Community
The Child Abuse Prevention Center recently earned its second four-star rating in consecutive years from Charity Navigator. The award was given for the CAP Center’s ability to manage its finances. The center has consistently performed and operated in a financially responsible manner. Charity Navigator is the largest charity evaluator in . The rating can be found at charitynavigator.com. The CAP Center has also launched a new updated website. Information about the CAP Center’s operations, events and volunteer opportunities can be found at excap.org.
Wellstone’s Dallas White Rock Marathon recently presented $150,000 to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children from the proceeds raised from the 2006 race. Wellstone Communities is the first ever title sponsor of the race. As the marathon’s primary beneficiary, Scottish Rite Hospital received the largest check in race history.
The Savvy Source for Parents recently released its summer camp guide to help parents find camps for their 3-year-olds through 8th graders in the Dallas area. More than 500 camps are listed, specializing in activities like sports, art, theater and science. The guide has information about costs, sessions, ages, etc. Parents can find it at savvysource.com.
A logo design competition with a $200 cash prize recently was announced by Earth Rhythms, a new nonprofit organization representing the neighborhood volunteers and performers involved in the annual Winter SolstiCelebration. The group’s mission was expanded to preserving natural places, including the formation of a green cemetery for ecological burials. The logo contest will give the new group a visual focus. Deadline for submissions is June 30, with winners announced by the end of July. For a logo contest packet or more details on the contest, contact Valerie Grimes at 972.974.2094 or valerie62@verizon.net, or visit earthrhythms.org.
The Presby Presenters Toastmasters group meets every Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, 8200 Walnut Hill. The non-profit public speaking club was founded to help members overcome public speaking fears and develop and enhance their leadership skills. Newcomers are welcome. Meeting rooms and lunch plans change weekly; contact Lynda Waters at 214.288.7959 or LyndaWaters@texashealth.org for information.
City Pet Rescue, an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing dogs and cats from area kill shelters, needs foster homes for puppies, dogs, kittens and cats. To give a pet a second chance, call 214.515.9934, e-mail info@citypetrescue.com, or visit citypetrescue.com.
Boys & Girls Club Dallas is looking for alumni to join the BGCDallas Chapter. Alumni meet monthly to brainstorm new and creative ways to contribute to their clubs. For information call Carolyn Jordan at 214.821.2950.
Business
Lady of America Fitness Centers kicks off its fourth annual FitTeen Program, a teen challenge to exercise, and fight the national overweight and obese epidemic among children and adolescents. Teen girls ages 13-19 can sign up to use Lady of America free from Friday, June 1 through Saturday Sept. 1. 6465 Mockingbird, Ste. 310. Contact Denise Gauthier, 214.821.LADY or denise@usafitnesscenter.com.
Doctors Hospital recently gave a donation to The Barbara Franklin Cancer Foundation, Inc. Regina Franklin-Basye founded the foundation in honor of her mother who died in May 2003 after a brief battle with multiple myeloma (bone cancer). It was founded so that other women who have lost their mothers can commemorate and celebrate their lives.
People
Baylor Health Care System Chief Health Equity Officer Jim Walton, D.O. was chosen as one of 28 individuals in the to be part of a one-year leadership program created to eliminate racial and ethnic discrepancies in health care. The program is the first of its kind in the nation and was created for leaders in the health care industry who are seeking to tackle this issue.
Carolyn Boucher, a teacher at Dan D. Rogers Elementary School, recently retired and was honored by Dallas ISD for her 41 years of service to the district.
Felicia Gibbons, a seventh-grade language arts teacher at W.H. Gaston Middle School, recently was awarded a $5,000 education scholarship from the Texas Conference for Women. Gibbons is working toward her masters degree at The University of Texas at Arlington. Governor Rick Perry and first lady Anita Perry hosted the conference, and only six scholarships were awarded.
Friends of Lakewood, a non-profit organization made up of primarily dads and other supporters of Lakewood Elementary, recently honored Tim Forgerson, Bill Ziegler, Pete Sessions and Mark Hearne with the “Special Friends” award for contributions to the Friends of Lakewood Elementary. Fourth-grade reading and language arts teacher Kate Bryant was also honored as teacher of the year.
Lakewood resident Ruth E. Kaiser, a physical education teacher at Obadiah Knight Elementary School, was one of Dallas ISD’s Teacher of the Year finalists. Kaiser has been a teacher for 40 years and held her current position for four years. She is passionate about her work and plans her physical education lessons around the core curricular subjects.
Lakewood Scoutmaster Richard “Rick” Franco, Jr. recently received the Whitney M Young, Jr. Service Award from The Circle Ten Council, of the Boy Scouts of America. Franco has been Scoutmaster of Troop 64 for the past 18 years, and has presented more than 60 boys with the Eagle Scout rank. He is also involved in the community serving on PTA boards and has helped establish a health care clinic for low-income East Dallas families.
Natalie Mathew, a seventh-grade science teacher at W.H. Gaston Middle School, was one of seven teachers in Dallas ISD honored as a recipient of the 2007 Texas Instruments Foundation Innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Teaching Award. The award was created by the Texas Instruments Foundation to honor innovative classroom teachers who are greatly enhancing student achievement and increasing interest in classrooms. As a recipient, Matthew will receive $10,000, of which $5,000 is directly awarded to her, and the other $5,000 will be used at her discretion for professional development and/or instructional technology.
White Rock Hills resident Dolores G. Wolfe recently was recognized by Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and the Dallas City Council for her community service, including her role in helping close the blighted Ash Creek Mobile Home Park. In the Ash Creek matter, Wolfe, an attorney with the Dallas law firm Cowles & Thompson, worked pro bono on behalf of 12 homeowners associations to close the mobile home park. In addition to Ash Creek, she has been instrumental in the demolition of both the crime-ridden Fair Park Inn and another dilapidated property on Lakeland Road. The closing of the Fair Park Inn earned Wolfe the 2005 Shining Star Award from the City of Dallas and Councilman Leo Chaney.
C.C. Young Retirement Community residents recently participated in the Art is Ageless exhibit for seniors 65 and older. Winners were: Hazel Cattlett for her watercolor, “Prickly Pear Cactus”; Jim Cook for a pettipoint needlepoint of his mother; Ralph Eilers for his photography entry, “Welcome Home”; Diana Pease for her fabric wall hanging, “She Walks in Beauty”; Kathy Terry for a metal jewelry piece entitled “Safari”; and Paul and Lorraine Landefeld, who received the Creative Spirit Partner Award.
Schools
Woodrow Wilson High School students, staff and neighborhood residents recently joined with the City of Dallas and Dallas ISD to dedicate the new Randall Park athletic complex to be used by Woodrow Wilson athletic teams. The complex includes new softball and soccer fields and a memorial plaza. The memorial plaza, called Will’s Place, was designed by Dallas architects and Lakewood residents Willis and Jan Winters as a memorial to their son, Will, a Woodrow Wilson Wildcats football player who died unexpectedly in 2005. Will’s Place, a shade structure, is the centerpiece of the Randall Park athletic complex and will serve as a gathering place for the high school and park visitors.
The Bishop Lynch Lady Friars softball team recently won the state championship this season under head softball coach Amy Johnson. The Lady Friars defeated defending champions Houston St. Agnes 3-2 for their first TAPPS 6A state championship. The Bishop Lynch boys track and field team also won the TAPPS state championship under head coach Steve McBride. This is their third state championship in the last four years.
Bryan Adams Class of 1982’s 25th reunion will be Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5. For more information contact Rob and Lisa Emmick at 214.341.1322 or LisaEmmick@hotmail.com.
Martha Turner Reilly Elementary recently was named one of Dallas ISD’s Campus Yard of the Month winners. This program challenges schools to spruce up the exterior of their campuses. Winning schools receive a new marquee or an equivalent prize that brings beauty to the exterior. To view photos of the winning campuses visit inet.dallasisd.org/hatsoff.
Students
Neighborhood residents Elizabeth Gomez and Gillian Grissom recently were named by Austin College to Who’s Who Among American Universities and Colleges. Gomez is a Woodrow Wilson graduate and daughter of Margaret and Salvador Gomez. Gillian Grissom is a Bishop Lynch graduate and daughter of Susi Parks and Jerry Grissom.
Austin College student Gillian Grissom is part of Austin College’s Departmental Honors Program and completed an honors independent thesis this spring. Students with high achievement in their academic program were asked to participate. Grissom’s thesis was “The Texas Organics Industry: Small-Scale Farms Face Large-Scale Problems.”
Bryan Adams High School graduate Kosieme Okafor was named valedictorian. Okafor will be attending Texas A&M University pursuing a degree in engineering. Kristin Rogers was named salutatorian and will be attending the University of North Texas.
Dallas Independent School District’s 2007 outstanding graduates include students who have received special awards, scholarships or recognition from their prospective college or university. Some of the districts most outstanding graduates are Kosieme Okafor and Auturo Rodriguez of Bryan Adams High School and Thomas Simpson and Mathew George of Woodrow Wilson High School.
Drew Scherger, a sixth-grader at J.L. Long Middle School, recently won first place among other sixth-graders in a State Bar of Texas 2007 Law Day poster contest. The theme of the contest was “Liberty Under Law: Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy.” Drew’s medium was colored pencils. He and his parents were given a trip to Austin, and he received a cash award, certificate and medal.
Woodrow Wilson High School graduate Matthew George was named valedictorian. George will be attending Yale University. Thomas Simpson was named salutatorian and will be attending Princeton University.
Volunteers
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) at the Senior Source is looking for volunteers age 55+ to volunteer with more than 230 non-profit agencies in Dallas and Collin counties. RSVP matches your skills, needs and desires with a volunteer job. Volunteers are generally needed for three hours, one to two days a week. 214.823.5700 or rsvpd@TheSeniorSource.org.
Young Life needs volunteers to help provide food, daycare and arts and crafts for its monthly meetings. The group also seeks mentors for pregnant or parenting teen moms in the community. For information call Kristin Klungvedt, 214.773.4348.
The Child Abuse Prevention Center needs volunteers to work with children of divorcing parents one Saturday morning a month during its Families First seminars. The CAP Center also has opening for volunteers in the Parents Aide Program. Volunteers work in the home with parents and families are risk for child abuse and neglect. Training is provided. 2902 Swiss. Contact Ashly, 214.370.9810.
Women’s Chorus of Dallas has many volunteer opportunities, including ushering at concerts, helping with mailings, answering the phone and helping with office work and committee participation. 214.520.7828 of twcd.org.
East Dallas Community Garden needs volunteers to help plant, tend and harvest crops and take produce to area food banks. Individual garden plots are also available. 972.231.3565 or gardendallas.org.
Globe Aware, a nonprofit organization promoting cultural awareness and sustainability by conducting humanitarian assistance programs in Latin America and Asia, is in need of volunteers who can translate Spanish and conduct Internet research to prepare various projects that will be implemented abroad. 214.823.0083 or info@globalaware.org.
Meals on Wheels, a program run by The Visiting Nurse Association, seeks volunteer drivers in our neighborhood. Drivers make weekday deliveries a few mornings a week or month, picking up meals at the Lakeview Christian Church, 9100 Diceman. 214.689.0639.
Heart House Dallas, a free after-school program for low-income children, has a variety of volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals. Work as a mentor, homework tutor, coach, office helper or in other available capacities. For information contact Jayna Wallach at 214.750.7637 or jawallach@hearthouse.org or visit hearthouse.org.
