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Chris Murzin Family, University Park to be Honored at “A Child Can Do All Things Luncheon”

Back in 2008 Chris Murzin shaved his head. It wasn’t due to a trendy new hair style. It was to draw attention to a cause that affected his family deeply. You see, one of Chris’s children is forced to use a wheelchair and this fact made Chris realize how limited area parks are for the physically challenged.

Thanks to the Murzin family’s efforts, Coffee Park in University Park is barrier-free and includes a trail system with dioramas depicting the history of University Park, new picnic facilities, athletic field improvements, park entrance signage, decorative fencing, expanded acreage on the park’s northern edge (made possible because of the Northwest Parkway Wall) and the City’s first barrier-free playground to provide fun for children of all ages and abilities.

Photo provided by A Child Can Do All Things

” A Child Can Do All Things Luncheon” Chair Alicia Wood (pictured left with, from the left, Blackie Holmes, Jerry Bradley, Christina Murzin, and Heather Pujats) announced at a breakfast at Tiffany & Co., that the Murzin family and the City of University Park will be awarded  the “Child Impact Award” at the annual luncheon on Tuesday, March 30, at Brook Hollow Golf Club.

In an addition to the presentation of the award, a NorthPark Center-sponsored fashion show under the direction of Rhonda Sargent Chambers will feature clothes from Barney’s New York, Peek. . . Aren’t You Curious, and Play @ Planet Funk.

For ticket and sponsorship information, just check here.

Jenna Bush Hager to be Featured Speaker at Appetite For Advocacy Luncheon

NBC’s Today correspondent and former First Daughter Jenna Bush Hager (pictured) will be the keynote speaker at the third annual Appetite For Advocacy Center Luncheon at the Sheraton Dallas on Friday, April 23. Benefiting the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC), Luncheon Chairs Cammie and Brian Heflin are joined by Honorary Chair JoAnne Roosevelt.

Sarah Losinger (pictured)will receive the Ruth Altshuler Award for her dedication and support of DCAC.

Individual tickets are $150 with a nice $20 discount for members of the Coalition to End Crimes Against Children.

The mission of the DCAC is to improve the lives of abused children in Dallas County and provide national leadership on child abuse issues.

Jack Tierney Selected for Double-Goal Coach Award

While movies are made about coaches who have made a difference in a youngster’s life, the vast majority of hardworking and dedicated coaches work with kids without note.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is making a note of St. Philip’s Saints coach Jack Tierney (pictured), who also participates in the BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas program. The insurance company recently announced that Coach Tierney was one of 20 coaches in the country to receive the Positive Coaching Alliance’s “Double-Goal Coach Award” for his inspiring players to win and to learn “life lessons through sports.”

“Jack wins on the scoreboard, and more importantly, he wins by creating a positive, character-building sports experience for youth athletes,” said Jim Thompson, PCA’s founder/executive director and author of several books on coaching and sports parenting, including the just-released The Power of Double-Goal Coaching. “Ultimately, the youth athletes Jack coaches are the real winners, and as those athletes become tomorrow’s leaders our society as a whole wins.”

BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas is a program that provides a “cross-cultural exchange between inner-city youth players and those from more affluent areas.”

According to BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas President/Founder Edie Lycke, who nominated Jack: (more…)

Henry “The Fonz” Winkler Brought Life Lessons to The Destiny Awards Luncheon

Happy Days’ Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli was a very cool Italian kid, whose parents abandoned him, in Milwaukee. He was a high school dropout, never married, and a bit of a ladies’ man.

Henry Winkler (pictured), who portrayed “Fonzie,” is the son of Jewish immigrants who left Nazi Germany in 1939 just before the Holocaust.  He earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama and has been happily married since 1978.

So, what does the fictional character of the 50′s and the man who portrayed him have in common? Both have the ability and sincerity to influence others for their own betterment through life lessons. And that’s exactly what Henry did last Thursday when he came to town for the 10th annual Destiny Luncheon benefiting the St. Philip’s School & Community Center.

Known within the entertainment industry for being down to earth and having a genuine interest in others, Henry with Fredye Factor as his escort started of the day with a rise-and-shine appearance at St. Philip’s. (No problem for Henry since his Labradoodle and Great Dane usually are climbing all over him first thing in the morning back home in California) With parents lining the walls of the gym and uniformed munchkins (pictured) filling every seat in the bleachers, Henry had his work cut out for him. Within minutes of watching the interaction between St. Philip’s headmaster Terry Flowers and the youngsters, Henry looked right at home. You couldn’t help but wonder if Henry sorta wished he’d had a St. Philip’s in his life growing up.

One of the things that you learn from a St. Philip’s experience is the magic of Terry.

(more…)

Capriccio Ristorante Turns Green Tomorrow for Captain Hope’s Kids

Capriccio Ristorante may sound a bit Italian, but tomorrow it’s as Irish as the blarney stone. From 5 p.m. to midnight, the Alpha Road restaurant is partnering up with The Irish American Society to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and help area children in need of homes.

Just bring a gently-used- or new-child’s clothing or toys to Capriccio and you’ll get a ticket into the restaurant’s celebration/fund raiser benefiting Captain Hope’s Kids. Once inside you’ll have “complimentary bites, drink specials, and live music by the Very Verys.”

Rainbow Days Presents 2009 Promise Award

Since 1982, Rainbow Days has provided 100,000 area children living in high-risk situations with skills and support. It has also trained more than 28,000 professionals, both state- and nation-wide.

Thursday Rainbow Days held its annual presentation at SMU’s Faculty Club of the 2009 Promise Award, that “recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations who are committed to substance abuse prevention and to helping children overcome adversity and stay drug-free.

The recipients were:

• Individual Volunteer: Mitzi White
• Corporate Partnership: Ronnie J. L. Ward & Son
• Local Partnership: Animal Crackers
• Community Organization: Oak Lawn United Methodist Church
• Foundation: Thompson & Knight
• Unsung Hero: Melissa Preston
• National Partnership: Kids in Distressed Situations
• Board Member: Carolyn Hess
• Government Agency: Protecting our Children Outreach Ministry – A Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Government Official: The Honorable Mayor Tom Leppert and Laura Leppert
• Memorial: Jeff Blandford
• Corporate Volunteer Group: KPMG’s Network of Women (KNOW)
• Educational Partnership: The Safe and Drug-free Schools Program of the Dallas Independent School District
• Youth Services: Melissa Medina

Texas Scottish Rite’s Kids Outshine the Olympians

If you’ve been watching the Winter Olympics, you’re vicariously sore from all the tumbles and falls. But you’re probably also thrilled at seeing the winners succeed regardless of their nationality.

Photo provided by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

The Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children has got the Olympians beat. Earlier this month, 14 young amputees (pictured) took the 29th Annual Amputee Ski Trip to Winter Park to learn how to ski at the NationalSports Center for the Disabled.

Photo provided by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

After watching these young people in action (pictured), one can’t help but wonder if facility should be renamed the NationalSports Center for the Highly Enabled. Their dexterity, balance, and determination to ski truly makes them athletes of world class.

Texas Scottish Rite’s staff has long “recognized that snow skiing is well suited for amputees, and with special equipment they often excel at the sport. The goal of the trip is to foster a sense of self-confidence, discovery, and independence for these special children.”

This gratifying program is absolutely free to the patients thanks to the generosity of American Airlines, their partners, and TSRHC medical staff and chaperones.

Bryan’s House’s David Thomas to Assist Task Force

Photo provided by Bryan's House

Bryan’s House‘s Executive Director David Thomas has been selected to serve on the education subcommittee for the Task Force for Children with Special Needs.

LeBron and JAY-Z Support Dallas’ Boys & Girls Club With Sprite and Coke

Photo provided by Aardvark Communications

While many of the celebs in town for the All-Star game were supporting Dallas’ economy by exercising their credit cards at NorthPark, two of the beyond-well-known-names of the super universe were working with kids. LeBron James and Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter (pictured from the left) worked with 100 kids from the East Dallas Club of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas Saturday afternoon.

Yes, there were the mandatory media opps, but when it came to the mentoring part of the program, LeBron and JAY-Z met privately with the students. (more…)

$125,000 Check Presented to Equest

Remember that Equest Auxiliary Luncheon and Fashion Show? You know the one at Brook Hollow with all those wonderful clothes from Highland Park Village? Yes, we thought you’d recall. Well, original fund-raising estimates were projected at $110,000.

But then at the last minute a donation from Diane Brierley and an increase in raffle ticket purchases kicked the grand total up to a whopping $125,000, which luncheon chair Lynn McBee presented to Equest Therapeutic Riding for its programs.

“I am honored to present a check to Equest from the luncheon proceeds,” said Lynn.  “The difficult economy makes it even more meaningful as we help sustain these important therapeutic riding programs for children and adults.”

2010 luncheon chair Nancy Carter is already planning the fall luncheon.