In jubilation, local nonprofit Laughter League marked its Sweet 16 anniversary on Saturday, December 2. The festive celebration, hosted by board members Rhonda Thompson and Kathy Beazley, was a lively affair that brought together supporters, partners, and friends to toast to the incredible journey of this laughter-filled organization. Notable guests in attendance included Dr. Raymond and Martha Quigley, Dr. David and Amy Podeszwa, Krys Boyd and Matt DeMoss, M.T. D’Avignon, Dana Garnett, Tonya Ward, Karl Schaeffer, and many more.

The party was ablaze with joy as guests indulged in the evening's delights, which included margaritas and cerveza, tacos and fajitas sizzling from Blue Goose Cantina, and delectable mini-birthday cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. The celebration wasn't just about the delightful treats; it was a testament to the remarkable work of Laughter League over the past 16 years.

Founders Tiffany Riley and Dick Monday took center stage to welcome the spirited crowd, providing a heartwarming update on the nonprofit's growth across the United States. The duo announced a groundbreaking initiative: the launch of the Joy Family. Leveraging their unique skills in physical comedy and music, this new project aims to bring lightness and laughter to people living with dementia. A noble endeavor that promises to spread joy in unexpected places.

Exciting news echoed as it was revealed that in Spring 2024, Humorology Atlanta, HA!, is set to join forces with the Laughter League. The merger promises to amplify the impact of these laughter ambassadors, expanding their reach and influence to bring laughter to even more communities.

Laughter League, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been on a mission to improve the lives of families through the transformational power of laughter for more than two decades. Their impact is far-reaching, touching the lives of more than 100,000 children and families annually through initiatives in pediatric healthcare, schools, libraries, and family-friendly performances.

The organization's partnerships with esteemed institutions like Bath House Cultural Center, Arts Mission Oak Cliff, Big Thought, Moody Fund for the Arts, City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, The Dallas Children's Theatre, Galleria Dallas, and the Texas Commission on the Arts underscore the widespread recognition and support for their mission.

In the healthcare sector, Laughter League has pioneered professional Healthcare Clown programs at Cook Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Parkland Burn Unit, Camp John Marc, Seattle Children’s, Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, Boston Children's Hospital, and Hasbro Children's Hospital. Their commitment to spreading joy knows no bounds.

Circo Metropolis, a free neighborhood circus presented by Laughter League, exemplifies their dedication to community engagement. Collaborating with teachers, medical staff, and other theater groups, they discover that the true magic of laughter lies in these partnerships.

For those inspired to join this laughter crusade, Laughter League invites you to visit www.laughterleague.org. There, you can find more information about their impactful programs and, if you're feeling particularly generous, make a donation to help fuel the laughter revolution.

As Laughter League steps into its Sweet 16 year with exuberance, the echoes of laughter they've created over the years reverberate louder than ever, promising even more joy and mirth in the years to come.

The holiday season is often a time of joy and celebration, but for many, it can also be a source of stress and anxiety. The pressure to meet family expectations, the financial strain of gift-giving, and the frenetic pace of holiday preparations can take a toll on your mental health. To ensure you have a happy and healthy holiday season, consider these seven tips for managing your mental health during the holidays.

1. Set Realistic Expectations: One of the biggest stressors during the holidays is the pressure to make everything perfect. It's essential to recognize that perfection is unattainable. Set realistic expectations for yourself, your family, and your celebrations. Remember that the holidays are about spending quality time with loved ones, not about creating a flawless event.

2. Plan and Budget Ahead: Financial stress can be a significant contributor to holiday-related anxiety. Create a budget for your holiday spending and stick to it. Planning your expenses in advance can help you avoid financial strain and reduce the anxiety that comes with overspending.

3. Take Care of Your Physical Health: Your physical and mental health are closely connected. Make sure to eat well, exercise regularly, and get enough rest during the holiday season. Proper self-care can help you manage stress and maintain a positive mood.

4. Manage Your Time Wisely: The holiday season often comes with a busy schedule filled with parties, shopping, and various obligations. Prioritize your commitments and learn to say no when necessary. Time management can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and maintain a sense of control.

5. Seek Support and Communicate: Don't be afraid to lean on your support system during the holidays. Reach out to friends and family members when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Communication is key in addressing your emotional needs and seeking comfort.

6. Create Boundaries: It's essential to establish boundaries during the holiday season to protect your mental health. This may involve setting limits on how many events you attend, avoiding toxic family dynamics, or taking breaks when you need them. Protecting your emotional well-being should be a top priority.

7. Practice Mindfulness and Self-Care: Incorporate mindfulness techniques and self-care into your holiday routine. Taking time for yourself, even if it's just a few minutes each day, can help you stay grounded and reduce stress. Consider activities like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simply indulging in a favorite hobby.

The holiday season can be a challenging time for mental health, but with the right strategies, you can navigate it successfully. Remember to set realistic expectations, budget wisely, prioritize self-care, and communicate with your support network. By implementing these seven tips, you can enjoy a healthier, happier holiday season and create lasting, positive memories with your loved ones.

If you are seeking support or need information on how to better manage a mental health challenge in yourself or a loved one, you are not alone. Reach out to NAMI North Texas, a chartered affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which offers outstanding peer-led programs and provides no-cost education, skills training and support in Dallas, Collin, Denton, and Rockwall counties. Visit www.naminorthtexas.org  or call 214-341-7133 for more information. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts and in need immediate of help, please call or text 988 or chat online at www.988lifeline.org.

As we brim with ideas of the “perfect holiday season” and shop for our families, stop to imagine a child carrying all of their possessions in a black, plastic trash bag. That is the unfortunate reality for children in the foster care system today, who often have to move quickly using just a trash bag. Closet Factory DFW is asking North Texas to help change that: Through the Closet Factory Cares Bags for Kids initiative, new, high-quality bags are being donated to Community Partners of Dallas. Now, the company is asking North Texas to help fill those bags with items that children in the system need most – all with the goal of helping children in need feel valued and loved this holiday season and year-round.

On Saturday, November 18 – on National Adoption Day -- the Closet Factory Cares Fill the Bags for Kids event will take place at the Parkway Towne Crossing Shopping Center at El Dorado and the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco, near Super Target, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited to this free, family-friendly holiday event that will feature appearances from Santa Claus, toy soldier stilt walkers, and Miss Texas Ellie Breaux (Miss Texas will appear at the event starting at 12 p.m. noon). Attendees will also enjoy holiday music from Star 102.1 FM, radio station giveaways, and appearances from Star 102.1 FM personalities.

Most importantly, the public is invited to help fill new, high-quality bags that will be given to children in the foster care system by providing donations of toys, hygiene items and clothing such as new pajamas, socks and underwear. Representatives from Community Partners of Dallas will also be on-site at the event to receive donations and to raise awareness for the great need for support of children in the foster care system. Click here for a registry of items needed that will be donated to Community Partners of Dallas.

“Through our Closet Factory Cares non-profit program, we’ve invited our community, our staff and our clients to help children in need feel valued and loved,” said Jeff Henderson, president and CEO of Closet Factory DFW, the North Texas partner of this nationwide non-profit. Henderson’s nephew was adopted from the foster care system, so it’s a cause that hits close to home: “When we found out that many children in the foster care system moved often, and typically with only a plastic trash bag to hold their belongings, we knew we had to do something to help,” Henderson said. “Everyone deserves a place to put their stuff, and we want to provide children in need with the dignity and respect of having that.”

Henderson’s vision for a way to bring his community together to help was the genesis of Closet Factory Cares, an idea that spread across the country to Closet Factory franchises coast to coast. Closet Factory Cares launched its Bags for Kids program this summer. For every project customers start with Closet Factory, a new, high-quality duffel bag is donated to a child in need through carefully chosen non-profit organizations that work with children to ensure the donations are made in the way that best benefits the child. Through this unique program, Closet Factory Cares will donate more than 40,000 bags nationwide in its first year of operation. All donations benefit children locally, so all bags raised by Closet Factory DFW stay here in North Texas.

“As a company, coming together to help children has been something that has allowed us all to connect for a very important purpose, and we thought we would open that invitation up for all North Texans to join us,” Henderson added.

Through its Closet Factory Cares program, Closet Factory DFW is honored to support Community Partners of Dallas, which provides what abused children urgently need today to thrive tomorrow. Founded as a nonprofit in 1989 as a way for the community to support the work of Child Protective Services (CPS) in Dallas County, Community Partners of Dallas brings together caring individuals, companies and organizations to meet the needs of 15,000 abused and neglected children annually. Community Partners remains the first and only nonprofit to address these specific needs in Dallas County through programs that have been replicated by more than 155 cities across Texas.

On November 18, the day of the Closet Factory Cares Fill the Bags for Kids event, Americans will recognize National Adoption Day, a collective, grassroots effort to raise awareness of the more than 113,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the U.S. National Adoption Day was first celebrated in 2000 as a collective effort by courts, judges, adoption professionals, and child advocates across the United States. Its goal is to raise awareness about the importance of adoption and to celebrate the joy of building families through adoption. Since its inception, National Adoption Day has grown into a nationwide celebration that has led to the adoption of thousands of children from foster care into loving, permanent homes.

ABOUT CLOSET FACTORY CARES

Closet Factory Cares is the non-profit organization of Closet Factory, the national leader in custom-designed organizational solutions. On February 9, 1983, Closet Factory opened its first location to provide custom closets, offices, entertainment centers, garage systems, pantries, bookshelves, and more that are custom-designed to meet the specific needs of the client. In North Texas, Closet Factory DFW is honored to work with Community Partners of Dallas, supplying the non-profit with new, high-quality duffel bags through the Bags for Kids program, and helping to lead initiatives to supply other much-needed items for the charity through its partnerships with the community.

For 10 years, Agape Resource & Assistance Center, Inc has successfully empowered homeless, women-led families to move from crisis, poverty, and abuse to fulfilling, self-sustaining lives by providing safe, stable, transitional housing and critical wraparound services. To ensure graduates stay housed and to provide housing they can afford, Agape is expanding its continuum of care with Jericho Village™, an innovative urban village of scaled income rental homes that will be built in Wylie, Texas. Jericho Village™ will provide stable homes not only for women-led families who graduate from Agape, but for other households who struggle each month to keep their families safely housed and viable. With $4.6 million in equity raised to date, Agape will break ground on the $9.6 million rental housing project within the next six months.

Located on 2.46 acres, building on the success of Agape’s transitional housing program, Jericho Village™ will feature a 38-unit urban village of income based rental homes, a community center, playground and on-site access to wraparound empowerment services to help vulnerable households attain and retain increased stability. 95% of the units will serve households earning 80% or less of Area Median Income (AMI) with 60% targeting households earning 50% or less of AMI.

“Just north of Dallas, Collin County is known for beautiful and safe suburbs, excellent public schools, and general affluence among its roughly one million residents,” states Janet Collinsworth, Founder and Executive Director of Agape Resource & Assistance and Jericho Village™. “However, statistics also show that there are an estimated 6,500 households that are one crisis away from homelessness and almost 75% of these households are women-led. It is important to address the need for affordable housing.

An ardent supporter of the new rental housing project, City of Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter says, “The Village fills a gap that people sometimes don’t think about. It can help people who have a job but struggle to make ends meet.”

Agape owns the land for Jericho Village, zoning is approved, and architectural and engineering plans have been completed and approved by the City of Wylie; the development is permit ready. Renderings of the project reflect the feel of community and stability envisioned for almost four years.

Jericho Village is being developed under a unique, self-sustaining model where cash flow from rents will cover the cost of operations and debt service. Funding to develop the project will be approximately 60% from equity and 40% mortgage debt. 

Agape will be able to achieve this unique capital structure based largely on the participation and generosity of a wide range of supporters including funded corporate and philanthropic grants; donations from board members, individuals, faith groups and corporations; pro-bono professional fees; and in-kind donations of construction materials, equipment, and supplies.

In October 2022, Agape was awarded an $860,000 challenge grant by The Mabee Foundation. To receive funding on this generous grant, Agape was required to raise an equity challenge of $1,310,659 by October 11, 2023. Agape is excited and honored to announce the Mabee equity challenge has been raised and The Mabee Foundation grant funds will be received when construction on Jericho Village begins. The Mabee Foundation grant is critical to Agape achieving our Jericho Village equity goal of 60% to allow the urban village to be self-sustaining.

There is strong philanthropic and corporate support including a $1 million grant from The Kaleta A. Doolin Foundation and grants from Texas Women’s Foundation, The Addy Foundation, The Hoblitzelle Foundation, Credit Union of Texas, Wells Fargo, and Charles Schwab Bank. Additional financial support will be provided by the LISC Black Economic Development Fund and Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation.

The Project’s professional development team are providing substantially all their services pro-bono including most notably the Domus Studio Group, Saigebrook Development, Maker Bros, LLC, RLK Engineering, Perkins Coie, Sutton Eldridge Engineers, Strand Architects & Engineers, London Landscape, Strut Interiors and Energy Bees.

Project viability and progress has also been greatly facilitated by The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Catholic Charities Dallas, the City of Wylie and its City Council, community leaders, and faith groups.

“Jericho Village is an innovative, replicable, self-sustaining housing model demonstrating how municipalities that intentionally include a component of income-based rental units in their city plan will more efficiently and effectively serve their residents and provide a just solution to housing in which individuals and families are proud to live and can afford, “ says Collinsworth. “It’s our vision that Jericho Village will provide a proof of concept for other communities in the future.”

For more information, visit www.jerichovillage.org or contact Janet Collinsworth at Janet@Hope4Agape.org. For the latest updates, follow Jericho Village on Facebook and Instagram.

ABOUT AGAPE RESOURCE & ASSISTANCE CENTER

Agape Resource & Assistance Center, a Collin County-based non-profit, provides housing and transitional services to homeless single women, moms and their children that empower them to move from homelessness and crisis to fulfilling, self-sustaining lives. 90% of Agape women are victims of abuse and violence, some from human trafficking. Agape provides safe, stable housing and transformational services that empower the women to achieve stability. More 75% of the families served graduate from Agape’s proven holistic transitional housing program with increased education, higher income, and better jobs ready to live within their means. Currently, the agency currently operates five housing units with 28 beds in East Plano, and plans to add four more housing units with up to 20 beds in the next six months. For more information, visit www.hope4agape.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Texas Woman’s University has selected a seasoned aviation professional to lead the university’s new Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences.

The university today announced that J. Clinton Grant will serve as director of the aviation program. Grant currently serves as Tarrant County College’s dean of aviation, business and logistics, which includes programming for prospective professional pilots and aviation maintenance, among other areas. He begins his role as director of the Doswell School on Oct. 23.

Grant, who himself is a pilot, has been in higher education since 2000 and has designed curriculum and led development in the area of pilot training at Tarrant County College. He has also held aircraft maintenance positions with major commercial airlines, beginning in 1988.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation technology and avionics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1988 and an MBA is business finance from the University of North Texas in 1996.

“Clint Grant has a wealth of aviation experience that spans both the academic and corporate arenas. His reputation will give the Doswell School instant credibility and put our aeronautical sciences program in a strong position to flourish as it recruits faculty and students and launches its inaugural year,” said O. Finley Graves, TWU’s interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “We couldn’t be more pleased with his hire. We know he will hit the ground running when he assumes his role as director.”

The university in May announced a $15 million grant from the Doswell Foundation to support the new aeronautical sciences program. The gift, the university’s largest from a foundation, will support faculty, equipment and scholarships.

Texas Woman’s is seeking approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to begin the aviation program in fall 2024. Upon launching the program, the university will seek Federal Aviation Administration approval. Texas Woman’s plans to offer a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Sciences with two tracks: one in professional pilot training and the other in aviation management.

The aviation program’s top goal is to produce more women commercial pilots. FAA-approved coursework will allow graduates to apply for a Restricted Airline Transport Pilot Certification, which reduces the number of flight hours required from 1,500 to 1,000. Graduates can become commercial pilots in less time with less expense.

About TWU: Texas Woman’s University is the nation’s largest woman-focused university system with campuses in Denton, Dallas and Houston. Founded in 1901, TWU has built a reputation on contributions in nursing, healthcare, education, the arts and sciences, and business. TWU’s inclusive culture prioritizes experiential learning, leadership, service, discovery and health and wellbeing, and national media have recognized the university as a top college for student-parents, veterans and social mobility. In 2023, TWU publicly launched Dream Big, a $125 million fundraising effort to support programming, equipment, scholarships and faculty. To learn more about the campaign or the university, visit dreambig.twu.edu or twu.edu, or connect with TWU on Facebook @TexasWomansUniversity, Instagram @txwomans, Twitter @txwomans, and LinkedIn @texaswomansuniversity.