Lake Highlands iReporter

The Dallas White Rock Marathon board of directors announced Parker University as a new sponsor for the MetroPCS® Dallas White Rock Marathon®, Half Marathon & 5-Person Relay Race, and the SMU Cox Corporate Relay Challenge, presented by Behringer Harvard. Parker’s three-year commitment makes the university – a leading not-for-profit chiropractic and wellness institution – the official Heatsheet Sponsor of the Dallas White Rock Marathon through 2013.

“We are incredibly thrilled to have Parker University join our race as the official Heatsheet Sponsor,” said Phil Baker, chairman of the Dallas White Rock Marathon board of directors. “With Parker University’s help, we will continue to provide quality products to all our participants, and increase our overall donation to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.”

In June, the Dallas White Rock Marathon board of directors pledged a $1 million donation to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children from the anticipated proceeds of the December 4 race.

 “We are excited to partner with the Dallas White Rock Marathon,” said Matt Eiserloh, chief marketing officer at Parker University. “It is the premier race event in Dallas, and given Parker’s support of health and wellness initiatives, this sponsorship is a perfect fit for our institution.”

For more information on the 42nd running of the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon, or to learn about the benefits and availability of corporate sponsorships, visit www.runtherock.com.

About the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon

Voted the top marathon and half marathon in Texas by Competitor magazine, the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon is a flat and fast race, featuring a start/finish in Fair Park and a scenic course that includes a 10-mile loop around White Rock Lake. The race serves as a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon. The primary beneficiary of proceeds from the weekend’s events is Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. For more information, visit the official MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon website at www.runtherock.com.

It seems that summer has finally relinquished its grip on Texas and autumn has finally arrived. And soon, people will wake up in the morning to freezing cold temperatures. Most of us will don on our winter gear, including a thick, warm coat. But not everyone is so fortunate.

So, the Exchange Club of East Dallas, Comerica Bank and For the Love of the Lake are teaming up for the Coats for Kids drive, which hopes to ensure that no East Dallas child goes without a coat this winter. For the Love of the Lake is calling for new or gently used coats to be dropped off at their office (1152 N. Buckner Blvd., Suite 123) from September 6 to November 1.

To learn more about the cause, visit the Exchange Club of Dallas website or the Comerica Bank website. You can also learn of additional drop off points through these websites.

The Lake Highlands football team got off to a good start in the 2011 season with a 34-27 victory over Mesquite High School last Friday. This week, they'll take on another Mesquite school in Mesquite Horn, which suffered a defeat in their opening game to Coppell High School.

The Wildcats will hope to see more of their running game, which gashed Mesquite last week for 283 yards and five touchdowns. Senior DeVonte Sunwenghan did most of the damage with 107 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 28 yards.

Mesquite Horn's leading rusher and scorer is their running back, Justin Oliphant. He ran for 67 yards against Coppell and scored his team's only points. Quarterback Destri White did complete 9 of 14 passes for 53 yards, so the Wildcats will need to be wary of the passing attack.

The game begins at 7:30 p.m. at Ram/Wildcat Stadium. Lake Highlands reports that there are still plenty of student and adult tickets available for the game. Student tickets are $3 and adult tickets are $5.

Bullying is a major problem at schools all around the country and LGBT teens bear the brunt of it. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said that nine out of 10 LGBT teens report being bullied at school within the past year. So now, Rawlings is hoping to bring attention to the situation by declaring September 12-16 as “Stand Up Against Bullying” week.

The highlight of the week is a visit from international rugby star Ben Cohen, whose StandUp Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness about anti-LGBT bullying. Cohen will be speaking at an anti-bullying forum at Southern Methodist University, at high schools across DFW and will be at a fundraiser for his StandUp Foundation.

Jeff Hickey is the man largely responsible for bringing Cohen to the area and for bringing the situation of bullying to Rawlings’ attention. He is a local gay activist that formed a group called Dallas Stands Up – the main goal of which was to bring Cohen to Dallas and to spread the word about his visit.

Though LGBT movements have made great strides over the years, there is still a stigma against them in some areas. Hopefully, after Cohen’s visit and Stand Up Against Bullying are finished, Dallas won’t be one of those areas.

Wednesday, August 31 is Club Night at Lake Highlands High School. The event will be held in the Student Center from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Students that haven't yet found their niche in the school can check out the many clubs and find the right one for them.