News
 
Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
The Green family enjoyed a weekend trip to New York last year. Mother Michelle recently underwent a kidney transplant so she could look forward to more family vacations like this one with children Michael, 16, and daughters Isabelle, 12, Gabrielle, 10, and her husband, Michael. Michael and Michelle were high school sweethearts.

Art Teacher Michelle Green Loves Life—and Glitter!

Seven is a lucky number for the Green Family, but 18 is the number that Michelle Green says saved her life.

Born and raised in Grand Prairie, Michelle went to live with her mother in Lancaster during high school. She originally wanted to become a doctor, “But when I was introduced to Art, I wanted to become an artist,” she says.

Michelle received a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Texas A&M in Commerce, and plans to add a Masters to her resume. She’s applying to Texas Tech for the fall.

She met her husband, Michael Green, in high school. “We married in 1999 at 19 and everyone thought we were out of our minds!” Michelle says with a laugh. The two just celebrated their 18th anniversary. That’s half of the reason the number is special to Michelle.

The other half is due to an anonymous 18-year-old who saved her life through a Kidney transplant. Her donor, in her untimely death, saved many lives that day.

“They don't tell the recipients of organs much of anything about the donor.  All I could manage to get out of anyone was her sex and age.” Michelle is hoping that after she writes a letter of gratitude to the donor’s family, they will reach out to her.  She admits she I hasn't been able yet to find the words to express her gratitude and sympathy for their loss.

Michelle was 28 when she went to the doctor for her yearly exam. Michelle’s sister-in -law was younger than Michelle and had just recently been informed her that she had high cholesterol, “so I was worried about me, since I was older. I requested additional lab tests.” Her worries turned out to be valid.

“A day later I got a call from my doctor explaining to me that I needed to see a nephrologist immediately.”  At that point Michelle still didn’t realize the severity of her condition. “I figured I would see the nephrologist, he would give me some medicine and I would be fine. However, that was not the case.”

Michelle was in kidney failure—her kidney was function was at 6%. She needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. A kidney biopsy determined her kidney failure was due to a very rare auto immune disorder called Wegener's Granulomatosis. They gave her six months until she would need a transplant. 

But her kidneys lasted about seven years. Michelle says, “Prayers, diet and positive thinking gave me those extra years.”

Last November her kidneys couldn't fight any longer and she was put on dialysis. Michelle opted for peritoneal dialysis so she could be home with her family: children Michael, 16, and daughters Isabelle, 12, and Gabrielle 10, and her husband. Michelle was determined to “try to live the most normal life that I could.”

Peritoneal dialysis is a type of dialysis that uses the peritoneum in a person's abdomen as the membrane through which fluid and dissolved substances are exchanged with the blood. It is used to remove excess fluid, correct electrolyte problems, and removed toxins in those with kidney failure. Peritoneal dialysis has better outcomes than hemodialysis during the first couple of years.

She was on the wait list for two years.

The Call

Then a call came at 5 a.m. on Dec. 7, 2016. “Our family’s lucky number,” Michelle ex plains, “all of our children were born on a day with a seven.”

Still half asleep, Michelle didn’t answer at first.

But when her phone buzzed for the second time she realized it was really ringing and answered the call.

“The nurse told me they had a kidney for me.  She asked me a ton of questions. One was if I had been sick within the past 30 days and I had, so she wasn’t sure if they would be able to do the transplant but told me to come to the hospital immediately so they could run tests to see if they could.  I didn't find out that it was a go until that afternoon. They transplanted me at 5 p.m. that night.”

Principal Rachel Dzurrilla at St. Elizabeth of Hungary also remembers getting an early morning call—from Michelle. “She wanted me to know immediately that she would be needing a substitute teacher that day,” Ms. Dzurilla said. “And we all began praying for here her at the school.”

The transplant surgery took about three hours and Michelle was sent to ICU for a night for observation, then she was transferred to the kidney floor for the rest of her week-long stay. After being released from the hospital she still had to go to the doctor three times a week for lab tests. She explains, “They monitor you very closely right after the transplant. And recovery was much harder than I anticipated.”

But soon she’ll be back in her Art room, ready to dazzle her students with glitter and great projects. “All Art teachers secretly love glitter!” she divulges with a laugh.

Michelle elaborates, “I LOVE art! And I love that I get to share what I love with so many students. I hope I'm making at least a small impact on their lives.” She explains, “Every day is interesting in the Art room. Each grade level does totally different projects, so every 45 minutes I'm doing something new. I've had students paint themselves, (one boy painted his hand blue, then tried to hide it) give themselves haircuts (one girl refused to admit she had cut her hair even though her hair was all over the table) cut their clothes (I had one boy cut his shirt twice) and the list goes on and on."

She says, “They are so quick, you literally have to have eyes everywhere! Last year we did a project with paint filled water balloons. The students got to thrown the balloons at a needle-ridden canvas. They thought it was awesome, and it really was.” The painting they created was sold at the school’s annual silent auction.

As her health improves there is only one thing she says she struggles with now: “Knowing my donor was an 18-year-old girl. I struggle daily with that knowledge, and pray that her family finds comfort in knowing that she saved a life.”

 

You can contact Michelle at: migreen@saintspride.com or meet her at the Open House on February 8, 2017. St. Elizabeth Of Hungary Catholic School is having an Open House from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2017. The school has classes from pre-k3 to 8th grade. The public is invited to come tour the school and meet the exceptional faculty and staff. For more information, see the school’s website www.saintspride.com

Or contact: Sandy Walkley, Administrative Assistant:

(214) 331-5139 x21

swalkley@saintspride.com

Judy Porter write stories about local heroes, small businesses and non-profits. Contact her at judy-porter@sbcglobal.net.

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
St. Elizabeth of Hungary student Mia Dominique Duarte has designed a chair to help autistic children to soothe themselves. Her invention may soon be patented. A self-proclaimed "Science Nerd," Mia also won a beauty contest last year.

Mia Dominique Duarte is both a beauty queen and an engineer—and she’s not yet in high school!

The 8th grader created a special chair for her autistic brother to help comfort him when he gets anxious. She took a regular chair, made it into a rocking chair, added a vest and some weights, and now when her brother gets upset or nervous he can strap himself into the chair and rock. That comforts him, and calms him down.

It started as a science project for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) contest, but now her chair with the vest filled with beans to weigh it down (“It feel like a hug if you’re strapped into it,” Mia explains) may soon become a patented solution to what many autistic children feel: out of control.

Mia’s brother is severely autistic and needs round-the clock supervision. Her father, Fernando, quit his job to be as stay-at-home dad for his son, when he grew too big for his mother, Veronica, to handle. Now she goes to work while father and son go through their day at home. Mia’s chair helps.

Called a “Sensory Therapy Chair” she explains it’s an aid to stimming, a self-stimulating behavior common to autistic children. The compression and weight helps those with the sensory processing disorder feel safer and in control, much like a newborn baby feels safe when snuggled into a tight blanket, wrapped like a burrito.

The middle of three children, Mia has an older sister, 21-year-old Luciah, (“We call her Lu Lu,” says Mia) who looks a lot like her little brother, Raulito. Mia is the only one of the three with a distinct red shade to her dark hair, which prompts her big sister to joke that she is the “red-headed step child.”

Mia doesn’t mind that at all. It may be one of the many reasons she was noticed in a beauty contest last year, the Miss Cinco de Mayo pageant. Her aunt Hilda—Tia Hilda—tipped her off to the Latino Cultural Center’s contest, and Mia registered and competed in the event which included an evening gown competition, and a more casual dress portion of the contest in which she incorporated a pin that promoted a cure for autism.

Although she’s an 8th grader, she’s looking to her future which she hopes includes an exciting high school career and college, studying Bio Chemistry at Princeton. “We must find a cure for Autism,” she says earnestly. “Along the way, finding an aid—a medicine that can help—is important. One that doesn’t have the negative side effects the most common ones have, like extreme weight gain and violent outbursts in those who take them.”

Sounding more like a scientist than an almost-14-year-old (her birthday is in March) Mia attributes much of her scientific knowledge to her science teacher Ms. Rice, at St. Elizabeth of Hungary School, and her critical thinking skills to her social studies teacher, Mrs. Whidden.

“I attribute a lot of my critical thinking skills to my social studies teacher, Ms. Whidden. I feel that she has helped me with a lot in my academic career, and I love the fact that she makes it a point to include everyone in her class, and does a lot to help students even outside the classroom,” Mia explains. 

Mia says her love of sports comes from her father’s influence, "who encouraged me in all different sports," and, “my mother taught me to love school, and that everything has a meaning behind it and had a lesson to it. Whenever I would ask her about different things, be it something random at the grocery store or an educational or cultural piece of literature or film, her response would be ‘Look it up, then we will talk about it.’ I feel like my mother has prepared me well for my academic and personal endeavors.”

One of those endeavors is shaping her future.

“I am a science nerd,” she admits proudly, “But for fun, I’ll read just about anything.” Her latest short story read, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” was read in her Literature Class with Mrs. Borth. The story is about a woman suffering from post-partum depression and the chemical changes which happen in a woman’s body after birth that affects her emotions. It clearly has a science and psychological bent, which Mia loved, because it made her ponder how to help women suffering from post-partum depression.

Helping others comes naturally to Mia. She spent two weeks this summer at St. Elizabeth’s, assisting in the STEM camp, leading younger students through their experiments, working as a teacher’s aide--and in many cases, as the leader in the classroom.

A natural leader, Mia hopes to attend Ursuline Academy next fall to continue her studies in both science and literature, and increase her knowledge and chances of attending Princeton one day.

With the Cowboys season over, Mia has a few more hours on Sunday to play with her dog—named “Dogg” by the brother—and read for pleasure, since she can’t watch her favorite athlete, Zeke, race down the football field for a touchdown. She looks forward to next football season, and her future.

For now, she is happy to attend the school she loves, then return home to the little brother she helps care for and the family she loves, dreaming about her future inventions that will make the world a better place.

 

St. Elizabeth Of Hungary Catholic School is having an Open House from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2017. The school has classes from pre-k3 to 8th grade. The public is invited to come tour the school and meet the exceptional faculty and staff. For more information, see the school’s website www.saintspride.com

Or contact: Sandy Walkley, Administrative Assistant
swalkley@saintspride.com
(214) 331-5139 x21

Judy Porter writes about local students and businesses. Contact her at judy-porter@sbcglobal.net

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
Three and four-year-old sisters enjoy the afternoon sunshine after eating a hot meal at Youth Believing in Change, located on Stults Road. The non-profit afterschool program serves hundreds of public school children, and has for 22 years. Volunteers are always welcome.

Successful Non-profit After-school Program Continues to Serve Students, Keeping Them Safe

While most Executive Directors were enjoying family time over the holidays, Vince Gaddis, Executive Director of Youth Believing in Change (YBC) was mopping up water that flooded the YBC facility as a result of a busted pipe during the recent freeze.

“Everybody at YBC does windows," Gaddis says. “Our staff does whatever it takes to keep our overhead low so that the majority of our income goes to further our mission to give children the spiritual and educational foundation they need to succeed.”

Located a few blocks away from Greenville Avenue and just up the road from Stults Road Elementary School, YBC has over 250 children enrolled in the after school program and another 275 enrolled in its summer program. YBC also reaches over 400 more children through its assemblies and in-school programs.

Volunteer Needs

Gaddis says, “If you can read, you can meet YBC's needs.”

He encourages Eagle Scout candidates and potential Gold Girl Scouts to come to YBC to do their final projects to receive their awards. There’s also room for those who’ve been required to do court- ordered community service hours, or for anyone who has a desire to give back to the Dallas community. Volunteers are especially needed from the hours of 4:30-5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, or Saturdays at 10 a.m. to help tutor the children.

YBC employs nine teachers who lead children through daily lesson plans and homework time.

The program fills a crucial need in the children's lives as after-school hours are the most dangerous time for school age children. Many of YBC's students would otherwise go home to apartments as latch-key kids, unsupervised in an area where murder, rape, drugs and other crimes are rampant.

YBC serves children who attend nine different schools in the Vickery Meadows Neighborhood and surrounding areas, the majority of whom live at, or below, the national poverty level.

Gaddis says, “At YBC you will also experience children being led through an exuberant time of praise and worship. As their thirst and hunger after righteousness is nourished, they also receive a nourishing hot meal two days a week and milk, and healthy sandwiches and fruit or vegetables and milk the other two days a week.”

With a Master’s degree in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, Vince Gaddis and his wife, Angela, who has a degree in Music Education from UT Arlington, are the leaders of YBC.

Broken Pipe, Not Broken Dreams

As a responsible entity YBC has insurance to cover  the damage of the flooded hallway and the damage done to the facility, but  will have to pay a $2500 deductible.

Gaddis knows that’s a small price to pay for his program, teaching the youth of Dallas to believe in themselves, do well in school, and change the world.

 

Youth Believing in Change is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Donations are 100% tax deductible. 

For more information, contact ybc@ybcdallas.org or call 214-692-9242 for a tour or to volunteer.

Donations can be mailed to: Youth Believing in Change, 8574 Stults Road, Dallas, Texas 75243.

 

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
The last time Caitlin Maxwell was in a classroom at St. Elizabeth of Hungary, she was a student. Now she leads the class as a new teacher at the school she loves. The public is invited to meet her and tour the school on February 8, 2017, at the Open House.


The Famous Poet Thomas Wolfe may have said, “You can’t go home again,” but he obviously didn’t meet Caitlin Elizabeth Maxwell.

A 2007 graduate of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School, Caitlin loved “growing up” in the home of the Saints. She went on to attend high school at Ursuline Academy. Then she studied sociology at the University of Texas at Dallas. Upon graduation, she applied to be a teacher at St. Elizabeth's. She admits that, although she enjoys sociology, she always thought she’d become a teacher.

And it helped that the new Principal at St. Elizabeth’s, Mrs. Dzurilla, was one of her favorite teachers at the school when Caitlin was a student there.

Caitlin’s other favorite teacher, Mrs. Johnson, taught English—and she still does. “I have to call her Mrs. Johnson,” Caitlin says with a laugh, “That’s how I knew her growing up, and I can’t help it!”

What Caitlin can help is encouraging her 21 students in her first-grade class. A typical public school classroom is full with 24 to 25 students, so she feels blessed with her current 1 – to-21 teacher-to-student ratio. After all, it’s her first year of teaching, and she must teach all subjects: math, science, social studies, religion.

But she loves it. “The kids are at the age where they absorb everything!” she explains. “It’s just a joy to come to work every day.”

The oldest of three, Caitlin has a sister, Erin, who also attended St. Elizabeth’s, and graduated from Ursuline, class of 2013, and her brother Cooper, who attended St. Elizabeth’s and then graduated from Bishop Lynch High school in 2015. Their parents, Melissa and David, met in high school and the family lives in Cedar Hill.

If she didn’t become a teacher, her dream as a student at St. Elizabeth’s was to become and actress. She was in two plays at St. Elizabeth’s, including playing a fairy godmother in one, and a Lion in “Pecos Bill.” And of course, there was her other brush with fame.

As she worked a summer job next to the Granada theater, while serving up smoothies on lower Greenville Avenue, she made one for actor Jeff Bridges. But she had no idea who he was. It was her manager who clued her in to his fame as an American actor, singer, and producer, and a member of a prominent acting family—basically an icon. He even won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart, and earned Academy Award nominations for his roles in The Last Picture Show, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Starman, The Contender, and True Grit.

“Yeah, I sort of missed all that,” Caitlin admits with a shrug. Even today, she’d just as soon curl up at home with a good book than head out to the moves. Her other favorite hobbies include cooking pasta dishes, and cycling, which is a good thing because she admits pasta can pack on the pounds. She goes to cycling classes in Snyder Plaza.

But her first love is what she does eight hours a day: teaching.

And going “home” to the school where she first learned to love learning has made her happy. Her best friends today were the friends she made while attending St. Elizabeth’s, some of whom she chats with every day.

Caitlin is proud to be a St. Elizabeth of Hungary Saint once again, proving Thomas Wolfe wrong: you can go home again.

 

St. Elizabeth Of Hungary Catholic School is having an Open House from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2017. The school has classes from pre-k3 to 8th grade. The public is invited to come tour the school and meet the exceptional faculty and staff. For more information, see the school’s website www.saintspride.com

Or contact:

Sandy Walkley, Administrative Assistant
swalkley@saintspride.com
(214) 331-5139 x21

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest

Savannah Charlie Flores wants to make the world a more beautiful place.

Born and raised in Dallas, she began drawing when she was in kindergarten. Her teacher noticed how well she could draw, and praised her work. Sarah knew she was good at coloring, but didn’t realize her free-hand sketching was exceptional.

So, when her teacher said she had natural talent, she was surprised—and thrilled. Although her teacher married, had a child and left teaching to become a stay-at-home mother, Savannah credits Mrs. Wolsfeld with prompting her career.

The oldest of five girls, Savannah often drew for fun. As she learned to read it became her other passion. Now whenever she has free time, she’s either immersed in a book, like “Enders Game,” which she is currently reading, or drawing, or painting--beautiful girls. She can use a plethora of mediums, from acrylic to water color to pencils and oil paints.

“I like to draw and paint so that the girls’ beauty comes from the inside,” she says. She adds roses and other colorful flowers to her pictures because she loves their colors. Her favorite is pink, and that may be due to brainwashing, because of all the girls in her family.

Savannah transferred in the 4th grade from Reconciliation Academy, a DISD Charter school located on the corner of Bryan and Peak Street, into St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary on Hampton Drive, at the suggestion of her Uncle Daniel. He said her Catholic Faith would be strengthen by attending the nearly-60-year-old school, which opened in 1958. Her family also attends Sunday Mass at St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary Church.

Her sisters Sarah, 11, and Gabriella, four, also attend St. Elizabeth’s, with three- year-old Isabella slated to attend the pre-K class in the fall. Seven-month-old Katherine must wait a few years.

Savannah couldn’t be happier than where she is now. She says the school feels like a family. She likes all her teachers and especially her Art teacher, Ms. Green, and Principal Mrs. Dzurilla, who is also a proud graduate from St. Elizabeth’s.

“Everyone here is so supportive and friendly,” says Savannah, a straight-A student. “I know I’ll miss everyone when I graduate and go on to high school.” Her favorite class this year is Social Studies, and she dreams of one day becoming a criminal attorney, while continuing to paint and draw on the side.

With excellent grades and a natural talent for art, she hopes to attend Ursuline Academy on Walnut Hill Lane for high school. That would be a longer trip to school than she currently makes, but Savannah is determined to be the best she can be, to honor her parents, Virginia and Eric, and be a good example to her four younger siblings.

She has four more months of school before she takes the next big step in her life. That gives her plenty of time to create a few more colorful pieces of art to help make the world a more beautiful place.

 

St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School is having an Open House from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2017. The school has classes from pre-k3 to 8th grade. The public is invited to come tour the school and meet the exceptional faculty and staff. For more information, see the school’s website www.saintspride.com

Or contact:

Sandy Walkley, Administrative Assistant
swalkley@saintspride.com
(214) 331-5139 x21

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
DAYL President Paul Simon was part of a Habitat for Humanity home build along with his friends in the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. The non-profit boasts 3,000 members and helps the city through their volunteer work, while building up the members' professional network. The association invites young lawyers from all over the metroplex to attend its first social of the year on January 26 at Stirr in Deep Ellum.

Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Led by a Michigan Transplant

Attorney Paul Simon believes in pay back—that is, paying back the good he’s received by doing good for others.

The new president of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the association.

“DAYL provided a career, a network, friends, and resources for this small-town Michigan kid,” he explains. “The truth is, I owe DAYL.”

This “small-town Michigan kid” attended law school in Michigan during the mid-2000’s which did not provide new lawyers many opportunities. “The economy was in the tank and jobs were scarce in the lead up to Detroit’s bankruptcy filing,” he remembers. Simon had proposed to his wife during his second year of law school, and felt the need to get to a city that would allow him to develop as a lawyer and support them both. Julie, his high school sweetheart, agreed to the move.

Ultimately, they decided that Dallas provided a glimmer of hope: a big city, Simon says, “in the great state of Texas. We were optimistic I could find a job here.”

Humble Beginnings

When you meet Paul Simon, he may remind you of someone famous. Not the singer Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel Fame, but crooner Harry Connick, Jr. because Paul looks like him, or so say his friends. Even more people tell him he’s a dead ringer for Shooter McGavin, the professional golfer in the movie Happy Gilmore, or “George of the Jungle” actor Brendan Fraser. While one character swings a golf club, the other one swings from the trees in the wild. Neither plays the sport the Paul prefers: basketball.

An avid basketball player, Paul once ran into superstar Michael Jordan at a bar in Washington, D.C. on a night after he’d scored 40-plus points.

While he likes to play basketball, Simon scores most of his wins these days in the courtroom.

A member of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, he formerly served as a Co-Chair for several DAYL committees and was a driving force behind the 2009 Leadership Class. Paul is also an active member of DallasHR, a Life Fellow of the DAYL Foundation, a Fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation, and a former Associate Member of the Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court. He also serves as a director on the boards of the Dallas Bar Association, DAYL, DAYL Foundation, North Texas Community Giving Foundation, and the Stewart Creek Estates HOA.  If you’re counting, he’s a member of five boards.

Born in Bellevue, Washington, outside of Seattle, he was raised in Michigan where he attended school from 1st grade through law school. He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and then went on to Michigan State University College of Law. His first career choice was on a different court: he wanted to teach high school History and coach high school varsity basketball. He didn’t end up in that career, but he did end up playing on two different DAYL basketball teams.

Dallas—and DAYL--Bound

After graduating law school, Paul loaded his forest green Toyota Rav4 with all his earthly possessions and made the 16-hour drive.  He crammed some clothes, a TV, a card table that would be his makeshift desk for bar exam prep, and an inflatable mattress (that didn’t hold air) into his car and took off for the bright lights of the big city.

Looking back on that time now, he says, “I could write a novel describing that summer, studying for the bar and all the stress that comes with waiting for results.” He passed the bar and started his first job. 

Without any Dallas connections and with  extremely small alumni base in the area--just two classmates at the time living and working in Dallas—Paul knew he had to get connected to the legal community and start building a network.  Fortunately, the small law firm he worked for introduced him to--and encouraged his involvement in--DAYL.

Ties That Bind 

His first co-chair assignment was the Ties That Bind committee, a small group of lawyers travelling to various high schools to speak to students about professionalism and the importance of making a good first impression, replete with demonstrating how to tie a necktie and providing each student with his or her own tie. Paul admits he was hooked.

He replaced the committee’s co-chair, Dustin Paschal, and the two became friends and now are bound by their law firm: Simon | Paschal PLLC. 

In 2009, Paul was accepted into the DAYL Leadership Class, where he quickly met 40 lawyers from many different backgrounds: big law firms to solo practitioners and everyone in between.  He also instantly gained referral sources for almost every type of law imaginable, key to helping him become a go-to resource for prospective clients, because Paul could then refer the right attorney for any job he couldn’t handle. 

In addition to making new important professional connections, Paul also joined two DAYL basketball teams. 

His Monday night team was “retired” DAYL members, veteran lawyers which included Jim and Jay Hartnett of The Hartnett Firm and Peter Krause of Waters, Krause, Paul.  He had no idea at first that these were nationally respected attorneys. On Tuesday nights, he played on the Vinson & Elkins team, which had the reputation of winning “a lot of hardware in that league for several years,” Paul says with a laugh.

Expertise for Entrepreneurs

Like a good basketball game, Paul says he never gets bored at his job, that “Every case I have is interesting for different reasons. Sometimes we have unique legal arguments or bizarre or horrific facts.  Whether my client is the plaintiff or defendant, their case is extremely important and interesting.”

Paul is an experienced litigator who regularly handles a variety of employment matters and business disputes, including discrimination and harassment cases, contractual disputes, and multi-state collective actions involving wage and hour issues. His advice and counseling, however, regularly assists entrepreneurs and startups with their business and entity formation needs and he provides support to existing companies seeking help for a variety of transactional needs.

Entrepreneurs who don’t have an HR department can tap Paul for his advice and counseling regarding a multitude of human resources issues and contractual matters. Anything Paul doesn’t have expertise in, he can refer to his many professional contacts in DAYL.

DAYL’s Future

Now an eight-year veteran of the association, Paul says, “My goal as DAYL president is to leave this organization in a little better place than it was when I was entrusted to lead it.  I owe that to DAYL, and its more than 3,000 members.”

The president with the movie-star good looks says he prefers to work behind the scenes, to help the DAYL members to build their professional networks, gain lifelong friends, and provide the resources to make an impact on the Dallas community and the bar. With hundreds of hours of service in DAYL behind him, he’s willing to do what it takes to achieve these goals.

Just don’t ask him to sing or swing from some trees.

 

To contact Paul e-mail him at: paul@simonpaschal.com

Or see his firm’s website: www.simonpaschal.com

Direct: (972) 893-9342 Cell: (972) 849-0975

For more information about the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers see: http://dayl.com

 Kick off the new year right by attending the DAYL January Social on January 26, 2017. The Social will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Stirr, 2803 Main Street in Deep Ellum. The cost to attend is $3.00 for DAYL members and $5.00 for non-members. Special thanks to HC Legal Search for sponsoring this month’s Social!

Author Judy Porter writes about local heroes and non-profits doing Good Works in the metroplex. judy-porter@sbcglobal.net

 

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
Four Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas Club members brought holiday cheer to the Ebby House this month to decorate the home for the young women who live there. L-R: Vital Living 4Life consultant Beverly Miles, past Altrusa Club president Niki Payne of David Bush Realtors, Angela Caronia, CPA, and (right) Judy Porter, MBA, are happy to meet an Ebby House resident while decorating last month.

Altrusa Club members meet Tuesday to plan to serve the Dallas community in 2017

Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas will meet for its final luncheon meeting of 2016 on Tuesday, December 20th to discuss upcoming volunteer opportunities for 2017.

In November, the club members delivered turkeys and groceries the week before Thanksgiving to Shared Housing-Dallas recipients. One of those recipients will be on hand to thank the club members Tuesday and talk about her life and how Shared Housing--and Altrusa--has helped her.

The club members were busy in December, decorating the Ebby House in the Juliette Fowler Community, creating a warm and inviting space for the young women who live there. The Ebby House gives young women who’ve aged out of the Foster care system a home to live in while they complete their education and get gainful employment.

That same night, December 8, over 30 club members met and wrapped gifts for over 80 recipients of the Human Rights Initiative, refugees—including many children—who’ve relocated to Dallas. The Altrusa club members had shopped individually the week before for each gift recipient, then collectively met to wrap and label the presents in a three-hour service marathon.

First on the agenda for 2017 is the service project at the Vickery Meadows Learning Center (VMLC) where volunteers will prepare classrooms at both the main and west campus for the students who study there.

The members of Altrusa will be assembling 200 student notebooks, and clean and prepare classrooms for the new semester. Club members will also be donating cleaning supplies like paper towels and Clorox wipes for use throughout the new year.

In addition to service projects, the club has an annual holiday party planned the first Saturday of 2017. Since members of the club often have work parties in December, the club members have had their holiday event in January for the past three years so everyone has a chance to attend.

The members also meet every six weeks for a book club, rotating the evenings among various homes of the club’s members.

Altrusa is a service organization for civic-minded people who strive to create better communities worldwide.  The focus of the Downtown Dallas Club is on helping women and children in the Dallas Metroplex by performing service projects to fulfill the mission of “Educating Families for a Better Future.”

The club is affiliated with Altrusa International, Inc., an international organization with over 300 clubs worldwide with a strong history of literacy education.

Since the Downtown Dallas club’s founding in 1982, the club has had numerous successful fundraising projects to support many areas of service and has raised more than $1,000,000 for community grants disbursed through our Downtown Dallas Foundation. Club members have contributed over 90,000 hours of service for the benefit of the Dallas community. Altrusa raises money to support local non-profit agencies through donations and a semi-annual gala, “Dessert First.”  The club's most recent event on December 1, 2016 raised over $10,000 to benefit local agencies. Club members volunteer regularly with Attitude and Attire, Meals on Wheels, and at the Vickery Meadow Learning Centers.

To attend a Tuesday meeting, contact Membership Chair Kim Abmeyer: kim.abmeyer@raymondjames.com or President Nina Cox at ninafcox@gmail.com.

Questions can also be directed to Board Secretary Amy Gavigan at amy.gavigan@sbcglobal.net.

See www.altrusadtd.com for more information.
                  

Author Judy Porter has been an Altrusa member since 1990. judy-porter@sbcglobal.net

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
L-R: Twins Becky Gouge Moffett and Vicky Moffett lead the Oak Cliff Women in Business meetings held monthly throughout the Oak Cliff area. The group, founded in 2010, continues to grow as more women business owners emerge in the Oak Cliff area.

You're invited to join the "Oak Cliff Women in Business" Networking event Tuesday, Dec. 13

Graphic Designer and small business owner Vicky Gouge of Full Moon Design Group, Inc. is busy this holiday month at her Oak Cliff office, but wants other busy women business owners in Oak Cliff to take a break and join her for some networking, socializing, and education on Tuesday, December 13th from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at the Bishop Arts Theatre.

Located at 215 south Tyler Street, the former TeCo Theatre recently changed its name to reflect the neighborhood it’s located in. Vicky Gouge was a big part of the rebranding of the theatre, helping to create its new website and design its new logo.

Teresa Coleman Wash, Founder and Creative Director of the theatre, is the hostess of this month’s OCWIB meeting. Last year Wash was recognized by the Dallas Morning News in a Sunday cover story about her theatre’s productions and educational programs for teens.

Every business woman in Oak Cliff is invited to RSVP and attend the fun evening of conversation, networking, food and wine. The monthly event is open to the public and free.

Co-hosts for the evening are Becky Moffett, owner of Qualigraphics, Elisabeth White, Owner of Rediscover Your Closet, and Cindy Hawkins, Managing Partner and CEO at Padgett Business Services®, all business women from Oak Cliff.

Begun in September of 2010, Oak Cliff Women in Business started as a collaboration of Heidi Maggio, Karen Chappell and Linda Holt, good friends who are successful business women. Each live and work in the Oak Cliff neighborhood. Their idea, to bring business women together once a month at different locations to network and socialize, is now in well into its fifth year.

Chappell says, “Our motto: Make friends first and the business will grow. If you are a business owner or leader and live or work in Oak Cliff, then you don't want to miss this opportunity to make friends with other women who are working hard to make a difference in our hood.”

Maggio and Chappell run “Kessler Simple Solutions,” a service which offers ways to simplify life through de-cluttering, rearranging or organizing. Coordinating with clients, the women set up personalized systems to enhance any space so clients save time and money, leading to less stressful, more meaningful lives.

Linda Holt is a graduate of Alabama and a partner in Square Foot, Inc., a real estate development company located in Oak Cliff. She’s an active volunteer in the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts, Board Member Methodist Hospital Women's Guild, and a Board Member Oak Cliff Women in Business.

Gouge has been a member of the group since it began. An active community volunteer, she and her twin sister also coach a local Swim team at the Oak Cliff public Kidd Springs Pool. A year ago, it was on the City Parks & Recreation budget’s chopping block, about to be bulldozed under and made into a “splash park.”

The twin coaches rallied their Sailfish swim team members, parents and neighbors and saved the pool through visits to the City Council and fund-raisers that included a “swim-a-thon” by team members.

“The kids set a goal: one to however many laps they want to swim,” Sailfish head coach Becky Moffett said. “They have up to two hours to do it. They cannot get out of the pool in those two hours, but they can take a break at the side of the pool for some water.” Together the team, parents and neighbors raised enough money to impress the City Council.

The pool is now scheduled for demolition after next season, with a total reconstruction over the winter months, hopefully ready to receive team members in the new pool in the spring of 2018.

That 180-degree reversal of the City Council’s decision to close the Oak Cliff pool is an example of what Oak Cliff business women can do when they join forces.

The monthly meetings rotate to different sites, an easy way to encourage members to visit each-other’s businesses.

Methodist Health Care System holds an annual meeting at its site, encouraging OCWIB members to get a mammogram while they are in the complex. Meetings have also been held this year at Victor Hugo’s Casual Dining & Bar, Salon on the Square located at 1203 Eldorado and JED'S GRILL at 1001 W Jefferson Blvd., to name a few.

Complimentary lite Bites, wine and bottled water is typical faire at each meeting.

There is a drawing at each OCWIB meeting. Business Owners can offer to bring a door prize worth a minimum of $30 to the next meeting to talk about their business to the group in a short 30-second “live” commercial. Raffle Prize winners also get to explain their business to the group. Business owners and women hoping to be business owners one day soon are encouraged to come to the Theatre and bring a friend.

To host a future Oak Cliff Women in Business Meeting contact Vicky Gouge at: gouge@fullmoondesigngroup.com 

For more information see The Oak Cliff Women in Business Facebook page.

For more information on Kessler Simple Solutions: www.kesslersimplesolutions.com or call (214) 941-7183.

Article Author Judy Porter is a proud member of Oak Cliff Women in Business. judy-porter@sbcglobal.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
Richardson High School Graduate and Lake Highlands resident Jeff Jones runs a successful voice and data installation business. He's also a championship tennis player, father of five, and a community volunteer. White Rock Coffee is one of the many local restaurants he's expertly installed a voice and data network for, making sure the establishment's computers and phones work perfectly. He guarantees his work for 25 years--a length unheard of in many industries.

Small Business Owner Jeff Jones Knows Optical Fiber—and Tennis, Parenthood, Volunteering

An Expert in his field, father of five, Tennis Champion, Community Volunteer

Jeff Jones got fired by the company he was working for.

Now he knows it was the best thing that could have happened to him.

The very next day, while newly unemployed and worried about feeding his family of seven, a company he’d been installing the “Category 5" cabling in called him on his cell and asked him to come to do some more work. Instead of making $14 an hour working for someone else, now he was making $50 an hour as the lead installer—and boss.

The company he’d been working for had been bought out, resulting in the firing of a dozen employees. Jeff and two fired friends decided to work together. Their former company went out of business.

But Jeff still is in business. "Twisted Pairs Network Services” was born out of necessity and now, nearly two decades later, is still helping install voice and data networks throughout the DFW metroplex and as far as New Jersey.  Jeff has installed systems in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Houston, Midland and San Antonio. He currently has a  job pending in Tennessee.

Jeff attributes his success to his quick response to requests and his expertise in installing the network cabling necessary to keep computers connected to the internet and good phone connections to make calls clear.

Although Jones began his company out of necessity, working with two other co-workers who also lost their jobs when their company let them go, his friends soon moved on, leaving him as president. But Jeff keeps in touch years later with one who is now the top IT expert for Collin College.

“Twisted Pairs” was named after their then-favorite band, Twisted Sisters, and is also a nod to the four pairs of 23 and 24  gage solid copper found in Category 6 and Category 5 cables used for installing voice and data Networks. 

Born in Berwyn Illinois, he's a graduate of Richardson High School.

Jeff grew up in the suburb of La Grange  outside of Chicago. He was a football star as a junior, at six foot two, weighing 225 pounds. He loved catching footballs as a tight end for his team, until the day he cracked three ribs when roughly tackled by an opponent. When his family moved before his senior year to Richardson, he didn’t pursue the pigskin. Instead, he played some pick-up basketball, and got back into the game of tennis, a sport he learned from his father.

Tennis became his passion as he played on local teams out of Fretz Tennis Center, Huffines Tennis Center and now Greenhill Tennis Center.  He also entered USTA tournaments. In 2013 he won the Fort Worth 4.0 Men’s Doubles Tournament with his partner, Jerone Hammond, an electrical engineer, and then the biggest tournament in the state a few months later, the “Poke-e-Joe’s Simply the Best," by-invitation-only event in November.  He was ranked 4th in the state in the Men’s Doubles category that year.

And when he wasn’t playing tennis, he was running in the annual Dallas Turkey Trot, Hot Chocolate Run or Rock ‘n Roll Half-Marathon. He can also been seen cycling around White Rock Lake, since he lives five blocks from the lake.

Jeff feels his success in business is similar to his success on the tennis court: winning through precision, speed, and tenacity. He’s been installing Category 5, Category 6, and Optical Fiber for nearly twenty years, so is efficient and does the installation with precision and a guarantee that his work won’t have to be redone in a few weeks, months or years. He guarantees his work for 25 years.

“When you call a company to install your voice and data you typically get a technician who may have just learned the process a few weeks or months earlier.” Jeff says. “When you call me, you’ll most often get the president of the company.”

Or you may get one of his three grown sons. All three have worked with their father at one time or another, and each is now working full time in the IT industry. His second son began working alongside Jeff on the weekends when he was just 13. He now works for Capital  Title doing  IT work.

His youngest son quickly learned the business and did two major jobs installing nearly 300 cables each, and is now a senior network security advisor for Dell in Plano, keeping Dell’s customers safe from hackers.

Jeff doesn’t advertise his business. His work comes to him through word of mouth, from one company president to another. When companies move or merge, Jeff is called in to install new cabling to get their computers and phones up and running quickly—and perfectly. New office buildings are his favorite to work in, since they are often easier to install the Optical Fiber or Category 5 or 6 networks, but he's an expert at installing new networks in older buildings, too.

The father of five, Jeff worked long hours at many different jobs to keep his family fed when he was a young husband. His hard work ethic has kept his business successful. At times he has had to work 12 hour days to finish a job before the company can open.

He also works strange hours so he won’t adversely affect a company’s business. He’ll work late nights to update the computer and phones at Taco Diner or the local White Rock Coffee, installing new cable after the restaurant has closed to customers. Fuzzy Tacos, Jamba Juice, Cambridge Real Estate, Honeywell, and UPS Worldwide Logistics--formerly at DFW Airport--and now at Alliance Airport, are all his customers. 

He also volunteers in the community when he’s not working, from delivering turkeys to Shared Housing-Dallas clients to helping neighbors install their new televisions, Fax/phones or even just cutting down the dead branches from an elderly neighbor’s tree. A few years ago he attended a high school graduation party, and noticed the family’s plasma TV was sitting precariously on top of a bureau in the master bedroom. Jeff asked if the family was going to install it on the wall. The mother of the graduate admitted they had the equipment for such an installation in a box under the bed, but the installation seemed too difficult for her. Jeff asked to see the box and, using the mother’s dainty pink tools from her “Lady Tool Belt,” had the TV up on the wall within an hour. He told the mother to consider it his graduation gift to her daughter.

Jeff is a master at figuring out the best way to approach a problem when it comes to installing voice and data networks, business phones and audio/ video for conference calls. 

He prefers to install Optical Fiber, because he says, “It’s the industry standard and its the best for distances over 100 meters long—328 feet. I encourage companies to pay that little bit more, about 15%, to install fiber so their computers work fast and their phone connections are good and clear.”

He enjoys working at local businesses and restaurants, because he often refers each to his neighbors, friends and customers. It’s not unusual to find Jeff dining in a place where the voice and data system was installed by him. He believes in “going local” and making customers into friends.

Jeff Jones knows good service can result in good references, more business, and good friends.

 

To contact Jeff about his business: tpns01@gmail.com or ask about his tennis adventures: jeffreyjones007@yahoo.com or call him at 469-446-0995.  

Author Judy Porter writes about local heroes and small businesses in north Texas. Contact her at Judy-porter@sbcglobal.net

Gravatar
Pin on Pinterest
The Altrusa Club of Downtown Dallas is holding a champagne and chocolate networking event on December 1 to raise funds to help women and children in crisis and promote literacy. Tickets are $50 and sponsorships are available. See www.altrusadtd.com for more information. The public is encouraged to attend the event at the Laura Rathe Fine Art Gallery.

The Public is invited to a fun networking event at Rathe Fine Art Gallery on December 1.

Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas members will be delivering turkeys and canned goods this weekend to people living near downtown that might go without a Thanksgiving feast.

The club is partnering with Shared Housing of Dallas. The non-profit's mission is to offer housing options and supportive services that foster independence, empowerment and self-worth and to serve a multicultural, intergenerational population.

The Altrusa Club is having an annual event December 1, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 at the Laura Rathe Fine Art Gallery located at 1130 Dragon Street. Tickets are $50 for the champagne and chocolate networking event. See: http://www.altrusadtd.com/c_dessertfirst.aspx for more information and to purchase tickets. Funds go to the Altrusa Foundation and will support local non profit agencies that promote literacy and help women and children in crisis.

Altrusa is a service organization for civic-minded people who strive to create better communities worldwide.  The club members are business owners, attorneys, CPA’s, judges, and entrepreneurs. Anyone interested in joining the club is encouraged to attend Dessert First and meet the club members.

Altrusa’s focus is on helping women and children in the Dallas Metroplex by performing service projects to fulfill the mission of “Educating Families for a Better Future.” The Downtown Dallas club is affiliated with Altrusa International, Inc. an international organization with over 300 clubs worldwide with a strong history of literacy education.

Since the club’s founding in 1982, its members have raised more than $1,000,000 for community grants disbursed through the Downtown Dallas Foundation and club members have contributed over 90,000 hours of service for the benefit of our community.

Altrusa raises money to support local community organizations through donations and through our semi-annual fundraising gala called Dessert First.    
               

To learn more about Altrusa see:  Dessert First™ 2016

 December 1, 2016 - 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Laura Rathe Fine Art Gallery, 1130 Dragon Street, Suite 130

Tickets to the event at $50

http://www.altrusadtd.com/c_dessertfirst.aspx