Charity Profile

YWCA Nurse-Family Partnership fosters strong starts for teen mothers

The Nurse-Family Partnership program at the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas provides a strong foundation for young mothers.

Photo courtesy of YW

Eighteen-year-old Angelica Rodriguez was not supposed have this life. Pregnant at 13 with little support and even fewer opportunities, Angelica joined the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas’ Nurse-Family Partnership — a program that pairs a licensed nurse with a teen mom for 60 home visits over two years — through which she met Holly.

“Holly taught me everything — like what was happening with my body, that I should read to my son every day to help him build his vocabulary and how to keep control of tense situations with my family,” says Rodriguez, who fast-tracked high school and graduated with her associates in science.

Now she is pursuing a nursing degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. Rodriguez’s son, Sebastian, is also a star student — already reading in both English and Spanish at only 5 years old.

According to Jennifer Ware, CEO of the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas, currently 286,000 women and girls live in poverty in Dallas County, and that number is expected to increase by another 100,000 by 2020. Programs such as these address poverty where it starts: in the family.

Vote now for the YWCA Nurse-Family Partnership— or any of the other worthy local nonprofits — in the CultureMap Charity Challenge.

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Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to support the outstanding work of the YWCA.

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Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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