Dallas, TX—Children’s
Defense Fund-Texas 3rd Annual Beat the Odds®
Awards Luncheon honoring Sarah Palisi Chapin will be held on Friday, November 16, 2012, from 11:30am
– 1:00pm at the Fairmont Dallas Hotel
(1717 N. Akard Street).
This year’s event will feature Keynote Speaker, Pat Smith, Founder and Owner of Pat Smith
Enterprises, Founder of “Treasure You” and the President of Pat and Emmitt
Smith Charities.
Pat is the first African-American woman to win the Miss
Virginia USA title and first runner-up of the 1994 Miss USA Pageant. She lost her mother to breast cancer
while preparing for the competition.
Pat established a non-profit organization, “Treasure You”, to
inspire and uplift other women to pursue their passions in life despite their
circumstances or set-backs. She
hosts an annual Treasure You Christian Girlfriend’s Retreat and raises money to
provide emergency assistance to women in financial, emotional or spiritual
need.
Her television career includes being a correspondent to
Extra, guest host for Access Hollywood, host of “Treasure You” on Good Morning
Texas, host of Keep the Faith and recurring roles and guest appearances on such
primetime hits as Beverly Hills 90210, Sunset Beach and The Wayans Brothers
Show. She was recently interviewed
and featured in one of the highest rated TBN Specials, “A Night of Amazing
Women”.
As a wife, mother, television host and former actress, Pat
is known for her philanthropy on behalf of women and children as well as her
dedication to church, civic and community activities. Pat and her husband,
Emmitt, have a passion for youth in their community and have been long time
supporters of the Children’s Defense Fund Beat
the Odds Scholarship Program.
They believe that given the opportunity, encouragement, and mentorship,
all children can succeed.
Pat is currently a member of the prestigious Vogue 100, was
voted one of the 10 Most Beautiful Women of Dallas in 2011, and is a celebrity
role model for the Dallas Elevators mentor program for Dallas ISD high school
students. She is involved with
battered women’s shelters and breast cancer initiatives. 2012 is an incredibly exciting year for
Pat as she has shared her journey on the Women of Faith “Celebrate What
Matters” Tour in 7 U.S. cities this fall.
This year’s 2012 luncheon sponsors will include: Amerigroup,
Brinker International, Constellation Wines, Fossil, JC Penney, Jersey Mike’s
Subs, la Madeleine, Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities, Taco Bueno, TMG Graphics
and more.
About the CDF Beat the Odds Luncheon:
Each year, through a competitive review process, deserving
Dallas-area high school seniors are selected and honored for their academic
achievements and perseverance in the face of tremendous and overwhelming
obstacles. Each student receives a college scholarship, a laptop computer,
professional attire, mentoring, leadership training and other supports from CDF
to help ensure their continued success. The students’ journeys to beat the odds
serve as important reminders for all of the challenges facing far too many
children, and their experiences inform CDF in its continued commitment to
change the odds for all children. This year’s scholarship recipients will be
recognized and tell their story at the upcoming CDF Beat the Odds Awards Luncheon on Friday, November 16, 2012.
For more information about this event, visit http://www.cdftexas.org/programs-campaigns/beat-the-odds/2012-dallas/.
About Children’s
Defense Fund:
The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission
is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe
Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the
help of caring families and communities.
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a non-profit child
advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for nearly 40 years to
ensure a level playing field for all children. They champion policies and
programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and
neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education and a moral
and spiritual foundation.
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