In 2009 we published a story about East Dallas’ Magdalen House, where women with alcohol addiction go for help. Affectionately known as Maggie’s, the house’s major fundraiser, a golf tournament at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, happened last friday.

Advocate photographer Benjamin Hager volunteered to shoot photos of the event and he put together a slideshow for us.

To learn more about Maggie’s House, visit the website.

Meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Lipscomb Elementary School to plant trees  in Junius Heights with the Texas Trees Foundation.

Email for more information: Betsy@TexasTreesFoundation.org.

By the way, the Junius Heights Home Tour and arts and crafts fair is next weekend.

The nonprofit helps people pull themselves out of poverty, like college student Pearnetta Perry of East Dallas.

As the nonprofit celebrates its 30th, two relatively new directors talk about its future plans. We also get a glimpse into the daily activity at the food pantry, learn about ups and downs with clients, and hear from client Pearnetta Perry how she changed her life with the help of the center. Read more about her story from our November 2011 issue.

Go for a run benefitting Lakehill Preparatory School. The school’s 13th annual Trek for Tech on Nov. 12 starts with a 1-mile run at 8 a.m. A 5k starts at 8:30. There will also be a 40-yard dash, at 7:30 a.m., to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary.

The Wilkinson Center is throwing a fall carnival from noon-4 p.m. Saturday for the kids in their after school program, and they need 20 volunteers to help.

The carnival is at Umphress Road United Methodist Church, and they need help serving food, setting up, cleaning up, organizing games and other duties.

To volunteer, contact Chree Carr at 972.284.0301.

Dodie’s Reef on Lower Greenville will donate 50 percent of all sales, including food and liquor, from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Diane McGuinness, wife of Dodie’s Reef owner Chris McGuinness, is helping to organize the fundraiser. Her friend and fellow St. Thomas Aquinas parent, Carrie Marquis, has a daughter, McKenzie, who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis.

McGuinness has a daughter at St. Thomas who is the same age. And she says she does what she can to help the cause.

“You automatically think, ‘What if this was happening to my family?’ ” McGuinness says.

Neighborhood resident Keith Price is the new head of one of the city’s biggest non-profit homeless shelters, Austin Street Centre. Price has been involved with The Stewpot for the past few years, and he replaces Rev. Beulah “Bubba” Dailey, who worked at Austin Street for 28 years.

The shelter opened in 1983 near Fair Park and moved to 2929 Hickory Street Downtown in 1992. Among the programs offered are psychological counseling, work readiness, substance abuse counseling, voluntary worship services and emergency shelter to more than 400 men, women and children daily. The group says it accepts no government funding and is debt free, relying on donations to continue its work.

A couple of years ago, Price published a book detailing a road trip with his daughter, Emma, and his son, Alex, who happens to be the same age as our oldest son, Jack. The Prices were driving from Dallas to New Jersey; the book was titled “The Odyssey and the Idiot” and is still available on Amazon.

There are tons of road racing events this time of year, but this one is a little different.

Organizers of the Undy 5000 5k at 8:30 a.m. October 29 at Winfrey Point encourage participants to run in their underwear — most choose some modest form of boxer short or pajama bottom — in an effort to raise awareness about colon cancer.

Lake Highlands resident Lana Marker, chairperson for the Dallas race, got involved when her then 40-year-old husband was diagnosed with colon cancer.

“He went in for his first surgery 4 days after our son Michael’s second birthday. The recovery was very long and hard, both on him and us. He is a small-business owner (Event Technology Services), and a wonderful father and husband.  He is known in our neighborhood, Merriman Park Estates, as the A/V go-to guy.  He had is last colonoscopy this month and is cancer free.”

Marker says a strong support system was essential to getting through the ordeal, and she wants to get involved in the effort to “start the conversation” about colon cancer and prevention.

She met the chairperson of the local Colon Cancer Alliance, Dick Ryder, and he told her about the Undy fundraiser. His daughter had directed the race until she died at age 28 of cancer.

“The Undy 5000 encourages discussion among participants and throughout the community by providing custom designed boxers instead of traditional t-shirts,” she says. “Participants are invited to run in their boxers and underwear to bring attention to that area – the one affected by colon cancer.”

Register online for $30 now until Oct. 27 (you can also register before the race, but it will cost you $10 more).

When soldiers return from war, the battle often is not over.

Many veterans, traumatized by realities of war, face depression, substance abuse, unemployment and relationship problems. The Outward Bound for Veterans program, is a nonprofit operated by Holiday Retirement — home to more than 8,000 veterans and surviving spouses — which helps war vets readjust, heal and build confidence through challenging learning expeditions, organizers say.

Whiterock Court retirement community, a Holiday Retirement property, located at 9215 White Rock Trail in Dallas, will host a public spaghetti lunch in support of Outward Bound Saturday, Oct. 22 at noon. The lunch will feature entertainment, and donations will be accepted at the door. After the jump, learn a little more about the program: (more…)