts Partnership Award once every two years.
    • The Arts Education Award recognizes one outstanding business for its support of arts education programs.
    • For Individual Business Leaders:
      • The Business Champion for the Arts Award recognizes long-term leadership and commitment to arts/culture by a business executive (president, CEO, partner).
      • The Outstanding Leadership Arts Alumnus Award recognizes outstanding board leadership and commitment by a graduate of the Leadership Arts Institute.
      • For Individual Arts/Cultural Leaders:
        • The Visionary Nonprofit Arts Leader Award recognizes an arts leader who has consistently demonstrated vision, impact, innovation, and successful alignment with business and community partners throughout their tenure.
        • For Nonprofit Arts/Cultural Organizations:
        • The Distinguished Cultural Organization Award is given by Neiman Marcus to recognize one outstanding nonprofit organization for a project or program that has enhanced the community through partnership with a business.

To submit a nomination for the 2017 Obelisk Awards please visit http://ntbca.org/obelisk-nominations/. For more information about the Obelisk Awards, visit http://ntbca.org/obelisk or contact Catherine Thompson, 972-991-8300, extension 601.

Business Council for the Arts (BCA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1988 as connector and convenor between businesses, municipalities, and arts and cultural organizations. For 29 years, Business Council for the Arts has advocated for business support of the arts, developed business leaders for nonprofit boards of directors; fostered employee creativity, engagement and creativity through the arts; guided strategic business support for the arts; and measured the economic impact of arts and culture in North Texas.