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North Texas Giving Day Booster: Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation
According to Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation Communications Coordinator Selwa Moharram,
“Muslim women for all women.” Though not a common phrase in mainstream media, this idea was without question in the minds of the founders of the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation (TMWF). In 2005, a group of North Texas Muslim women came together to determine how to best counter the extremism and negative portrayals of Islam in a post-9/11 world. They wanted to show that Muslim women speak for themselves and that they can and do contribute positively to the communities in which they reside.
In assessing the needs of the community, they found that domestic violence was an ongoing epidemic in the Texas community at-large, but had specific factors lacking within the Muslim community. These factors were culturally-sensitive services which recognized the differing cultures of Muslim women (including language, religious understanding, and other cultural nuances) as well as trauma-informed training in relation to their needs. With that TMWF was born, and nearing its 15-year mark, TMWF continues to serve not only Muslim survivors of abuse, but survivors from all backgrounds within the North Texas community.
Which brings us back to the phrase “Muslim women for all women, and all people!” TMWF loves North Texas Giving Day and the Communities Foundation of Texas because it shares the same vision of bringing people from all walks of life to serve their communities and neighbors of all backgrounds.
We have participated in North Texas Giving Day yearly since its inception, and through this wonderful day we have:
- Created awareness in the larger North Texas as well as the smaller North Texas Muslim community about our work, programs and the needs of our clients
- Created connections with new donors, volunteers, and supporters
- Connected with other agencies, paving way for future collaborations, cross-referrals, and greater community awareness
- Participated in events such as the Heritage Farmstead Goat Yoga, where we won $500 in prize money last year!
- Increased our amount of donations and number of donors (last year we reached our goal of securing 100 North Texas Giving Day donors!)
North Texas Giving Day is a great platform for any nonprofit to gain funds, supporters and volunteers. It serves as an opportunity for individuals and larger donors to discover and contribute to multiple local organizations simultaneously. Altogether, North Texas Giving Day serves as a medium for do-gooders of all forms to share their visions, resources, and wealth to better the community as whole, a sentiment which we at TMWF strongly support!
With the coming of North Texas Giving Day 2019, we hope you will join us in aiding families and championing peace here in North Texas!
In addition to our extensive and comprehensive social services program, TMWF also provides educational and outreach programs including the Islamic Art Revival Series, interfaith outreach programs, youth leadership, and a refugee empowerment program.
You can learn more about us by visiting www.tmwf.org
* Graphic/photo provided by Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation
In ten years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $240 million into the North Texas community. In 2018, more than $48 million was raised through more than 157,000 gifts benefiting over 2,700 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 19, support Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay
North Texas Giving Day Booster: Dallas Arboretum And Botanical Garden
According to Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden Sales and Development Senior VP Missy Whisler,
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is one of the top display gardens in the country, a leading testing ground (literally!) for horticulture and an educational resource for all ages. Our education programs leverage the many varieties of plants, animals and insects that live in our gardens to engage more than 98,000 young learners in scientific inquiry each year.
The Dallas Arboretum needs your support as we equip more North Texas children with the essential knowledge, thinking skills and academic confidence they need to excite them about the sciences and to help them succeed in the sciences.
Our most innovative educational resource is the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden (RMCAG), an 8-acre outdoor science museum complete with hands-on exhibits, on-duty teachers and innovative “living” classrooms. Each of the 17 learning galleries explores a fundamental life and earth science topic such as plant life, energy, living cycles and more.
This garden is the only experience of its kind in the country, immersing children in the very subject they are exploring—the natural world. In fact, our team worked with its designers to ensure RMCAG materials and exhibits supplemented K-6 curriculums like the TEKS. This strategy created a highly unique, adaptable, and teacher-friendly learning environment that has won a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement as a Science/Discovery Garden. Independent evaluations also continue to show that statistically significant numbers of students gained interest, clarity, knowledge and confidence in life and earth sciences after participating in STEM-based programming with the Dallas Arboretum.
At minimum, 30 percent of the students the Dallas Arboretum serves are from Title I schools, or schools that serve a disproportionate number of students from low-income families. Your North Texas Giving Day donation ensures that our team can deliver quality STEM programming to children, regardless of their background or financial capacity.
Our educational programs:
- Reinforce life and earth science education standards for K-6 students.
- Boost children’s interest in science while building self-esteem.
- Improve children’s enthusiasm and respect for the environment.
- Improve science education accessibility by distributing bus stipends and financial assistance to Title I schools.
- Train teachers in best practices for science education through professional development workshops.
Your gift on North Texas Giving Day will help us provide:
- eye-opening field trips
- supportive after school programs
- outreach programs
- summer camps
- many other exciting STEM education opportunities for K-6 students, and
- plus professional development workshops for local teachers.
Each donation can make a significant difference for each school, each classroom, each teacher and each child the Arboretum reaches—and these benefits might compound over these children’s lifetimes. After all, science engagement at a young age can snowball into personal and financial success later in life. According to the International Journal of Science Education, more than 65 percent of STEM professionals and graduate students say they cemented their interest in the sciences before middle school.
Thank you for your investment in our children’s future. With your partnership, our teachers can continue delivering the joy of discovery to our community’s children for years to come.
* Graphic/photo provided by Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
In ten years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $240 million into the North Texas community. In 2018, more than $48 million was raised through more than 157,000 gifts benefiting over 2,700 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 19, support Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay
Plans For 2020 Callier Cares Fundraiser Revealed At Former Callier Cares Chairmen’s Luncheon
Foundation for Callier Center Board President Tricia George hosted a luncheon in the Founder’s Room at Dallas Country Club to honor former chairmen of the Callier Cares Luncheon on Wednesday, September 4. Continuing the annual tradition, Dr. Tom Campbell presented Tiffany heart bracelets to 2019 Callier Cares Luncheon Chairman Beth Layton and Underwriting Chairman Nancy Carter. Former chairmen attending the luncheon included Emilynn Wilson, Tiffany Divis, Beth Thoele and Barbara Stuart.
Barbara and her husband, John Stuart, longtime Callier Center stalwarts will receive the Ruth and Ken Altshuler Award at the 2020 luncheon on Monday, April 20, at Dallas Country Club. 2020 Luncheon Chair Anne McPherson has tapped Marybeth Conlon and Ashley Allen to serve as underwriting chairmen. Former Callier Board Member/Luncheon Chair Pam Busbee is the 2020 honorary chairman.
North Texas Giving Day Booster: Metro Relief
According to Metro Relief’s Development Director Katie Besly,
Large sections North Texas live in a constant tug of war against the pull of homelessness. When the struggle against poverty overwhelms, many end up living on the streets. Metro Relief combats homelessness by bringing mobile resources to the inner city. We retrofit passenger buses into mobile resource centers and soup kitchens that go directly to the homeless, wherever they live. Week after week, our staff and volunteers meet the homeless right on sidewalks and under bridges with resources and referrals to help them get permanently off the streets.
For Metro Relief, participating in North Texas Giving Day is like putting a powerful megaphone to our nonprofit’s mouth. It amplifies the voice of our people and broadcasts our cause to new audiences. The stories we tell for North Texas Giving Day are of real people living on the streets of DFW. One such story is that of our sweet friend, Michael:
On March 14, 2008 at 4:58 AM, a call came in to a North Texas 911 dispatch. A man had been found bleeding and unconscious on the side of the road. This man was former tank-specialist and US Army Veteran, Michael Rodgers. Michael had been crossing the street when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver late in the night. He lay there with critical injuries for many hours before he was found. He spent 15 days in a coma and over 100 days in the hospital.
Nine years later, Michael still had significant speech, memory, and motor difficulties from the traumatic brain injury he sustained that day. Michael was also living on the streets of Dallas.
When Michael first came to the Metro Relief Bus, he was hungry for more than the fresh, hot soup our volunteers served. He was craving companionship and community. With his speech, motor, and cognitive delays, Michael was often ignored and rejected. He was lonely, and he missed feeling like he belonged.
Metro Relief had the privilege of spending many weeks working with Michael. We loved him. We prayed for him. We listened to him. We connected him to vital resources in the community to help him get permanently off the streets. We showed him, with all of our words and actions, that he was wanted, loved, and included. We believe God’s Kingdom is for people like Michael: those who feel over-looked, unwanted, and left behind.
Our homeless friends deserve to have their stories heard, and North Texas Giving Day makes that possible. Through their tireless work to “build awareness and raise support” for the nonprofit community, North Texas Giving Day helps Metro Relief bring stories, like Michael’s, to the attention of a wider audience. In 2019 alone, that translated to over $32,000 raised by 101 supporters of Metro Relief. North Texas Giving Day truly is a mighty, and much appreciated, megaphone! We are endlessly grateful for the impact it has made on Metro Relief and in turn, the homeless communities of Dallas-Ft. Worth.
* Graphic/photo provided by Metro Relief ** Photo credit: Devin Connelly *** Photo credit: Humberto De Santiago
In ten years, Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $240 million into the North Texas community. In 2018, more than $48 million was raised through more than 157,000 gifts benefiting over 2,700 area nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 19, support Metro Relief by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay
JUST IN: Karen Froehlich Named SPCA President/CEO
A surprise announcement was made tonight at the 2019 Fur Ball patron party by SPCA of Texas Vice Chair Steve Atkinson that interim president/CEO Karen Froehlich had been named to the position permanently.
According to the Steve, “Karen is a dedicated and passionate leader, and, over the past months, it has had become increasingly clear that she was the right person to lead the SPCA of Texas as the organization continues in its mission to provide every animal exceptional care and a loving home.”
Karen assumed the interim position following the surprise departure of former SPCA President/CEO James Bias in February.
BTW, another surprise was SPCA Senior VP of Development Debra Burns‘ hinting about a “Russell Dealey Challenge” that will take place at the 2019 Fur Ball on Saturday, September 21, at the Hyatt Regency.
* Photo credit: Thomas Garza
North Texas Giving Day Booster: Wylie ISD Education Foundation
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North Texas Giving Day Booster: National Black MBA Association Dallas – Fort Worth
According to National Black MBA Association Dallas-Fort Worth Community Relations Committee Chair Demetrius Washington,This past spring, billionaire Robert F. Smith pledged to pay off the student loans for his fellow class of 2019 graduates. Mr. Smith’s extraordinary gesture was widely … Read More...
DSO Gala After-Party Kicks Off Plans Among The Contemporary Types At Neiman Marcus NorthPark
While Jill Stuart, Veronica Beard and Marc Jacobs were present in merchandise only in NorthPark's Neiman Marcus on Thursday, August 29, there were about 100 of their fashionable types sipping champagne in the Contemporary Department. And they didn't appear to be in a hurry to get home to watch the … Read More...
North Texas Giving Day Booster: Dwell With Dignity
According to Dwell With Dignity Communications Manager Caitlin Miller,Cassandra screamed joyfully when she saw her new bedroom for the first time – “I have my own bed?!” She surveyed the room further and took in the scene, exclaiming, “I have a nightstand! And a dresser?! Oh my goodness, oh my … Read More...
A Passing: T. Boone Pickens
T. Boone Pickens, a pioneering capitalist who built a fortune in the energy industry and then gave away more than $1 billion as a philanthropist, died in Dallas today at the age of 91.The straight-talking, visionary businessman was a larger-than-life presence on the American scene for decades, … Read More...
12th Annual Cookies And Castles Scheduled To Exceed Its $150,000 Goal For Texas Scottish Rite Hospital For Children
Those sorority alumnae really know how to raise funds for their local beneficiaries. The Kappa Kappa Gammas are getting folks ready for holiday feasting with their two-day Tablescapes Monday, October 14, and Tuesday, October 15, at the Dallas Country Club. The Kappa Alpha Thetas are game-on with … Read More...