Pictured above is Rachel Currie Triska, Peter Jacobson and Randy Bowman.
By Juliette Coulter | Contributor
VolunteerNow held its 17th annual Hearts of Texas Luncheon on April 18 at the Arts District Mansion. Scott Murray, emcee, welcomed 300 guests and Board Chair Tracy Steiner kicked off the program saying, “Happy National Volunteer Month to all of you. Since 1971, we have mobilized more than 800,000 unique volunteers. Last year, we passed 500,000 volunteers in our VOLY database, connecting more people to more opportunities.” She thanked the many sponsors highlighting Lyda Hill for her support of VolunteerNow since 1986, and her support as our Presenting Legacy Sponsor.
Steiner also announced Annie Lois Hunt Bowman as the event’s Honorary Chair to a standing ovation. She thanked Chitra Raman for being the luncheon chair along with her fellow board members.
Next, VolunteerNow Board Member Peter Jacobson, grandson of the late Ruth Altshuler, presented the Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler Award for Excellence in Volunteer Stewardship to Community Partners of Dallas (CPD). He said “Community Partners of Dallas was founded in 1989as a way for the community to support the work of Child Protective Services in our county. Last year, CPD stewarded over 1,800 volunteers in support of their mission.” CPD serves more than 20,000 children. After a video was shown, Jacobson presented the award to Joanna Clarke, president and CEO of Community Partners Dallas.
Hillman Evans IV, VolunteerNow senior director of programs, and Rochelle Rodriguez, VolunteerNow partner relationship manager and VOLY trainer, presented the Tammy Richards Impact Award to Lewisville ISD. Rodriguez said, “In 2017, Lewisville ISD joined the VOLY family as one of our first educational partners serving 44,000 students. Since our partnership began, Lewisville has grown from a volunteer base of 69 to over 57,000. Their volunteers have logged over 170,000 hours, contributing more than $5.4 million in financial impact for the school district.” After the video showing Lewisville ISD’s impact, Lindsay Ayers, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the district, accepted the award. Evans added, “We are grateful to Superintendent of Schools Lori Rapp and Board President Jenny Proznik for being with us today.”
After lunch, VolunteerNow CEO Rachel Currie Triska introduced the organization’s video showcasing its tremendous impact. “Our hope today is that you leave inspired to volunteer. Volunteering matters. At last census count, researchers found American volunteers gave 4.1 billion hours of service to humanity. That is equivalent to more than 468,000 years of good being invested in communities in a single year.”
Randy Bowman was then introduced to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bowman is known as an innovator in law and business, building successful careers in both, including 17 years as president of the successful logistics company he co-founded. He has served Dallas for decades, including as chair of Parkland Foundation, Employee Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas and Impact Dallas Capital boards. But in philanthropy, he is best known as the founder, CEO and driving force behind AT LAST! – The Urban Boarding Experience (https://atlastboarding.com).
Born into an impoverished family, Bowman possesses a unique understanding and respect for the challenges faced by such families, and an acute belief that stability and home life resources are fundamental to enabling children to learn. On March 7, 2021, his idea manifested in launching AT LAST!, a weekday boarding experience for kids in poverty. Today, AT LAST!ensures that elementary school-aged children from impoverished families have the types of educational resources available to them during the home life portion of the school day that are available to children living in more prosperous households.
Bowman said, “My mother taught me that education is the key to a better life. I seek to honor her and the sacrifices she made to enable me to have this adult life. I do so through AT LAST!, which helps today’s similarly-situated moms access the educational resources necessary to enable their kids to have better adult lives.”
“My mother taught me that education is the key to a better life. I seek to honor her and the sacrifices she made to enable me to have this adult life.”
Randy Bowman
“Randy’s story, accomplishments, and heart for our community continually exhilarate me. He’s rooted for me. He’s challenged me. And he has always been there for me,” said his friend Chequan Lewis,
Cheryl Alston, executive director and chief investment officer, Dallas Employment Fund, VolunteerNow board member, presented Bowman with the award. “Randy’s mindset is focused on care for others – whether within business, his family, his community – he sees what’s needed.”
Gordon Keith, friend and host of The Ticket, moderated a fireside chat with Bowman, so that the attendees could get to know him. Bowman told about growing up in Pleasant Grove in a single parent home with few resources and in poverty.
Some takeaways:
· “You cannot have a better blessing than friends.”
· “Life is incredibly hard for impoverished children, but it’s important for you to see them as people.”
· “Don’t waste any opportunity—good or bad.”
· “My coaches saw something in me. They picked me up, covered my fees my mom couldn’t cover.”
Bowman told about AT LAST!, a weekday boarding experience for kids in poverty that he started in 2021. AT LAST!ensures that elementary school-aged children from impoverished families have the types of educational resources available to them during the home life portion of the school day that are available to children living in more prosperous households. He told of a few students who are going from flunking to an 84 average.
About VolunteerNow:
VolunteerNow was founded in 1971 as the Dallas Voluntary Action Center by four visionary leaders – Annette Strauss, Helen Boothman, Mitch Jericho and Jan Sanders – who knew how much the service of volunteers matters to the nonprofit community. Today, VolunteerNow is one of the nation’s largest volunteer centers, widely recognized for our impact in marshalling thousands of volunteers to strengthen more than 4,200 nonprofit organizations. Learn more at https://www.volnow.org.