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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sticker shock

This is how much Texas gas prices have soared since last year

Close-Up of Woman Paying For Gas With Credit Card

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Dallasites who are feeling the sting at the gas pump aren't alone: Residents all around Texas are seeing soaring prices for regular and diesel fuel in 2026.

In fact, the Lone Star State has seen the fifth-highest percentage increase in gas prices in the country from April 2025 to April 2026, a just-released SmartAsset study has found. The current cost of a regular gallon of gas is 36.1 percent higher now than it was a year ago, and diesel is 60.9 percent more expensive.

The report, "Gas Prices Hit Records in 2026: State by State Breakdown," compared average gas prices from AAA from April 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026 and calculated the one-year change across all 50 states. The study looked at the price of a gallon of regular, premium, and diesel.

According to AAA, the cost of a regular gallon of gas in Texas at the start of April was $3.77, and premium is $4.62 per gallon. Diesel ticked over $5 a gallon — ouch — at $5.11.

Regular and diesel prices in Dallas are even costlier. A gallon of regular costs $3.89 at some Dallas-area pumps, and diesel is $5.19 per gallon. AAA says the highest recorded average price for gas in the city was in June 2022, when a gallon of regular cost $4.837 and diesel cost $5.476.

In Fort Worth and Arlington, current prices for a gallon of regular are $3.79, $4.57 for premium, and $5.09 for diesel.

Though Texas' gas prices are continuing to climb, it ranks 35th in the national ranking of states with the highest cost for regular gas as of April 2026. Texas' diesel prices are the 14th highest nationwide.

With the national average price for gas at $4.06, SmartAsset said the sudden surge in prices can be attributed to the United States' war on Iran, and "subsequent pressure on the Strait of Hormuz."

"Many states have experienced a 33 percent year-over-year increase in the cost of a gallon of regular gas – and in some places it’s even higher," the report's author wrote. "Commercial and public programs may be feeling similarly pinched, with diesel prices upwards of $6.00 per gallon in many states."

California currently has the highest average price for regular and diesel — $5.89 per gallon and $7.52 per gallon, respectively.

Arizona leads the nation with the highest one-year increase in gas prices. Regular gas in the Grand Canyon State is nearly 38 percent more expensive than it was last year, at $4.70 per gallon, and diesel is about 69 percent higher at $6.04 for a gallon.

The state with the cheapest gas prices in April is Oklahoma, where regular costs $3.27 per gallon, premium is $3.97, and diesel is $4.49.

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