Are you looking to lend a helping hand this summer? Two upcoming events associated with North Texas' chapter of the Project Linus organization -- which seeks to supply local hospitals and other outlets with baby blankets for newborns who might not otherwise have them -- will give you an opportunity to give back to the community.

On July 11 from 1-4 p.m. at North Dallas' Midway Hills Christian Church, a group of quilters will host Blanket Fest, which will unite exisiting group members and prospective ones all in the name of a good cause. For more information, visit midwayhills.org. To read about the hard-working group, take a look at North Dallas neighborsgo's past story on them.

On July 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Happiness is Quilting in McKinney will host "Make a Blanket Day," with all blankets made going to Snowball Express, an organization hat supports the children of fallen military heroes. 

Read more about the Midway Hills Christian Church group in an upcoming edition of North Dallas neighborsgo.

When newly-minted St. Louis Rams offensive tackle and No. 2 NFL Draft pick Jason Smith turned up years ago at St. Luke's Missionary Baptist Church in a W.T. White Longhorns football jersey, it took his longtime pastor, Lloyd B. Hall, by surprise.  Smith, who at 6’5” was previously known by Hall to be a dedicated basketball player, was never one to brag about his successes.

“I knew he was going to be great, but I didn’t know he played football until he came in with his uniform on,” Hall said. “This big gigantic fellow covered our whole hallway. He said, ‘Hey, Rev. Hall!’ and I said, ‘Jason, you’re really turning the corner on me.’ I’ll never forget that moment.”

Ann Margolin's record as Parkland Hospital board member and chairwoman and Brint Ryan's voting record and experience as chief of his namesake tax company were among the topics of discussion at Thursday night's District 13 debate at Good Shepherd Episcopal School's Kincaid Pavillion. Sponsored by the Royal Northaven Neighborhood Association and neighborsgo and moderated by Tracy Rowlett, the event reflected the heated tempo of the campaign as the candidates vie for the pivotal District 13 seat with incumbent Mitchell Rasansky leaving due to term limits. Rowlett, himself a resident of district 13, questioned the candidates before an audience of over 100 North Dallas residents, with a Q&A from attendees - including Councilmember Rasansky - at the end of the presentation.

Today Hockaday School will host the Keen on Green Environmental Fair sponsored by Whole Foods Market from 4-7 p.m. on Graduation Terrace. There will be a fashion show with casual clothing from Barneys New York and vintage prom dresses modeled by Hockaday students. There will also be a Green Spa with organic and non-toxic  skin care and make-up lines, a Green Car show with cars from students and Sewell, a speaker from both the national organization Teens Turning Green and the Dallas based Current Energy store, and a closing concert. The other schools participating include Greenhill, ESD, St. Marks, Jesuit and Ursuline.

Dallas Morning News City Hall reporter Dave Levinthal was onhand Monday for a debate between Dallas City Council hopefuls for District 13, Ann Margolin and Brint Ryan. The debate, which was moderated by Dallas attorney Jason Villalba, took place at Town North YMCA with an audience of 100 in attendance. Mayor Tom Leppert, himself a resident of the district, was there to talk up the Convention Center hotel, and made appeals to his constituents to vote "No" on Proposition 1. Both Margolin and Ryan are opposed to taxpayer funding of the hotel. What will be on the agenda at the neighborsgo-sponsored District 13 forum Thursday night hosted by Royal Northaven Neighborhood Association? Stick with us to find out.

• Read the neighborsgo District 13 Candidate Quiz
• Read the Dallas Morning News Voter Guide for District 13

Ross Coulter, president of the Walnut Hill Homeowners Association, will moderate a 6:45 discussion tonight between District 13 candidates Ann Margolin and Brint Ryan in Walnut Hill Elementary School's auditorium. The event is co-sponsored by the Walnut Hill Homeowners Association and the Northwest Dallas Improvement League. Ross tells me that each candidate will have about a seven-minute opening, and then he will open it to questions from the audience. The event will finish up just before 8 p.m. with each candidate given five minutes to close.

• Read the neighborsgo District 13 Candidate Quiz
• Read the Dallas Morning News Voter Guide for District 13

Royal Northaven Neighborhood Association will host a discussion between Ann Margolin and Brint Ryan, Dallas City Council candidates for District 13, on Thursday, April 16 from 7-8 p.m. at Good Shepherd Episcopal School. The forum will be moderated by former WFAA-TV and KTVT-TV anchor Tracy Rowlett. As the event's official media sponsor, we are inviting our readers to take part in the discussion by submitting questions for the candidates to neighborsgo. Whether you are curious about Code Compliance, the Convention Center hotel or quality of life, now's your shot to find out where the candidates stand on issues facing North Dallas voters.

Read the candidates' answers to the North Dallas neighborsgo candidate questionnaire from our March 20 issue here.

While summer means weeks of leisure for their peers, to Zach and Sophie Galant, 19 and 17, a break from school is no time for idle hands and minds.

Between them, the brother-sister duo have created three summer camps for local children housed in their parents' home, an enterprise kicked off by Zach as an eighth-grade student at Greenhill School. Tera Byte, a video-game creation and filmmaking camp, was his brainchild after attending a similar camp in Los Angeles.

For Dallas International Students, a field trip is much more than a visit to the zoo. Last week, two classes of fifth-grade students boarded a plane to Paris, where they are now spending time with a collection of pen-pals who will in turn stay with them in Dallas this Spring. The students are accompanied by a set of chaperones including teachers Sophie Bertrand and Laurence Maurel, who have guided the students in a curriculum that lends historic context to the sites seen on the trip. Read more here.

When Karen Mellow Stock was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2008, she had a feeling it was coming. Suffering from sinus problems for months, Stock was treated for a patchwork of ailments ranging from nasal issues to facial rashes.
 "I was collecting these weird symptoms," Stock said March 24 from her room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where she receives chemotherapy. "The doctors were a bit puzzled, and they weren't initially sure if they all fit into one piece."