State Sen. Florence Shapiro to be honored at motherhood event

Dallas Can! Academy, a nonprofit organization giving young Texans a second chance through relationship-based education, will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to State Sen. Florence Shapiro at its 17th annual Motherhood Event, 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4 at the Rosine Hall of the Dallas Arboretum. The luncheon, presented by Kimberly-Clark Corporation, annually recognizes women who exemplify family and community leadership in North Texas and benefits the students at the Dallas Can! Academy.
The event celebrates women in North Texas who have made a positive impact in their communities and in the lives of others as civic leaders, volunteers, role models and mentors as well as within their own families.
Senator Shapiro will be honored for her outstanding achievements and dedication to her family, state and community. She has held numerous elected and volunteer leadership roles in the North Texas community.
“The Motherhood Lifetime Achievement Luncheon gives us at Texans Can! the opportunity to pay tribute to women who exemplify the characteristics of a great mother and who have dedicated so much of their lives to support education and other opportunities to improve the lives of children,” said Richard Marquez, president of Texans Can! “Senator Shapiro exemplifies our mission to use education to achieve economic independence and hope for a better life among young Texans.”
Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the students and programming at Dallas Can! Academy, providing a second chance for at-risk youth and their families. Current Dallas Can! students will speak about their experiences and goals for their education.
As a dedicated state and civic leader, Senator Shapiro has received a wide array of recognition and is known as a champion for children and youth. Among many awards and achievements, she is a former public school teacher and is current chair of the Senate Education Committee. Her landmark legislation and series of bills, known as Ashley’s Laws, were national benchmarks for improving the safety and security of children.
She first entered elected office as a Plano City Council member. Following six terms on the council, she was elected mayor of Plano. During this time, she also served as president of the Texas Municipal League and the North Texas Council of Governments.
In 1999, Senator Shapiro became chair of the Senate Committee on State Affairs and committed herself to the issue of transportation, creating the first fund for Texas mobility. In 2003, after becoming chair of the Senate Education Committee, she passed legislation to overhaul the state’s school finance system, replace the TAKS test with end-of-course exams and incorporate postsecondary readiness standards within the Texas curriculum and system of accountability. Amongst other achievements, she has advocated for improving teacher quality and retention through merit pay, better utilization of technology in the classroom — including the Virtual School Network — and postsecondary readiness programs that prepare students for successful lives as active and engaged citizens.
Her leadership has earned her many honors over the years. She was named to the Legislative Honor Roll by the Texas Association of Realtors, and received the Celebration of Enterprise Award as the public official business partner of the year, given by Inside Collin County Business; the Bob Bullock Award for Public Stewardship, given by Government Technology Conference; the Real Women Award from the Girl Scouts of the USA Tejas Council; and the Outstanding Service Award from Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas.
Shapiro is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where she earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. In addition to chairing the Senate Education Committee, she currently serves on the Senate Committee on Finance, as well as the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee and Senate Administration Committee.
Proud parents and grandparents, Senator Shapiro and her husband, Howard, are Plano residents. She is the daughter of Ann and Leon Zetley and the late Martin Donald of Dallas.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards Luncheon began in 1993 as a tribute to strong civic-minded women who happened to be mothers. The proceeds from the annual fundraiser support students of the Can! Academies while they earn their high school diplomas. Texans Can! Academies believe helping these students is critical to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and illiteracy.
The community is invited to attend the motherhood luncheon. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Jennifer Mullinax at 214-944-1949 or jmullinax@texanscan.org. Individual tickets are $125 each. For more information, or to register, visit www.dallascanmotherhood.com.

MOTA Show, May 2, features 12 local Jewish artists

Twelve of Texas’ most acclaimed painters, sculptors, photographers, glass makers and metal artists will exhibit their works Sunday, May 2, at the first MOTA Show in the gallery of The Intown Chabad, 2723 Routh St.
For the uninitiated, MOTA refers to “Members of the Tribe” Artists — picking up on the folklore of the 12 tribes of Israel, according to Jeff Levine, exhibit sponsor and publisher of moderndallas.net. Dallas artist and gallery owner Dahlia Woods is curator of the show, which is open to the public from noon until 6 p.m.
All exhibition pieces are available for purchase and range from $200 to $5.000+, Levine said. Twenty-five percent of each sale will be donated to The Intown Chabad, an Uptown center uniting young adults with their Jewish roots in an informal educational and social setting.
Art ranges from shimmering kinetic sculptures to glass mosaics, highly textured paintings, photography, works in clay and intriguing assemblages.
“This is the first time these 12 Jewish artists have come together in one show,” Woods said. “This is one great chance to meet the artists, experience art and collect one or more of their pieces.”
The MOTA Show will be open for only six hours — making it a rare glimpse into this contemporary collection.
Viewer responses to the art will run the gamut from dark reminders of film noir images to whimsical smiles upon finding plastic carnival prizes embedded unexpectedly in large assemblages.
The dozen Jewish artists in the MOTA Show include Brad Abrams, Stewart Cohen, Lisa Ehrich, Celia Feld, Etty Horowitz, Bonny Leibowitz, Kenney Mencher, Jamie Pink, Morton Rachofsky, George Tobolowsky, Ellen Frances Tuchman and Dahlia Woods.

CSI will tee off at 18th tournament

Shearith Israel will tee off at The Honors Golf Club for its 18th annual golf tournament on Monday, May 10.
Some of this year’s highlights include player participation by some favorite Dallas Cowboys — including Deon Anderson, #34 running back — along with Dallas Cowboys alumnus Everson Walls, Cowboys beat writer Mickey Spagnola and Candace Crawford, sports reporter for KDAF-TV, the “33 News”; a hole-in-one prize of a trip for two to Myrtle Beach, S.C. with four rounds of golf and four nights’ lodging; and a hole-in-one prize of $25,000.
Other prizes will include pro shop merchandise, dining certificates to local restaurants and other valuable items from local businesses. In addition, there will be a silent auction with a chance to bid on an autographed Dallas Cowboys football and two tickets to a 2010–2011 game at Cowboys Stadium.

SWJC presents immigration reform series

The Southwest Jewish Congress will present educational programs relating to timely topics of local and national interest. In the first of a series of community events on the “hot button” topic of immigration reform, Dr. Stephen Steinlight, senior policy analyst for the Center of Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., will discuss his thoughts on the immigration issue in America. Subsequent SWJC programs will present different viewpoints on this charged subject.
Dr. Steinlight will speak at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11 at the Aaron Family JCC, 7800 Northaven Road.
This event is free and open to the public. For information, call the SWJC office, 214-361-0018.

CJE extends gratitude to Jewish educators

The Center for Jewish Education (CJE) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas wishes to acknowledge and thank the teachers in the Dallas Jewish day, religious and early childhood schools. Close to 500 educators work hard each day to ensure the future generations of our Jewish community.
The early childhood schools served by an outstanding cadre of educators include: Akiba Academy Early Childhood Program, Congregation Anshai Torah Preschool, Congregation Beth Torah Preschool and Kindergarten, Gan Menachem, The J Early Childhood Center, Ann and Nate Levine Academy Early Childhood Center, Temple Emanu-El Preschool, Temple Shalom Early Childhood Education Center and Torah Day School of Dallas Preschool.
Religious schools include: ATID (Academy of Torah in Greater Dallas), Adat Chaverim Religious School, Congregation Anshai Torah Religious School, Congregation Beth Torah Learning Center, Chabad of Plano/Collin County Hebrew School, Congregation Kol Ami Religious School, Congregation Nishmat Am/B’nai Israel Religious School, Weitzman Family Religious School of Congregation Shearith Israel, Temple Emanu-El Religious School, Temple Shalom Religious School and Tiferet Israel Congregation Religious School.
Day schools include: Akiba Academy, Ann and Nate Levine Academy, Mesorah High School for Girls, Texas Torah Institute, Torah Day School of Dallas and Yavneh Academy of Dallas.
The mission of the Center for Jewish Education is to serve, on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, as the resource to facilitate and convene the Jewish community on issues pertaining to Jewish education, to enrich existing programs and serve as a catalyst for new initiatives. It seeks to support Jewish education as the critical link in ensuring Jewish continuity and the increased engagement of all members of the Greater Dallas Jewish community.
For more information, call 214-369-3313.