"There is not an easier job in the world than that of a critic. Anyone can criticize. So if you want to be a good leader, criticize only when you have a better plan of action to offer. . .The World doesn't owe you a thing. But we owe it to each other to make this world a better place. . . It's not going to get better if we just complain about it. Instead, be the person who does something about it."
~ John Philp Thompson, Sr.~
Click on the organization below that most interests you in order to find out more about their cause, links, and contact information.
Board of Directors of Seeking New Performances (April 2002-present)
Co-Founder and Chairman of The John Philp Thompson Foundation for Research for Non-Chemotherapy/Non-Radiation treatment/cure for Brain Cancer (October 2002-present)
Board of Directors of Project Pallet (November 2002-present)
Steering Committe Member of The Suzanne Ahn, M.D. Speaker Endowment Fund for The Dallas Women's Foundation (December 2002-present)
Advisory Board Member of The Dallas International Development Committee (March 2003-present)
Now representing the needs and being the arm of action for 6,500 artists in Dallas County!
In the city of Dallas, you must be part of a group or organization in order to have your voice heard. This has been fine for the performing artists who are naturally part of a dance troup or theater group. But visual artists, (Whether they be architects, sculptors, electronic graphic artists, or the handweavers and spinners who design the fabrics that interior designers later utilize), all work independently by nature. The lack of these voices is why the Dallas arts district design does not include plans for the 6,500 plus artists who currently reside in Dallas today. The formation of The Visual Arts Coalition of Dallas is historical because it has enabled us to fit within the requirements of Dallas law and to therefore have a voice for the first time regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. As artists, we have come together and decided to consciously craft tomorrow's culture today. We are doing this by creating outreach programs to further enrich the arts education in DISD schools, creating an Advisory Board whose purpose is to lend guidance and recognizable voices in behalf of the needs of Dallas artists, uniting the P.R. reps from all member organizations into a strong cohesive force, creating alliances with organizations who share the dream of Dallas's evolving from a metropolitan city of international commerce into a city offering its own unique culture to the world, and creating "tours" for those who are art lovers so that they too can lend their voices of support while enjoying the greater art community of Dallas!
A non-profit dedicated to the unification of our soul's life purpose. Sanctuary promotes the embodiment of the spirit through the discovery of the unique compass that lies within us all. It offers personal sanctity to live life's purpose with a passion. It is about tranformation. Old programs can be effectively revised Each person is a Living Sanctuary, responsible for and represented by words, feelings and actions.
Our mission is to honor spiritual and physical rejuvenation, to promote effective human relationships and to facilitate clear, dynamic interpersonal communication. We introduce people to the world's top physicians, scientists, visionaries and humanitarians Our goal, through the re-education of our society, is for people to be motivated, accepted, and acknowledged in all aspects of life; to flourish, physically, emotionally and spiritually! There has been established a new place of consciousness in our world. We have been shown through the escalation of resent world events that our time is now! Sanctuary For Life offers sanctity, education, rejuventaion and the renewal fo spiritual embodiment!
Photograph at left was taken by Sherri Reed.
At Right: Paula Nemec, The President and Founder of The VACD, speaks about the progress being made.
Below:
Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk
Chairman/Founder of The VACD's Advisory Board, introduces new Advisory board members, CraigHolcomb and
Tim Levin.
At Far left:
Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk gives speech on the need for Dallas' influential to suport the artists of their city through The VACD..
At Immediate left:
Craig Holcomb,
Hector Garcia, OCA's Margaret Robinette, and VACD Vice-President/
Founder, Gwen Getto.
" Between her art, her community involvement, and passion for Dallas, Mary Ann has many wonderful things going! Our city needs someone like Mary Ann with such energy,
Responsible for bringing the Art Expo from New York to Dallas
My Father was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiform (brain cancer, level 4), almost two months ago. We were told he had only months to live. He has touched my life in ways beyond measure, but one of the greatest ways is that he told me as a little girl with a hearing loss, seizures, migraines, chronic asthma, different colored skin and a dream that I could achieve anything! I am not the only life he has touched...
Sometimes, it is so hard to see people like these Enron execs who screwed people over living completely healthy lives, when Dad must be the only CEO (7-11)I know who didn't give himself a million dollar retirement and buy lots of vacation homes, but instead gave greater retirement to thousands of people, college money to their children, and invited his employees to his family's shared vacation home as a heartfelt gift, and not a company perk. He is the man who took up his father's fight to make it legal for employees to own stock in the company they work for. Before he did this, it was illegal in our country. He is the man who spent 10 years working without payment, so that the red tape could be torn, and private and public hospitals could share research information without being accused of giving tax dollars(intellectual property) to private institutions. He is a man who truly exemplifies living to improve the world more each day.
He has never felt sorry for himself since this illness began. In our search to discover any possible hope, we have become amazed at the traditional medical world's lack of knowledge regarding brain cancer. In fact, Harvard is the only medical institution that requires alternative medicine and eastern medicine as part of it's medical school curriculum! The doctors have admited that radiation and chemotherapy have little or no effect on brain cancer, but because of lack of funding, little research has been done to find a cure that doesn't involve these traditional therapies.
My husband, Joshua Raymond Frenk, and I were engaged to be married during the time this fight for Dad's life began. It was Joshua who came up with the idea of creating a foundation to search for a non-radiation/non-chemotherapy cure for brain cancer. We realized that after being together for 5 years, we already had all the blenders and dishes we could ever need! So instead of registering for wedding gifts, we asked our friends and family to make a donation to The John Philp Thompson Foundationfor research for alternative therapies/cures for Glioblastoma. Dad has always lived his life turning negatives into positives, so we are trying to live by his never failing example!
For more information, contact our President, Craig Holcomb, at ffpark@flash.net
The purposes of Friends of Fair Park are to promote the year-round use of Fair Park; to support the Fair Park Museums; to encourage thoughtful planning for Fair Park's future; to preserve the buildings, art, sculpture, and related artifacts of the 1936 Texas Centennial.
Current Activities
Planning both the DART light rail stop at the Park's main entrance and a free intra-park shuttle service to take our visitors from the rail stop to their destinations.
Coordinating with the Park Department and the State Fair on a Master Plan for Fair Park.
Working with Aquarium supporters to restoreits accreditation and raise $6 million to expand and renovate the facility with a new exhibit about the Trinity River from its headwaters near Oklahoma through Caddo Lake to the flower fields in the Gulf of Mexico where it finally disappears.
Completing the restoration of the murals in the Agrarian area of Fair Park.
Recreating the statue Texas Woofus and preparingor the unveiling in 2002.
Past Accomplishments
Successfully pursued approximately $8.5 million in appropriations by the Texas State Legislature in the 1995, 1997,1999, and 2001 State of Texas budgets for restoration efforts in agrarian area.
Won approval of $4.8 million Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) grant funds to restore the Automobile and Centennial Buildings.
Recreated the 8 murals on the Automobile Building (1936 Varied Industries Building) destroyed by fire in 1949 and recreated the Fish Fountain at the enrance to the Women's Museum.
Coordinated efforts with The Science Place to obtain aroval from the National Park Service and the Texas Historical Commission for construction of the IMAX Theater.
Worked with a Privateundation to raise $30 million to restore the Hall of Administration and turn it into the Women's Museum.
Proud to be a member organization of the Visual Arts Coalition of Dallas!
The Mission of the TVAA is to encourage artists and promote art in Texas. We bring art together from diverse art disciplines in order to promote public awareness, lnvolvement and support for visual artists.
Shown above: Sculpture created by Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk titled "Buckminster's Galatea" most recently shown in Pillsbury Peters Fine Art Gallery, and originally shown in the 2001 Signiture Gallery at NorthPark Mall.
Project Palette promotes global peace through creative expression by fostering international understanding. Project Palette nutures peace through the arts by providing opportunities for public involvement and awareness of artists, in all fields of endeavor.
For more information, please contact our Founder, Julie Verschoyle.
I became involved with this group via a deeply felt friendship with an extraordinary woman named Dr. Suzanne Ahn. She is currently dying of lung cancer even though she has never smoked a cigarette and was an expert in the field as well as a national spokesperson against the pollution that causes lung cancer. She always "checks in on me" throughout the year, and took a personal interest in my endeavors. Having a woman of her quality of mind and heart continue to support my dreams in spite of her illness, is one of the greatest inspirations of my adult life.
She invited several friends to her home and played a harp in honor of the strength their friendship has given her in her fight against cancer. That is the type of person she is. She and her husband, Dr. Steven Hayes, decided to create "The Suzanne Ahn, M.D. Speaker Endowment Fund" in order to help the Foundation to attract the highest level of excellence in luncheon speakers in future years...this fund will give the loving spirit of Suzanne immortality as she continues to help other women like she touched me.
Mission
The Dallas Women's Foundation raises money, responsibly funds community programs that help women and girls realize their full potential, and advocates increased philanthropy by and for women and girls.
The Need
Women and girls are affected differently and disproportionately by most societal issues because:
1.) The way they are socialized.
2.) They bear and raise children.
3.) They generally live longer than men.
There is compelling evidence that programs designed specifically to address the unique needs of women and girls are more effective than "universal" programs aimed at general audiences. Yet less than 6% of all charitable foundation dollars donated nationally go to fund programs specifically targeted to help women and girls. Because of their impact on future generations, an investment in women is an investment in the helath of the entire community.
Accomplishments
Recieved contributions from more than 10,000 Dallas area invividuals and businesses.
Generated $7million for the DFW Endowment Fund.
Raised an additional $3.5million that has been distributed through grants to 350 Dallas-area non-profit programs, impacting more than 100,00 women and girls.
Established a highly visible annual luncheon attended by 1,800 business and community leaders. Featured speakers have included: Elizabeth Dole (1986), Coretta Scott King (1987), Jehan Sadat (1988), Rosalynn Carter (1989), Helen Hayes (1990), Barbara Jordon (1991), Dr. Ruth J. Simmons (1995), Paula Zahn (1996), Cathy Keating (1997), Patricia Schroaeder (1998), Mary Matalin and James Carville (1999), Pegy Fleming (2000), Lily Tomlin (2001), and Benazir Bhutto (2002).
One of the oldest and most successful of the 100 women's funds across the country.
Member of the Women's Funding Network and the Southwest Conference of Foundations.
