eConnection
Community Newsletter | December 2021
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2022 Pot of Gold Luncheon:
Keynote Speaker Announcement
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Help Rainbow Days celebrate 40 years of service at our 25th annual Pot of Gold Luncheon!
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We are thrilled to announce that the 2022 Pot of Gold Luncheon on Friday, April 29, will feature keynote speaker Caylin Moore!
Celebrated author and inspirational speaker Caylin Moore invigorates audiences with wisdom from his journey of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles to striving to leave the world better than he found it. His against-all-odds journey from the cruel poverty of a gang-ridden Los Angeles community to becoming a Rhodes Scholar is detailed in his acclaimed book, A Dream Too Big: The Story of an Improbable Journey from Compton to Oxford. His work has been featured by Good Morning America, Sirius XM Radio, ABC News, NBC LA, Home and Family, Hallmark Channel, and The 700 Club amongst other media outlets. His book was named a Good Morning America Anchor’s Favorite Books of 2019, was an Amazon Bestseller in Sociology of Urban Areas and came out in paperback in June 2020.
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Family Connection Spotlight:
Holly Jolly Holiday
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On Dec. 11, our Family Connection team was thrilled to host 240 children and parents from local homeless shelters, domestic violence centers and extended-stay motels for a day of holiday fun and family bonding.
At our 2021 Holly Jolly Holiday event, children and parents enjoyed lunch, carnival games, arts and crafts, visits with Santa, a petting zoo and holiday karaoke. Each child received a new coat and blanket as well as toys and gifts their parents personally selected for them. Finally, all members of the family — from infants to parents — received stockings filled with holiday treats, toiletries and other necessities.
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Thank you to everyone who helped make Holly Jolly Holiday possible! Rainbow Days would like to recognize the following donors, volunteers and supporters for their generous support of the families experiencing homelessness who benefited from this project:
- Lovers Lane United Methodist Church
- The Rees-Jones Foundation
- Lady ADA's of the Dallas County District Attorney's Office
- Insperity
- Varonis
- National Charity League
- Young Men's Service League
- Bank of America
- PepsiCo / Frito-Lay
- Toys for Tots
- Prince of Peace Catholic Community
- Amazon Wish List Donors
- And all of the individuals who supported Holly Jolly Holiday through financial gifts, in-kind donations of toys and stockings, and volunteer hours!
We could not have done it without you!
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Community Connection Spotlight:
Holiday Deliveries
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Our Community Connection team had the joy of giving little gifts of holiday cheer last week to kick off winter break. Sweets, surprises and merriment were provided to 1,205 students in 16 schools and community-based sites in Dallas, Richardson and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISDs.
As the saying goes, "big things come in small packages," as demonstrated by the big smiles, exuberance and delightful expressions of joy shown by students across the community.
Our team was also able to spread joy to Community Connection's hard-working and invaluable school contacts, counselors and liaisons with individual gifts and goodies.
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Spread Hope this Holiday Season |
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Amidst this holiday season and as we prepare to enter the new year, Rainbow Days is thankful for your generosity in support of our organization and the children, families and communities we serve.
Whether they are growing up in poverty, living with food insecurity or homelessness, or witnessing family violence or substance abuse, these kids are in desperate need of the hope and support provided by Rainbow Days.
This holiday season, we ask you to consider making a gift so we can continue to spread hope, joy and peace to the children we serve. Between now and the end of the year, your impact will be doubled as a generous donor will match all gifts up to $30,000.
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Target Circle Giving:
10 Days Left to Vote!
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Did you know you can give back and support Rainbow Days while doing any last-minute holiday shopping at Target? There are just 10 days left to vote for Rainbow Days!
After every participating purchase at your local DFW Target before the end of the year, you can vote for Rainbow Days using the Target app and help direct Target's giving to benefit our agency! For program details and restrictions, visit Target.
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Rainbow Days Training Spotlight:
Upcoming Offerings
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Rainbow Days Training is looking forward to virtually hosting our first Curriculum-Based Support Group (CBSG®) Program Facilitator Training of 2022! Online registration is NOW open for the Jan. 25 + Jan. 26 session, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. both days.
Additionally, we are excited to announce the release of the 2022 revised editions of Rainbow Days' Kids' Connection and Youth Connection curricula! Pre-order purchases can be made through Jan. 14 for a 30% discount off the regular price. Curricula will be shipped in February 2022.
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Earlier this month, at our annual board and staff holiday luncheon, Rainbow Days recognized one board member and five staff members for their years of service and commitment to our agency. Thank you to the following individuals for their contributions to Rainbow Days!
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Sarah Clifford, Board Member – 5 years
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Kelly Wierzbinski, Director of Family Connection – 25+ years
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Cindy Wright, Director of Community Connection – 25 years
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Kathy Daley, Former Director of Training – 20+ years
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Robert López, Community Connection Specialist – 20 years
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Rocío Rodríguez, Community Connection Specialist – 5 years
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