Take a Bow
Dallas volunteers break bread in anticipation of major civic award
Since 1979, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has been recognizing individuals who epitomize the spirit of volunteerism with the J. Erik Jonsson Award. While we'll all have to wait until the big United Way Awards in May to discover this year's winner, the Ruth Sharp Altshuler Tocqueville Society met at its Second Tuesday Luncheon in the meantime to honor past recipients.
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas president and CEO Jennifer Sampson welcomed members to the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, along with Women of Tocqueville chair Kristy Faus.
Receiving some well-earned applause were Barbara Lord Watkins, Chuck Gummer, Sam Self, and Debbie Taylor, all previous awardees who were acknowledged for their work as outstanding volunteers.
Named for the co-founder of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, four-term Dallas mayor, and the first president and co-founder of Texas Instruments, the J. Erik Jonsson Award is the group's highest volunteer award. Candidates are nominated by United Way volunteers and staff, and the recipient is selected by an adjudication panel composed of past winners.
Keynote speaker Clarice Tinsley then took the audience through her four incredible decades at Fox 4, from covering international news to affecting local change through her reporting in Dallas.
Now more than 950 members strong, the Tocqueville Society — Ruth Sharp Altshuler Circle of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas aims to change lives through philanthropic leadership focused on the building blocks for a better life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, income that can support a family through retirement, and good health.