bigBang! 2011 Selects Innovators Working to Improve the Lives of Girls and Women to Represent the bigBang! EMPOWER Track
DALLAS – May 10, 2011 – bigBang! is dedicated to spotlighting the groups that are engaged in the pursuit of doing good in new ways that make more of an impact. Within the EMPOWER track, the featured groups are working to reach out to girls and women in North Texas who are in need of help. They are offering hope through creativity and a prospect of a better future through financial opportunities.
On June 16th in Dallas, the EMPOWER innovators will be spotlighted on the bigBang! Pitch Stage. They will have the opportunity to receive funding through a special bigBANG! bucks fund and their time on the stage will put these groups in front of investors, socially conscious businesses, philanthropists, foundations and social entrepreneurs who can help support these groups make an even bigger impact through their work.
The Innovators who will represent EMPOWER on the bigBang! 2011 Pitch Stage are:
ACCION Texas-Louisiana – The mission of ACCION Texas-Louisiana is to provide credit and service to small businesses that do not have access to loans from commercial sources, and to provide leadership and service to the micro lending field on a national level. ACCION helps entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, stabilize and increase their incomes, create employment, and contribute to the economic revitalization of their communities.
Latina Leap – LatinaLEAP, which stands for Latinas, Education, Aspirations and Path, is an online community in the development phase. It will be dedicated to providing young Latinas resources and connections that will guide them through their career path using mentoring relationships, matching young Latinas with successful business people across the country. This site will also connect young Latinas with each other, offering opportunities to create friendships and life-long contacts and partner with other organizations, schools and parents to create an additional level of support.
Letot Girls’ Center – An estimated 400 girls are on the streets of Dallas County any given night. To fully address the needs of at risk and exploited girls and their families in Dallas County, Letot Center will create a Girls’ Residential Treatment Center. Designed and developed specifically for girls ages 13 – 17. Treatment will address issues unique to girls – extreme abuse, prostitution and abandonment – through a highly structured, long-term residential program. When completed, it can serve up to 96 girls at a time. The land for the Letot Girls’ Center has been purchased and the Letot Center Capital Foundation has raised more than $2 million to date (out of $8.7 million needed) for the construction of the new facility.
Resolana is a community-based nonprofit with a mission of educating and empowering incarcerated women. Resolana has built a supportive social learning community behind the walls of Dallas County Jail where women can utilize their time in custody productively, acquiring skills and resources to help them successfully reintegrate with their families and communities. Resolana’s holistic gender- specific program is designed to address the core issues and risk factors underlying women’s substance abuse and criminal justice involvement.
Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation – The Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, Inc. (TMWF) was founded in 2005 with the mission to empower, promote, and support women and their families through education, outreach, philanthropy and social services. It is a multi-faceted organization that provides civic and other volunteer opportunities for the youth, provides education and interfaith dialogue to the community, which now reaches approximately 800 people each year. TMWF provides domestic violence programming and relief services specifically targeting an underserved population of Muslim women and children in the greater Dallas area that faces numerous barriers (language, culture, dietary) to accessing services.
The EMPOWER Track is being chaired by Dodee Frost Crockett and Cindy Engles. Dodee is a Managing Director of Investments and Wealth Management Advisor in the Merrill Lynch Premier Place office in Dallas and has been with Merrill Lynch more than 30 years. She leads a team of planners and advisors managing over one billion dollars for individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations interested in wealth preservation, growth and stewardship. She is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy and past Chairman of the Board of Dallas Social Venture Partners, a venture philanthropy fund supporting initiatives to assist education and children at risk.
Cindy Engles is a resident of Dallas but splits her time between California and Colorado. Her focus is on Philanthropy and enjoys her association with the Dallas Foundation and the Dallas Women’s Foundation. She is a member of Women Moving Millions, an organization that supports empowering women and girls around the world. She serves on the board of the St. Paul Foundation, on the auxiliary council for RoundUp River Ranch a Hole in the Wall Camp, is a Partner with Dallas Social Venture Partners and is President of the Texas Chapter of Esperanza y Caridad, a school for underprivileged children in Lima, Peru. The EMPOWER Track is sponsored by The Billy and Dodee Crocket Advised Fund at the Dallas Foundation and The Cynthia K. Engles Donor Advised Fund at the Dallas Women’s Foundation and endorsed by the Dallas Women’s Foundation.
Along with EMPOWER, the bigBang! 2011 Pitch Stage will feature innovators from three additional Cause Tracks: TEACH (issues with children and education), NOURISH (ventures with an emphasis on local food) and SERVE (outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility programs). All of the innovators will receive expert coaching and will employ tactics from the world of venture capital fundraising to make sure their “ask” is on target and well-delivered so that it hits home with an audience that is ready to help them put their plans into motion.
Details: bigBang! 2011
When: Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Union Station, 400 S. Houston St., Dallas, TX 75202
Who: Innovative nonprofit groups and socially conscious businesses, investors, philanthropists, foundations and social entrepreneurs
Why: 4 Causes + 20 Social Innovators x 1 Pitch Stage = Maximum Social Impact. bigBang! 2011 will offer a marketplace for individuals, foundations and businesses to window-shop and bump into the most innovative nonprofits and social entrepreneurs in our region creating an optimum environment for doing good in North Texas. How to Attend: Visit www.bigbangtx.org to register and get more information.
About bigBANG!
bigBANG! is a forum hosted by Dallas Social Venture Partners that brings together innovative nonprofit groups, investors, socially conscious businesses, philanthropists, foundations and social entrepreneurs. bigBang! strives to create positive impact in the Dallas-area and beyond through networking and the sharing of ideas and experiences.
About DSVP
DSVP is a partnership of professionals, social entrepreneurs and foundations who are committed to strengthening our community through the thoughtful application of collective dollars and business expertise. DSVP is comprised of 123 partners and works with a current portfolio of nine nonprofit investments to create positive social impact. For additional information, please call (214) 855-5520 or visit www.dsvp.org.
