For Mankind

Drinking quality bourbon benefits mankind at this Dallas event

Kevin Welch, Hunter Haygood, School of Bourbon

Drink bourbon to benefit the nonprofit Mankind at the upcoming Art of Making Whiskey.

Photo by William Neal

Editor’s note: This is the second article in a three-part series called the Art of Making Whiskey, which culminates in a special tasting event on December 1 with the award-winning Woodford Reserve bourbon.

At the upcoming Art of Making Whiskey event, attendees will learn how to drink — and appreciate — Woodford Reserve bourbon like a boss. But perhaps more important, 100 percent of ticket sales will go to Mankind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to prostate cancer research and awareness.

Mankind founder Eric Becker began the organization seven years ago, when his father-in-law was diagnosed with the disease.

“It was a shock to him and me as well,” Becker says. “I feel I am an educated person, but when he told me he had prostate cancer, there was a very somber mood in the room.”

At the time, Becker explains, there was little awareness about prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be more than 220,000 new cases in the United States this year, and more than 27,000 deaths will be attributed to the disease.

“I started Mankind because everyone knows about breast cancer, but nobody knows about prostate cancer,” Becker says. “A man is more likely to get prostate cancer than a woman is to get breast cancer, but pink is everywhere.

“Men think they can just fight through things and rarely go to the doctor. If they get regular checkups, they will find prostate cancer in time to help them live a normal life.”

Today, Becker’s father in-law is playing golf and living his life fully. “If the disease is found early, it can easily be beat,” Becker adds.

Routine checks are easy. Administered at the age of 40, a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test gives doctors a baseline number to see if a man needs more testing for the disease. Because prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of death in men in the United States, Becker stresses that awareness for is vital.

Mankind is a 501(c)(3) charity run entirely by volunteers. Additionally, 100 percent of funds raised goes toward awareness and financial aid for needy victims and their families.

Mankind understands that even with insurance, medical costs can become too much for some families to handle, which is why the organization helps those in need with co-pays, food, travel expenses, and more.

“Mankind cannot thank Woodford Reserve enough,” Becker says. “This [event] is going to help a lot of people.”

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Don't miss the Art of Making Whiskey on December 1, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at The Venue at 400 North Ervay. Purchase tickets here. And remember that 100 percent of ticket sales go to Mankind and its mission.

promoted drinks fundraisers

Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.