This ‘n Data

ARLINGTON FIELD OF HONOR WILL BE OPEN FROM SEPT. 3-12

The Arlington Field of Honor, a local event created by the Arlington Veterans Park Foundation to commemorate Patriot Day, will be open to the public from Sept. 3–12 at Veterans Park (3600 W. Arkansas Lane).

On the 21st anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, the Arlington Field of Honor will be marked by a solemn formation of American flags, purchased by local citizens to honor victims, military members, veterans and first responders.

“The Stars and Stripes reminds us of who we are as a people,” says event spokesperson April Pettitt. “The United States flag represents our solidarity in creating a brighter tomorrow and uniting us all.”

For more: arlingtonfoh.org.

ALTRUISM IN ACTION: NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY IS SET FOR SEPT. 22

North Texas Giving Day is set for Sept. 22, and this year’s bar for philanthropy is high – in 2021, some 7,600 gifts totaling more than $2.2 million were donated to 158 Arlington-based charities, exceeding the 2020 total contributions by nearly $100,000. In all, nearly $67 million were raised for nonprofits across North Texas during the 18-hour online giving event, which is coordinated by the Communities Foundation of Texas. To prepare for this year’s event, the Communities Foundation of Texas kicked off the region’s 2022 North Texas Giving Day activities with a training event held in June at Texas Live! Tuesday morning. Almost four hundred people attended to hear firsthand the ins and outs of this year’s fundraising extravaganza.

The sold-out event was designed to help the region’s charitable organizations prepare for this year’s events and to ensure they are ready to fully leverage NTX Giving Day, the largest community-wide giving event in the nation.

The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation will be awarding 21 bonus grants totaling $115,000 to Arlington-based nonprofits that participate in NTX Giving Day this year: 14 Time Block Grants of $5,000 totaling $70,000; two People’s Choice Awards of $10,000 totaling $20,000; and five random drawings for $5,000 totaling $25,000.

Created by the Arlington City Council in 2007, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation is dedicated to contributing to a Thriving Arlington by supporting causes that benefit our citizens and enhance the natural surroundings and lifestyle of our city.

For more information or to register your business for North Texas Giving Day, visit northtexasgivingday.org. RAISE YOUR HAND if you knew that John Burkett pitched a complete game to lead your Texas Rangers to a 6-2 win over the New York Yankees in 1996, marking the club’s first postseason victory.

Arlington By the numbers

22.8

The length, in miles, of Green Oaks Boulevard, which loops the city.

Source: wikipedia.org

218,000

The size, in square feet, of The University of Texas at Arlington’s College Park Center.

Source: uta.edu

$1,300

The approximate amount each resident doesn’t have to pay in annual taxes because of tourism tax revenue.

Source: arlington.org

14

The number of acres comprising Champions Park, which has over a dozen eateries and retail facilities.

Source: arlington.org

#atpetofthemonth

This is Penny the cockapoo. She is now 11 weeks old and a ball of fun!

– Kathryn Klempnauer

IF YOU CRAVE TACOS, THIS CONTEST IS ‘YOUR THING’

Through Sept. 20, a dozen local restaurants will be offering specialty recipes in a bid to persuade you to deem them the makers of “Arlington’s Favorite Taco.” The list of competing eateries includes Damian’s Cajun Soul Café, J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill, Hayter’s Bar and Lounge, Hershey’s Palace Pizza Wangs and Thangs, MillsMade Barbecue, Prince Lebanese Grill, Roadrun’r Exotic Cereal Bar, Smoke’N Ash BBQ, The Cartel Taco Bar, The Original Chop House Burger, Tic Taco and Ventana Grille. Really hungry voters can visit all the places to win prizes.

To vote, visit:

OPEN ARMS CLINIC TO HOST CONCERT BY VOCAL MAJORITY

Vocal Majority, the renowned musical ensemble that takes a cappella singing to a whole new level, will perform at 7 p.m. on Sept. 17 at Trinity United Methodist Church (1200 W. Green Oaks Blvd.).

Proceeds from the event will support Open Arms Health Clinic, which offers healthcare, counseling, health education, social services and other vital resources to help patients gain control of their health and their lives.

The Dallas-based Vocal Majority is a men’s chorus of 100-plus volunteer musicians who have performed throughout the U.S., Canada and the UK. The VM is non-profit Barbershop Harmony Society chapter and 13-time Gold Medal winners in BHS chorus competitions, with its most recent win in 2018.

Tickets for the concert are $25. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. To order tickets, visit

ARLINGTON TOMORROW FOUNDATION APPROVES GRANTS FOR FOUR LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS/PROJECTS

The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation Board of Directors last month approved four grants totaling $323,440 to Arlington nonprofit organizations, City of Arlington departments and neighborhood groups for projects that help the public. The grants went to the following:

Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds: $90,000 -

Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds Corporation restores, protects, maintains, educates the public, and shares the historical cemeteries located in the 600 block of West Arkansas Lane, between Center Street and Matlock Road. The grant will fund the final phase of the Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds project, which involves making the site safe and appealing for visitors.

Arlington ISD Foundation 2023 Back to School Kick

Off: $20,000 - The AISD Back to School Kickoff provides backpacks filled with supplies to over 10,000 AISD students from low-income households each year, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Arlington Museum of Art’s A Knight’s Tale Exhibit

and Website Upgrades: $190,940 - Recently, the Foundation awarded a $149,500 grant to the museum for its current Legends of Disney exhibit. This new grant for the museum’s A Knight’s Tale exhibit will include armed horses, full sets of armor, and a transformed space to feel like the visitor is in a castle. Featuring over 120 Renaissance artifacts, armor, and paintings from Europe. A Knight’s Tale exhibition will open Oct. 21 and run through Feb. 12.

River Legacy Foundation’s Here Be Dragons – From

Legends to Lizards Exhibit: $22,500 - The Foundation’s grant is for the center’s next visiting exhibit, “Here Be Dragons – From Legends to Lizards,” which runs Dec. 3 to March 25. This exhibit will showcase lizards, reptiles, serpents, dinosaurs, and even mythical dragons. The spirit of the exhibit will delight, engage, inspire, and educate children and their families by making connections between living breathing animals and those of fanciful folklore.

CORRECTION

In the August issue, some contact information in the All Star profile for Women’s Health Services was incorrect. The practice’s offices are located at 1001 N. Waldrop, Suite 505, and at 5005 S. Cooper, Suite 275. The phone number is 817-277-9415.

WOMEN INSPIRING PHILANTHROPY REACHES $1 MILLION MILESTONE IN CHARITABLE GIVING

What started 10 years ago as a small group of charitably minded women has grown into a powerful giving circle that has reached the milestone of $1 million in grants to support causes throughout the Arlington region.

Women Inspiring Philanthropy (WIP) is a community of women that seeks to transform lives in Arlington through high-impact and lifelong giving. WIP aims to educate members about local philanthropic opportunities, empower members through grant making, and engage women through social events.

“In 2012, six of us met for lunch to discuss the idea of pooling our giving to make a bigger impact. We agreed that our giving circle had to make an impact, to contribute to a legacy, and to have fun in the process,” says Linda Dipert, founding member of Women Inspiring Philanthropy.

Over the past 10 years, more than 220 members have made annual gifts of at least $1,000 and pledged their time and insights to the grant-making process. By pooling their charitable dollars, their combined impact is greater than any one member could achieve alone.

“There’s strength in numbers,” notes Amy Cearnal, current WIP President. “Women Inspiring Philanthropy empowers our members to be part of something bigger than themselves. We provide a platform to build a much larger network and impact.”

WIP works with North Texas Community Foundation (NTCF) to steward their group’s pooled donations in a donor-advised fund. Members recently extended their philanthropic reach by establishing a second endowed fund at NTCF that has netted an endowment of $200,000.

WIP members consider funding proposals in the areas of culture, education, environment, family, and health and wellness and collectively decide where to invest funds. In 2022, WIP members voted to invest $50,000 in the University of Texas at Arlington’s Planetarium for equipment, software, and new shows. They also awarded $52,500 to Alliance for Children for FF&E, appliances, and AV equipment, and $50,000 to Dental Health Arlington for the expansion of the SMILES program for dental education and preventative services for Arlington ISD 4th graders.

New members are welcome to join by making a donation to the fund. The next membership meeting is scheduled for Sept. 15 (from 5-7 p.m).

For more: arlingtonwip.org.

2023 COLLEGE BASEBALL SHOWDOWN SET FOR FEB. 17-19

The 2023 College Baseball Showdown is coming back to the Home of the Texas Rangers on Feb. 17-19, 2023. The three-day tournament features six college baseball programs from the SEC and Big 12 Conference.

The kickoff to college baseball season features matchups between the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference powerhouses. Big 12 Conference members TCU, University of Texas and Oklahoma State University will face Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Missouri from the Southeastern Conference to kick off the college baseball season at Globe Life Field.

Five-of-the-six programs in the 2023 lineup advanced to the postseason in 2022, with University of Texas and Arkansas both advancing to the College World Series.

For more: GlobeLifeField.com/ Showdown.

3 Scoops

1. Arlington residents can apply for a passport at the Arlington Public Library’s Passport Acceptance Facility located at the George W. Hawkes Downtown Library (100 South Center St.). The Passport Acceptance Facility is an online appointments-only system. To make an appointment, visit whos-next.com/

uslibraries/appointments/

app/arlingtontx/.

2. Taste Project and the City of Arlington are partnering to bring the nonprofit’s pay-what-youcan community restaurant concept to Cooper Street, just north of The University of Texas at Arlington, by early 2024.

3. Medical City Arlington has been recognized by Healthgrades as a recipient of the Labor and Delivery Excellence Award™ and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award™. Medical City Arlington also received a 5-star rating for patient outcomes in vaginal delivery and C-section delivery.