On the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, The Concilio, a Dallas nonprofit that builds stronger communities by unlocking opportunities for Latino families, will host its 2022 Big Dreams Gala. The annual fundraiser, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15, at On the Levee, will also celebrate The Concilio’s 40^th anniversary. Guests will be treated to Latino-inspired cuisine and entertainment during the event presented by Santander.

“Families are the foundation of the Latino community, and the strength of the Latino community is critical to the future of our region,” said Florencia Velasco Fortner, President and CEO of The Concilio. “For 40 years, The Concilio has united the Dallas-Fort Worth community in support of Latino equity. We invite those who want to create a strong future for North Texas to join us for the Big Dreams Gala.”

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the event begins at 6:00 p.m. Cocktail attire is suggested. On The Levee is located in the Design District at 1108 Quaker St., Dallas.

Tickets are available for $100 per guest, and sponsorships begin at $1,000. To purchase tickets or become a sponsor, visit www.theconcilio.org.

Families are at the heart of The Concilio’s mission. By connecting them with the information and resources they need to thrive, The Concilio inspires Latino families to achieve big dreams. Highlights of their 2021 achievements include:

• 2,777 parents and children benefited from The Concilio’s Parents Advocating for Student Excellence program, where parents overcame language and cultural barriers to learn about the U.S. education system and how to support their children on a path to higher education.
• 101 parents graduated from The Concilio’s Parents As Leaders program, where they learned how to nurture their children’s language, motor and social-emotional skills, preparing them for kindergarten and a bright future.
• 2,000 families received technology training to help them support their children’s education and communicate in a virtual world
• 922 parents, guardians and children completed The Concilio’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Families program where they learned how to prioritize the health and well-being of their families.
• 17,239 households received accurate information about COVID vaccines
• 250 families avoided eviction thanks to rent and financial assistance

The 2022 Big Dreams sponsors include:

Presenting Sponsor – Santander. Other sponsors include Texas Instruments, Insperity, Oncor Energy, Southwest Airlines, Prosperity Bank and Communities Foundation of Texas.

About The Concilio:
The Concilio is a North Texas nonprofit that has helped Latino families fulfill their potential since 1981. Founded to advance Latino equity and address the needs of the growing Latino population in Dallas-Fort Worth, The Concilio unlocks education, wellness and economic opportunities for Latino and other diverse families through grassroots outreach. The organization’s culturally responsive parent engagement programs have empowered families in 24 regional school districts, equipping 22,000 adults and children annually to forge a path to greater academic achievement, health and fulfilled potential. The nonprofit’s programming now includes financial coaching, crisis intervention, and cultural competency training and education. Most recently, The Concilio, a recognized leader in connecting with and advocating for North Texas Latino families, has addressed the impact of COVID-19 on the Latino community. For information visit www.theconcilio.org.

More than 100 people, including many elected officials, attended The Concilio’s Young Latinos Professionals Reception on May 11. The event was part of its inaugural Power of Latinos DFW Summit, presented by Santander Consumer USA Foundation. Sunwest Communications hosted the reception.

In addition to Florencia Velasco Fortner, president and CEO of The Concilio, and Whitney Strauss, The Concilio board chair and Sunwest Communications senior counsel, CSR and philanthropic services, many other mentors attended and held breakout sessions with attendees to give them career advice. The elected officials in attendance included Texas State Senator Royce West, Texas Rep. Rhetta Bowers, Texas Rep. Victoria Neave-Criado, Texas Rep. Rafael Anchía, along with other staffers.

SPECIAL THANKS TO SPONSORS:

Presenting Sponsor: Santander Consumer USA Foundation

Additional Sponsors: Baylor Scott & White Health, JPMorgan Chase, Metrocrest Hospital Authority, NBC5/Telemundo, Sunwest Communications, Texas A&M University-Commerce

 The Concilio is a North Texas nonprofit that has helped Latino families fulfill their potential since 1981. Founded to advance Latino equity and address the needs of the growing Latino population in Dallas-Fort Worth, The Concilio unlocks education, wellness and economic opportunities for Latino and other diverse families through grassroots outreach. The organization’s culturally responsive parent engagement programs have empowered families in 24 regional school districts, equipping 11,000 families annually to forge a path to greater academic achievement, health and fulfilled potential. The organization programming now includes financial coaching, crisis intervention, and cultural competency training and education. Most recently, The Concilio, a recognized leader in connecting with and advocating for North Texas Latino families, has addressed the impact of COVID-19 on the Latino community. For information visit www.theconcilio.org.

Texas Women’s Foundation held its Leadership Forum & Awards Celebration (LFAC), presented by AT&T, on April 26 at the Dallas Omni Hotel and raised more than $600,000 to help lift up women and girls.

Miki Woodard, President and CEO of Texas Women’s Foundation, said “As we strive to meet the moment where we are all navigating various forms of a ‘return,’ we offered it as an in-person and online event and added an afternoon of forums from the seven honorees.”

Co-chairs Bonnie Clinton, Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer, Indirect Procurement Shared Services, Toyota North America, and Ana I. Hernandez, Senior Vice President and Senior Commercial Loan Officer, PlainsCapital Bank, greeted guests who arrived in the afternoon to attend the honorees’ breakout sessions. (See end for more information on forums).

After the forums, 600 guests sipped cocktails and sampled hors d’oeuvres. When the doors opened, June Blount, a fiddler duo, played upbeat songs to get everyone to their seats. Attendees enjoyed dinner and conversations around the table.

Alva Adams-Mason, Group Manager, Multicultural Business Alliance & Dealer Relations at Toyota Motor North America, introduced keynote speaker Radha Agrawal. Agrawal is Co-founder, CEO and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, a dance and wellness movement with a worldwide community of half a million people. She spoke about how this movement was founded on belonging to a community and how to develop community. Her book, Belong, was a part of the table centerpieces.

Agrawal asked attendees to close their eyes and put their hands on their hearts. She also asked the mostly female audience to hold hands with the person on each side and talked about the importance of community especially after the tough couple of years. Finally, at the end, she led in some spontaneous dancing, and most ladies were up dancing with her.

Hilda Galvan, Board Chair, Managing Partner of Jones Day Dallas and Awards Selection Co-chair, and Brenda Jackson, Awards Selection Co-chair, presented five women the Maura Women Helping Women Award:

Jackson gave the first awards:

“For her passion making diversity and inclusion a priority in all endeavors, and being an advocate for the inclusion of women in business from supply-chain to the board room, we award Patricia Rodriguez Christian with the Maura Women Helping Women Award.”

“For recognizing the need for inclusive and equitable policies and practices within our school systems and organizations, and bringing transformational change in these institutions to build bridges, we award Dr. Arlene Ford with the Maura Women Helping Women Award.”

"For her tireless work for gender equity and representation in leadership, and her commitment to amplifying women in political office, we recognize Pat Jasso, recipient of the Maura Women Helping Women Award.”

“For leading efforts in creating opportunities for marginalized communities, and for empowering the next generation with limited access by equipping them with the tools and opportunities to be leaders, we celebrate Lynn McBee with the Maura Women Helping Women Award.”

“For her deep dedication to serving and supporting teen mothers; her great heart for providing resources to help these families thrive by providing housing and education, we celebrate Thana Simmons, Maura Women Helping Women Award recipient.”

Galvan said, “Now, I have the honor of recognizing two women under the age of 40 who are blazing trails to help other women advance in leadership.”

“For pursuing her dream to create a safe place to help foster care children and young adults have a home and resources so they can thrive, we recognize Stacy Johnson with the Young Leader Award.”

“For leading the way in furthering more diversity in STEM programs to bring more women and people of color with talent into top positions in this field where they are underrepresented, we recognize Sharareh Kermanshachi with the Young Leader Award.”

Hernandez thanked the main sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor: AT&T

Speaker Sponsor: Catherine Coughlin Endowment for Women’s Leadership at Texas Women’s Foundation

Ripple Sponsor: Toyota

Empowering Women’s Leadership sponsors, EY and Haynes and Boone

Leadership Forum Sponsors: CBRE, Jones Day, Merrill Lynch, PlainsCapital Bank/Hilltop Securities/PrimeLending, Texas Capital Bank, Texas Health Resources

Media Sponsors: D CEO, Dallas Business Journal, Fort Worth Inc. and Local Profile

For a complete list of sponsors, visit https://txwfleadership.org/

Maura Women Helping Women Award:

For 43 years, the Maura Women Helping Women Award has been presented to more than 200 courageous individuals who have catalyzed change for women and girls.

Young Leader Award:

The Young Leader Award recognizes breakthrough leadership exhibited by a trailblazer who is achieving success in a field, initiative or sector, and creating a path of opportunity for other women to follow.

About Texas Women’s Foundation:

Texas Women’s Foundation is Transforming Texas for Women and Girls, empowering them to build stronger, more equitable communities. One of the world’s largest women’s foundations, the Foundation raises funding from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $7 million in investments that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through groundbreaking research, advocacy, grants and programs. Since inception in 1985, the Foundation has invested $57 million in women and girls, including $43 million since 2011. The Foundation’s statewide research on issues affecting women and girls provides decision-makers and lawmakers with critical data to inform policies, practices and programs in the state. Its advocacy, grantmaking and innovative programs support solutions that help Texas women and girls thrive. In addition, Texas Women’s Foundation is an acknowledged leader and advocate in the gender lens investing movement and has deployed 100 percent of its assets – endowments, operating investments and donor-advised funds – in a gendered impact portfolio that yields strong financial returns and social benefits to women and girls. For more information, visit www.txwf.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram or donate now.

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The Forums:

Dr. Arlene Ford of the Equity Inquiry Project Inc. spoke on You Advocate, focused on advocating for diversity and inclusion in education. Moderator: Latonia Donaldson, of PrimeLending, Forum Sponsor. 

San Antonio retired AT&T Manager and Senior Planet, Pat Jasso, spoke about You Amplify: Amplifying women in political office. Moderator: Nina Vaca of Pinnacle Group.

Dr. Sherri Kermanshachi, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and director of the Resilient Infrastructure and Sustainable Environment (RISE) Lab at the University of Texas at Arlington. Moderator: Rachel Vinson of CBRE, Forum Sponsor.

Lynn McBee, CEO of Young Women’s Preparatory Network, talked about You Impact: Creating a ripple of impact through philanthropy. Moderator: Michelle George, Texas Capital Bank, Forum Sponsor.

Patricia Rodriguez Christian of CRC Group Inc. held an informative discussed entitled You Diversify: Inspiring women entrepreneurs. She talked about the importance of paving the way and learning from those in your path. Moderator: Ferrell Keel, Jones Day, Forum Sponsor.

Thana Simmons of Viola’s House spoke about You Build: Building safe spaces for teen mothers. Moderator: Virginia Rose, Texas Health Resources, Forum Sponsor.

Stacy Johnson, founder of Central Texas Table of Grace in Round Rock, spoke You Persevere: Paying it forward for at-risk youth. Moderator: Carole Wentz, Merrill Lynch, a Bank of America company, Forum Sponsor.

More than 300 people attended the 7^th Annual Interfaith Auxiliary Luncheon benefiting Interfaith Family Services, whose mission is to empower families in crisis to break the cycle of poverty. The sold-out event was held on April 8^th at Brook Hollow Golf Club and raised more than $294,000—$48,000 of it raised the day-of from generous attendees moved by the powerful stories.

Guests dressed in an array of colorful spring fashions arrived early to sip wine, take photos at the step and repeat, and catch up with friends and family. Floral centerpieces decorated the tables in pastel shades of pink, blue and green.

Having emceed all the previous luncheons, NBC 5’s Meredith Land welcomed guests.

Reverend Hannah Buchanan with Highland Park United Methodist Church led the invocation followed by a Chicken Milanese Salad and desserts of Chilled Lemon Souffles and Chocolate Pot de Crème.

Land introduced the co-chairs of the Interfaith Auxiliary Luncheon – Elizabeth Shuford Conroy and Lauren Shuford Laughry – who also are cousins, business partners and longtime supporters. Laughry’s mother, Kathi Shuford, and sister, Adriane Shuford Crosland, served as honorary chairs.

Laughry said, “My mom has been an Interfaith supporter as long as I can remember and started this family tradition for us. Adriane co-chaired the luncheon last year with her sisters-in-law, Sandy Crosland and Ali Treaster. When they called and asked us to consider being this year’s chairs, we loved the idea of keeping it in the family.”

Conroy added, “Lauren and I sell real estate together. So, as you can imagine, we are particularly aware of how a home is central in a family’s life. A home, by definition, is the place you live. It’s four walls and a roof. But really, it’s so much more than that. A home is safety, comfort, security and stability.”

Kimberly Williams, CEO of Interfaith Family Services, spoke about the organization’s mission. “Hope can be tough to find for too many families in our region. Just over a third of Dallas families are considered ‘asset poor,’ meaning they don’t have savings to help them through a crisis. These families are incredibly vulnerable to both poverty and homelessness.”

That’s why Interfaith has a formula and resources to help families. Williams said, “First, we eliminate barriers that cause instability in the first place, with housing or rental assistance. Next, we equip parents to overcome poverty, with career and financial coaching. Finally, we educate children to help break the cycle of generational poverty.”

This formula works because nine out of 10 clients exit with permanent housing, and four out of five exit employed with a livable wage are still employed a year later.

Next, Shay O’Dwyer-King, vice chair of the Interfaith Family Services Board of Directors, told her personal story of having been through a miscarriage and divorce, ultimately moving home with her parents temporarily. Now remarried with a 3-month-old daughter, she said, “Not everyone has a soft place to land like I did. But as a community, we can help create that – at Interfaith. We can all play a part in creating a softer landing for someone else who’s struggling.”

O’Dwyer-King introduced Interfaith graduate Jessica Bisor, who shared her personal story of having an autoimmune disease and dealing with a difficult pregnancy that left her unable to work. After a short time with relatives, Bisor looked for other options and found Interfaith. Bisor said, “I went in [to Interfaith] ashamed of having to start over as a single mom, but the staff’s encouragement was sincere, and I left with a renewed hope of better days ahead.” Since her son was born, Bisor has started her own business as a notary and a loan signing agent. Guests responded with applause as she shared photos of her healthy son.

Land congratulated Bisor and the work of Interfaith and asked the attendees to reach deep to support more ‘Jessica Bisors.’ A whopping $48,000 was raised the day of the luncheon.

Special thanks to the generous sponsors:

• Hope Sponsor: Sapphire Foundation, Inc. – Adriane and Andy Crosland
• Home Sponsors: The Hegi Family; Katy and Kyle Miller
• Hand-Up Sponsors: Benchmark Bank; Jill and Grant Henderson; Sapphire Foundation, Inc. – Sandy Crosland and Ali Treaster; Thornton Family Foundation
• Help Sponsors: Susie and John Adams; Susan Baldwin; Allie Beth Allman & Associates; Becky Frey Real Estate Group; Capital Title of Texas-Park Cities; Maura Costello; Margaret Hunt; Lauren and Alex Inman; The Miller Family Foundation; Julie Durham Rado; The Rosewood Foundation; Kathi and Scott Shuford; Kathy Little Shuford; The Stanford C. and Mary Clare Finney Foundation.

ABOUT INTERFAITH FAMILY SERVICES:

For 37 years, Interfaith Family Services has empowered families in crisis to break the cycle of poverty. The organization offers solutions to poverty through both residential and non-residential services. Their Family Empowerment Center houses all programming modeled to eliminate the barriers that keep families in crisis from achieving stability. Services include rent and utility assistance, GED/ESL and vocational training, extended-hours childcare to clients who are currently unemployed, financial coaching to reduce debt and increase savings, and career coaching to develop clients professionally – all at no cost to families. For families who are homeless, Interfaith Family Services owns 23 lovingly decorated and fully furnished apartments that provide transitional housing for six to nine months. They work simultaneously to educate and equip children through the Hope & Horizons Program; this special program is modeled to stabilize at-risk children through a combination of arts and crafts that emphasize creativity, play therapy to address emotional and social issues, individualized tutoring to address common academic gaps, and field trips and camps that expose children to the larger world. The program also includes a self-care and wellness component to help families develop and maintain healthy habits. This holistic combination of services produces results that elevate entire families out of poverty. Approximately 93% of its families’ transition to permanent housing, 78% create a savings safety net with $1,569 on average in savings, and 89% of graduates maintain employment one year later. For more information, visit www.interfaithdallas.org.

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery that exploits people for profit. In 2019, Texas had the second highest reported cases of human trafficking in the country.* According to NewsNationNow and the University of Texas at Austin, more than 300,000 people are victims, including 79,000 minors who are sex trafficked and 234,000 victims of labor trafficking.* Many victims are often trafficked through airports, including Dallas Love Field. The airport has partnered with BEST –  Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking – for its Not Alone awareness campaign and all Love Field employees are completing BEST’s “Flights to Freedom” training to best be prepared to recognize suspicious activity.

To address human trafficking and its prevention, “Love Field Stories” features a discussion  with two Corporate Relations Managers from BEST:  Rebekah Covington, Maritime/Safe Jobs Collaborative, and Kevin Connelly, Aviation/Hospitality, with an introduction from Chris Perry, Dallas Love Field’s external communications and marketing manager. The public is invited to listen to this conversation live streamed on Tuesday, March 8 at 12:30 p.m. (Central) on Love Field’s Facebook and YouTube. The podcast can be heard on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Pandora.

Chris Perry, Dallas Love Field’s external communications and marketing manager, said, “Businesses like ours are central to preventing and reporting human trafficking, so it was important for our staff to be trained to ‘see something, say something.’ We invite you to listen to this program and hear some important tips along with Rebekah’s moving story of how she was trafficked.”

Mar Brettmann, Ph.D., BEST’s CEO and executive director, added, “We are thrilled that Dallas Love Field Airport has taken such a proactive role by training their staff and placing signage in the airport. We hope this podcast will educate the broader community and will inspire new airports and businesses to follow their lead.”

Rebekah Covington, Corporate Relations Manager, Maritime/Safe Jobs Collaborative: Rebekah provides various human trafficking trainings for port-related industries, government agencies and businesses across the country. Through the Safe Jobs Collaborative, she supports survivors of human trafficking to find safe and reliable employment opportunities. Rebekah is leading the 2021 'Not Alone' poster campaign to help victims & survivors seek services. The national campaign is being implemented in airports, seaports and transit agencies through the US.

Kevin Connelly, Corporate Relations Manager, Aviation/Hospitality: Kevin speaks to business leaders, owners and managers about the importance of human trafficking prevention in the public and private sector. His role at BEST involves supporting leaders to understand their unique position to combat the crime of human trafficking. Kevin has spoken to leaders at global conferences, international webinars and alongside the Department of Transportation. He testified in the state legislature to mandate training for hospitality workers in Washington State.

Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking (BEST):

BEST aligns and equips leaders to use the power of business to prevent human trafficking. Through industry-specific training and education, BEST trains thousands of employees every year in airports, seaports, government agencies, and hotels to identify and prevent exploitation. They work to support survivors of human trafficking through employment programs and job readiness skills. They've partnered with groups such as the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association (THLA) and Dallas Love Field Airport to help their employees learn about their role in trafficking prevention. More information can be found at https://www.bestalliance.org/

About “Love Field Stories” Podcast:
“Love Field Stories,” the official podcast of Dallas Love Field Airport, launched in 2021 and completed 13 episodes with guests including Dallas Mavericks’ CEO Cynt Marshall, Dallas Film Society Artistic Director James Faust, and Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa. Season 2 launched February 8 with Kansas City Chiefs’s Chairman/CEO, Clark Hunt, and The Ticket’s sports radio personality, Mark Elfenbein. The podcast features stories, memories, and experiences related to the airport. Each episode is live streamed on Love Field’s Facebook and YouTube and can be heard on Apple Podcast, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Pandora.

About Dallas Love Field (DAL):

An award-winning airport, Dallas Love Field is a 2021 Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited facility – the gold standard for stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention. The airport has also won many of the most prestigious awards including multiple years with Travel+Leisure’s “Top 10 Domestic Airports,” Airports Council International World and North America. For more information visit dallas-lovefield.com or call the Airport Operations Center (214) 670-LOVE (5683). Follow Dallas Love Field on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

*Sources:

https://etactics.com/blog/texas-human-trafficking-statistics

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573077/

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/southwest/human-trafficking-in-texas-by-the-numbers/

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/initiatives/human-trafficking