The season is truly back in shape. Wednesday, September 24, looked like it was as toned as an expert shredder. Dirty Job’s Mike Rowe quietly snuck into town to meet with students in Grand Prairie. The Les Femmes du Monde gals were “wining and nibbling” in Preston Hollow at Virginia Sager’s home in honor of their past presidents, new members and 2014 Women of the Year. But there was still more. For instance:
Equest Women’s Auxiliary Luncheon Patron Party
At tony Jimmy Choo in HP Village, the guys and gals shopped, sipped and shot the breeze thanks to the mama/daughter team of Dee Simmons and D’Andra Simmons Lock. The occasion was the Equest Women’s Auxiliary Luncheon Patron Party.
While the ladies felt right at home in the girls’ side of the boutique, the gents found all types of guy “stuff” across the way in the boys’ room.
Emilynn Wilson, who will be chairing the 2015 Equest Women’s Auxiliary Luncheon, reported that the event will once again return to Brook Hollow. In passing, she told how recent breast cancer surgery had been incredibly successful. This bout was almost to the day 15 years after her last round with the Big C.
Was she hesitant about having people know about her breast cancer surgery? Heck, no. She only hoped that others would understand that her early detection, thanks to regular mammograms, had not only saved her life but also prevented the need for more drastic treatments.
Luncheon Chair Angie Kadesky told buddy Christie Carter that their sell-out luncheon was still on plan. However, she had managed to free up one table. Get the hint? If you haven’t gotten your seat, get your pals together and get that table.
Foundation For The Education Of Young Women
This field report was provided: “These days, if you take a notion to stop Lynn McBee and ask her ‘What’s in a name?’ you better be prepared to pull up a chair because she’s likely to give you a detailed answer about her latest project.
“That’s because the Foundation for the Education of Young Women – which McBee’s helmed as CEO since this spring — announced a new name (and a whole new look for the group’s brand thanks to Dickie & Associates) at the kickoff event held the night before the organization hosted a two-day education conference.
“The newly-named Young Women’s Preparatory Network (Young Women’s Prep for short) provides private funding and other resources for the network of STEM-focused, all-girls preparatory public schools across Texas, including Dallas ISD’s Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. Currently seven schools strong with plans to expand, the single gender campuses, which are primarily attended by disadvantaged and second-generation immigrant students, boast 100% graduation rates and high achievement in college admission exam performance and college scholarship awards.
“The new name was unveiled at a festive celebration on the lawn of the group’s East Dallas headquarters that included a gathering of board members, educators, donors and students. The party’s agenda included after-school fare from Steel City Pops and Ruthie’s Rolling Café, as well as student performances by a girl-power cheerleading squad, an orchestra and a Ballet Folklorico troupe from the newest school in the network—the Young Women’s Leadership Academy at Arnold in Grand Prairie.
“Founded in 2004 as a partnership with the Dallas ISD, the Foundation for the Education of Young Women, now Young Women’s prep, has helped open schools in Austin, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Lubbock, Houston, and Grand Prairie in the last decade – and talks are in place to launch a new program in Harlingen, TX.
“’As we headed into the second decade of operations, we looked back and saw that we’d become so much more than a granting organization for these programs,’ explains McBee, ‘and then we realized it was time for a new name and a new look. We’ve got big plans for the future, which means we need a strong brand image that will adequately convey our message to donors and community members.’
“Those spotted in the crowd included Sally Posey (who, along with her late husband, introduced this idea of an all girls’ school to Texas, similar to one they’d seen in New York), YWPN board chair Gina Betts, YWPN board member Gloria Campos, Fort Worth board member Deborah Ferguson, Karen and Don Key, former Hockaday headmistress Liza Lee along with ‘sister principals’ from the network Berta Fogerson of Lubbock, Vivian Taylor of Dallas, Cheryl Horton of Grand Prairie, Mia Hall of Fort Worth, Delesa O’Dell Thomas of Houston and Jeanne Goka of Austin.”
* Photo credit: Steve Foxall