Impossible Possibilities' 5K Festival
Impossible Possibilities will host its 2nd Annual St. Patrick's Day-5K Festival at Trinity Park in Fort Worth on Saturday, March 13, 2010, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The five-hour festival is open to the general public and raises funds for the organization’s education initiatives.
The event feature a 5K Run, 1-Mile Kids’ Race, Awards Ceremony, Live Texas Country Music, Sponsor Expo, Kid Zone, Food and Beverages for the entire family to enjoy. The Jeff Allen Band will headline the 5K Festival with opening performances by the Jesse Jennings Band and Rob Baird. More than 1,000 people attended the inaugural event in 2009, and the 2010 festival is expected to attract many more. Log onto www.impossiblepossibilities.org to register or to view a complete schedule of events.
Celebrity Purple Ping Pong to Raise Awareness for Pancreatic Cancer
Rick Carlisle And The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Team Up For Celebrity Purple Ping Pong To Raise Awareness For Pancreatic Cancer
The Dallas/Ft. Worth Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has teamed up with Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle for the first annual Celebrity Purple Ping Pong event to raise awareness and funding to find a cure for pancreatic cancer .The ping pong tournament will take place on March 14th at Moody Coliseum on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU). Celebrities, professional basketball and high ranked professional table tennis players will participate in the event including Coach Carlisle, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jose Barea, Jason Terry, and Olympic champion Nastia Liukin.
“In 2009, I lost my dear friend and NBA Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly to pancreatic cancer. Like many other American’s, his battle with the disease was brief because there are no early detection methods and few treatment options for patients,” stated Rick Carlisle. “Purple Ping Pong is a fun way to raise funds that will support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s important mission to advance research, support patients and create hope for the pancreatic cancer community. I am thrilled join the organization in their efforts while honoring the memory of Coach Daly.”
Sixteen celebrity teams are available for sponsorship from corporations and individuals beginning at $7,500 and $5,000 respectively. Doors open at 12 p.m. noon. General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. To purchase tickets, go to www.pancan.org/pingpong. For additional information on participating or sponsorship opportunities, contact event chair Mary Jo Jennings at mjennings@pancanvolunteer.org.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and the most lethal with a five year survival rate of five percent. In 2009, an estimated 42,000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and over 35,000 died. Despite the staggering statistics, pancreatic cancer receives the least amount of federal research funding among the leading cancer killers.
For more information about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Dallas/Ft. Worth Affiliate missions, check out their Web site at www.pancan.org.
About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the only national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization raises money for direct private funding of research—and advocates for more aggressive federal research funding of medical breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network fills the void of information and options by giving patients and caregivers reliable, personalized information they need to make informed decisions. We create a sense of hope and community so no one has to face pancreatic cancer alone.
The organization helps support individuals and communities all across the country work together to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.
Media Contact: Pamela E. Bethel-LeDuff, Media Coordinator
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Dallas and Ft. Worth
Phone: 214.435.5391
Email: pbethel-leduff@pancanvolunteer.org
Butterflies flutter back to Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Billed as the largest exhibit of live, exotic butterflies in North Texas, “Butterflies in the Garden” recently opened a month-long showing in the conservatory of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.
The fourth live butterfly exhibit at the Botanic Garden since 2002, the show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will run through April 4.
Proceeds from the event will support public education and environmental projects of the Fort Worth Botanical Society and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), hosts of the exhibit along with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Fort Worth Garden Club.
“I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like butterflies,” said Steve Huddleston, senior horticulturist of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and one of the event’s coordinators. “Children as well as adults just love them. Visitors to the exhibit will be able to walk among thousands of fluttering butterflies from around the world, watch them land on lush, tropical foliage – maybe even on their finger – and learn about the life cycle of the butterfly.”
During the course of the show, about 12,000 butterflies from the United States, Southeast Asia, Africa and North, Central and South America will fill the conservatory. Each week, about 2,400 butterflies will be released. Among the more than 100 species are the iridescent Blue Morpho, the Striped Blue Crow from Asia, the Emerald Swallowtail from the Philippines and the Great Mormon and the Indian Leafwing from Malaysia. The Botanic Garden’s last butterfly exhibit in 2008 attracted 36,000 visitors. The show is a big hit with students from area schools, where the curriculum is coordinated with the exhibit. According to Patricia Harrison, assistant director and head of education at BRIT and co-coordinator of the show, the exhibit is a major part of BRIT’s educational outreach program.
“This exhibit is a great opportunity for kids and families to learn about native pollinators and to understand the plant pollinator process,” Harrison said.
.JPG)
A docent-guided program introduces students to the butterfly’s life cycle and behaviors to prepare them for their visit with the live butterflies. The Pupae Palace, a small emergence box inside the conservatory, allows students and guests to observe firsthand native Texas butterflies as they emerge from their chrysalis. An outdoor interactive exhibit called Partners in Pollination explains the relationship between pollinators and plants and the ecological services that pollinators provide.
Tickets for timed entrance - a new feature for the 2010 exhibit – may be purchased in advance online through a link on the Botanic Garden’s Web site, www.fwbg.org. Admission is $6 for ages 3-12; $10 for ages 13-64; $8 for seniors (65+); and free for children 2 and under. School groups of 20 or more may purchase tickets in advance for $5 per person.
To schedule classes for school groups or for more information, call 817-871-7948. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is located at 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard in Fort Worth. Sponsors of this year’s exhibit are: Animal Services Inc.; Campbell Paper Co.; Fifth Avenue Greenhouses; Fowlkes, Norman & Associates; Redenta’s Garden; Silver Creek Materials; Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Southwest Wholesale Nursery; Taylor’s Rental Equipment Co.; and The Big Picture.
- Betty Dillard
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
February 22, 2010 by Jones Lang LaSalle
Last week I was talking about the great quarterbacks who played in the Super Bowl this year and I got to thinking about how long I have known Drew Brees. I met him when our company – still The Staubach Company back then – had a baseball event at Wrigley Field. We had leased a box and brought a number of our clients to the game. When the stadium staff heard our firm was leasing the box, and that I was going to be at the game, they gave me a tour of the stadium.
As I was touring the stadium, they were also giving a tour to a young quarterback from Purdue named Drew Brees and the beautiful blonde he was dating (and would later marry). Drew and I met up in the locker room and chatted a bit about football. I asked him if he wanted to sing the 7th inning stretch with me. (Harry Carrey used to sing the 7th Inning Stretch for the Chicago Cubs, so since he died they have had celebrities do it.) The woman from Wrigley Field that was touring us around pulled me off to the side and asked, “Hey, you want to do that by yourself…don’t ya?” I told her I didn’t want to do it at all − I can’t sing. So I told Drew I needed someone else to help take the blame for the bad singing. He said he would love to do it so Drew and I sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” together.
When I was in Miami for the Super Bowl a couple weeks back, I met Brittany Brees, and she asked me if I remembered meeting her at Wrigley Field. I said, “Golly Brittany, I was hoping you would remember me.