After 36 years of serving alcoholic women and their loved ones, The Magdalen House is excited to announce the introduction of a new initiative to serve alcoholic men. The nonprofit organization will launch a Men’s Community Program for alcoholic men - offering the same quality of services through 12 Step recovery meetings and workshops, Family Support Group, volunteer opportunities, Men’s Community Group, and fellowship events at no cost.

One in 11 women suffer from alcohol use disorder, but so do one in seven men. To put that into perspective, based on the 2021 population of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, there are an estimated 400,000 men struggling with alcohol in D/FW. 

“Due to the tremendous need in our community and many requests from those who have experienced life-saving services through our current services for women, it was apparent that we needed to expand our services to also include men,” says Lisa Kroencke, CEO of The Magdalen House. “Men suffering from alcoholism deserve access to free, comprehensive services and a continuum of care. Taking a holistic approach to family, our mission is to provide those who suffer from alcoholism with the solution to lifelong recovery and restore families within our communities. The inclusion of both men and women allows for a 100% increase in the individuals served while only increasing operational costs by an estimated 30 percent.”

Beginning this July, the Community program will be offered to men. Men’s meetings and workshops, fellowship events and more will be held at Grace United Methodist Church located on 4105 Junius Street in Dallas. The 1,700-square-foot campus will be outfitted with multiple offices and meeting spaces to serve men in recovery. The Magdalen House plans to launch its Next Step program for men at the church early 2024.

The Magdalen House is committed to help individuals achieve long-term, sustainable recovery through the following spiritually-based, comprehensive programs.

• For Women:
• First Step Program: A two-week, residential program for an alcoholic woman who wants to stop drinking but cannot. The house can accommodate up to 20 women with rolling admissions.
• Next Step Program: A three-phase, non-residential program that provides support and structure for an alcoholic woman at any stage of recovery.
• For Women & Men:
• Community: Solution-focused meetings and workshops open to all alcoholic women and men at every stage of recovery. Services are currently offered for women 365 days a year and the men’s schedule is available online here. Additionally, Family Support meetings are available to the families and loved ones of alcoholics and addicts.
• Resources and Education: Education about the disease of alcoholism and community partnerships that help connect alcoholic women, men, and their families to resources such as sober living, women’s and men’s health, and counseling.

Austin Shook will serve as Director of Men’s Programming at The Magdalen House. He has been active in the 12-Step community and has sponsored new men in his personal time since 2017. In this role, he will lead the charge to establish and grow the men’s programming initiative for The Magdalen House. The goal is to offer the same programming that already exists for women in recovery at The Magdalen House but for men. Shook will ensure that The Magdalen House offers men’s community programming such as meetings, a community group, events, and family support. He will lead the Men’s Charter Group, which is an internal group consisting of 20 men that have been selected to help establish the men’s programming initiative. Members of this group are responsible for chairing and creating meetings, volunteering, establishing committees and much more.

If you’re an alcoholic who can’t stop drinking or a concerned loved one of an alcoholic, the first step in recovery is education and access to resources. In D/FW, The Magdalen House provides residential recovery, detox, group meetings, structured programs, family support groups, and tools designed to help individuals grow and sustain recovery. For more information please visit, https://magdalenhouse.org/.

After a three-year hiatus, tickets are now available for Dallas Boat Show, where event organizers are bringing the boats back to Dallas Market Hall from July 20th through 23^rd. Energized with more boating experts, fun immersive experiences, contests and offers, endless water accessories, and of course….BOATS, the event is poised to be one of the best events of the summer in DFW. “While we are so excited to welcome the thousands of boating enthusiasts through our doors this year, we always want to impress the importance of responsible and safe boating as paramount to enjoying Life on the Water,” says Bron Beal, Executive Director of The Dallas Boat Show.

“With more boaters on the water than ever before, one of the most important ways to keep this pastime fun and safe for everyone is by observing these key boating safety reminders from the Safe Boating Campaign,” says Beal.

The National Safe Boating Council recommends these tips for boaters:

• Take a boating safety course. Gain valuable knowledge and on-water experience in a boating safety course with many options for novice to experienced boaters.
• Check equipment. Schedule a free vessel safety check with the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons to make sure all essential equipment is present, working, and in good condition.
• Make a float plan. Always let someone on shore know the trip itinerary, including operator and passenger information, boat type and registration, and communication equipment on board before you leave the dock.
• Wear a life jacket. Make sure everyone wears a life jacket – every time. A stowed life jacket is of no use in an emergency.
• Use an engine cut-off switch – it’s the law. An engine cut-off switch is a proven safety device to stop a powerboat engine should the operator unexpectedly fall overboard.
• Watch the weather. Always check the forecast before departing on the water and frequently during the excursion.
• Know what’s going on around you at all times. Nearly a quarter of all reported boating incidents in 2022 were caused by operator inattention or improper lookout.
• Know where you’re going and travel at safe speeds. Be familiar with the area, local boating speed zones, and always travel at a safe speed.
• Never boat under the influence. A BUI is involved in one-third of all recreational boating fatalities. Always designate a sober skipper.
• Keep in touch. Have more than one communication device that works when wet. VHF radios, emergency locator beacons, satellite phones, and cell phones can all be important devices in an emergency.

The Summer Boat Expo is the ultimate "Party off the Lake" for boating enthusiasts, boat owners, soon-to-be boat owners, and those who live the recreational boating lifestyle. Returning this year is the vast collection of the latest models of marine accessories and boats, from runabouts and family cruisers to fishing boats, ski boats, pontoons, and sailboats all in one place.  The Dallas Boat Show gives the unique opportunity to shop and compare different brands as well as score deals on cool items from vendors who make it easy to find everything that families need to make time on the water even better.   With free, convenient parking, the Dallas Boat Show is a nautical dream event for avid boaters and fun-seekers alike. 

DALLAS BOAT SHOW DETAILS

When: Thursday- Sunday, July 20-23, 2023

Where: Dallas Market Hall, 2200 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75207

Show Schedule:

Thursday, July 20, 2023, 3-8 pm

Friday, July 21, 2023, 12-8 pm

Saturday, July 22, 2023, 10 am- 8 pm

Sunday, July 23, 2023, 10 am -5 pm

Cost & Ticket Information:

Tickets are currently available at https://dallasboatexpo.com/

Adults:                                 $12

Children (ages 5-13):       $6

Children under 5:             Free

Parking is free of charge

Boating Dealers include:

Plano Marine, Whittle Boats, Carey and Sons Marine, NXTLVL Eagle Marine, Buxton Marine, Tommy's Lewisville, MarineMax Dallas, North Texas Marine, Eisenhower Yacht Club, Ridenow Powersports, Action Watersports, Loe Marine, Texas Toy Sakes, Massimo Marine, Legend Marine, Lighthouse Resort and Marine Mariner Sails

Social Media Handles:

•             Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dallasboatshow

•             Twitter: https://twitter.com/dallas_boatshow

•             Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dallasboatshow/

About The Dallas Boat Show:

The Dallas Boat Show attracts thousands of attendees and hosts hundreds of exhibitors, dealers and manufacturers at the large-scale event that features personal watercraft, fishing boats, ski boats, pontoons, and sailboats plus an extensive selection of marine equipment, services, and accessories for boaters. The Dallas Boat Show also plays host to community organizations, media partners, and local vendors throughout the four-day event.

For more information about the Dallas Boat Show which runs from July 20-23, 2023 at Dallas Market Hall, go to www.dallasboatexpo.com

The Warren Center, a nonprofit agency providing professional evaluations, therapy services and support to children with developmental delays and disabilities is getting into the holiday spirit early this year by launching their Operation Santa toy drive during Christmas in July. Operation Santa is a specialized event for children and their families to celebrate the holiday season in a sensory-friendly way. Every December, families served by The Warren Center are invited to celebrate the season at the annual holiday celebration featuring gifts, games, crafts, photos with Santa and much more. 

Now through July 31, The Warren Center is seeking generous donors to participate in the Operation Santa Toy Drive. Community members can help bring joy to a child this holiday season by shopping online or dropping off new, unwrapped toys for children ages birth to seven-years-old at The Warren Center's Richardson office by appointment. This year, the experts at The Warren Center hand-selected gifts to help children reach developmental milestones. These gifts are available for purchase through The Warren Center's Amazon Wish List using this link: https://a.co/eUDCokK

 “At least 70 percent of the families we serve live beneath Texas' poverty line. Without the generosity of our community, many of these children would not receive any gifts for Christmas. It can be extremely challenging to shop, wrap and attend holiday festivities while caring for a child with a chronic illness,” says Amy Spawn, CEO of The Warren Center. “The Operation Santa holiday event alleviates some of the stress of the holiday season for families who have children with developmental delays and disabilities. Our goal is to receive enough gifts to serve at least 500 deserving children and their families this holiday season.” 

The best gifts to give include puzzles, building blocks, stuffed animals, trucks, dolls, developmental board games and arts and crafts sets. To organize a company toy drive or to schedule a drop off at The Warren Center's office located at 320 Custer Rd. Richardson, TX, please contact Leslie Chatman, leslie.chatman@thewarrencenter.org. All toys will be collected by July 31, 2023. For more information, please call 972.490.9055.

The Warren Center provides therapy and support for over 3,000 families every year. Each day, the need for services continues to grow. The CDC estimates one in six children have intellectual or physical disabilities or delays. In Dallas County alone, over 102,000 children have a developmental disability. The period between birth to five years is a time of rapid development. The earliest possible intervention is critical due to the accelerated brain development during these first years of life. Early childhood intervention programs have been shown to yield benefits in academic achievement, behavior, educational progression and attainment, and labor market success. The Warren Center staff travels to 48 zip codes and more than 900 homes each week to serve children in need. The Warren Center offices also serve more than 200 children on-site for clinic-based services. Providing physical therapy, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and social support is essential to help children with disabilities reach their full potential.

WHO: Uplift Education, Uplift Ascend, Uplift Atlas, Uplift Grand, Uplift Heights Primary, Uplift Heights Secondary, Uplift Luna Secondary, Uplift Mighty, Uplift Wisdom

WHAT: Uplift Education will offer breakfast and lunch to-go meals at eight schools across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Any child under the age of 18 years old, regardless of what school they attend, is welcome to pick up a fresh meal from one of the closest eight Uplift school locations near them. Uplift staff will provide two free meals at their designated time for pickup throughout the summer from June 5 to July 19.

Breakfast will run from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., which includes hot breakfast items, cereal, milk, juice, and fruit.

Lunch will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., including a variety of items from pepperoni pizza, BBQ drumsticks, chicken tenders, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, and more.

More than 3 million children in Texas rely on the National School Lunch Program. According to Feeding America, 1 in 7 children are food insecure. Many children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are still wondering where or how they will get their next meal.

“As a network of schools our first commitment is to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our students. We know that our responsibility is to provide meals to our students, their families, and the communities surrounding our schools does not end when the school year ends.  We look forward to providing healthy meals to the communities surrounding our schools this summer. We want our schools to be the safe spaces that families and children can rely on to receive the support they need year-round.”, said Dr. Remy Washington, Uplift Education President.

Meal pick-up locations will be closed on Juneteenth (June 19^th) and American Independence Day (July 4^th). 

WHEN and WHERE:

June 5, 2023 – July 19, 2023

Breakfast: 7:30 am- 8:30 am Monday through Friday 

Lunch: 10:30 am- 1:00 pm Monday through Friday 

• Uplift Ascend-3301 Turf Paradise Pkwy Fort Worth, TX 76140 
• Uplift Atlas-4600 Bryan Street Dallas, TX 75204 
• Uplift Grand- 300 E Church St, Grand Prairie, TX 75050 
• Uplift Heights Primary-2202 Calypso Street Dallas, TX 75212 
• Uplift Heights Secondary- 2650 Canada Dr, Dallas, TX 75212 
• Uplift Luna Secondary- 2625 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226 
• Uplift Mighty- 3700 Mighty Mite Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76105 
• Uplift Wisdom-301 W Camp Wisdom Rd. Dallas, TX 75232 

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ABOUT UPLIFT EDUCATION: 

Uplift Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of teachers, families, and, most importantly, students. With a network of 45 college preparatory, public charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Uplift offers students of any background the powerful chance to study within a multidisciplinary curriculum and prepare for the college or career they deserve. Established in 1996, the network has grown to serve over 23,000 students in Pre-K- 12th grades, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college.

North Texas’ Favorite Bar-B-Que Satisfies Thousands Traveling Through the Lone Star State

As summer vacations begin, nearly 39% of American adults say they intend to road trip this summer in search of new sights, smells, tastes and experiences.  Many of them are hitting the roadways throughout the Lone Star State. And what’s a trip through Texas without great Texas Bar-B-Que?

“People travel from all over to experience the tried-and-true Texas Bar-B-Que that Soulman’s has been serving up for almost 50 years. It’s a breed of cuisine unto itself,” says Brett Randle, CEO of Soulman’s Bar-B-Que. “There’s a science to create the perfect formula for our delicious dishes. It’s about balancing the right quality of meat with the optimum smoking time to get that fall-off-the-bone tenderness and blend of seasonings to give the satisfying crust that still brings out the flavors of the meat.”

A family-owned and operated company with 19 locations throughout North Texas, Soulman’s also pride itself on their sides, Brett explains, “From spicy cream corn to a hearty portion of our homemade potato salad, our sides have been an important part of what distinguishes Soulman’s from the pack.  Carefully crafted by the founder’s mother before the first location opened, the family recipes that we still use today, remain one of the reasons our fans have loved Soulman’s BBQ since 1974.”

“While Soulman's has became a popular destination for local residents and a welcomed departure from ‘run of the mill’ Bar-B-Que, we hope that the satisfaction from road-warriors and leisure-lovers who make their way across North Texas continues, not just during the current summer travel-season, but all year long,” concluded Randle.

About Soulman’s Bar-B-Que

For almost 50 years, Soulman’s Bar-B-Que has satisfied the hardest to please bar-b-que lovers….Texans!  Founded in Pleasant Grove, Texas in 1974, Soulman’s had only a few simple goals—serve great Texas-style BBQ and offer friendly, sincere service.  Soulman’s original family recipes are still the foundation for the company’s success from their 8 different types of meat that are smoked “low & slow” over only hickory wood to their famous homemade sides, including Ranch house beans and Texas style cream corn! Throughout the years, this family-owned and operated company has remained true to its original strive for success and customer satisfaction and is honored to be considered one of the Top Bar-B-Que Chains in America (2018) and Best Bar-B-Que in Dallas for Takeout  & Delivery (2020).

Soulman’s currently owns and operates 19 North and East Texas locations in Allen, Cedar Hill, Fort Worth, Forney, Garland, Greenville, Hurst, Lancaster, Lewisville, Mansfield, Mesquite, Quinlan, Red Oak, Rockwall I-30, Rockwall Goliad, Royse City,  Sulphur Springs, Terrell and Van. To learn more about Soulman’s Bar-B-Que, visit them online at http://www.soulmans.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/soulmansbbq.

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