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legacycares.org

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/positivitea-2022-a-legacy-brunch-tickets-384032931837

LeeAnne has an international television career as a tv host, actress and reality tv star. She has been featured in numerous national magazines, such as People, US Weekly, OK Magazine and Page Six and on several national & international tv shows, including TMZ, Extra, E! News & UK Daily Mail TV. She has a huge US, UK and AU following having been the breakout star of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Dallas” and TV Land’s “She’s Got The Look”. 

LeeAnne shares her love for travel, fashion and a healthy lifestyle to her over 1 million followers on her Instagram. She is huge advocate for Mental Health, Animals, Child Abuse & Domestic Violence and the LGBTQ+ community. Her audience loves what she stands for and how she lives her life as an example for good!

legacycares.org

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Melissa Grove M.S., LPC has served as Executive Director of Legacy Counseling Center, Inc. since 1999, transforming the agency into the largest provider of mental health services for HIV+ people in the South. The Grace Project National Conference for Women Living with HIV she founded hosts 200 HIV+ women annually. Other projects include founding Legacy Founders Cottage, an AIDS care facility, and creating the centralized housing solution, Homebaseforhousing.org website. Her newest program, Legacy Master Leasing, sublets apartments to homeless people living with HIV. Ms. Grove speaks around the nation on issues pertaining to mental health, relationships, muscular dystrophy, HIV and chronic illness She additionally has a private therapy practice in Dallas, TX.

She was named the 2014 Public Citizen of the Year through the North Central Texas National Association of Social Workers, and received the 2015 Black Tie Dinner Kuchling Humanitarian Award. Currently Ms. Grove has served on the National Consumer Advisory Committee for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and consults on the STS4HIV Project, a project of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Jason Vallejo is the Founder & Executive Director of Elevate North Texas - Youth Emergency Shelter. Elevate North Texas’ mission is to fill in the gap of youth homelessness with emergency shelter. They provide a safe, affirming environment through access to immediate shelter and reunification with family, when possible. Jason founded Elevate North Texas in 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic that we know as COVID-19. He saw a gap in the homeless system when it came to youth who were between the ages 18 to 24. While North Texas had transitional living programs for youth in this age range, he knew that there was still no emergency shelter for these youth that would meet the immediate need of youth experiencing homelessness.

Jason created three core programs that will allow Elevate North Texas to provide emergency shelter for youth, 18 to 24, experiencing homelessness:

1. Hotel Voucher Program: They partner with several hotels here in North Texas to provide hotel vouchers for those youth in immediate need of shelter.

2. Host Home Program: They work with trusted families that have a spare room to host a pre-screened youth for up to four months. During this time, youth are provided case management, counseling, and life skills training.

3.Reunification Program: They work to reunite youth with family members, when possible, to avoid them entering the homeless system. They also understand that many youth are fleeing abusive and toxic home environments, which is why they emphasize the "when possible." 

Prior to the founding of Elevate North Texas, Jason was Executive Director of Dallas Hope Charities from November 2017 to January 2020. He led the organization in the creation of the first LGBTQ+ focused transitional living program called Dallas Hope Center. It started with two beds and when he left in 2020 it had grown to six beds.

Jason is active in the community serving on the Metro Dallas Youth Committee, LULAC of Dallas, North Texas Human Trafficking Coalition and Dallas LGBTQ Chamber. Prior to moving to Dallas in 2017 Jason was the Outreach Director at a mega church in South Texas. He led the efforts in feeding the homeless and providing back to school supplies for over 3,000 youth.

Jason and his husband now live in Plano, Texas and have a dog named Sophie. They enjoy going to movies, Broadway shows, playing golf and working on projects around the house.

Regina Lyn joined the Black Tie Dinner board in Dec of 2019, first serving on the Community Relations Committee. She chaired the committee in 2021 and is now the Jr. co-chair of Black Tie Dinner. In addition to her volunteer role with Black Tie Dinner, Regina works full-time in Sports Entertainment, having cut her teeth in Minor League Baseball as an on-field host, eventually becoming the VP of Game Entertainment, and is currently the Director of Strategic Accounts for Versus Systems. She is also a brand ambassador, freelance producer, and on-camera talent. Regina hosted Riders Insider on FSSW, has been on the Dallas Cowboys Production team for 10 years, is the in-house show Producer for the brand new Major League Rugby team, the Dallas Jackals, and is the Senior Correspondent for the Dallas Voice.

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The Reverend Dr. Neil G. Thomas is the Senior Pastor of Cathedral of Hope of Dallas, called and elected by the 4,500-member congregation on April 12, 2015, following a year-long search. He began his tenure on June 3, 2015.  In 2015 he has been granted Privilege of Call in the United Church of Christ.  Prior to his arrival at Cathedral of Hope, Rev. Neil served as Senior Pastor of two Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC); MCC Bournemouth, England (1989-2002) and Founders Metropolitan Community Church, Los Angeles  (2002-2015), the founding church of Metropolitan Community Churches, an international movement of churches reaching in and beyond the gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, and inter- sex community.

A member of Metropolitan Community Churches since 1981, Rev. Neil has served in numerous denominational positions including Chair, Board of Ordained Ministries (European District); Member, Elder’s Task Force on Education; Member, European District Committee; Member, Board of Samaritan College in Europe; Supervising Pastor, and Ecumenical Officer. He has served on the Moderator’s Advising Team and consultant to the Office of Formation and Leadership Development.  As a native of Bournemouth, England, Rev. Neil was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His family left the Mormon Church in his early years. In his 20’s, he served as Chaplain to those dying from HIV/AIDS in the Bournemouth area, which led to being an advocate which continues to this day. Rev. Neil is a sought-after speaker and contributor to local, national and international conversations around the intersectionality of faith, color, gender, gender-identity and sexual orientation.

Rev. Neil has been a leader with Faith Forward Dallas, which is a diverse coalition of Dallas’ faith leaders dedicated to service, hope and a shared vision of peace and justice and serves as a moral compass for the North Texas Community. Rev. Neil is currently co-authoring a book about faith struggles during a pandemic and is highly regarded in the LGBTQIA community not only locally but also throughout the country.

On a personal note, Rev. Neil is the father of a young daughter whom he adores.

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Dillon Bartel was born in raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He went to a Christian private school, where he was involved in sports and theater and made many lasting friendships. As an adult, he moved to Dallas where he met his husband and they moved to Seattle in 2015. He is now a gymnastics coach who spends his free time producing music, dancing and cooking.

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Dallas-based artist Chris Chism is a talented singer/songwriter who has a natural way of crossing cultural and generational barriers to reach people through his music.  Chris is also the Founder/Lead Pastor of The House Dallas, a contemporary church in the DFW Metroplex.  He has been named Dallas’ Best Musician and Best Local Singer by the Dallas Voice and was chosen as the winner of the Michael Terry Singer/Songwriter People’s Choice Award at the 2019 Wildflower Arts & Music Festival.

As a diversely talented musician, Chris has performed for audiences around the country.  He has been a featured entertainer at the Capital Pride Festival in Washington DC, Deep Ellum Arts Festival, Wildflower Arts & Music Festival, Dallas Arts District Block Parties and House of Blues Dallas to name a few.  He can often be found performing at numerous charity and fundraising events, and has shared the stage with the likes of artists such as Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, and Yolanda Adams.

Over the last few years, Chris has used his gospel upbringing, along with his own personal life experiences, to compose and perform uplifting and inspirational music, as well as original praise and worship songs.  His popular "Don't Stay There" continues to be a favorite of audiences.   The song was also featured in the documentary "2nd Chances." Chris's other original songs include "Deadbolt", “Visible”, “Love Me” and “Into the Wild”

At the end of 2020, Chris added “Pastor” to his list of responsibilities when he formed a new church, The House Dallas.  He and a devoted group of devoted volunteers felt there was a need for a more contemporary church service to reach those that were looking for a less traditional church.  The House Dallas welcomes those from all walks of life, and seeks to be a congregation where all are “Beloved, Believed In, and Belong”.  Despite starting a new church service during the pandemic, the church continues to grow.  Currently The House Dallas holds weekly services at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday afternoons at VariSpace in Las Colinas.  

When Chris is not busy with performing, writing new music and his duties as pastor of The House Dallas, he enjoys spending time with his husband Thomas and their two daughters.

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Denise Lee is an award winning actress and singer whose powerful voice, warm and friendly demeanor and her brassy performance style has charmed theater, nightclub and television audiences for more than three decades. She is the founder and Executive Producer of the Denise Lee Onstage Cabaret Series and the Dallas Cabaret Festival featuring the best in Dallas based and National Cabaret Artists. She just recently brought her show ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’ home to Circle Theater after premiering it to rave reviews at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. For her one woman shows ‘Divas of American Music’ and ‘Too Old, Too Fat, Too Black – Songs I’ll Never Sing On Broadway” she was awarded Broadway World Awards for Best Cabaret Performer. She is also the recipient of the Sammons Center for the Arts Cabaret Artist of the Year and multiple Dallas Theater Critic Forum and Dallas Readers Voice Awards. Lee has recently added ‘playwright’ to her list of accomplishments. Her first play ‘Funny, You Don’t Act Like A Negro’ had it’s World Premiere at Historic Theatre Three in February 2020. In addition to her career as an Artist, Denise Lee is a fierce Social Justice activist. She established 'Community Conversation' through her non-profit organization Visions For Change. Since 2016, these monthly gatherings have brought people together for respectful, open, honest dialogue in order to heal racial and community tension. For these efforts, she has received several awards including the 2019 Cathedral of Hope’s Hero of Hope Award. She also serves as the Social Justice Strategist for the Dallas Children’s Theater and is Board President for the Dallas Street Choir. 

She has 2 talented, beautiful daughters, Janelle & Traci- independent artists in their own right, of whom she is incredibly proud! You can keep up with her at www.deniseleeonstage.com and www.visionsforchange.org

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Gary is currently serving as the Senior Director of Community Impact, Equity, and Public Affairs at VisitDallas. In this role, Gary is responsible for developing and fostering relationships with community partners, stakeholders, elected officials, chambers of commerce, state and national associations as they relate to hospitality and the travel/tourism industry. Additionally, he leads the organization’s government affairs, and works with local, state, and national associations to protect and advocate for policy directly related to keeping Texas a welcoming destination for all. His experience includes more than twelve years at the City of Dallas, including the Dallas Zoo, Office of Arts and Culture, and the office of the Mayor and City Council. Gary is currently the Chair of the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of directors at the Dallas Regional Chamber and 24HourDallas. In September 2021, he was appointed as Co-Chair of the Dallas Mayor’s Anti-Hate Advisory Council.

visitdallas.org

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Today's "activism" is essentially a process of expressing collective community grievances and disgust, feeling there's either no control over situations or even how to react. Or hope that someone else will do it. Well, there's no someone else. Nor is there a blueprint for creating change. It's simple: "get out" and make sure every voter is informed on our issues and registered to vote. If there's a message that we believe, it is "Don't worry about rocking the boat because you are not in the boat, so rock it as hard and as often as you can." If you don't feel the wall at your back now, you should.

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