Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
On this episode of The Jeff Crilley Show, Jeff sits down with Lorraine Friedman, Incoming Executive Director of the Southwest Jewish Congress, to spotlight an organization devoted to educating, empowering, and elevating communities across Dallas. Lorraine shares how the nonprofit’s “three E” mission comes to life through free public programs, its Building Bridges Grant Initiative, and meaningful recognition of local changemakers....
Show Notes
What if one organization could bring together civic leaders, faith communities, artists, and advocates—all to build a stronger Dallas? In this episode, we spotlight a nonprofit that’s doing exactly that.
Lorraine Friedman, Incoming Executive Director of the Southwest Jewish Congress, joins Jeff Crilley to share how the organization is building bridges across North Texas through education, empowerment, and recognition of community leaders. With a mission centered on action and impact, Southwest Jewish Congress has become a catalyst for collaboration across cultures and faiths.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The “three E” mission: educate, empower, and elevate
- The Building Bridges Grant Initiative supporting more than 40 organizations
- The Texas Sized Event honoring 13 transformative Dallas leaders
- Legislative and community impact, including the American Indian Heritage Day Act
- The “three E” mission: educate, empower, and elevate
- The Building Bridges Grant Initiative supporting more than 40 organizations
- The Texas Sized Event honoring 13 transformative Dallas leaders
- Legislative and community impact, including the American Indian Heritage Day Act
Learn more about the Southwest Jewish Congress and the Texas Sized Event at: https://swjc.org
If you care about interfaith dialogue, civic leadership, and celebrating changemakers in Dallas, this conversation is for you.
Creators and Guests
What is The Jeff Crilley Show?
Jeff Crilley is a former news reporter, who spent more than 25 years in newsrooms across the country. He’s an Emmy Award winning journalist, who decided to make the jump from news in 2008, when he founded his own PR Firm, Real News Public Relations.
Today, the firm has more than 100 clients, and Jeff continues to tell the stories of interesting people he meets along the way.
These are those stories.
Coming up next on the Jeff Crilley Show, you're meet gonna the great Lorraine Friedman. She is the incoming executive director of the Southwest Jewish Congress, their incredible mission and ministry. Next. Many are predicting that the worst is yet to come, which is unfortunate, said one person here. Until now, they've enjoyed the reputation of being the nation's icebox. Watched a burglar in his home this morning by webcam. As a journalist of over twenty five years, stories are what make my world turn. Reporting live from The Dallas Newsroom tonight, Jeff Crilley, Fox four news. But in 2,008, I took the jump from my familiar life and started a PR firm from my home. We're talking about anyone with a camcorder like the one I'm using becomes a television network. We started slowly growing the company, and we now have over a 100 clients. And we've branched into the world of live digital broadcasting. I now own eight different TV studios and have a huge team. And the stories that I now get to share are sometimes the most important of my life. Life has a funny way of coming around full circle. This is The Jeff Crilley Show. Well, I love to put a spotlight on this show on people who are making a difference, and I can't think of a better person to bring into the studio right now than Lorraine Friedman. She's the incoming executive director of Southwest Jewish Congress. Thank you for coming on the show. Jeff, thank you so much for having us. I'm Because your I joked with you that we can't afford to remain the best kept secret in Dallas. So thank you for helping us spread the word about what we're doing. I And love you guys have been around for seventeen years so you've been doing this for a while tell us more about the organization. We have and you know I say that we are a three E not for profit. We educate, we empower, and we elevate others. And so we educate by having open to the public, free to everyone, seminars webinars film screenings book talks all kinds of panel discussions we elevate by what we're going to talk about in a little bit this program that we are having this event on April 23 where we will shine a spotlight on people who are truly making impact here in Dallas and we empower through these Building Bridges grants that we give out. We started a grant initiative called the Building Bridges Grant Initiative in 2019 and we've given out to more than 40 organizations to really help elevate what they're doing too. That's incredible. You touched on the event so let's put up your web page because So it's right there above the again this is April 23 it's a Thursday from 05:30 to 08:30. Yes. What can they expect that evening? It's going to be a fabulous evening of just everyone in our community coming together as one. The diversity of both the people that we're honoring and the people that will be there celebrating them is such beautiful thing to see. Yes. And so we will have our former mayor, the Honorable Mike Rawlings there in conversation with Scott Murray. Nice. And we have two FAA co MCs that are gonna be there. Lawrence and Rebecca Lopez and it's just gonna be a really fun of exciting storytelling and we call it the feel good event of the year because it really is we're just we're shining a light on people making a difference here in Dallas. And your, the list of honorees is kind of like a who's who of Dallas. Amazing. Go ahead and pull up this page and we'll just slowly go down it. So lifetime achievement award. Yes. So that's our very own Susan Myers. She, is one of the people who has been with Southwest Jewish Congress from the beginning. She has been, kind of the driving force that's made things happen and so she's been there seventeen years and we're honoring her with the Lifetime Achievement Award before she retires and I step into some very big shoes. Yes. Okay, Herb and Donna Weitzman. Yes. So we have two caring couples. We have a husband and wife and we have a mother daughter team and this year so Donna is a former mayor civil servant of Colleyville. She also has received the George W. Bush National Volunteer of the Year Award. She is a giver. Herb and her also have been huge philanthropists here in Dallas and Herb started a real estate institute here at UTD where he actually goes hands on with the kids I and is mean it's just it's remarkable. Also legend. Yeah. You're honoring a mother daughter. Yes. So Cheryl Watley, is a civil rights attorney who lived through what she teaches now and her daughter is a visionary that she's the ideal idea person behind turning that empty football field that we know, into Bon Ton farms. She she at Paul Quinn saw this empty space and said why do we have food desert right around here? We we should be growing organic garden in a football field. Now she's the CEO of Forest Forward and she's doing that same idea of just revitalizing an area, to South Dallas and not only is she renovating the Forest Theatre but she's creating an arts district all around it for children and artists and everyone. It's it's a beautiful thing to see what's happening down there. Incredible. Who else? So we have four women that we are spotlighting. Our Audrey Kaplan Inspiring Women of the Southwest Awards. And, I'm gonna start with Clara B Inahosa. She founded the Mexico Institute, and she also the thing about Clara is she has brought so many exhibits into The United States that she won the highest award from Mexico for someone giving back and making a huge difference. She brought in the Frito Calla exhibit. She was one of the people. I know the DMA brought it in as well. She was one of the idea people behind that. So she's just a remarkable, remarkable person sharing her culture with us. Jin You Huang, same she founded something called Break Bread Break Borders for new immigrants coming to the country giving them meaning through creative food jobs. And so not only is she an artist and an entrepreneur and won the Presidential Leadership Scholar Award but she's just this remarkable businesswoman but her business is about making a difference for others. Then we have Gina Weber who is a professor, an advocate, a leader in interfaith, communities. She does social justice. She has her hands in so many pots, but she's a real champion for public service and, we are so excited to shine a light on her. And finally Terri Wilson Gray who, twenty one years of impact with The Breast Bridge Network. Now this is someone who experienced breast cancer herself and then said what can I do how can I give back to women who either are uninsured or underinsured and she started this organization and she has impacted 5,000 lives more than 5,000 lives it's just it's remarkable her heart of service yes is just a beautiful thing to witness? Do you want to mention the action awards? Yes I would love to so we have our Stan Golden men of action These are the men making the biggest difference in Dallas right now, and I'll start with Kyle Ogden, who is the president and CEO of Thanksgiving Square. So, Kyle, again, has his hands in a lot of pots. He is also managing the interfaith council and helps with faith forward as well. He had this vision of making Downtown Dallas a place of welcoming and belonging and so what he's done to create this feeling downtown and he's having this National Day of Gratitude, National Kindness Day, like the things that he has given back to our city are just beautiful beautiful. I'll go to Jonathan Pallant. John is a Doctor. Pallant because he is a professor and a PhD in music and a conductor. You know, you just keep checking off the music boxes with this guy. He's amazing. He started two local choirs, the Crilley Choir that anyone can join. You and I can join. Don't have to we don't have to know how to sing. We can join his choir. But the one that I want to highlight is the Dallas Street Choir. And so this is near and dear to my heart because I used to be an attorney for people experiencing homelessness and he created a choir for them. Like what a beautiful gesture to show them you can spread beauty and light and joy no matter what your current circumstances are. Sing your heart out. Know sing a beautiful song unto your God right? Like oh my God I love love love love that. I think we have two more. Yes sir. So we have Albert Valterra who, started founded the Dallas Mexican American Historical League and also the Association for Mexican American Professionals. So, Albert is also a recipient of this OHTIL award which is the highest honor that the Mexican government gives to a citizen living abroad because Albert has done so much for the Mexican community, the Latino community living in Texas. Just amazing. And finally, Harbashan Singh Verde, he, founded this, Sikh center. He also was a founding member of the Interfaith Alliance in Irving and he founded, the Interfaith count he was a founding member of the Interfaith Council in Thanksgiving Square. So here's another give give giver. Mean every single one of these people Jeff. And it's so diverse. Incredible. It's just so diverse. It's so diverse. I mean we cover everyone and I think shining a light on these people's lives and what they're giving back. I mean it just it feels good to be a part of that. Right? And so you're a part of it because you're helping us get the word out. So thank you. Yes. Alright Lorraine as you mentioned you have big shoes to fill so what are some of your goals when you take over? Yes. So I will tell you that some of the things that they've done are just remarkable. The impact that that this strong but, you know, small but mighty group has had in Dallas. During COVID, they raised $50,000 Jeff to go supply meals to first responders. Wow. Because these people weren't taking a break they were just out on the line helping helping helping and they showed up with hot fresh healthy meals like I love things like that. So I used to run a not for profit in Virginia and I had this motto, see a need, create a solution and I think that Southwest Jewish Congress has been doing that for years and years. I have one more example that I want to share with you. Susan Myers, our executive director saw a Facebook post from one of our past honorees who's Native American, and she was kind of expressing some feelings about her students in DISD celebrating Columbus Day. And, Susan said, oh, we can help. We should have something in Texas to honor what the Native Americans have given your culture and how you've made an impact here. And they helped write legislation called the American Indian Heritage Day Act that is now on the books and celebrated every last Friday in September, still to this day. Incredible. So it's like, know, impact impact. That's what I love is, I'm an action chick and this organization is primed and ready because they've been doing it. So I love that. I'm ready to just, you know, keep it going, keep that energy and action moving forward to make a difference here in our community. Alright. We have about a minute left. So look into the camera on the left and tell people how they can get involved. So we would love you all to join us on April 23 at Edison's in Downtown Dallas for the feel good event of the year. It's called our Texas sized event. We are celebrating 13 remarkable, and I I told you about them in two seconds, but they are just 13 remarkable change agents here in Dallas that are changing the face of our city for good. So please come join us. Please come celebrate with us. And if you're not a member of our group, we are open to all. We welcome all. Please come join us and help us make an impact too. Outstanding. Thank you so much for sharing your part with us. We're gonna end with the website. We're gonna put that on the screen. Please check them out and sponsor or buy a table if you can. Thank you so much for coming on the show. This was so fun Jeff. I loved it. Thank you for having me and thank you for helping us spread the word. You're too kind. That's it for now. We'll see you next time.