On Assignment w/ CT

10 years ago a Dallas woman wanted to give students a way to learn about Leadership. Louise Gartner went to DISD and suggested they implement a program called "Common Cents".  She planted a seed that 10-years later had generated $374,000.00 for North Texas non-profits.  Thank you, Mrs. Gartner!

This year's "Common Cents" fund-raiser started today and runs until December 5th. Students Leaders from at least 45 DISD schools gathered today at Raul Quintanilla, Sr. Middle School for a kick-off pep rally.

I was asked to speak to the students & was Thrilled to do so.  The students are RoundTable members who will lead their schools in creative & fun fund-raising efforts. They'll work to raise pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters and yes even paper currency. Every cent counts!    They also have great communinty and business sponsors.     

After December 5th the RoundTable will evaluate various North Texas non-profits & then the great thing is that the Students Will Decide which non-profits will recieve a portion of the money they all raise this fall.

So many great things come out of "Common Cents". The students learn about Leadership, Teamwork , Philanthrophy & making North Texas a better place to live. This is a whole new generation of Hometowen Heroes & we will all be better for that.

The picture I've posted shows the Principal of Quintanilla...Rodney Cooksy with members of the school's ROTC. I'm holding one of the "Pennies from The Heart" pails that will be filled to the brim with Common Cents!    

Godspeed to the victims of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. 

God's Grace and Peace to their familes and loved ones.  

Get Ready to lace up your athletic shoes 'cuz the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is Saturday, October 18th at NorthPark Center.  Komen is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary in the fight against breast cancer and the Komen Dallas Affiliate just got a check that tickled them PINK!

Sam's Club gave Susan G. Komen a check  for $75,000.00!  Sam's Club is the 2008 Special Anniversary Sponsor. Sam's Club and the Wal-Mart Foundation are thrilled to make this mega-contribution.    

We were at the Sam's Club on Bucker and 1-30 in Dallas for the check presentation.  Belinda Lawson is the Club Manager.  She and the Associates had the store lookin' festive with pink and white balloons and flowers.  The Associates took it up a notch because the women and men (yay guys..thanks for the support) wore their Susan G. Komen for the Cure t-shirts.  After the check presentation we cut into a Komen cake that was delish.

Please join us on Komen Race Day. YOU will make such a difference in the lives of women and men who are fighting breast cancer.  Go to  www.komen-dallas.org to learn how to register...it's soooo easy and I PROMISE that YOU'LL FEEL GREAT about doing this. 

Our goal this year is 1,000 teams...we need you.  I'm the Honorary Race Chair and I'm grateful to be able to give back. So, register and bring a friend..double or triple your committment by getting friends and family involved.  It's a beautiful thing to see the waves of support on KOMEN RACE DAY for our sisters and brothers in the battle.   

Regardless of whether Barak Obama is your Presidential candidate or not; there's no denying the impact of this day. August 27, 2008. The day an African-American becomes the Demoratic Presidential nominee by rousing acclimation at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. History in the making. It was visibly emotional for the delegates of all colors and backgrounds on the convention floor. America witnessed a ground-breaking campaign season for the Dems with two historic candidates... a black man and a white woman. When Obama accepts his party's nomination Thursday night at Invesco Field the primary campaign process will be complete for that party.

Despite the Rocky Mountain political high the Democrats are on this week; it's far from clear sailing for the Dems. Hillary Clinton's Tuesday night speech was a ringing endorsement of her former rival; unequivoable to its core. She swayed many of her delegates and supporters but not all of them. How much and how effectively will she campaign for Obama this fall? Then, there's the former President. Serious fences need mending between Bill & Barack. How will Clinton respond in his address to the Dems tonight?

Starting Monday the focus shifts to Minneapolis and the Republicans with John McCain, his eagerly awaited nominee and their party's platform. Once the GOP completes it's Minnesota Mission the campaign will shift to over-drive for almost 8 1/2 weeks. Stay Tuned.

I want to give a SHOUT-OUT to all of the CYCLISTS who put it all out there in Wichita Falls. For the 7th year Stephen's ridden THE HUNDRED at Hotter 'N Hell. His time this year was 5:45:32. I'm sooo proud of him because it's a GRUELING race.  12,000 cyclists braved the heat & humidity & while it wasn't 100-degrees it was close enough...97 degreees & it felt like 80% humidity.  I'm his Crew Chief but Stephen does all of the heavy-lifting.  

I took this pic at 6:30 am when i dropped him off at the MPEC Center which is near the starting line of the course. 3800 volunteers work HHH and he says they always do a great job on the course whether it's handing out water, fruit or cheering the cyclists on to victory.  Each year it's a test of will & luck for every cyclist.  Stephen's  had gear malfunctions...busted bike chains &  flat tires. Roving trucks carry gear for quick repairs to get them back on the course. One year he had leg cramps that made him get off of the bike, he recovered, got back on the bike and finished that year.  Thank goodness he's never crashed or been caught in crashes. That's the bane of every cyclist. i'm thankful he's not had road rash, broken bones or worse.  It's a sport he loves and that makes me happy.   As the Texas License plate reads Remember  To "Share The Road" with cyclists.       

WHO-AH!  In July when the Lamar County Red Cross learned that 500 Texas Army National Guard soldiers would be training at Camp Maxey...the citizens of Paris took action.  They have embraced the soldiers and given them an outstanding "home away from home" when they have down-time from training.  The soldiers will head to Iraq soon and they'll take memories of the warm hearts of the people in Paris, Texas with them.  You'll see my Paris, Texas Hometown Heroes on Monday 8.25.08 at 5:30pm and Tuesday 8.26.08 at Noon. BTW, cool and unintended...the red cowboy hat that's above the soldier's head is part of the logo of the city of Paris, Texas. What's obscured is the Eiffel Tower that the red cowboy hat tops!                         

Hi Friends...get ready to lace up your athletic shoes! up ic . FOX 4 is a proud sponsor of  Susan G. Komen for the Cure and we're all going for another record-breaking fund-raising year.

Terry Swain is a Komen Board member and she's the Race Chair. Terry is also a 6-year SURVIVOR! I'm thrilled to join her team as the 2008 Honorary Race Chair...Komen is honoring me as my 30th anniversary approaches with KDFW FOX4.  

This year we've set great goals and with YOUR help I know we'll reach them. 

We want 1,000 teams and so far we have 260 teams.  We're on pace and we need you...so why not register now?  You can do that at www.komen-dallas.org

Our 2008 overall gaol is to raise $3-Million to fight breast cancer and I know we can do it.  1 in 8 women will be diagnosed wtih this diease in their lifetime. The money you help us raise will go to REST... Research, Education, Screening and Treatment.

In 5 years KomenDallas has raised $8-Million...more than $6-Million of that money STAYED HERE AT HOME to help women and men battling breast cancer.

NorthPark Center is a marvelous host for Komen Race Day and they were a great host for the 2008 Komen Kick-Off.  There was a pink 25th anniversary cake for Komen and Terry and I had help from Komen sponsors; Sam's Club and NorthPArk... cutting the cake and then passing out slices to the passers-by.   Yum & Fun!

I've given away a case and a  half of Komen Promise Rings. If you'd like one it's FREE...just send me a stamped-self-addressed envelope ...Clarice Tinsley, KDFW-FOX4, 400 N. Griffin, Dallas, Texas 75202.  I'll pop two in the mail for ya...you wear one and give one to a girlfriend. You promise to do monthly self breast-exam, see a doctor once a year and get a mamogram. Remember EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES.

YOU can make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.  When you register for this year's Race...get your friends & family & co-workers  to register with you.      

I let out the loudest yell in the newsroom when Fort Worth's Joshua Allen won So You Think You Can Dance!  Wooooooo Whoooooooo. The 19 year old is an amazing Artist.  Almost 60 million votes were cast.  Joshua's the first street dancer to win the top title on the FOX show. He & Twitch were the two finalists & both are fantastic untrained dancers; but Joshua's in a class by himself and has been my pick all along.  FOX 4 reporter Brandon Todd was at the watch party in Forest Hill for the SYTYCD winner...that was a joyous par-taay!   Looking forward to more greatness from Joshua Allen!

BRAVO JOSHUA! 

I LUV dance. To use the human body to express and create art is extraordinary.  SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE is brilliant. Who's your pick to win on the FOX show? I really like Mark, Chelsie, Katee, Twitch & Courtney.

The talent of the dancers and choreographers is breathtaking. My fav is 19 y.o. Tarrant County resident JOSHUA ALLEN. He attended Crowley High School.  Joshua is incredible, what a superb gift he has. He's not classically trained but in my humble opinion he can do it all. One judge said "you make me believe in the impossible". Nigel Lythgow said "i think you're gonna steal this show."

Dance, Joshua, Dance!      

Stephen and I attended one of the deployment ceremonies for the Texas Army National Guard at NAS-JRB in Fort Worth. It was inspiring to see the soldiers focused and standing at attention.  Their families lined three sides of the auditorium and you could see the pride on their faces. The men and women will be away for more than a year doing work in a dangerous part of  the world. It struck me that unless you have someone serving in the military; the sacrafice and the pride of deployment is something most Americans just don't see and don't think about; but we should. Imagine holding down your life and the homefront while making sure that your children are healthy, happy and flourishing while your loved one is working in a war zone.  Imagine being a parent while your child is in that war zone. After the ceremony we talked to the families and as we walked away Stephen said to me "those are great American families".  My husband is 100% correct.

   Col. Lee Henry, Commander of the 56th IBCT,36thID was featured in the story I reported last week about the Texas Army National Guard and he was one of the people who spoke during the deployment ceremony.  He said the number one job is to bring every soldier home. He's proud of them and ready to lead almost 3600  Texans in the mission in Iraq. I had my camera and took a picture of Stephen with the Colonel for my blog. Then the Col.  asked me to take a picture of him with his family because he wants you to see how proud he is of them. Guess what?  They're equally proud of him...just as the other  families are proud of their soldier.  

Col. Lee Henry, Commander of the 56th IBCT, 36th ID, Texas Army National Guard calls today's Guardsmen and women the "new greatest generation".  He told me that they show a deep level of committment and are signing up for the Guard and staying in. Col. Henry says the success of the Texas Army National Guard...is made up of what he calls a 3-legged stool. 

The first leg is retention; maintaing a great relationship with the employer of each soldier is critical.  Once deployment ends, the Guard wants to make sure that the soldier has a job to go back to when they come home. The relationship that the Guard establishes with that employer is essential; making sure the employer understands why being a member of the Guard is important and letting them know how much they appreciate holding the job open while the Guard soldier is away.

The second leg is the homefront.  The Family Readiness Group supports the families  while the soldier is deployed. That's vitally important.  When the soldier knows that his or her family is taken care of they can better focus on the mission.  Col. Henry says that support could be financial or  finding a resource to fix a broken water heater... the Colonel says this kind of family support definately takes stress off of the soldier. 

The third leg of the stool is training. The Texas Army National Guard again says the employer relationship is important because they need to understand why the Guard needs to be away to train before being deployed. The Colonel says  the Texas Army National Guard must master 34 core Army warrior tactics and 11 battle drills. He credits Texans with being a focused group of soldiers. He says the Guard has the "latest and greatest in weapons, training and technology."

They train at Fort Polk, in Lousiana and we've posted lots of pictures to show you what  the Texas Army National Guard goes through. You can see the Photo Gallery  by doing a keyword search: Texas National Guard Or follow the link below: 

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?
contentId=7029880

The Texas Army National Guard will be in Iraq for it's 3rd deployment by November.  The mission of the almost 36-hundred men and women; convoy security, command post operations, force protection and visitor bureau responsibilities.