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CBS News
09-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
North Texas organizations partner to remove financial barrier between teens and prom
Prom season has arrived in North Texas, but with the glitz and the glam comes a hefty price tag. The price of a prom dress alone can range from hundreds to even thousands of dollars, but local organizations have come together to remove that financial barrier, hoping to ensure every teenager in Dallas-Fort Worth has a chance to have the prom night of their dreams. For 10 years, Comerica Bank has partnered with local non-profits to set up free prom dress boutiques featuring more than 7,400 dresses for teens to shop from. This year, they hosted three shopping events at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Dallas CASA and Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County. Shawn Wills, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs Collin County, said the events are set up like department stores to allow teens the opportunity to shop for and try on multiple different dress styles and options. "Prices are so high these days and this gives parents an opportunity to check something off their list, to come in and help their daughters and granddaughters or nieces to look for a beautiful prom dress," Wills said. In addition to the hundreds of dresses, LaToya Rowell, the Community Relations Manager for Comerica, said there are multiple tables filled with beautiful shoes and trendy jewelry to complement the dresses, all available at no cost. "They get a free dress, but I also think it boosts their confidence," Rowell said. "They get to see themselves in a dress they have never tried on before and for a lot of girls, this is the first time they are trying on a gala dress or a cocktail dress, so I think it gives them the confidence they need to see themselves in a different light." For Jojo Adrober, a student at Walnut Grove High School, the smile on her face says it all. "It feels really good to have so many people here to support me and help me find the perfect dress," she said. "When we are supporting (the teens) and supporting all of their dreams and ambitions it just makes them smile," Wills said. "And having a community that wraps their arms around our teens and lifts them up in a way that makes them feel special on such a special day is amazing." This year, Comerica had so many dresses donated to the North Texas Prom Drive Program that they still had dresses left over after three successful weekend giveaway events. They donated the remaining dresses to a non-profit in Dallas, Viola's House, where teens in need of a free dress can pre-register for a shopping appointment at this link .
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A school champion & a pioneering port leader are Kennewick man, woman of the year
Kevin Veleke, a long-time champion for local schools, and Sue Frost, a philanthropist and pioneering port executive, were honored Monday as the 2024 Kennewick Man and Woman of the Year at a sold-out banquet at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick. Kennewick Man and Woman of the Year honors civic leaders who live or work in Kennewick for their contributions to the community. Lawrence Scott, for whom the park was named, was honored as the first Man of the Year in 1946. Blanche Dickinson Pratt, founder of the East Benton County Historical Society, was the first woman, honored in 1948. The most recent honorees were Brian Ace of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton-Franklin Counties, and Theresa Roosendaal, who created the nonprofit B5 to support immigrants and refugees. Veleke is an enduring champion for both Kennewick schools and for local veterans, according to organizers. Veleke was raised in Seattle but spent his career in Kennewick after attending Washington State University. He briefly managed a Western Basketball league, but began working for a local insurance company after it folded. Nominators said Veleke was the go-to person to take on projects to benefit the community. For eight years, he led citizen campaigns to pass bonds and levies to support the Kennewick School District. 'The bond and levy committee needed someone who could lead a large volunteer organization and who was also willing to knock on doors and raise flags and banners on street corners,' said Kirk Williamson, 2000 Kennewick Man of the Year and organizer of the continuing program. Veleke continued to support school funding requests long after his formal association ended. Tri-City Herald archives are peppered with letters supporting various school funding requests. 'Good schools are good for communities. A good community is where we want to live,' he wrote in a letter co-signed by his wife, Dianna, in 2023. 'As retired citizens living in Kennewick for over 45 years and having raised our three kids here, we urge all voters within the KSD boundaries to vote Yes, whether you have kids in schools or not.' He is credited with supporting a broad range of organizations, including sports group. He was credited with wrangling community organizations to repair the Regional Veterans Memorial in Columbia Park when the lighting system failed. Rotary clubs, city officials, the Army Corps, American Legion and the Pasco branch of Combat Wounded Warriors joined the effort, along with civil engineers and electricians. When the work was done on both the Regional and Vietnam memorials, he orchestrated re-dedication ceremonies. 'Kevin Veleke is exactly the kind of person who deserves this honor,' nominees wrote. Sue Frost, formerly Sue Watkins, has worn countless hats since she moved to the Tri-Cities as a teen 1950: Wife, mother, volunteer, farm owner, the country's only female port manager, philanthropist. She joined the Port of Kennewick in 1976 as an administrative assistant to Art Colby. She succeeded her boss three years later when he retired, which caught the attention of The Oregonian newspaper, which reported she was 'believed' to be the only woman port manager in the United States. She was 32. She was a novelty in a male-dominated industry, but told the Portland newspaper it didn't affect her ability to conduct business. Still, she observed, 'Every time you open your mouth you have to prove that you can think.' It was a pivotal time for the port, which had its offices on Clover Island then as it does now. With Colby's blessing, the island served as a launch point for the countless concrete and other construction vehicles involved with building the iconic cable bridge. Frost bore witness to the project from start to finish. Mid-construction, she toured the partly built structure. At the bridge's 40th anniversary, praised the civic leaders like Ed Hendler and Art Colby for creating something special, saying she was proud of the skyline-defining bridge. She would serve as the port's manager until she retired in 1997, Herald archives show. Before then, she met her future husband, F. Daniel Frost, while taking him on a tour of industrial property for his food processing plan. The California attorney would begin several successful businesses, including Cascade Columbia Foods. The couple were among Kennewick's most generous philanthropists, supporting any number of causes until his death in 2015 at 93. Frost was nominated by Marilee Eerkes, a neighbor in the Canyon Lakes area who credited her with quietly identifying community concerns and finding solutions. In one case, she equipped her property with fire equipment after the 2018 Bofer Canyon fire destroyed and threatened homes in the area. The neighborhood is now much safer, Eerkes wrote. She is credited with providing scholarships to local students who are the first in their families to attend college, and with being an integral part of the committee that built the Kennewick Boys and Girls Club. She is also interested in Boy Scouts, veterans issues and establishing a recovery center at the former Kennewick General Hospital. 'She doesn't seek acknowledgment, rather she uses her treasures and time to create a positive impact in the community she loves,' Eerkes wrote.
Axios
31-01-2025
- Business
- Axios
Council member Fred Durhal launches Detroit mayoral campaign
City council member Fred Durhal III launched his campaign for mayor Wednesday night, with supporters painting him as a hands-on civil servant whose Lansing history would benefit his hometown. The big picture: Durhal wants to continue "restoring the promise of our city," while creating paths for homeownership and financial empowerment, he said in a speech at the west-side Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan facility. Zoom in: Durhal targeted areas like affordable housing, community violence intervention, regional transit and rebuilding commercial corridors. "I'm unapologetic about development … We need to continue to build the development that helps us build the jobs and build our tax base here, so we can put that money back into our neighborhoods," Durhal said. Plus, multiple speakers called out Durhal's ties to Lansing, where he was a state representative from 2015-2019. Tim Greimel, the mayor of Pontiac and a former state representative, said at the event that Durhal was "incredibly effective working with both Democrats and Republicans to bring enormous amounts of resources back home to Detroit." Zoom out: Other prominent names running for mayor include City Council President Mary Sheffield and former council president and nonprofit CEO Saunteel Jenkins.
