Wednesday, November 24, 2010

My List of Favorite Things, Oprah-Style (No giveaways though!)

I am thankful for a lot of things.  God, family, friends, my work, Community Partners of Dallas, and more, but for this blog I want to give you a list of the things that I love right now.  And yes, I know that it is wrong to love things, but I do love these things.  I bet some of you do too...

  1. The Today Show  I have been a loyal viewer for more than 20 years and I love Matt Lauer and Al Roker more than ever. 
  2. Artichoke Dip  It's a vegetable, right?
  3. Dr. Bronner's Bar Soap from Whole Foods  This soap is all I use.  I like a bar and this one does not dry out your skin.  I have tried all of the smells, but Lavender is the best and holds the scent until the very last sliver melts away.
  4. Tory Burch Cardigans  When I don't know what to wear, these are my staple.  Great with jeans and a t-shirt, as well as with a cute dress and heels.  I shop with Diana and Scott in HP Village.  Love them.
  5. The Original Cast Soundtrack to Rent  My favorite musical -- I can really belt this one out in the car or the kitchen.
  6. Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa)  Ina is amazing.  I have all of her cookbooks and I have never made a flop.  Her latest book called How Easy Is That? is fabulous.  The oven risotto is worth the price alone.
  7. DVR  This is my favorite current invention.  What did we do without them?  I know that I  watched a lot of TV before, but I must have been watching things I didn't like that much -- horrors!  Now I always have something wonderful to watch at my fingertips.  L. O. V. E.
  8. Lexus RX350  I have had three of them and I don't think I'll ever switch.  When my friend Maria Martineau Plankinton got her first one, she encouraged me to try it.  I told her that I didn't need a "Mom" car.  Maria uttered the words "It's not a Mom car, it's a shoppers car."  It is a Paige car now! 
  9. Popcorn  I love Garrett's cheese popcorn from Chicago, but really my favorite is my own:  Orville's Hot Air Popcorn popped in my hot air popper with real butter melted in the microwave (38 seconds), then tossed with Paula Deen's House Seasoning (I make it too and keep it in a shaker from The Container Store).  I eat this every night.
  10. Davines Love Shampoo and Conditioner  I get this at the Osgood O'Neil on Knox and believe me it really does help my extremely curly hair to behave.  I use Kerastase products too.  Hair products have really changed my life.
  11. Amazon.com  I order stuff from them at least weekly -- last night for a gift for a kid in our Toy Drive list who wanted the Glee Board Game to a book for a Christmas gift earlier this week.  I sprung for the 2-day unlimited shipping this year and have used the devil out of it.
  12. Oprah  An inspiring woman in every way.  Take the no texting and driving pledge, please!
  13. Hot Coffee and Iced Tea  Get me up in the morning and keep me going all day.
  14. Social Media  I really do love the Social Media Revolution and am trying to make sure that CPD embraces every opportunity to get the word out about our kids, Dallas County CPS Caseworkers, and our fabulous staff at CPD.

What are your favorite things?  Happy Thanksgiving, All!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Did you see it?

Did you see it?

I am talking about the recent 2-part Oprah Show with 200 adult males who were victims of childhood sexual abuse.  According to Oprah, this was the first time this ever happened on television.

The show came to fruition through an interview Oprah did with her friend Tyler Perry.  Tyler was sexually abused as a young boy by several men and a woman and he had the guts to talk about it with Oprah. 

The statistics say that 1 in 4 girls was sexually abused as a child, and that 1 in 6 boys was sexually abused.

Boys just don't talk about it.  And of course many girls don't either. 

Let them talk about it.

We let them talk at Community Partners of Dallas.  Every Tuesday night we provide sexual abuse group treatment for victims and their non-offending family members.  They talk about it. 

Last night one of the teen girls told her group that with their help she had finally mustered up the courage to call in a police report on her ex-boyfriend who had repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

Talking can heal.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Tips on Choosing a Non-Profit Board

The end of the year always gets me thinking about board service.  It is when our board at Community Partners of Dallas turns over and we begin the dance of saying good-bye to wonderful volunteers and hello to new ones.  I absolutely LOVE it!  CPD has the best board members in town.

As you may know, I serve as the President and CEO of Community Partners of Dallas, a medium-sized non-profit agency helping abused and neglected children.  I work with our board members every day to make sure our agency is working to "stop the abuse and start the healing" for kids in Dallas County.  I have also served on many non-profit boards in Dallas County, so here are my quick tips if you are considering board service:

1.  Believe in the mission of the agency.
2.  Make sure that you have the time to serve -- you must attend the board meetings, committee meetings, all the events, etc.
3.  Be ready to support them financially with a personally meaningful gift.
4.  Commit to soliciting funding for the agency from your friends, family members, and colleagues.  If you are not willing to do this, just say no. 
5.  Be willing to participate in leadership if asked.

Prior to joining a board be sure to:

1.  Educate yourself about what is required of board members -- time, talent, treasure requirements.
2.  Take a tour of the agency and meet with the CEO/Executive Director.
3.  Check out the other board members. 
4.  Find out if you like the executive staff.
5.  Make sure that the agency has board insurance.
6.  Look at their most recent tax return and financial documents.

If you are interested in board service, call the agency!  There are many, many agencies that need you.