It’s poppy time for JWV
The Harvey Bloom Post of the JWV will be selling poppies at Sam’s and Walmart as has become a Memorial Day tradition. Says Dick Lethe, “We owe them a debt of gratitude as we are the only organization they allow to do so.” JWV also will be placing U.S. flags at all cemeteries for our fallen comrades in the Dallas area, and will be involved in the memorial services at Laurerland cemetery and the military cemetery in Dallas. About 50 members will be volunteering at these functions. “Memorial Day is a very special day for the JWV. We keep the faith with our fallen comrades,” added Lethe.
Special Needs Family Day this Monday
There is still time to register for Special Needs Family Day, May 31 at the JCC, 7900 Northaven Road. Beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 2:30 the day will feature networking, education and fun for the entire family. A highlight of the event will be the keynote presentation by Rabbi Bradley Artson and his son Jacob Artson: “Living with Autism and Not Veing Defined by It.” The talk is scheduled to begin at 9:30.
Breakout sessions will feature the following topics: “Sights and Sound – OH MY!! Our Daily Dose of Sensory Overload” with Carolyn Feder and Emily Kern; “Special Planning for your Child with Special Needs – Understanding the Texas Waiver System, etc,” with Naomi Duke of K Corporation; “How to be a Father for Someone with Special Needs,” with Rabbi Bradley Artson; “Advocating for your Child’s Participation in Synagogue life A Panel Discussion,” with Rabbi Bradley Artson, Rabbi Jordan Parr and Dr. Jeff Lichtman; Trust Planning 101” with Naomi Duke; and “Nurturing your Relationship with your Spouse,” with Malkie Schick of JFS.
At 1 p.m. there will be lunch and a resource fair. To RSVP, contact Hanna Geshelin at 214-239-7131. Cost is $18 per family
Limited number of spots left for Tiferet Choctaw Casino trip
Tiferet Israel will take another casino trip to Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m on June 6. There are only 10 seats left. There will be a tour of the hotel. The $15 cost includes a kosher breakfast and lunch and $10 in casino credit.
RSVPs required. Call Tiferet Israel’s Office at 214-691-3611 to reserve a spot or for more information contact Debby Rubin, at the synagogue office or at DRubin@tiferetdallas.org.
Tiferet Israel Congregation is located at 10909 Hillcrest Road in Dallas.
Jennifer Sheppard garners National Merit college scholarship
Mazel tov to Jennifer Sheppard, daughter of Iris Young Sheppard and Andy Sheppard, who has earned a college sponsored merit scholarship from the University of Rochester. Jennifer will graduate from Plano West on June 8 and is a graduate of Levine Academy. She is one of the more than 2,800 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities that were announced this week by National Merit Scholarship. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among finalists in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
Jennifer will spend the summer as a senior counselor at the JCC’s Camp Chai before heading off to the University of Rochester for orientation and school at the end of August. She is planning on studying art, languages (Hebrew and Spanish) and archeology. Jennifer is the sister of Benjamin Sheppard, also a Levine Academy graduate, who attends Shepton in Plano.
5th Annual Kids Tri at the ‘J’
The Dallas JCC, 7900 Northaven Road, will host its 5th annual Kids Tri. USAT sanctioned, this event is open to kids ages seven to 14 with swim-bike and run distances off 100/200 yards in the pool, 5 km/10 km bike on the residential streets around the JCC and a 1k/2k run on the grounds of the JCC. The terrain is mostly flat. This kids tri is perfect for children of all ages and is broken into four age group categories: 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. USA Triathlon is sanctioned, managed and directed by professional staff of IronHead Race Productions.
To register visit, http://www.ironheadrp.com/kidstriatthej/index.html.
For more information about this race, contact Jon Mize, Sports and Fitness director at jmize@jccdallas.org, or 214-739-2737.
Balkins to celebrate golden wedding anniversary in Big D
Mazel tov to Esther Raboff Balkin and Burton E. Balkin of Philadelphia. They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in Dallas with their children Jackie and Michael Hoffman of Dallas and Harris and Leslie Balkin of Albuquerque, along with their four grandchildren Jake, Aaron and Rebecca Hoffman and Megan Balkin. Esther and Burt were married on May 29, 1960 at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. These days, they can often be found in Dallas attending numerous events in which their grandchildren are involved or in support of local organizations including Levine Academy, where their grandchildren attend school, or the Vogel Alcove. The couple will be in Dallas to celebrate, followed by a family gathering in San Antonio. Mazel Tov!
Business Scene:
Spark Communications, a Dallas agency founded in 1999 with an emphasis on copywriting, has changed its name to Alacrity Creative. “Alacrity means eager responsiveness and cheerful speed,” says Doug Davidson, Alacrity founder and principal. “It does a great job capturing our focus on results-driven creativity and outstanding client service.” The new name marks the start of the firm’s second decade in business and a five-year shift in its focus and services. “Early on, 90 percent of our business was copywriting,” Davidson says. “But around 2005, clients began to ask us for more—communications strategy, graphic design for web and print, and total project management. We still love to write copy; we’ve just added to the mix.”
Alacrity uses a virtual agency approach to create project teams that are focused and efficient. “Our network of writers, designers and programmers spans from Dallas to Wisconsin, Canada and as far way as Moscow,” Davidson explains. “Email, Skype and Google Voice are a big part of how we do business— sharing information, collaborating and building a real sense of teamwork.”
Alacrity today is a full-service creative marketing communications firm with corporate and agency clients in Dallas and across North America. Clients include the American College of Emergency Physicians, the City of Arlington, Clever Pear, Cooper Aerobics Center, Crescent Real Estate Equities, the Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health, Eisenberg and Associates, Executive Women of Dallas, 5Gstudio_collaborative, Flexx Systems, Flying Start, Hahn & Bowersock, Insite Interactive, JFT Engineers, Lavabit, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, PhaseWare, Salvo Real Estate Solutions, Slingshot, SMU Cox Executive Education, SMU Cox School of Business, Sofitel Hotels and Resorts, TractorBeam, Trisul Group, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Zachry Associates and Zielinsky Design Associates. Alacrity launched a new website—www.alacritycreative.com—to mark the name change and is celebrating with a special “Hat and a Hand, Hooray” promotion for current and new clients. “Through July 1, clients who hire us for new project will receive an Alacrity ball cap,” Davidson says, “plus $100 donated in their name to one of five outstanding not-for-profit organizations—Americares, Best Friends Animal Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, Habitat for Humanity International and ProLiteracy.”
Save the Date: July 1 Israel Scout-Tzofim Friendship Caravan
The Israel Scout-Tzofim Friendship Caravan, a highly-talented energetic and enthusiastic group of Israeli teens that travel throughout the U.S. and Canada, will give a citywide performance at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 1st in Tobian Auditorium of Temple Emanu-El, 8500 Hillcrest Road, Dallas.
The Israel Scout-Tzofim Friendship Caravan is well-known for bringing Israeli culture and a message of friendship through song and dance.
The event is sponsored by the Israel Committee of Temple Emanu-El.
For more information, contact David Abrams at 214-669-3033 or Linda Kahalnik at 972-867-7780.
