Each year, the JPS Foundation builds on its mission through the leadership of individuals who embody the organization’s values of service, integrity, and community partnership. The newly elected officers and members bring a wide range of experience and a shared commitment to advancing healthcare access and innovation throughout the community.

“Our newly elected officers and appointed board members strengthen our leadership as we advance our mission,” said Leah M. King, President of JPS Foundation. “Their vast expertise and dedication will help us continue making a lasting difference in the lives of our patients and community.”

As the fundraising arm of JPS Health Network, the JPS Foundation connects community support to patient care. Through donations and partnerships, the Foundation funds programs that expand access to care and promote the health and well-being of Tarrant County residents.

The Board of Directors will continue to shape the Foundation’s goals and ensure its efforts align with the priorities of JPS Health Network. Board Chairman Larry Anfin shared his enthusiasm for the year ahead, saying, “With our newly appointed members and officers in place, we are well-positioned to lead with focus and purpose, building on our momentum to advance the mission of our organization.”

The newly elected officers are:

Chairman: Larry Anfin – President, K&L Enterprises, Inc.
Vice Chair: Dr. Cynthia Montes – Director of Student Support Services, Texas Christian University
Treasurer/Secretary: Myra Savage – Vice President, Philanthropic Client Manager & Solutions, Bank of America

Joining the Board as new appointed members are:

Sarah LanCarte – President, LanCarte Commercial Real Estate
Nikki Morris – Executive Director, TCU Ralph Lowe Energy Institute
Neil Noakes – Chief Strategic Advancement, American Warrior Association R3
Allan Rodger – President, Zenith Roofing & Waterproofing
Jeremis Smith – CEO, Legacy Construction Solutions, Inc

They will be joining Dr. Karen Duncan, Kalisha Holland, Amy Radcliffe, Ty Stimpson, and Mimi Tran on the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The post JPS Foundation Elects New Officers first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

According to March to the Polls, only 31% of high schools in our area met the mandated obligation to register student to vote. March to the Polls says that they have raised that number significantly.

Each semester, March to the Polls gives presentations to senior-level social studies classes. In these presentations, that school’s Student Voting Empowerment Coalition is formed, which allows students to engage on campus throughout the year. March to the Polls started their high school initiative in Dallas County, but now there are Student Voter Empowerment Coalitions across the Metroplex. And March to the Polls is working to build these coalitions on all high school campuses in North Texas.

Camila Correa Bourdeau is March to the Polls’ executive director. She is passionate about giving young people the best tools to become actively involved in their communities.

Coming from an educational background, Bourdeau said, “I immigrated from Chile; my parents were recruited to teach. Because of them, I was encouraged to go into teaching myself. I realized how little I was able to do as a teacher in terms of influencing change. That’s when I started volunteering for school board campaigns and got elected to be a union representative at one of my school campuses.”

Eventually, Correa Bourdeau left the classroom to work for an educational non-profit focused on school boards. It was through that job that she discovered the work March to the Polls was doing with high school campus outreach. She started volunteering with them in 2017 because she saw the chance for a different level of engagement.

Engagement is important. In the past, a high school voter drive might have been a parent sitting at a table in the cafeteria, hoping to register students during their lunch break. Now, as Correa Bourdeau said, “We’re going into the classroom and making sure we’re talking with every senior, putting the registration form in front of their face.”

March to the Polls presents to approximately 20,000 high school seniors every year. Sample ballots are given to the students, encouraging them to research the candidates. A significant part of the classroom presentations involves making students aware of government beyond the national races, familiarizing them with their local elections for city council and school board. At one school, March to the Polls took 50 students on a field trip to a school board meeting so they could see the decisions that impact them most directly being made.

Former Texas State Representative Lon Burnam and March to the Polls board member Athena Chavez were integral in expanding March to the Polls’ mission into Tarrant County schools. Lin Patton joined March to the Polls in 2019 and has been the Tarrant County Voter Engagement Leader since December 2021, working with volunteers to coordinate this important outreach.

“I’ve always been active with voting and voter registration; it’s one of my passions. So when I had this opportunity to work with the youth [of Tarrant County], it was really exciting for me,” Patton said.

In March of 2022, March to the Polls organized meetings with Fort Worth ISD’s leaders, including Dr. Cherie Washington, the districts’ Director of Secondary Schools. She authorized March to the Polls to establish Student Voter Empowerment Coalitions on all 21 secondary school campuses in the district.

Part of the work on school campuses is training volunteers to be licensed to register voters. In order to register voters, a volunteer must become a Voter Deputy Registrar. March to the Polls now offers Voter Deputy Registrar certification training. “We’ve brought four counties together, Dallas, Collin, Denton, and Tarrant, so people can learn to register voters in all of those counties with one training [session],” Correa Bourdeau said.

Voter Deputy Registrar certification training occurs in the summer. Many teachers and a growing number of parents took advantage of March to the Polls’ certification programs this summer.

Correa Bourdeau knows politics is a divisive subject.

“At the end of the day, it all comes down to trust. Our work is absolutely on the side of the law [which mandates student voter registration] … we have to provide opportunities for students to register to vote.”

The post Creating Civically Engaged Students first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Confirmed Candidates: The following candidates have confirmed their participation in the Mayoral Candidate Forum on Thursday, April 1, 2021:
Brian Byrd, “DC” Daniel Caldwell, Mike Haynes, Cedric Kanyinda, Mattie Parker, Steve Penate, Deborah Peoples, Chis Recto, and Ann Zadeh.

The following candidates have confirmed their participation in the District 9 Candidate Forum on Thursday, April 8, 2021:
Ricardo Avitia, Elizabeth Beck, Doyle Fine, Darien George, Jordan Mims, Fernando Peralta, Sabrina Renteria, Erik Richerson, and Jared Sloan.

All candidates have been sent a DFWI Annual Report and a State of Downtown publication so they are aware of Downtown’s underlying dynamics. Questions for the candidates will be focused on topics that directly affect Downtown.

Format: Each candidate will introduce themselves and make an opening statement. Following this, the moderators will direct questions submitted on cards by attending citizens, and each candidate will take up to one minute for his/her answer. Candidates will have one minute for a wrap-up statement. The forum is expected to last approximately 90 minutes.

Moderators: The moderators of the event will be Dione Kennedy, President and CEO, Performing Arts Fort Worth, and Brian Newby, Managing Partner, Cantey Hanger LLP.

Limited seating will be available in the park. All attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket and maintain social distancing and practice safety precautions as recommended by the CDC.

To RSVP, submit questions, or for more information, visit dfwi.org.

The post DFWI to Host Mayoral and District 9 Candidate Forums first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.