SLANT 2011-2012 Kicks Off at H.O.P.E. Farm

The 2011-2012 SLANT: Service Learning Adventures in North Texas program kicked off with a bang at H.O.P.E. Farm in Fort Worth on Saturday, September 17.  Twenty-five boys from H.O.P.E. Farm and nearly 100 volunteers grabbed paint brushes, hammers, shovels and more to implement the service-learning project they designed.  With a goal to inspire a healthier, more active lifestyle, the youth spent the morning installing exercise equipment, landscaping, cleaning up trash and painting murals.  In addition to H.O.P.E. Farm, they also worked on projects at a nearby community center.

SLANT is designed to inspire youth to take up the challenge of improving their neighborhoods and communities in unique and creative ways.  Daryl Johnston, former Dallas Cowboys fullback and current FOX Sports analyst, continues to serve as the chair for the program and Bank of America has returned as the program sponsor.

Thank you to all of the partners who helped make this project a success:  Bank of America, H.O.P.E. Farm, Cooper Institute, Chicken Express-Fort Worth, Sherwin-Williams, Chameleon Chamber Group, City of Fort Worth, Kelsey Patterson, Willie Amos and Big Thought!

Get involved!  Register your team now at myslant.org.

Photo Friday: Summer Favorites

With the first week of a new school year coming to an end, we thought we'd reflect on some of the great things that happened this summer.  Thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, partners and teachers, we were able to provide quality summer programming for thousands of children and teens.  Through summer camp for elementary and middle school students (including Fair Park Live!, a day of interactive career exploration for middle schoolers), Creative Solutions and DallasKidsRead, these students were challenged to think creatively, achieve academically, make healthy choices and become productive, forward-thinking and engaged citizens.     Thank you to everyone who played a part in making summer 2011 a success!

Photo Friday: DallasKidsRead 2011

Dallas Kids Read 2011, presented by AT&T, took place yesterday at the J. Erik Jonsson Dallas Central Library.

Prior to opening the doors to the public, 1,300 Thriving Minds Summer Camp students spent the morning and afternoon interacting with award-winning children's authors and illustrators.  Students learned first-hand about the process behind taking a children's book from an idea to the bookstore shelves.  Along the way they asked lots of questions, collected autographs from their new idols, took home books for their home libraries, and smiled their way from school to library and back again.  The event served as a perfect ending to four weeks of summer learning, where children read, wrote and drew alongside teachers and artists at 17 Dallas ISD campuses.

Thank you to AT&T and to the other individuals and organizations who supported this event - American Airlines, Chef Doug Brown and Univision - as well as our partners at the Dallas Public Library, The City of Dallas and Dallas ISD!

Welcome to Ancient Egypt!

Today I had the opportunity to visit Choices Leadership Academy and attend their end-of-summer camp performance.  Over the past four weeks, 42 middle school students were immersed in the world of ancient Egypt.  They learned about the country's geography, history and culture through core academic studies in math, English, science and history.

Their culminating performance, called Journey Down the Nile, encompassed original music, dramatic performances and visual art on topics like the rulers and gods of ancient Egypt.

As part of the visual art component of the program, students created a giant, three-dimensional map of the Nile River and designed and hand painted the Egyptian themed shirts you'll see them wearing in the photo slideshow below.

Perhaps most enjoyable was the final scene - So You Think You Can Egyptian Dance, where students performed songs they had written about the lives of King Tut and Cleopatra.

Thanks to these talented students and their instructors for their thoroughly educational and entertaining performance!

Callie's Fair Park Live! Wrap Up

This summer, more than 1,800 Dallas ISD middle school students have been participating in the Thriving Minds Summer Camp at Fair Park. The mix of academic learning and exploration with the museums and institutions at Fair Park is re-thinking how students can learn during the summer.

On Thursday, July 21, the Tower Building was bustling with the energy of Fair Park Live! presented by Ernst & Young. Students walked the floor of a special kind of tradeshow to learn about careers and the importance of education. Along the way they interacted with professionals from 50 organizations on project-related tasks from industries including accounting, engineering, nuclear science, dentistry, airline transportation, law enforcement and publishing… just to name a few.

Many presenters met with students in small groups, which allowed them to receive individual attention, ask lots of questions, and learn by doing. Some of the flashiest displays that I saw included:
• Designing magazine covers with D Magazine
• Launching rockets and operating robots with Lockheed Martin
• Tinkering with lighting and sound equipment on a full technical stage from Alford Media
• Racing to put on a protective hazmat suit with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Learning geography and what it means to soar with American Airlines

Big Thought thanks Ernst & Young for their sponsorship and support of our first ever career event for middle school students, as well as everyone who made Fair Park Live! a vibrant and meaningful success.  Thank you also to our partners at UNT and to all of the professionals who shared their time and talents with these students.

Photo Friday - Summer Camp at the Bath House

Today's photos come from the Thriving Minds summer camp at the Bath House Cultural Center.                                                                                                                          
Over the last four weeks, 25 8- to 11-year-olds learned about visual arts, theater, puppetry, mime and melodrama and created an original show with eight unique scenes: 

• The History of White Rock Lake:  Told Through Mime
• Pet Shop Problems:  A Melodrama
• Bad Bank business:  A Melodrama
• Lunch at the Sunset Inn:  Stage Combat
• Who's On First:  Abbott and Costello
• Ice Cream Incident:  A Melodrama
• Hand Jive:  A Fifties Party and Puppets
• I Got a Feeling:  A Dance Extravaganza 

In addition to studying visual and performing arts, students pitched in to spruce up the area around the Bath House.  As you may remember, last year summer camp students auctioned off their original artwork to raise money to help keep White Rock Lake clean as part of their SLANT 45 project.  They raised more than $800, and this year students used those funds to renovate the outdoor amphitheater.                                             
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A big thank you to the instructors - Kineta Massey, Bonita Harthan, Julius Longshaw and Kent Williams - and our friends at the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs for making this camp happen!

Photo Friday - Ryan Neufeld at Moreno Elementary

Today's photos come from the two-week summer camp at Moreno Elementary.  On June 16, former Dallas Cowboy Ryan Neufeld and his wife Dawn stopped by to read to students and sign autographs.

Photo Friday: Conner Elementary Students Perform at Japanese Celebration

On Saturday, May 7, a group of Thriving Minds after-school students from Conner Elementary had the chance to perform their dramatic interpretation of The Cloudmakers, a kabuki-style theatrical performance, as part of the Crow Collection of Asian Art’s Japanese Children’s Day celebration.

Dallas City Council recognizes stars of SLANT 45 The Movie

On May 4, many of the stars of SLANT 45 The Movie gathered at Dallas City Hall for a special City Council recognition ceremony. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano acknowledged the students for their efforts to improve and give back to their communities through their SLANT 45 projects.

Representatives from Team Do Something Great of the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas, Team FROGs (Friends Reaching Our Goals) and the Clarke Cougars Anti-Graffiti team attended the ceremony and spoke about their projects and how they impacted their communities. They also received a certificate from Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Medrano and signed movie posters for each council member.

We applaud these teams (along with the thousands of other teams that participated in SLANT 45) for their creativity, dedication and hard work to transform their schools, neighborhoods and cities.

Click here to see a video of a portion of the ceremony filmed by Will's dad.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano congratulates Veronica Tovar of the Clarke Cougars Anti-Graffiti team with a high five.

SLANT 45 teammates, coaches and parents with Mayor Dwaine Caraway and members of the Dallas City Council.

Will Lourcey of Team FROGs (with teammate John-Thomas Bolger) explains the impact of his service-learning project to City Council members.

Photo credits:  Margarita Martin-Hidalgo

We’re excited to be part of One Man Dallas and Cadillac Cares Contest!

One Man Dallas is designed to encourage more men to volunteer with charitable organizations and engage in community projects that make our communities a better place to live and work. Held previously in Chicago and Minneapolis, One Man has come to Dallas to put the spotlight on men who can provide the inspiration for others to get involved.

One of our board members, Mark Melton, has been selected as Big Thought’s nominee. We are fortunate to have Mark as an advocate and supporter of Big Thought and the children we serve. Please help recognize Mark’s efforts by voting for him on the One Man Dallas website through May 19.

You can also support One Man Dallas by attending one of the free ‘Meet the Men’ happy hours:Tickets to the final event on May 19, where the winner will be announced, are available for purchase. Visit onemandallas.com for more information.

Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. at Park Place Mercedes Benz
Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at Nest on McKinney Avenue
Wednesday, May 4 at 6 p.m. at the Boardroom Salon
Thursday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at the Aloft Hotel 

Big Thought is also participating in the Cadillac Cares Contest, which runs through May 9. By ‘liking’ the Metroplex Cadillac Dealers’ Facebook page and casting a vote for Big Thought on their page, you can help us win a $50,000 advertising campaign to help us raise awareness about Big Thought’s mission. You can vote once a day every day between today and May 9!

Please share this information with your friends and encourage them to get involved! Thank you for your support as we strive to provide 100% of kids with the opportunity to think creatively, achieve academically, make healthy choices and become productive, forward-thinking and engaged citizens.

Photo Friday

This week's photos come from the premiere of SLANT 45 The Movie. The world premiere took place on Friday, January 28 at the Angelika Film Center in Plano, and the public premiere was held Sunday, January 30 at the Colleyville Cinema Grille. If you haven't yet seen the film, there are still plenty of opportunities left. Visit slant45.org/themovie for a list of locations and dates you where you can catch a FREE screening.

Filmmaker Mark Birnbaum arrives on the red carpet with Big Thought president/CEO Gigi Antoni and her daughter Analise.

Filmmaker Mark Birnbaum and producer Shelly Seymour take questions following the premiere.

FROGs team captain Will is interviewed by FOX 4's Clarice Tinsley as he arrives on the red carpet at the world premiere of SLANT 45 The Movie.  The FROGs collected more than 1,000 cans and raised more than $1,000 for the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Clarke Cougars team captain Veronica signs a movie poster at the premiere post party.  Veronica's team developed a program to clean up and prevent graffiti at their Fort Worth elementary school.

SLANT 45: The Movie celebrates local champions

With Super Bowl XLV just over a week away, there will soon be more than a few famous athletes and celebrities descending upon North Texas for the big game. On Friday, SLANT 45 will celebrate with some stars of our own – the champions of community service featured in SLANT 45: The Movie.

Veronica, Darius, Will, Madeline, Ariel and their respective teams show that no matter a person’s age or circumstances, he or she has the ability to transform their schools, their neighborhoods and their communities in powerful ways.

Along with more than 44,000 other participants, these youth have changed the face of North Texas for generations to come as a result of their creativity, ingenuity and plain hard work to improve their communities.

Tune in to FOX 4 at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 28 to see a live broadcast from the red carpet, and visit slant45.org/themovie to find a free screening at a theater near you.

Click here to view the trailer for SLANT 45: The Movie.

Join us for FREE SLANT 45 art workshops on Oct. 16!

If you've read our last few posts, you know that SLANT 45 is gearing up for the Community Heroes Art Exhibition, which will showcase the reflective art collages of SLANT 45 participants.  The art exhibition will be on display at NorthPark Center, D/FW International Airport and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History prior to Super Bowl XLV. 

Thousands of North Texans and Super Bowl visitors from around the country will have the opportunity to see these collages and the different service-learning projects they represent.

If your SLANT 45 team has not completed their reflective art collages (or if you aren't part of a SLANT 45 team but would like to create a collage depicting a secret act of kindness you've done) we'd like to invite you to join us for two free SLANT 45 art workhops on October 16.

Professional artists will be on hand at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History to lead the workshops, and all art supplies will be provided.  Admission is free, but you must RSVP by calling 469-621-8989 or emailing info@slant45.org.

For more information about the workshops, including session times, please visit slant45.org/art-exhibition.

SLANT 45 Patriots Welcome Home Heroes

Troops returning from overseas received a hero’s welcome from a SLANT 45 team and a former president as they stepped off the plane at D/FW International Airport yesterday.


The Collin County Patriots, a youth football team from Frisco, decided they wanted to show their appreciation for the hard work and sacrifice of our military. With help from the Welcome Home a Hero program, the Patriots planned a surprise welcome for the troops and handed out gift bags, bottled water and plenty of smiles and high-fives.

Honorary SLANT 45 chairs President and Mrs. Bush and SLANT 45 chairman Daryl Johnston were also on hand to shake hands and pose for pictures with some very surprised service men and women!

Photo Friday

Remember this post about SLANT 45 art workshops at the Dallas Museum of Art? Well, guess what: the first round of workshops has been completed, and some fantastic community service-related artwork came out of it! Here are just a few of the pieces created by participants at the July 16th "Late Nights at the DMA" event:



Mark your calendars for the next Late Nights workshops on August 20, September 17 and October 15. We'll see you there!

Photo Friday...on Monday!

It's not Friday but we still wanted to share photos of some of the kids at the Charles Rice Learning Center participating in the Thriving Minds Summer Camp, as well as some of the artwork the kids created. This camp was a joint partnership with South Dallas Cultural Center. Hope you enjoy!

Art + Community Service at the DMA

Join us at the Dallas Museum of Art for professional artist-led workshops for the whole family! There are sessions for SLANT 45 participants on Saturdays (see schedule below) which will allow kids to complete the reflective art component of the program in a variety of mediums - under the direction of local artists Lesli Robertson, Will Richey, and Jill Foley. Reflective art is required of all participants, so come out the DMA and let professional artists help your team create something to be proud of! Participants will also receive FREE admission to the museum.

There will also be special sessions for adults at the immensely popular Late Nights at the DMA. Visitors will be given the chance to create "Secret Service" postcards to highlight the unseen acts of kindness they've done or seen others do to better their community, with the help of artists like Sara Cardona, David Herman, Jr., Adriana Martinez and Ann Marie Newman.

The community service-related art will then be shared with all of North Texas as it tours alongside the SLANT 45 art exhibit (including pieces like these) from D/FW Airport to NorthPark Center to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and even a stint at the State Capitol. Mark your calendars with the dates below - we'll see you at the DMA!

Youth & Family Saturday workshops (RSVP at 469-621-8989):
July 17, 11am - 1pm
August 14, 11am - 1pm
September 18, 11am - 1pm
October 16, 11am - 1pm

DMA Late Night workshops:
July 16, 9:30 - 11:30pm
August 20, 9:30 - 11:30pm
September 17, 9:30 - 11:30pm
October 15, 9:30 - 11:30pm

Photo Friday!

These little kiddos are participants in the Thriving Minds after-school program at Mills Elementary School. Under the direction of their extraordinary staff, led by Site Manager "Miss Judy," these students put on a fantastic music and dance extravaganza at the end of the school year!

Rumor on the Street is...

...that TEDxSMU and TEDxKids are back - October 15 & 16. And they’re looking for creative types--artists, architects and designers--to submit ideas for a performance, installation or interactive-based project. The winning project will receive a $1,500 honorarium plus up to $7,500 for project fees, materials and resources. But time's running out…deadline is July 8. Check out the details at www.TEDxSMU.org/art-commission.

Team Sasha Strikes Again...

Remember Team Sasha, the inspiring children's basketball team from Plano? Yesterday marked their final delivery of thousands of Legos collected for their SLANT 45 project to Children's Medical Center in Dallas. The team rolled up to the hospital Monday afternoon with wagonloads and donation boxes full to the brim with more than 400 Lego sets for the patients and their families to enjoy. It was quite a spectacle to see those boys and their families surrounded by hospital staff and cameras galore as they piled their donations up in the entrance!

Team Sasha's members then headed up to the 10th floor of the hospital to receive words of thanks from Dr. Bowers (Sasha Ohotskiy's doctor) and Sasha's father, Sergei (among others). The boys gave heartfelt interviews for the press, remembering Sasha as "one in a million," and talking about how optimistic he remained both in and out of the hospital during his treatment, and then hauled their wagons over to the 10th floor playroom to stock the shelves FULL of Lego sets! The rest of the donations were distributed to other playrooms for general use or stocked away to be used as birthday presents for patients.

Team Sasha has served as an inspiration for many, including the 8th grade graduating class at Levine Academy, where many of the team attend school. Each year, the class does a fundraising project, and this year, they chose to support Team Sasha's SLANT 45 Lego donation program. Soon, a check for $500 will be headed to Children's Medical Center to join the thousands of Legos who've already made the hospital their home - which really demonstrates the generosity of these kids and their capacity to care and provide for others!