D

Special Care And Career Services Patrons Score With Walgreens And Doll Museum

Let’s admit it. When there’s a patron party, successful attendance often depends on the location. Special Care and Career Services knew just how to entice people from as far away as Chicago to catch their event last Wednesday. They held it at Gail and Dan Cook‘s very cool home in the Park Cities.  More about the abode (pictured) later, but let’s cover the event first. (more…)

True Confesssion: Bishop’s Gala Was A Lot More Fun Than Mass

The Hilton Anatole was buzzing with three different groups Saturday night. There were those lugging briefcases and luggage. There were those in ball gowns and tails. There were those who mixed and mingled blue jeans with tuxedoes.

Now try to match which group was which – The Bishop’s Gala for Catholic Charities, the Terpsichorean Club, January Total Home & Gift Market. If you’ve been around the Dallas social circle more than once, it was a snap matching the groups. Now guess which one had the most fun — The Bishop’s Gala.

Whether it was the theme, the familiar friends getting together, or just Bishop Kevin Farrell‘s Irish ability to make for a good time, 600 partied the night away. Or, perhaps it was because the party ‘s honorary chairs were the David G. and Mary Fox family.

Before we get caught up in the all the fun stuff of the night, Bishop Farrell gently suggested that guests make a donation to the Haitian victims, noting that hundreds of Catholic missionaries and volunteers were lost or missing in the aftermath. (more…)

Noble Santa Ho-Ho-Ho’s In Diamond Class

Santa is a mischievous chap. While most of us think the old fella is toiling away in his workshop nowadays with “seven-dwarf-like” elves, the real truth is that he was at Bill Noble‘s annual Christmas party Tuesday night with some pretty drop-dead looking elvettes  (pictured). But give him a break. His #1 stand-in (Bill N) was hard at work hosting and putting his money where his heart is. Not only did he offer to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to The DFW Metroplex Salvation Army, Diamond Bill (pictured center with Salvation Army Captain Michele and Major Ward Matthews) jump-started the whole process with a $25,000 check.

Okay, now that we’ve gotten the niceties out of the way, let’s talk party. (more…)

Irving Cares That ExxonMobil’s Rex Tillerson Cares

Photo provided by Sunwest Communications

In 1957 before there was a Texas Stadium or a D/FW International Airport, a group of folks in Irving organized Irving Cares to help with the social welfare of the needy in the Irving community. The good news is that Irving grew; the not-so-good news is that the demand for Irving Cares also grew.  Why during the past year more than 25,000 people or 12% of the population of Irving required assistance for food, housing, transportation, counseling, and jobs from Irving Cares. Remarkably, Irving Cares has not only provided for these needs but has exceeded “industry standards with 80 cents of each dollar going back into the community as a program related expense.”

These accomplishments have impressed many including Rex Tillerson. Oh,  please, don’t ask who he is! You really don’t know. Think ExxonMobil. No, he’s not the fellow who runs the gas station down the street. Rex is chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil Corporation. You know, that local group that just announced plans to buy Fort Worth-based XTO Energy today.

Back to Rex and Irving Cares. It seems that each year ExxonMobil presents the Chairman’s Gift to a nonprofit organization. Guess which group received the $50,000 grant this year? Yup, Irving Cares!

Last week Rex not only presented the check to Irving Cares executive director Teddie Story (pictured with Rex), he toured the facility and was welcomed like Santa.

A Night of Light Proved That Nonprofits Aren’t Namby Pamby

If you think people working in the nonprofit sector are pleasant little mealy mouths who are one step away from a convent and would slit a competitor’s throat for a grant, you’ re officially put on notice — you’re oh-so wrong.

Thursday night’s “A Night of Light” thrown by the Center for Nonprofit Management proved nonprofit types

• can hold their own when packing a ballroom with stellar types.
• celebrate accomplishments like touchdowns at Cowboys Stadiums.
• really like each other.

This event was definitely not a proper sit back, applaud politely at the appropriate time, and grind your teeth that there are 40 awards to hand out. Nope. Think Golden Globes fun as opposed to the Academy Awards. (more…)