Drummers for Jesus (or DFJ) is a non-profit that was founded in 2002 by Rockwall resident Carlos Benson.  What originally began as a get-together for like-minded folks with a passion for playing the drums has turned into a fast-growing organization with an international following.

     “I’m a drummer at Lakepointe church and I started getting together with another drummer banging on drums and doing some bible study.  We decided it would be cool to invite others to join us.  Before we knew it, our get-togethers grew, and Drummers for Jesus was born,” said Mr. Benson. 

    Benson is not only the founder but the president of the organization.  He says the reaction has been overwhelming.

    “It is just amazing how this has taken off,” he said.  “DFJ is really like

like any other group that gathers in the name of the Lord except that we make a lot more noise… but seriously, our mission is to use our talents to spread the message of love and hope through our Savior Jesus Christ, and to come together as Christian sisters and brothers to enjoy the fellowship provided to us through our Lord.”   

      The local chapter meets once a month at either LakepointeChurch here in Rockwall or at the Artists Boot Camp located in Arlington. 

    “It doesn’t matter what you play or even if you play – everyone’s welcome,” he said.      

     “Generally, our meetings start out with food and networking and fellowship for a half hour or so.  Very often we have a well-known drummer featured.  Recently, we’ve had Teddy Campbell who’s the drummer for American Idol, and Tommy Aldridge who’s been the drummer for White Snake and Ozzy Osborne. So, it’s exciting, entertaining and spiritually enriching.”

     DFJ also offers free drum lessons to impoverished youth.

   “We’re hoping to establish a club for young musicians.  We’re reaching out to local churches to see if they will provide us with free rehearsal space for youth meetings and jam sessions,” he said.

    “Our purpose is to keep kids out of trouble, give them something cool to be involved with, and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.  It’s still in the developing stages, but I’m hoping all chapters will eventually be doing this.”      

       The next DFJ meeting is Monday, December 7^th at 7 p.m. at The Artists Boot Camp located at 801 Stadium Drive in Arlington.

   “It’s going to be an awesome night,” said Benson.  “We have Dallas native, Lil Mike Mitchell performing. He’s only 14-years-old and already he’s considered to be one of the top drummers in the world.  We’re asking for a five dollar donation at the door; proceeds will benefit DFJ International.”

   For more information, visit www.dallasdfj.webs.com, www.drummersforjesus.com or call 214-551-4046.

    Rockwall resident Jonathan Shibley is a busy guy.  In fact, he’s been on seven trips abroad this year alone.  He just returned from Uganda in August and is getting ready to leave for Beirut, Lebanon for Global Advance - a mission organization his father started 19 years ago.

    Global Advance is headquartered right here in Rockwall.  The organization provides training and resources for nearly half a million Christian pastors worldwide.  It also reaches out to business leaders in developing nations by offering them support, education and advice on how to achieve professional success within Christian guidelines.

     “We help Christian businessmen and women worldwide serve their nations both spiritually and economically,” said Mr. Shibley.  “By taking knowledgeable business professionals from the U.S. overseas and allowing them to share core principles of maintaining character and integrity in the business arena, we help grow their business  and their faith.”

    Since it began in 1990, Global Advance has provided onsite training for over 430,000 pastors and church leaders in 75 nations.

     “I’m going to Beirut to sponsor a  Marketplace Leadership Conference.  We’ve held 18 so far this year, and plan on sponsoring 30 next year,” said Mr. Shibley.  “We’re expecting 75 Christian entrepreneurs and business professionals operating out of the Middle East to attend this conference over a three-day period.  I have five business professionals from the U.S. coming with me; together, we’ll help work out business operations and budgeting strategies, and visit local businesses on the ground lending advice, guidelines, prayer, support and encouragement.”

    Global Advance has ten paid employees, 150 volunteers from the U.S., “hundreds” of volunteers abroad, 12 international regional directors, two training centers (one in India and the Congo), and an annual budget of just over two million dollars.

    “Reaction has been off the charts,” he said.  “We’ve even had a handful of local business owners go with us overseas.”

      Heath resident Mike Ross -- President of GMR Protection Resources, Inc. -- is one of them.  He says his experience with Global Advance has been life-changing.
     “I’ve been on two missions.  The first was to the Dominican Republic and the second to Hyderabad, India.  It was an amazing experience,” said Mr. Ross.  “I learned so much from the people I met, and continue to correspond with them.”

     It is those kinds of connections that define what Global Advance is all about.

    “Lifting leaders, changing nations,” said Mr. Shibley.  “Our motto is, the man, the ministry, the mission.  The man deals with personal integrity; the ministry focuses on how to grow their church and reach out to their communities; the mission is to preach the Gospel and by doing so, challenge pastors worldwide to share the good news while meeting the needs of their people.”

    For more information on making a donation or getting involved, visit www.globaladvance.org.

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     The grand opening of the Rockwall Heath High School Performing Arts Center is set for Sunday, December 6^th at 2 p.m.  Visitors will not only tour the campus’ latest additions, but enjoy quality entertainment as well.

    “We’ve added such amazing facilities to this campus -- from the band hall to the new dance studio to our new television studio to the new scene shop and dressing rooms -- but the PerformingArtsCenter is truly the grand beauty of the whole new addition,” said RHHS Principal Tom Maglisceau.

         Members of Rockwall’s theatrical community will join Rockwall ISD students in a celebratory presentation.

     “Performances will include a variety of different vignettes incorporating theater, dance, choir, band, orchestra and the visual arts,” said RHHS Theatre Director Kristin Dodgen. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for community members to see the new facility, and get a taste of all the wonderful productions we’ll be presenting in the future.”

    The performance hall itself seats 1500, and includes dressing rooms, rehearsal space, a loading dock platform, set construction area, exceptional acoustics, and top-of-the-line electronic/audio and lighting capability.

   For Mrs. Dodgen, it’s a dream come true.

  “It’s beautiful, and incredibly well-designed.  We have a rope and pulley system, electric battens, a wonderful EPC eon electrical panel, and we can load scenery or large scale props directly from the outside onto the loading dock and onto the stage,” she said.  “It’s equivalent to the type of performance space one would find at a university or professional arena.”

    RHHS offers an impressive fine arts program including 12 classes in technical theatre, theatre arts and production. And while most high school drama club’s present two to three plays per year, RHHS will produce seven productions this school year alone: a comedy, murder-mystery dinner theater, children’s show, musical, one-act play for UIL competition, senior-directed scene series, and a faculty talent show.

   “The reason we have such a thick, dense season is because students learn by doing; getting them involved and providing them with hands-on experience is the goal,” said Mrs. Dodgen.  “Running a continuous program of opportunity is intentional.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

      Dodgen attended RockwallHigh School, and holds a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from OuachitaBaptistUniversity in Arkansas where she specialized in directing, performance and stage crafting.  She is currently celebrating her third year as a faculty member at RHHS, and says every day is an adventure.

   “It’s my job to be a role model and educator; to pass on, encourage, draw out, find ways to help students discover strengths they didn’t know they had,” she said.  “When students realize that their thoughts, their work, their creativity can become part of something larger than themselves, it’s such an inspiration… And these latest additions to our campus make those goals so much more accessible.”

    For more information, visit http://hawkfinearts.org/.

What better way to celebrate Veterans Day than by supporting a local organization that helps disabled veterans nationwide?

Patriot Paws is a Rockwall-based nonprofit that trains and donates service dogs to American veterans with mobile disabilities. Founded in 2006 by certified trainer Lori Stevens, Patriot Paws restores freedoms to those wounded while serving our country.

“Our dogs can open and close doors, turn lights on or off, help with chores, provide bracing to stand or sit, take off shoes and socks, get help in an emergency – not to mention they make wonderful companions.”

For veteran Mike McHale, it’s about second chances. Being confined to a wheelchair no longer prevents him from living life.

“My dog Cappuccino has changed my world. Before, it was like I was invisible; nobody would talk to me. Cappuccino became the ice breaker. He not only got me back in the game, he made me visible again,” McHale said.

      But training service dogs is an endeavor that is as expensive as it is admirable.

            “It takes 12 to 18 months to properly train one service dog and costs $20,000 to $30,000,” said Stevens.

      Patriot Paws has placed 10 service dogs so far this year with 23 more in training.           

     “We used to train two to four dogs a year, but since we partnered with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice teaching offenders how to train the dogs, we’re now able to train three times as many dogs,” she said. “We work with 24 female offenders at one time from two correctional facilities in Gatesville.”           

     Stevens says working with prisoners has brought her work full circle.           

     “Initially, it was about rescuing and training the dogs; then it was about working with the veterans, and now it’s also about helping to rehabilitate offenders.”

            “What we do touches and affects the dogs, the veterans, the offenders and all of their families as well. We’re doing everything we were before, plus we’re helping offenders learn a trade and give back to the community,” she said.

     As a result of the success with TDCJ, Patriot Paws will be hiring a newly-released prisoner.

      A fundraiser is planned for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Joe Willy’s. Stevens hopes this will bring in enough money to keep Patriot Paws going for another ten months.

       “I will be at Joe Willy’s Nov. 7 to celebrate how much Patriot Paws has done for me,” veteran McHale said.

     The PTA at DorothySmithPullenElementary School in Heath is serious about a school-wide “going green” initiative.  So serious, in fact, that one of their latest projects is focused on that very objective.  Environmental Chairperson Melissa Bailey says the commitment has never been stronger.     

      “We are partnering with three companies - ECO-Cell, ENVIRO-BAG, and TerraCycle – all of which offer school recycling programs,” she said.  “The primary goal of this partnership is to model earth-friendly behaviors for our students by recycling three items: cell phones, plastic shopping bags and juice drink pouches.  These items pile up in landfills and are hazardous to our environment.”   

      Mrs. Bailey calls the partnership a win-win for everybody.   

      “The bonus is that these companies pay us for the items we collect, recycle them into other products, and we earn much-needed funds for our school.”        

     According to the EPA, cell phones will generate an estimated 65,000 tons of electronic garbage this year; they contain toxic chemicals and hazardous substances that can linger in the environment for a long time triggering serious health concerns.  And much has been written about the hazards of plastic bags; they are not biodegradable, litter and clog waterways, and pose a serious threat to birds and marine mammals that often mistake them for food.      

     Pullen Principal Renee Demianovich says that teaching students how to manage waste effectively and efficiently is a vital part of their educational experience.    

      “It’s important that our students develop an understanding of their impact on the environment and how they are not only capable, but responsible for helping to take care of our earth,” she said.  “Our environmental partnership with the PTA enables us to educate families, save money and resources, and make a difference in our community. “    

      As part of Pullen’s Environmental Program, three collection boxes have been placed in the school foyer – one box for each of the types of items being collected.  Students are encouraged to “collect trash, earn cash, and save the planet.”   

      For sixth grader Abi Young, a reporter for the school TV station, it’s a platform worth fighting for.  “Going green is so cool - along with the chance to learn and get to educate Pullen students about the environment and recycling,” she said. “My goal is that kids don’t just think about recycling or helping the environment, but do it.”    

       For more information on implementing a similar program at your school or place of business, visit www.eco-cell.com, www.envirobag.com or www.terracycle.net.

      In-Sync Exotics is a wild-life refuge in Wylie that provides sanctuary for exotic animals that have been orphaned, abandoned or mistreated. The day I visited was wet and dreary, and I’m not just talking about the rainy weather.  In fact, almost every person I met had tears in their eyes.

   “Nicholas, our 16-year-old Bengal tiger, is dying,” said Liz Dunn, volunteer animal behaviorist. “We just found out two days ago.  We knew he was sick because he stopped eating, but this diagnosis is devastating – so, yeah, emotions are running real high.”

     In-sync owner Vicky Keahey took “Nicky” to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Texas A & M in College Station where they diagnosed the cat with cancer.

    “He only has a few days left and there’s nothing we can do.  I’m just trying to keep him comfortable until…” she said, stopping mid-sentence, tears streaming down her face. “If he doesn’t start eating again, I’ll give him another day, put his head on my lap, stroke his back, and then let him go to heaven.”

     Keahey founded the nonprofit 19 years ago after rescuing a cougar from a veterinary clinic she was working at.  In-sync is now home to 45 animals: 18 tigers, 6 lions, 3 leopards, 12 cougars, 2 Siberian lynxes, 2 bobcats, an African serval and a coatimundi.   It’s a job that requires round-the-clock care.

     “I live here, literally - my day starts at around 8 a.m.  scooping poop, cleaning out dens, shifting cats around so they can all have playground time; they all get fed one main meal, and then snacks all day long,” she said. “And there are so many other duties that come up like illness or vaccinations. It’s labor, but it’s a labor of love.”

    The average big cat eats five pounds of ground meat as their main meal, a pound and a half of chicken for dessert, and several meat-strip-treats each day.

    “And let me tell you, it gets expensive,” said Keahey.  “It costs about $12,000 per month just for food, and that doesn’t include bills, transportation costs or extras. Vet care alone can run $20,000 per year.”

      This time of year is the hardest with donations running dangerously low.

      “Right now, we are in desperate need,” she said.  “I’m willing to plead, beg, scream and holler because we need help to care for these animals real, real bad.”

   Keahey has four regular employees and 156 volunteers, 25 of whom work on a regular basis.

    “We offer guided tours and field trips for families, scout groups and schools, and we do ask for donations for those to help us support the animals,” she said.   

    Plans for the future?

    “We’re hoping to build our own on-site vet clinic fully equipped for big cats by the end of next year so we can provide all of their care right here,” she said.

     “We’ll need a lot of grants and donations to make that happen ---- but this is my life.  I’m totally invested.  They are like my children.  I’ll be out here old as the hills in a wheelchair pointing fingers if I have to.”

    To make a much-needed donation or schedule a tour, visit www.insyncexotics.com; call 972-442-6888 or mail checks directly to In-Sync Exotics, P.O. Box 968, Wylie, Texas, 75098.

       Eleven-year-old Rockwall resident Jack Colbert is pretty much just like any other kid his age.  He likes to play video games, hang out with friends and when you ask him his favorite school subject, he says, “does lunch count?” 

     But Jack is different from most kids his age in that he suffers from Cystic Fibrosis – a diagnosis he’s been living with since he was 7 months old. A disease his mother calls “all encompassing.”

   “He’s had a particularly rough year,” said his mother Kelly. “We do about three breathing treatments each day, and we use an IPV (intrapulmonary percussive ventilator)   to help clear his lungs. Plus, he takes 18 different medicines, and he had to get a feeding tube that he uses at night to get extra calories.”

    Jack does attend school when he can, but a majority of the time he’s home-schooled, especially during flu season.

    “He’s been in the hospital over 200 days the past year for two and three weeks at a time,” said Kelly.  “We don’t plan anything – we take it one day at a time.”

    But despite recent setbacks, that hasn’t stopped Jack from living life to its fullest.  This summer, he started a toy drive for the kids in the Child Life Department at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

     “I knew the hospital was running low on toys so I just came up with the idea, went through with it, and collected a lot of toys and money,” he said.  “I wanted to do it because it gets really boring when you’re in the hospital, and the toys really help make it better.”

    Jack collected over 500 toys and $2300 in cash and gift cards.

    “It felt really good to deliver all those toys to the hospital, and it was also a lot of fun – I’m so glad I did it,” he said.

    Mom was too.

     “I was thrilled that he wanted to do it and was focusing on something he felt passionate about,” she said.

     “We started in May and are just now wrapping it up.  Jack got to deliver some of the toys to the kids in person, and they were just thrilled. We are so thankful and so grateful to everyone who contributed.”

     According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, approximately 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. have CF.  It is an inherited disease in which thick mucus clogs the lungs and blocks the ducts of the pancreas.

     Kelly Colbert is praying for a cure.

    “You know, the nurses helped Jack pick out a name for his toy drive --- ‘Jack-in-the-Toy-Box.’ I thought it was the perfect name,” she said.  “We have learned to love every day --- just love every day we are together.”

     For more information on cystic fibrosis, visit www.cff.org.

    The Rockwall Alliance for the Arts is gearing up for their biggest fundraiser of the year:  The “Puttin’ on the Ritz” Celebrity Art Auction and Dance Competition.  This year’s event will be held in the ballroom at the HiltonBellaHarbor, October 17^th at 6:30.  Tickets cost $75 per person with proceeds benefiting the arts in RockwallCounty.

     The evening will feature pianist Asa Welles, a delicious three-course dinner, and dancing to the music of 15-piece band, Nobles of Note.  Attendees will enjoy an art auction featuring creations by prominent civic leaders including Lakeside Civic Chorus Director David Bush, RISD Asst. Superintendent Dr. Joan Terry, Heath City Councilman Russ Childers, and Fox News Anchor Heather Hayes. 

   Local celebrities competing in the dance competition include former Mayor of Heath Chris Cuny, former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Melissa Maldonado, local pediatrician and Train Up owner Dr. Kurt Pflieger, RISD Superintendent Dr. Gene Burton, and yours truly… yes, I am one of the celebrity dancers.  For those who know me, you can stop laughing; for those who don’t, well, you can too.          

    Margaret Kochan, a professional ballroom dancer and alliance board member, is choreographing the local celebrity dance numbers, and promises an evening to remember.

    The dance numbers will be judged by the audience along with a panel of judges that include former Rockwall City Councilman Bob Cotti, Deidre Goodson of AMICA, and John Bailey, ambassador for the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce.

    The Rockwall County Alliance for the Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts in our community as well as providing scholarships to area students.  Last year’s event attracted 175 guests and raised nearly $20,000.  Tickets can be purchased by calling Kathleen Morrow at 972-772-1111 or visiting www.rockwallarts.org.

    If you’re looking for a wonderful opportunity to get the family out for some good exercise and a worthy cause, look no further. The Greater Dallas Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is hosting their 23^rd annual Walk for a Cure September 26^th at VictoryPlaza, outside the AmericanAirlinesCenter in Dallas.  Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.; the 5-K walk begins at 9 a.m.

   The statistics surrounding this disease are staggering.  According to the JDRF website, as many as 3 million Americans have type 1 diabetes.  It most often strikes in childhood, lasts a lifetime, and carries with it a constant threat of complications including stroke, blindness and amputation. Forty-one new children will be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the United States just today. 

    For Rockwall mom Caroline Chandler, that is forty-one too many.

   “My little boy Preston was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes five days before his 5^th birthday.  He has had it now for a year and a half, and while we feel like we finally have a handle on it, it still breaks my heart to have to prick his finger five to seven times a day and give him four to seven insulin shots,” she said.  “He is still a little boy and has had to grow up so much with this disease because the reality of it is, we are not with him around the clock, so he’s been forced to take ownership for himself.”

   And while it is a huge challenge for any six-year-old, Preston does indeed address it with a maturity beyond his years.

   “It’s not fun having diabetes because I have to get a poke and shot every time I eat and it makes me sad because I don’t want to do the pokes and shots because they hurt a lot,” he said.  “But I say a little prayer and then every night I pray for a cure.  If doctors found a cure I would be so happy, and I would remember what it was like every time I ate.”

      JDRF is a non-profit organization, the largest of its kind, dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes through research.  It was founded in 1970 by parents of children diagnosed with the disease.  Today, it boasts over 100 chapters and has raised over $1.3 billion with over eighty cents of every dollar raised going to research and research-related education.

      For more information, visit www.walk.jdrf.org, or call 214-373-0808.  To make a donation on behalf of Preston Chandler, visit www.prestonchandlerforjdrf.info.com.  

   In this economy, it isn’t easy meeting the needs of the needy.  But tough times can’t stop Rockwall County Helping Hands from doing what it has done best for 33 years --- providing critical assistance to local residents in the form of shelter and utility bill payments, food, clothing, and health services.

    Director Margo Nielsen says that while challenging times have raised the bar, the organization is managing to keep up with the growing demand.

    “We’re probably in a little better financial shape than we were this time last year, but 40 percent more people are applying for assistance today than a year ago,” she said. 

     “Last year, we gave out 14,000 bags of food at $10 a bag   People come in with their electric bill and we don’t have the money to pay for that, but we can give them food instead.  So, there’s a lot of juggling that must take place, but we’re making it happen.”

     Helping Hands not only offers the assistance and referral program, a health center providing affordable healthcare to the county’s uninsured, but also a thrift store where anyone can shop for low-cost household items.

     “The store is a revenue source, but it also provides a huge amount of clothing and household goods to people who can’t afford it,” said Nielsen.  “I’ve always said our slogan should be ‘give away all we can and then sell the rest’ because we give away so much, but it’s also a place where community members can both donate and volunteer, and that helps us out so much.”

    In fact, Nielsen credits the RockwallCounty community for keeping the agency going.

   “I’ve been in social work for many years, and Rockwall is absolutely the most generous and responsive community I’ve ever been a part of.  I can’t think of one time we had a need that didn’t get met as soon as we put the word out.”

    But the organization still needs help.  

   “When I started this job 20 years ago, the annual budget was $60,000 per year; last year, it was 1.8-million dollars,” she said. “Forty percent comes from the store, about thirty percent comes from donations and charitable contributions, and the rest from rental properties and grants.”

    In fact, one local donation helped keep the food pantry full all summer.

     “Summer is roughest when school is out of session because there are no food drives.

Fortunately, LakepointeChurch gave us 12,500 pounds of food the beginning of this summer which really saved us.”

     “Needless to say, we are looking forward to school starting up because school food drives keep our food pantry full.”

   For more information on volunteering, donating or organizing a food drive, visit www.rockwallhelpinghands.com.