Monsignor Donald Zimmerman to receive Bishop Dunne Voyager Award October 22, 2015 at the Hilton Anatole

Dallas native Monsignor Donald F. Zimmerman will be the 15^th recipient of Bishop Dunne Catholic School’s Voyager Award for his consistent support of Catholic education throughout the Diocese of Dallas.

Monsignor Zimmerman has quietly supported schools in the southern segment of the city for decades, always responding with help, support, and encouragement. Kate Dailey, Bishop Dunne’s President, notes that Monsignor Zimmerman was one of the school’s most successful Bishop Dunne 100 keynote speakers.

And for the first time in the history of the Bishop Dunne 100 Dinner, a Falcon parent will be the keynote speaker. The father of three, 19 year old Paul, and Caroline and Jake, a senior and a sophomore at Bishop Dunne, Dr. Frederick P. Cerise, M.D., M.P.H., may be better known in Dallas as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Parkland Health & Hospital System since his arrival in March 2014.

Tom and Shelly Codd are the honorary chairs for the dinner. Tom is Vice Chairman, US Human Capital Leader and client service partner for PwC. As the parents of four children, both are passionate about Catholic education with Shelly providing outstanding leadership over the years on behalf of her children’s schools – St. Rita School, Jesuit and Ursuline Academy.

“The Ticket” Sports Radio’s popular morning DJ, Craig Miller, a 1983 graduate of Bishop Dunne, will again be the Master of Ceremonies.

The dinner, held at the Hilton Anatole, highlights the school’s achievements, and student ambassadors are available to meet and greet guests. All funds raised go toward tuition assistance to help the next 100 students attend the school.

Champion of the underdog

In addition to helping Catholic schools in south Dallas, Monsignor Zimmerman is also a champion in the animal rescue movement. 

Starved nearly to death, Caster was left for dead when rescued by the Cavalier King Charles Rescue organization. The group specializes in the cute Cavalier King Charles dogs, one size down from a Cocker Spaniel, and is very cautious about placing the dainty dogs in a safe home environment.

“I had to go through an extensive interview, part of a long adoption process,” said his proud owner, even though his reputation as a good man in the community preceded him.

Fortunately, Monsignor Zimmerman was up to the challenge, clearing the intensive interview process, and Caster came to live in the rectory at Christ the King Catholic Church, Monsignor’s third rescue dog in two decades.

Soon after, another Cavalier King Charles Rescue dog was up for adoption, one whose life has dramatically changed since she was dumped on the side of the road, left for dead. Vocal cords cut so she couldn’t bark, Portia was used for breeding and then, when too old to produce more offspring, dumped. Monsignor Zimmerman took her in immediately. “She just loves the staff here,” he says, beaming. His secretary, Liz, “is Portia’s aunt.”

Now the two dogs live in a loving home, with a delighted owner, and hundreds of admirers. “The 8^th grade classes go to chat with Monsignor about confirmation and graduation on a regular basis,” said Principal Patrick O’Sullivan, former Principal at Bishop Dunne. “And seeing him with his two little dogs, it makes him more approachable. The kids just love it, that pet-friendly side of him.” O’Sullivan, also a dog lover, previously rescued two dogs himself. His dogs were much larger, however, Dobermans.

Even his daughter, Danielle, is involved in dog rescue. Patrick explains that her Girl Scout troop collected dog food for the Doberman Rescue group in Dallas, delivering it to them last December.

He feels having Monsignor’s dogs on campus “puts people at ease. Animals are good for the soul.”

Monsignor Zimmerman couldn’t agree more. His dogs have, he admits, “pretty much the run of the rectory,” adding, “and it’s a joy to see their personalities emerge.” Both dogs were shy when they first came home to Christ the King, but have learned that they are safe, among friends, and love going for walks with their adopted father every day.

Monsignor’s first rescue dog came to him 11 years ago, when he was the pastor at St. Monica’s. “Gus,” was “in personnel management,” Monsignor clarified, “He could meet individuals and know right away if they were a good person or not.”

A fan of Ancient Rome, Monsignor named his first dog after Augustus Caesar. Soon after Gus came Claudius Maximus – Max – who “was a building engineer.” While in the back woods of Arkansas hiking in the Ozark Mountains, Monsignor came to a 100-year-old bridge. He explained, “I wanted to cross it, but Max wouldn’t budge.” A few months later, Monsignor learned the bridge had come crashing down.

Max was also famous for creating a bed out of a rug. “He’d get onto it and roll himself up in it, completely hidden, leaving just an air hole, but you couldn’t see him in there, sleeping.”

Monsignor didn’t have a dog growing up, so enjoys having them now. “My mother loved cats. But you can’t adopt a cat – it adopts you,” he said with a knowing smile.

Monsignor thinks “a home is not a home without a dog.”

The Cavaliers of the Midwest Rescue Club in Houston have Monsignor Z on their speed dial. “We have a real obligation, as human beings, to take care of our pets,” he says, “we’ve bred them to be dependent upon us, so we must take care of them. In return, we get their unconditional love, affection and devotion.”

Portia and Caster, two dogs abused and abandoned in their past, will be safe and loved for the rest of their lives, thanks to a boy who grew up without a dog – a boy who grew up to be a champion of the underdog: Monsignor Zimmerman will see to it.

For more information on the BD 100 Dinner, to purchase tickets, or to make a donation to Bishop Dunne school, contact Mary Gracheck at mgrachek@bdcs.org or 469-291-1785.

The Oak Cliff Lions Club meets at Weiss Auditorium on the campus of Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff at noon each Wednesday. But on Tuesday, October 6, the club members were at Steven's Park Golf Club, raising money for local and international charities. 

Zachary Thompson, Directory of Dallas County Health and Human Service is the speaker on October 7 at Weiss Auditorium. 

Reuben Esquivel, Vice President of Corporate and Community Relations at UT Southwestern Medical School, with Alex Lyda, of the Center for Vital Longevity, will be speaking on “Cuba: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” On October 14^th.

Lion Club President Carol Donovan, the 7^th female to be elected in the 86 year history of the club to the office, and she spent Tuesday at the 15th Annual Oak Cliff Golf Tournament at Steven's park Golf Club and said, "It’s a fun day and a great way to raise funds for our local and international charities.”

The Oak Cliff YMCA, Meals on Wheels, the Leukemia Association, Vogel Alcove, the Texas Theater, and TeCo Theater are some of the local charities that benefit from the club. Oak Cliff students who live or attend high schools in Oak Cliff also receive scholarships to college from the club. 

Anyone interested in hearing these speakers and meeting the members of the Oak Cliff Lions Club can contact Secretary Sara Kitto at: sara.kitto@oakclifflions.org or you can call 214-947-2921.

PHOTO: l-r Oak Cliff Lions Club President Carol Donovan and Lions Club President Past District Governor Wayne Meachum greet golfers at the Annual Lions Club Tournament.

L to right: Oak Cliff Lion Judy Porter and Past President Mike Lott at enjoy the beautiful day at Steven’s Park Golf Club where the 15^th Annual Oak Cliff Lions Club Tournament was held Tuesday, October 6, 2015.

Brittany Huber, Director of Development and Alumni Relations for the UT – Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management has joined the Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas Club. Her initiation occurred during the club’s business meeting on September 1, 2015 at the City Club on the 69^th floor atop the Bank of America building on Main street downtown.

The award-winning community service club has nearly 80 members, including attorneys, CPAs, Business owners and a few judges. The focus of the club is improving the downtown Dallas community through volunteer service.  The club’s emphasis is on improving literacy and helping women and children in crisis. 

Huber is a graduate of Leadership Plano, where she was chair of a class project, and is a Habitat 4 Paws fund raising volunteer and former board member.

Ongoing service projects for the Altrusa club include: Attitudes and Attire, where members volunteer most Saturday mornings to assist clients to pick out work attire (for more information about Attitudes and Attire contact Cristal at: cristal@attitudesandattire.org); Meals on Wheels; and Story Line through the Community Partners website at www.cpdtx.org.

Last month, on August 22, 14 Altrusans and a member’s son participated in Shared Housing's “School is Cool.” This was the second year in a row the club members volunteered in the event, and members agreed it was even more fun this year as they played new and exciting educational games and created crafts with Shared Housing's families and children (with great prizes) that got them excited about returning to school.

Also in August, on the 8^th, six Altrusans were present to coach the senior girls at DISD’s Irma Rangel Leadership School for Girls about how to conduct themselves in college and job interviews. The afternoon of interviews was coordinated by the first male Altrusan in the downtown club, John McCall Jr., who was initiated in the spring. About 40 students learned how to answer typical interview questions of college recruiters and employers. This is the third year the Altrusa the club has worked at the school. The past two years, the club has awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to graduates headed to college in the name of their former Altrusa club president, Reagan Lorenzen, who passed away in 2013.

To learn more about the club see its website: www.altrusadtd.com or contact club president, Niki Payne at summitnp1@aol.com or Vice President of Membership,  Monica Urbaniak at monica@dallasrapecrisis.org

Oak Cliff's Bishop Dunne receives an A+ for Student Culture and Diversity in National Survey

Bishop Dunne has earned an A+ in a national survey of Catholic schools which noted that the school’s student culture and diversity grade is the highest it can possibly be. Bishop Dunne ranked in the top 100 Catholic high schools in the nation, and in the top ten in the state. The Best Catholic High Schools ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall experience at private Catholic high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The best Catholic high schools survey is based on key student statistics and information sourced from various government and public data sets, Niche’s own proprietary data, and 123,218 opinion-based survey responses across a variety of topics from 16,688 current students, recent alumni, and parents. A high ranking indicates that the school is an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experience very highly.

A high ranking in Overall Experience generally indicates that students are very happy with their experiences in all aspects including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extra-curricular activities, sports, and fitness, particularly that

• The school is an exceptional academic institution in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes;
• The school is made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture;
• Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurricular activities and sports the school offers;
• Factors considered were academics, student culture and diversity, survey responses from both parents and students regarding their opinions of the overall experience at the high school they currently or recently attended.

Check out the full report here:

https://k12.niche.com/rankings/private-high-schools/best-catholic/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=RankingsList&utm_term=RLP

A "Welcome Back Students and Faculty" event is Friday, August 7th,  from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.  Classes for all students begins August 13, 2015.

For more information about the school see the school's website,  www.bdcs.org or the sports site www.Dunnesports.com

Network with Business Professionals at the Altrusa International of Downtown Dallas Club's Happy Hour Tuesday August 4

Service-minded business men and business women are invited to a casual come-and-go Happy Hour at Blue Mesa Grill, 7700 North West Highway, across from North Park Mall, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4^th to learn about the Altrusa Club of Downtown Dallas.

This is a perfect event to attend for anyone new to the downtown Dallas area, who wishes to work together with other professionals to make the city a kinder, safer place to live.

The club, established in 1983, meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the City Club on the 69th floor of the Bank of America building downtown. Business meetings are held on the first Tuesday, and a speaker is highlighted at the program meeting held on the third Tuesday of the month. Last month a local FBI agent discussed the covert operations used to catch embezzlers of government Medicare funds and how the members of the club can spot illegal billing to help the FBI catch these white collar criminals.

The club’s focus is on increasing literacy in the community and helping women and children in crisis. Networking among the club’s 78 members is encouraged, as many of the women run their own companies, from CPAs, attorneys, and Personal Financial Planners to doctors, artists, photographers, college presidents and a few Dallas judges. Since 1983 the club has raised over a million dollars to grant to local non-profits that help women and children and promote literacy.

August Service Project:  SOAR Camp

On Friday, August 7th, members of the club will be volunteering at the Irma L. Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, located at 1718 Robert B. Cullum Blvd., near Downtown, to help prepare rising seniors for their college admissions interviews.  Altrusa has awarded 20 college scholarships in the past two years to graduates of Irma Rengel in honor of former Altrusa club President Reagan Lorenzen. The school is one of a dozen local initiatives the Altrusa club supports which include Meals on Wheels, Genesis Women’s Shelter and Attitudes and Attire. For more information about the club’s service opportunities, contact Nicole LeBoeuf  at NLeBoeuf@andersontobin.com.

Members and guests attending the Happy Hour are encouraged to bring new pencils, erasers and construction paper which the club is collecting for the Dolphin Heights after School program.

For more information on the club see: www.altrusadtd.com

For more information on the Happy Hour or the club contact President Niki Payne at: summitnp1@aol.com