GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2018 79 THE VILLAGE GIVING CIRCLE TheVillageGivingCirclelaunchreceptionwasheldatthehomeof Shonn Brown, and raised more than $106,000, from over 40 founding mem- bers. Brown serves as chair ofTheVillage, and Lisa Montgomery serves as co-chair.  The mission of The Village Giving Circle is to honor, sustain and expand the legacy of African-American women’s philanthropy by funding organizations and initiatives that benefit African-American women, men and children in North Texas. Brown said, “Through The Village, we empower our members to combine resources so that we are able to award larger, more impactful grants to benefit African-American women, men, girls and boys, and our communities overall.” dallaswomensfdn.org/2016/get-involved/village-giving-circle  Photo Credit: DallasWomen's Foundation/Donna Dunlap Kailyn Senters, Kristyn Senters, MorganWills, ShawnWills and AvaWills Kennedy Beasley,Tiffany Dufu, Alicia Menendez, Rachel Simmons and Francesca Gilbard  DALLAS WOMEN’S FOUNDATION #BESTSELF 2018 At Southern Methodist University, DallasWomen’s Foundation (DWF) hosted more than 300 middle school and high school girls at the annual #BestSelf leadership event. A program of DWF’s Leadership Initiative, #BestSelf helped build future leaders by empowering young girls to be their best selves through programs that teach them about themselves, how to build stronger relationships, healthy approaches to conflict, and how to use their voices as they pursue gender equality. The participants heard from three keynote speakers: Rachel Simmons, Tiffany Dufu and Alicia Menendez.The participants commented that the most valuable lessons they learned were“try not to care what others think about you and be yourself,”and“it’s okay to fail as you learn from your mistakes.” dallaswomensfdn.org Photo Credit: DallasWomen's Foundation/JBeck Photography Diane Reeves, Vera Ingram, ShawnWills, Frances Cudjoe-Waters, Annika Cail, Lisa Montgomery, Christa Sanford and Shonn Brown goodTIMES PLANO MAYOR’S SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Inthemidstofadecked-outbowlingalley,Planoteenslearnedabouttrust,communica- tions and teambuilding, thanks to sage advice shared by Dallas Mavericks great Michael FinleyandtheexpertsatPinstack.Approximately125PlanoISDstudentsand14teacher externs – who are part of the 5th annual Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program – participatedinatwo-daytrainingsponsoredbyAllianceData. “Nomatterwhetheryou’re the first member of the team or the 15th, everybody has an important role on that par- ticular team to make it successful,”said Finely.“Never take for granted what you’re doing becauseeverylittlethinghelps.” InadditiontoteambuildingexercisesledbythePinstack staff, the teens and teachers competed in an AmazingRace-style test of skills and savvy. planomayorsinterns.org Photo Credit: James Edward Michael Finley with Ben Nelson (Alliance Data)