The Salvation Army DFW Blog: Leadership Blog: A New Season!

Almost (officially) Summertime!

Dear friends,

It’s been an exciting couple of months. Let us share a glimpse of some of the recent activities:

From left: Gene Jones, Jerry Jones,
Charlotte Jones Anderson,
and Jennifer Sampson during
the DFW Executive Leadership Breakfast.

DFW EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP BREAKFAST

Late April, we held our first-ever DFW Executive Leadership Breakfast at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The occasion was a meeting in the Metroplex of our National Advisory Board. The board meets three times a year in different cities around the country.

The breakfast event was attended by some of DFW's top business, civic, and government leaders, including Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, Former First Lady Laura Bush, and Dallas Cowboys Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones, who was keynote speaker.

With more than 300 guests on hand, Jones delivered a passionate speech about the benefits of a corporate partnership with our organization. The Cowboys and The Salvation Army have been partners for 15 years. You can view a video of Jones' speech below, complete with an introduction by Former First Lady Laura Bush.

A model walks the runway
during this year’s
Women’s Auxiliary Fashion Show.

20^th ANNUAL WOMEN’S AUXILIARY FASHION SHOW

Later in the month, the Annual Fashion Show conducted by The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary in Dallas was held—and boy what a show it was!

The event began with shopping in the Chic Boutique, where guests purchased designer items at great prices. Then came the fabulous runway-style fashion show produced by Jan Strimple Productions. Pat and Emmitt Smith emceed the event where more than 600 attendees had the opportunity to bid on gently worn clothing donated by some of the best-dressed women in Dallas.

Following the event, donated clothing items that were not featured at the fashion show were sold at a special WEARhouse sale at The Salvation Army's Christmas and Disaster Center in Dallas. For two days, the general public had the chance to purchase name-brand designer items at super-discounted prices.

This year, the fashion show event and related sales raised $660,000.

Charlotte Jones Anderson delivers her keynote speech
during this year’s Annual Doing The Most Good Luncheon
in Fort Worth

2012 ANNUAL DOING THE MOST GOOD LUNCHEON IN FORT WORTH

The very next day, we hosted our 2012 Annual Doing The Most Good Luncheon in Fort Worth. Approximately 200 people were on hand at Ridglea Country Club to hear keynote speaker Charlotte Jones Anderson, Executive Vice-President of Brand Management for the Dallas Cowboys. Anderson spoke about the strong relationship between the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army and how the relationship originated.

Anderson shared how she and her father, Jerry Jones, sat in Dick Ebersol's office at NBC television in New York and secured his agreement to broadcast The Salvation Army's National Red Kettle Kickoff during halftime at the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game in 1996. Now, 15 years later, the kickoff has become an annual tradition.

Luncheon guests also heard a testimonial by John Corker, a former linebacker with the former Houston Oilers who lost his football career because of substance abuse. After football, Corker became an over-the-road truck driver. One night while rolling through Fort Worth, he stopped to party. The next morning he couldn't remember where he left his truck. When his boss found out, Corker was fired. With no place to go he came to The Salvation Army. His life has not been the same since.

Bill Lively address the audience of this year’s
Denton Luncheon at the
Oakmont Country Club in Corinth.

ANNUAL LUNCHEON IN DENTON `

In mid-may, we hosted a luncheon at the Oakmont Country Club in Corinth to raise funds for our shelter and services in Denton. The event was attended by donors, community leaders, elected officials and supports. The keynote speech was delivered by Bill Lively, the former President and CEO of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee.

Lively talked about how Super Bowl XLV not only brought significant revenue into the Metroplex but also created programs to help North Texans after the big game was over. Two signature programs -- SLANT-45 and the Youth Education Town -- focus on the needs of children and young adults. We might mention that the ownership of the Youth Education Town was awarded by the NFL to The Salvation Army. We plan to an official opening of the new program in early 2013 after major renovations at our center in Arlington.

IN CLOSING

As we move into the summer, the lowest time of the year for donations, it’s important to remember that with your continued support we will remain true to our commitment of doing the most good.

We're in this together. With your help we can continue to serve men, women, boys, and girls here in our local community. We’ll continue to ensure that we are worthy of your trust.

Be on the lookout for the latest news and events on our Facebook and Twitter pages!