Summer mission

How to help this Dallas charity honor families of fallen American soldiers

Folds of Honor, fallen soldier, patriotic

Kids will receive scholarships worth $5,000.

Photo courtesy of Folds of Honor

A Dallas nonprofit's summer fundraising campaign has a very specific goal: to provide educational scholarships to 118 spouses and children of fallen and wounded U.S. service members.

It's a mission of the Folds of Honor North Texas chapter and being called, simply, "Operation 118."

The campaign kicked off Memorial Day Weekend and will continue through Labor Day. Independence Day, the patriotic holiday that falls in between, is a day when many Americans consider how they can support servicemen and women, organizers say. And the need is greater now than ever.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, charities like Folds of Honor are seeing higher demand for critical services along with uncertainty surrounding fall fundraising events. Folds of Honor typically holds a gala the Saturday of Veterans Day weekend every November.

“I know that North Texas is a giving community, and we will get through COVID-19 and continue to successfully live out our mission," says Sarah Duncan, regional developmental officer of Folds of Honor North Texas, in a release. "Folds of Honor has been supporting the loved ones of the fallen and disabled since 2007. Our hope is that during this critical time, people will — now more than ever — give and support our work through Operation 118."

For 13 years, Folds of Honor has given scholarships to the families of military men and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the U.S. armed forces. In 2019, they awarded 4,500 scholarships nationwide and 118 in North Texas. This year's target number of 118 in DFW was chosen to match last year's total.

Scholarships are worth $5,000 each and support tuition and tutoring for children in Kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as higher education tuition assistance for dependents and spouses.

The 118 spouses and children who receive the scholarships will be “legacy recipients” — those who received scholarships last year and plan to continue their education in the 2020-2021 school year.

"With the support of the community, Folds of Honor North Texas can continue to help equip and educate the loved ones of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice through the Operation 118 campaign," Duncan says.

For more information and donations, visit the Folds of Honor website.

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happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports

Summer mission

How to help this Dallas charity honor families of fallen American soldiers

happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

This is the income it takes to be middle class in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2026

Scenic Dallas-area campsite named one of America's best in 2026

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Dallas than it did last year