Nancy Henderek is the founder and artistic director of Dance Salad Festival which opens this coming Thursday, April 18th and runs through Saturday the 20th at the Wortham Center. Performers include: Maria Kochetkova with Sebastian Kloborg, Ashley Bouder and Joaquin De Luz from New York City Ballet, Spellbound Contemporary Ballet from Rome, Italy and many more. Also part of the festival is the free Choreographers Forum at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Wednesday on Wednesday, April 17. Check out their website for all the info: www.dancesalad.org Tickets start at just $20.

Stephanie Fitzpatrick is a veteran and the owner of Earthwise Pet The Woodlands and with her is Jennifer Weissbach, a dog trainer and the owner of Puppertory Academy. On April 6th they are holding their first "Proud to Serve Those Who Serve" fundraiser from 12-4 PM at Earthwise Pet / The Woodlands on Kuykendahl and FM 1488, (across the street from HEB). They are donating 100% of their proceeds to The Lone Survivor Foundation which provides therapeutic retreats for veterans and their families affected by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Pain, and Military Sexual Trauma.
Our conversation explores the fascinating methods of training service dogs (and how to identify REAL service dogs) and how a small for-profit business can make a difference by helping small non-profit foundations. See their Facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/EarthWisePetWoodlands/

Cristina Cave is the community relations manager for BakerRipley and she gives us an efficient crash-course in filing our taxes for 2018. BakerRipley is offering free tax preparation services to anyone making less than $58,000. They have locations open around town guaranteeing that taxes get done legally. Indeed, Cristina warns us that a lot of "tax preparers" who offer loans based on IRS tax refunds are just ripping people off. BakerRipley also provides a lot of help to our poorest and most vulnerable communities and information on those programs is where you'll also find their tax preparation services: www.freetaxcenters.org

Ashley Brockette is the Communications Director for Child Advocates, here to tell us about one of their major fundraisers: the 30th Annual McDonald’s Houston Children’s Festival Saturday and Sunday March 30 & 31, The festival is closing down 16 blocks of Downtown Houston for the biggest Children's Festival in the country. It all benefits Child Advocates and thus far, this festival has raised over 5.5 Million Dollars. It's a Houston-made success and it serves the Advocates – volunteers – who accompany children through our court system. These children have been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services and their Advocates is often the only person on their side for the whole case. The Org trains Advocates and helps them help the children. Their system is extremely successful but they are in dire need of volunteers. www.childadvocates.org Donating is a legitimate way to help when one cannot commit to being an advocate.
Also check out: www.houstonchildrensfestival.com for tickets. You can save a few bucks by buying in advance.

Rodney Waters is the program director for Music Doing Good with Scholarships. The due-date for applications to obtain a MDG scholarship is March 19th so get to it! Students can obtain $500-1500 scholarships to cover music classes and other expenses related to music education. We also discuss the incredible success of Music Doing Good with its students, including a group which started their own non-profit: Music of Harmony, which sends high-school students into retirement homes and civic centers to perform free concerts.
They also have a big show coming up on May 10th at the Hobby Center for the performing arts and you can go see it by visiting their link: www.MusicDoingGood.org – which is also the link to apply for their scholarships.

Susanne Theis is the programming director for Discovery Green, the beautiful park we have in Downtown Houston. It features a huge pond, walking trails, free interactive art installations, free activities like yoga, music classes, and much more, free concerts and free movies and other free classes organized by some of the best non-profit organizations in town like Writers in the Schools and Hester House. They are also the home of the ice skating rink and now, the roller skating rink. You'll need to go to their website to get a hold of all they offer because it is awesome: www.discoverygreen.com.

Casey Kelly is the director of communication for Magnificat Houses, Inc and with her is John Reece, their director of residence services. Magnificat Houses is a famous success story in the world of philanthropy and their programs have been the subject of sociological and psychological studies. Founded in 1968, Magnificat Houses provides shelter, food and programs to help people climb out of homelessness. Loaves and Fishes was Houston's first soup kitchen and in the 70s, the Org started focusing their service on women and children. While you listen to one of the best and most hopeful success stories in Houston, check out their website and help them reach more people: www.mhihouston.org

Marie Jacinto is the director of communications for AVDA: Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse. February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and the subject is treated year-round by AVDA's Coaching Boys into Men program. High school coaches are given training to teach their athletes about self-respect and the respect of others and specifically the women they date. For many boys, their coach has the potential to be among the most important male role models in their lives, especially for boys living with their single mother. The program is so successful at reducing teen dating violence that high schools are requesting it for their sports teams. You can find out more about here: www.avda-tx.org
You can also call 713-224-9911, AVDA's Help Line open 8AM – 5PM for help if you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse.

Christine Mansfield is the marketing and development manager for the Houston Arboretum and Kelsey Low is their adult education manager. They will be welcoming Houstonians for Tapas on the Trails on Saturday, February 9th. It is, in my opinion, one of the best Valentine's Day events in town and it benefits a great non-profit. We also discuss the end of their masterplan which opens the arboretum to more visitors (still free!) and the Owl Prowls, evening walks in search of some of our most interesting wild, native, winged predators. They have a lot going on and they also offer some of the best children's camps in town. Sign-ups are open now. www.houstonarboretum.org

Eureka Gilkey is the executive director of Project Row Houses and Ryan Dennis is their curator and programs director. The famously artistic social services is celebrating 25 years of history with a beautiful book: Collective Creative Actions: Project Row Houses at 25. The famous 3rd non-profit is now immortalized in the Smithsonian where the Org took a group of kids last year. That's a great story you'll want to hear as we discuss Project Row Houses' efforts to preserve and share the history of the African American experience. They also run a program to help single mothers reach financial independence. The curriculum includes parenting classes, education and of course, arts. They also incubate small business like the extraordinarily successful Workshop Houston which has been featured on Houston P.A. in the past. Go to www.projectrowhouses.org to support their programs.