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August 9, 2007 – Volume 6, Issue 32 |
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This is officially the longest weekly community newsletter to date. It’s amazing how much stuff is going on in and around our great city. Keep on sending those events and other newsworthy items to share with the rest of Frisco. Enjoy the newsletter!!!
Matt visits his friend Steve Smith at the Shaddock Creek Estates National Night Out block party.
I hope everybody had a great time with National Night Out this past Tuesday. NNO is one of my favorite events as friends and neighbors get out to meet each other and help foster that community feel that I am such a big proponent of. It was so great to meet so many people the other night and I just wish there was more time to stop at every party that was going on! A big thank you to all of the police and fire personnel as well as the city staff for putting so much time into making this great event a big success.
This newsletter and information source is designed to bring us all a little closer together each week by providing coverage of so many things going on in our community. There are so many amazing things in this newsletter, as there are every week. Please forward this newsletter to all your friends and neighbors and encourage them to sign up to receive it themselves. They will greatly appreciate you for it as no citizen should be without this important information at their fingertips. Let’s work to get all Frisco citizens on this list as a more informed society is a more functional society.
If you have questions or have any community events, people or groups you want to recognize, fundraising events, or any newsworthy items you would like to see added and shared with more than forty thousand residents and businesses in Frisco and the surrounding areas, please send me an email so I may include them. The newsletter goes out each Thursday and I need materials by the end of the day on the preceding Wednesday if you want something to be included.
If you received this from somebody else and would like to be added to the list, just send me an email. Your email address will never be sold or given to anybody else for any reason. All newsletters can also be found on our web site at www.mattlafatamarketing.com.
Inspirational Quote of the Week:
“Your children will become what you are;
so be what you want them to be.”
For advertising opportunities, please contact sales@mattlafatamarketing.com
In this jam packed issue you will find lots of great information. There is something for everyone including the following…
Matt Lafata’s Weekly Community News 1 Newsletter Sponsor – 10th Annual Frisco Ducks Unlimited Banquet - August 16th 5:30 PM: 2 Spotlight on Solare Spa and Café: 3 Interview to be Mrs. Frisco 2008!: 4 The 18th Annual Women’s Expo at Dallas Market Center: 5 Studio Dance Centre Enrolling Now for the 2007-2008 School Year: 5 Texas Tornado Looking For Host Families: 5 Free HEALTH & WELLNESS Seminar Thursday, August 16: 6 Frisco Citizens Police Academy: 6 Frisco Farmer’s Market at Frisco Square: 7 Great “Back to School” Specials From Strikz: 7 Grace Avenue MOPS 5th Annual Back-to-School Children's Consignment Sale: 8 21st Annual John Weinberg Golf Tournament: 8 Feeding 5000 Golf Tournament hosted by First United Methodist Church of Frisco: 8 Plantation Resort 2 HOA Back to School Scramble: 9 August 26th Auditions for Cross Timbers Youth Orchestras: 9 National Police Motorcycle Championship set for August 22-25: 10 3-Day Breast Cancer Charity 60 Mile Walk: 10 Vendors Wanted for Holiday Bazaar at Grace Avenue UMC: 11 Happenings in Frisco ISD by Sarah Ianace: 11 Meet & Greet – Sem Elementary: 12 St. Francis 6th Annual Holiday Bazaar: 12 Frisco Aquatics 2007-2008 Season Try-Outs: 13 Frisco Area Children's Theater presents Velveteen Rabbit: 13 Teatro delle Muse Proudly Presents...: 14 Grandparents Raising Children - Support Group Meeting: 14 Tickets Available for Red, White, and Boots Dance: 15 Pro-Am Benefiting the CALM Charity www.staycalm.org: 15 Back to School Supply Program: 15 Frisco Chorale Holding Auditions for Upcoming Season: 16 Third Annual 343 Memorial Climb To Benefit Fallen Firefighters At Pizza Hut Park In Frisco: 17 First Annual Titan 10k March-A-Thon – The Centennial Titan Band Is On The March: 18 Gala Sponsorship Opportunities Available: 19 Children's Theater Class Registration: 19 Upcoming Meeting of the Texas Democratic Women of Collin County: 21 Frisco Women’s League Baby Shower Benefiting FFSC: 21 Junior Frisco Women’s League Applications Available: 21 FC Dallas to Play LA Galaxy in 2008 Preseason Charity Game: 22 Frisco Firefighter Honored: 22 Sexual Offender Registration Program: 23 The Red Light Running Problem: 23 DNT Ramps Closed for Inspections August 11 and 12: 24 Stonebriar The Ice's Southern Belles Synchronized Skating Team: 25 WANTED--Teens seeking a new level of Adventure....: 26 August Events at Stonebriar Centre: 26 Lebanon Road Closure at Rock Creek Parkway - Sat. 8/11 - Sun. 8/12/07: 27 New Southbound Frontage Road At far north end of Tollway Extension Now Open: 27 RoughRiders “Paint the Park Pink” with Mary Kay on August 11th: 31 Toby Mac to Headline Faith and Family Day at Pizza Hut Park: 31 Early - Mid August 2007 / Landscape Design/Detail: 32 General Growth Properties, Inc. and Forest City Enterprises, Inc. Announce Partnership: 33 Update From Recent Planning and Zoning Meeting: 34 Capitol Steps by Rep. Ken Paxton: 34 The County Line by Collin County Commissioner Joe Jaynes: 35 Steven Copeland Government Center by Denton County Commissioner, Cynthia White: 36 TxDOT to Inspect 16 Steel Deck Truss Bridges: 37
Issue of the Week:
I’ve started this new column where I will post a different issue each week for discussion. Your opinions mean a lot to me and I’d love to get your feedback on the subject. Please send me an email with your thoughts. While your feedback is for my own use at this time, I do publish a sampling of the comments along with some commentary on my web site at www.matt4mayor.com in the “Issues” section.
Voter turnout has historically been very low in the City of Frisco. With early voting and multiple locations, everybody has ample opportunity to have their voice heard by voting. I have my theories but why do you think voter turnout has been consistently low in Frisco elections?
Newsletter Staff Members and Contributors
Matt Lafata – Editor and Publisher – 214-336-3355
Kaleigh Lafata – Tornado Talk
Sarah Ianace – Happenings in the Frisco ISD
Glenn Kopanski – Landscape Design
Pedro Checo – Advice from Dr. Checo
Joe Hockaday, CPA – Today’s Tax Talk From Joe
Citizen of the Month and Neighborhood of the Month Details
If you have a citizen or neighborhood you would like to nominate, please send it to me.
The Citizen of the Month will focus on a person or group in Frisco who has been nominated by another individual. He, she or they could be a person or a group who has recently done something special that contributes to the well-being of our city and/or its citizens, or it could be somebody who has had (or currently has) an interesting career or experiences that could be shared with our readers.
The Neighborhood of the Month will highlight a particular neighborhood in our city. I am looking to hear from you as to why your Neighborhood is so special.
The August Citizen of the Month goes to…Marsha Clark! Resident Nikki Miller submitted this entry and here is what she had to say about Marsha Clark and why she is so deserving of this recognition.
I would like to Nominate Marsha Clark as the citizen of the month. Marsha is a Frisco resident and former EDS executive who, after leaving EDS, invested her time and money to develop a leadership program for women.
The program named "Power of Self" is designed for women who are already leaders in their organizations or communities to help them be more effective. Power of Self is a 9 month program that covers a variety or topics all designed to help women be more successful in their personal and professional lives. As part of the program each woman is assigned a coach who reinforces the knowledge received in the classes by encouraging her to implement it in real life situations. Marsha’s program provides the support to women so they can continue in the work force, take on volunteer opportunities, and give back in their own communities. Currently, this program is not well known, but with its incredibly powerful content, it is gaining momentum and becoming notable.
Marsha is now working on a program geared towards younger women earlier in their career/life to assist them in moving into leadership roles. She does this while traveling all over the world consulting and training for companies and organizations such as Texas Instruments, Sabre, Bell Helicopter, and even the City of Frisco. She is tireless in her service to other women, which is a true testimony of her value to the community.
Marsha is a phenomenal woman and Frisco should be proud to have her.
To learn more about Marsha’s programs go to www.marshaclarkandassociates.com.
Please send an email to community@mattlafatamarketing.com to nominate and explain why a Frisco citizen or a neighborhood should be honored with this monthly recognition.
City of Frisco Related Question of the Week:
Q. There are a couple of Victorian homes sitting just east of City Hall/Library that appear to have been relocated from somewhere else. (One of them is still sitting on the beams used to transport it.) Are there any plans for these homes to be renovated and opened to the public - maybe as museums? Where did they come from? Do they have any significant history?
A.
The 2 houses you are seeing are part of the future Frisco Heritage
Center. One of the homes is the Smith/Muse which is a late 19th century
Victorian house. (home still on the beams) The other home is the Crozier/Covington/Sickles
home which is also a late 19th century Victorian home. Both have
historical background with Frisco and Lebanon families.
This Day in History – August 9, 1974: Nixon leaves White House; Ford sworn in:
From the History Channel…
In accordance with his statement of resignation the previous evening, Richard M. Nixon officially ends his term as the 37th president of the United States at noon. Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their journey home to San Clemente, California. Richard Nixon was the first U.S. president to resign from office.
Minutes later, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."
Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration's wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption. In September 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.
August is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
Last week we covered Cataract Awareness.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in
women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society,
it's estimated that About 178,480 women in the United States will be
found to have invasive breast cancer in 2007. About 40,460 women will
die from the disease this year. Right now there are slightly over 2
million women living in the United States who have been treated for
breast cancer.
Visit http://www.nbcam.org/ for more information.
Just a reminder - this newsletter is put together with information from many different sources. You can also view this newsletter and past newsletters in the News section of my web site at www.mattlafatamarketing.com. If you do not receive your emailed newsletter for some reason, please visit www.mattlafatamarketing.com each week as some mail servers block emails that are sent to multiple recipients. Just remember that if you don’t get it by each Friday, you can read it on the web site.
For advertising opportunities, please contact sales@mattlafatamarketing.com
Homeowner Association Meetings and Other Group Meetings:
If you have an upcoming meeting that you would like a city official at, just to be available to answer any questions, please let us know. If Matt’s schedule permits, he would love to attend.
Answering Questions for Kids and Young Adults:
As you know, communication and sharing information is something that I spend a lot of time doing. I frequently get asked to answer questions for kids and young adults for school projects or leadership programs. Usually the project involves getting these questions answered from somebody in a leadership position, and as a City Council member, I’m always happy to take the time to do this. If your son or daughter ever needs questions answered from a leadership figure for projects of any kind, please feel free to contact me or have them contact me directly.
Alternatively, if your child is interested in learning more about city government and has questions, feel free to contact me.
Finally, if you are looking for a speaker to talk to a group of kids or young adults about city government or Frisco in general, I’m happy to try and schedule something.
All the opinions, endorsements or recommendations in this newsletter are mine alone and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of any organization or group with whom I am affiliated or the individuals who are a part of such organizations and groups. You should not rely on any statement made in this newsletter as evidenced of how I may act as a member of any organization or group. Inclusion of news, events and other information in this newsletter does not imply an endorsement; it merely serves as my effort to be of service to the readers.
All About Frisco:
In our continuing efforts to bring information to our great community, we have updated our web site with listings of:
Visit www.friscocommunity.com to access this information and I look forward to your feedback. This site will continue to grow and evolve over time.
Clubs and Organizations in and Frisco:
Frisco is home to a very diverse and numerous set of clubs and organizations. If your group or organization is missing, and you would like to get it listed, please send me an email so we can list it and continue to maintain the most comprehensive list available. Alcoholics Anonymous Frisco – 972-708-5086 American Cancer Society of Collin County – 214-819-1221 American Red Cross of North Texas – 972-542-5642 Boy Scouts of America – 214-902-6754 CASA of Collin County – 972-529-2272 Christian Community Action – 972-436-4357 City of Frisco – 972-292-5000 Collin County – 972-424-1460 Collin County Association of Realtors – 214-618-3800 Collin County Gay and Lesbian Alliance – 214-521-5342 Collin County Genealogy Association – 972-231-4190 Daughters of the American Revolution Downtown Merchants Association Frisco A&M Club – 214-618-5079 Frisco Al-Anon Family Group – 972-978-8757 Frisco Area Children’s Theater – 972-377-2675 Frisco Association For the Arts Frisco Baseball/Softball Organization – 972-712-2288 Frisco Business and Professional Women Frisco Community Theatre – 972-377-3868 Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau Frisco Ducks Unlimited – 972-712-5049 Frisco Economic Development Corporation – 972-668-5550 Frisco Education Foundation – 469-633-6066 Frisco Family Services Center – 972-335-9495 Frisco Family YMCA – 972-335-3222 Frisco Fire Department – 972-335-5525 Frisco Football League – 972-712-0558 Frisco Garden Club – 972-377-4024 Frisco Humane Society – 972-498-8980 Frisco Independent School District – 469-633-6000 Frisco Music Teachers Association Frisco Police Department – 972-292-6000 Frisco Post Office – 972-335-7453 Frisco Republicans – 972-335-9176 Frisco Rotary Club – 972-701-2801 Frisco Soccer Association – 972-712-4625 Frisco Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8273 – 972-712-5611 Frisco Women’s League – 972-712-8890 Frisco/Plano Christian Women’s Club – 972-668-4464 Frisco Youth Volleyball Leagues Heritage Association of Frisco – 972-335-6684 KittiCo Cat Rescue – 214-826-6903 Labrador Retriever Rescue of North Texas Meals on Wheels – 972-562-6996 North Texas Tollway Authority – 214-461-2000 Senior Center at Frisco Square – 972-335-5515 SPCA of Texas – 972-562-7387 Toastmasters Club of Frisco – 972-712-4611 Volunteer Center of North Texas Young Life Frisco – 972-424-6339
About Matt Lafata:
Matt Lafata and his fiancée Erika share six children between the two of them. In January 1999, Mr. Lafata moved to Frisco from Gloucester, MA. Mr. Lafata has helped build several highly successful businesses for more than 20 years. A long-time business consultant, entrepreneur and human resources professional, he is the Director of Business Development with the Frisco-based HR strategy and technology consulting firm HRchitect (www.HRchitect.com). He is also the founder of several marketing and public relations agencies including The Matt Lafata Marketing Group (www.mattlafatamarketing.com). Previously, Mr. Lafata was an Executive Vice President of a computer software company where he was responsible for corporate development, marketing, sales, product development and more. Mr. Lafata studied finance and business management at Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts.
Mr. Lafata is involved in numerous organizations throughout Frisco. He is in his 2nd term as a Frisco City Council member and has been involved in the following…
Since 2001, Matt and his marketing company have produced this very popular e-newsletter that goes out every week to over 40,000 people and businesses which keeps the Frisco community in touch with local events and businesses.
In July 2007, Matt announced his bid for Mayor of Frisco in the May 2008 election. Visit www.matt4mayor.com for more information about his candidacy.
How to “Whitelist” this Frisco Community Newsletter in Your Spam Filter:
With the advent of outrageous volumes of unwanted email these days, of which I get a ton, it's unfortunate that legitimate email publications like this are not being seen by some of the readers who enjoy those publications. There is much fear today that the email publishing/marketing industry is in serious trouble, due to mistakes in filtering when legitimate email is erroneously tagged as unwanted email.
While we applaud the anti-spam industry for removing the plethora of unwanted email from many of our mailboxes, from time to time, some legitimate email publications are mistaken as unwanted.
Sometimes, this results in our mailings bouncing back, with requests for us to respond to challenge/response messages to prevent future filtering. However, due to the size of our list, it's nearly impossible for us handle the volume of such requests.
To that end, please realize that we want our readers to always anticipate and enjoy the valuable information that this community newsletter delivers.
If you currently use an anti-spam program or service, we ask that you take just a minute or two to add this newsletter to your "safe" or permitted email sender list. This usually involves simply adding our sending address (From:) to your whitelist, safelist, or list of privileged senders. This is commonly known as whitelisting a publication. Simply add the email addresses of matt@mattlafata.com and matt@mattlafatamarketing.com.
If you wish to be removed from this list, please send an email to matt@mattlafata.com.
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Dear Friends,
This week’s newsletter is proudly Sponsored by the 10th Annual Frisco Ducks Unlimited Banquet held this coming Thursday at the Embassy Suites in Frisco. Also check out the Spotlight on Solare Spa and Café, located at the NW corner of Lebanon and Legacy. Solare is one of Frisco’s best kept secrets serving fresh and healthy food at the Café and great spa services at the Spa. Check them out and take advantage of the specials they are offering. A lot of work goes into putting this newsletter together and I greatly appreciate the support of our sponsors so please patronize them wherever possible.
As you may know, I announced a few weeks ago that I would be running for Mayor of Frisco in the May 2008 election. I wanted to assure you that I will not be turning this community newsletter into a campaign vehicle. I have a web site, www.matt4mayor.com, where I will post issues and other information related to the campaign. I am also available any time to talk about the campaign or anything really, but I will keep the campaign largely out of this newsletter. That being said, I may jump in here from time to time to let you know about major updates to the site, events that are notable related to the campaign trail, and voting information as the election nears. Thanks to all of you for your support and kind words and together we will continue to make a difference in Frisco. This is OUR community.
FC Dallas defeated Western Conference rival Colorado last Saturday and are only one point behind Conference leader, Houston Dynamo. This Saturday they host The Crew starting at 7:30pm at Pizza Hut Park. Great tickets are still available at www.fcdallas.net. Come early (gates open at 6 p.m.) because the first 5,000 fans will receive a Pizza Hut Park 6-pack cooler, courtesy of Minyard Food Stores.
Thank you to everybody who responded to last week’s “Issue of the Week: “What are your top three things you wish we had in Frisco?” I really appreciate everybody’s input and if I haven’t emailed you back personally, please know that I will. Every person’s response is important to me. I also publish a sampling of the comments along with some commentary on my web site at www.matt4mayor.com in the “Issues” section. This week’s issue, “Why do you think voter turnout has been consistently low in Frisco elections?” is now posted in the left hand column. If you have an opinion on this, please write in.
If you have a business, restaurant or a service and are interested in advertising and reaching more than 40,000 individuals and businesses in Frisco and the surrounding areas, please email us at sales@mattlafatamarketing.com for more details on the various options available to you. The newsletter is also included on the web site www.mattlafatamarketing.com and www.frisco-online.com for additional exposure. It’s a great way to promote your business, promote an event at your place of business and is the most cost effective and efficient way to reach a large segment of the Frisco population. You may want to also consider providing a special offer to newsletter readers only.
Newsletter Sponsor – 10th Annual Frisco Ducks Unlimited Banquet - August 16th 5:30 PM:
Over the past year DU has converted 87% of their proceeds directly to conservation work. DU has worked to conserve over 155,000 acres of waterfowl habitat throughout Texas since 1985. DU’s Texas CARE Initiative seeks to protect and restore an additional 62,500 acres in Texas.
Spotlight on Solare Spa and Café:
This interview was conducted with my friend, and the owner of Solare Spa and Café, Rosanne Best. Erika and I really enjoy eating at Solare and highly recommend it…
Rosanne, tell me about your business and why you decided to introduce this concept to our community:
Matt, I have been in Texas for 14 years waiting for a place like Solare to open. Since it never happened, I decided to do it myself. Solare is about slowing down the pace in life and I think we all need that whether we work full time or stay at home. It's also about taking care of your self, eating healthy and reducing your stress level. You know in order to accomplish these things, a person must be intentional about it and everything we do at Solare is designed to intentionally accomplish that. I have a professional background in healthcare and my brother is a chef. When I told him about my idea a few years ago, he loved it and decided to move here to help me make it a reality.
My brother and I grew up in a large, closely knit family that loves to cook. Eating freshly prepared meals with plenty of vegetables was normal for us. Our heritage includes belonging to a Native American tribe, which is rich in culture. By combining our talents and dedicating it to everything our great, great grandmother, Maria Solares stood for makes this place not only unique, but quite special.
Solare is dedicated to bringing back freshly prepared food and a sense of community. When I first moved here I was shocked at the families who made fast food a daily staple. I am not a fan of fast food. In fact, Solare is everything fast food is not.
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