The 2017 Dallas Planned Parenthood Annual Awards Luncheon featuring guest speaker Marcia Clark took place on March 8^th, 2017 at the Omni Dallas Hotel. Co-chairs were Lindsay A. Billingsley and Laura B. Wright. A cocktail reception was held at the home of Lucy and George Billingsley the night before the luncheon where major sponsors and awards recipients were honored.

The Gertrude Shelburne Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to Isaiah Merritt, a senior at the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy and a dedicated volunteer for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. The Gertrude Shelburne Humanitarian of the Year Award was given to First Unitarian Church of Dallas, a proudly progressive religious community since 1899 with a focus on promoting social justice and service for 118 years. The award was accepted by Dr. Rev. Daniel Kanter.

The luncheon set records, earning in excess of $1 million for Planned Parenthood’s essential healthcare and health education services for women, men, and teens in Central and North Texas.

Cocktails for a Cause benefiting Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas took place on October 13th at Goss Michael Foundation Gallery. Guests enjoyed complimentary hors d'oevres and signature cocktails while enthusiastically bidding on silent auction items. Co-chairmen Jessica Bass Bolander and Abby Evans delivered a fun night for the group comprised of both long-term and new supporters.

Proceeds from Cocktails for a Cause provide essential healthcare and health education services to women, men and young people who rely on Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.

Many children rely on free and reduced priced meals during the school day but what happens in the summer? As a sponsor of the Summer Food Service Program, CitySquare delivers over 250,000 free summer meals to children through a program known as Food on the Move. Healthy meals are delivered to children ages 1-18 in low-income neighborhoods, churches, nonprofits, and summer camps.

While the program has already been in action this summer, CitySquare and one of its community partners, BridgeBuilders, celebrated Food on the Move with kids and families on Tuesday, June 14^th at Turner Courts in southeast Dallas where free lunch for children was served followed by loads of fun activities including visits by Dallas Stars mascot, Victor E. Green and the Dallas Fire Department.

CitySquare’s Food on the Move program delivers meals to the community both at partnering locations like Turner Courts and with mobile feeding trucks. Every morning during the week, trucks with the mobile program depart the CitySquare Opportunity Center on Malcolm X Blvd. to deliver healthy meals and activities to children and youth awaiting their arrival at apartment communities in low-income neighborhoods.  Meals are also delivered to community partner sites with programs throughout the city. CitySquare’s mobile feeding program, staffed by CitySquare AmeriCorps members, delivers meals and provides enrichment activities to thousands of children.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has hailed the program as “a model for the rest of the nation.”

During the school year, the meals children receive at school are often the only food they receive for the day. CitySquare’s Food on the Move program also provides suppers to children participating in after school enrichment programs.

Food on the Move takes a stand against childhood hunger, now offering support in DFW, Austin, Waco, Kaufman/Henderson Counties and Denver, Colorado.

For more information on CitySquare programs like Food on the Move, please go to http://www.CitySquare.org.

On Thursday, February 25^th, Abilene Christian University officially brought its special brand of Christian higher education to DFW with the grand opening of ACU Dallas, a beautiful new campus in Addison. The new location at 16633 N Dallas Parkway  will provide a broad group of adult, non-traditional students and the university’s sizable alumni base in DFW, including those who are working full time, with convenient access to a graduate degree.

The new campus will not only provide a home-base for an expanded selection of online degrees but will also allow for evening, weekend and short courses to be taught on-site. Two new leadership roles have been created to lead the effort. Dr. Stephen Johnson,vice president of academic affairs for ACU Dallas, has moved to the area to lead the new site alongside Jay Goin, executive vice president for ACU Dallas.

Addison Mayor Todd Meier who participated in the ribbon cutting said, “We are very excited to welcome Abilene Christian University to Addison.  I believe they will soon become a tremendous asset in our community, helping to provide a strong viable option for our labor force and community seeking a quality higher education.  We hope to develop a solid working relationship with the school, and we know that they will be successful here.”

For more information on the campus and its offerings, call 855.219.7300 or email gradonline@acu.edu .

Retired Air Force General Richard B. Myers, 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Dallas on February 2nd to present the second annual General Richard B. Myers 2016 Veterans Hope Award to Strasburger & Price, LLP for the firm’s generous support of US veterans through the school that bears his name.

The General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School, located at Dallas-based MediSend Institute of Biomedical Technologies, trains post 9/11 veterans to be professional biomedical equipment technicians (BMETS), the individuals responsible for the repair and maintenance of critical medical equipment. It is a growing field with excellent starting salaries and good career upside in the healthcare industry. The Myers School readies veterans for employment in only five months in a fast track program. Graduates are currently working for prominent healthcare organizations around the country such as Baylor Scott & White Health, SODEXO, DaVita Dialysis, VHA, Becton Dickinson, and the US Military.

Strasburger has been a major sponsor of MediSend with legal and financial support as the organization has grown from a small humanitarian organization founded in 1990 to an educational institute including the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School and the MediSend International Biomedical Technology School.

Dan Butcher, Strasburger’s Managing Partner, accepted the award on behalf of the firm at a ceremony held at the Strasburger offices in downtown Dallas. “Strasburger is privileged to support the important mission of creating viable job opportunities offering the potential for a lifetime of increased earning power for veterans. We are honored to partner with MediSend and General Myers in this endeavor,” says Butcher.

The Myers School recently partnered with Dallas County Community College District to offer the training as part of an accelerated Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. Veterans can complete their degree at DCCCD colleges while fully employed as BMETS.

"The ability to earn a BMET certificate in five months and complete an associate degree while employed is an exceptional opportunity for our veterans, many of whom are challenged in the transition from military to civilian life,” said General Myers.

All tuition and fees have been privately funded since the launch of the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School in 2013. MediSend President and CEO Nick Hallack credits organizations such as Strasburger, ReserveAid, Hillcrest Foundation, Zale Foundation, Hawn Foundation and Orix Foundation with the growth and success of the school. On April 1st 2016, the program will be approved for Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. MediSend projects 26 veterans in 2016 in three classes, increasing to 36 veterans for 2017.

For more information on the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Biomedical Technology School, go to http://www.MyersBMET.org .