Park Place Dealerships has partnered with Children’s Health for Cape Day to honor the real superheroes who fight courageously against illness and injury every day. 

As one of eight companies competing in a friendly battle for the best design, Park Place has created a cape that allows young patients to make a powerful and personal statement by finishing the heroic statement, “I am…” with their own words. 

The top two companies with the most votes in the preliminary round will participate in the Children’s Health Cape Day Challenge phone bank on Wednesday, October 30th. The winning cape design will be printed on this year’s capes. 

Voting is open until midnight Friday, October 25^th to vote for the Park Place Dealerships cape design. Vote for the design at wfaa.com/capes and help raise awareness for all those fighting for a better tomorrow.

“Park Place is proud to support Children’s Health and the youngest members of our community,” said Dave Evans, Chief Marketing Officer of Park Place Dealerships. “This is a fun and creative opportunity and we are looking forward to seeing the kids proudly wear the winning design on their capes next month.”

Kids at Children’s Health will wear their capes on Cape Day, Thursday, Nov. 7, to raise awareness for all the patients fighting for a better tomorrow. 

Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,100 people and operates 17 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, Maserati, and Karma. For more info, visit parkplace.com.

TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation has named Emily Allbright as executive director. Allbright has nearly 20 years of experience working with charitable organizations. As the executive director, Allbright will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with donors and sponsors, managing event logistics, and developing grant proposals for TeamConnor.

“Emily comes to TeamConnor with a strong background in the non-profit sector,” said Joy Cruse, co-founder and board president of TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation. “Even though cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children, childhood cancer receives less than four percent of government funding for research. Therefore, it’s critical for non-profits like TeamConnor to fill the gap by funding more research so better treatment plans can be developed and we can find a cure for this dreadful disease. Emily will be integral in partnering with private donors as well as corporations who want to be make the difference in saving kids.” 

TeamConnor was founded in 2008 while Connor Cruse was in the midst of his four-year battle with neuroblastoma cancer. Connor lost his battle in 2009, but TeamConnor remains committed to fight for all children. Since its founding, TeamConnor has donated more than $2.6 million to hospitals across the country who are committed to childhood cancer research. 

“TeamConnor has a great reputation for being a strong voice in the childhood cancer domain,” said Allbright. “I want to build on that tradition as well as pursue donors and organizations that are not currently involved in the cause. No one wants to see a child go through barbaric treatments or endure years of suffering because of a lack of funding research.”

TeamConnor hosts several events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, including the 9^th Annual Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot, November 4, 2019 and the 16^th Annual III Forks Golf Classic, May 3 - 4, 2020.  In addition, TeamConnor’s national program Coins for Kids with Cancer® raises funds in schools, churches, offices and organizations across the country to help fund childhood cancer research. More information on this program can be found at www.coinsforkidswithcancer.org.

Every year, more than 12,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness and funding research and treatment programs to find a cure for all childhood cancers.  

For more information on how to impact the lives of those affected by childhood cancer please visit teamconnor.orgor find us at Facebook.com/TeamConnor.

Park Place Lexus Plano is the official automotive sponsor of the 15th Annual III Forks Golf Classic presented by Northwestern Mutual – Dallas and benefitting the TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation on May 5-6 at III Forks Steakhouse and Gleneagles  Country Club. 

Babe Laufenberg, NFL quarterback and one of the most popular sports personalities in North Texas, will serve along with Fox 4 evening news anchor Steve Eagar, as Honorary Co-Chairs for the III Forks Golf Classic.  

“The III Forks Golf Classic is a terrific event that Park Place Lexus Plano has been a part of for several years now,” said Chris Brunner, General Manager of Park Place Lexus Plano. “Through this event, we are able to help fund more research for childhood cancer which is extremely underfunded. Through our efforts, we hope future kids will be spared from this dreadful disease.”

TeamConnor hosts several events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, including the 15^th Annual III Forks Golf Classic, May 5 - 6, 2019; Splash Out Childhood Cancer, Summer 2019; and the 9^thAnnual Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot, November 4, 2019. For more information on how to join the fight against childhood cancer, please visit teamconnor.org or Facebook.com/TeamConnor.  

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 with one dealership in Dallas and today employs more than 2,000 people operating 16 full-service dealerships in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. Park Place Lexus Plano is located on the Dallas North Tollway at Spring Creek Parkway. For more info, visit parkplace.com.

Babe Laufenberg, NFL quarterback and one of the most popular sports personalities in North Texas, will serve along with Fox 4 evening news anchor Steve Eagar, as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 15^th Annual III Forks Golf Classic on May 5 – 6, 2019.  

Presented by Northwestern Mutual – Dallas, this two-day event kicks off with dinner and a live and silent auction on Sunday evening, May 5, at III Forks Steakhouse in Dallas. On Monday, May 6, more than 300 golfers will gather at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano to compete on the Kings and Queens courses. 

“We are thrilled to have one of the most popular sports personalities and top news anchors in Dallas join us in our fight to raise money to support childhood cancer research,” said Kathryn Copple, Executive Director of Dallas-based TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation.  

Babe Laufenberg was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1983 and played eight years as a quarterback in the NFL. In addition to his time with Washington, he played for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, and finished his career playing two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He was also selected in the Major League Baseball draft out of high school by the San Francisco Giants. On December 26, 2017, Babe’s then 19-year-old son, Luke Laufenberg, was diagnosed with a rare, fast growing form of Leukemia with only a 70-80% survival rate.  In May 2018, Luke was pronounced cancer free.  

Steve Eagar is a reporter and evening news anchor for Fox 4 News. Steve’s early life was focused on sports, eventually earning a baseball scholarship to Brigham Young University. He was drafted three times by major league baseball teams: the Cincinnati Reds, the San Francisco Giants, and finally the Detroit Tigers with whom he signed a contract and played three seasons in the Tiger’s minor league system. After baseball, Steve returned to BYU and completed his Communications degree with an emphasis on Broadcast News. He worked in Yuma, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah before arriving at Fox 4 in the Dallas-Fort Worth market more than 21-years ago.  

“Babe Laufenberg has a miraculous story to share regarding Luke’s diagnosis and treatment,” said Copple. “Steve Eagar has served as our honorary chair the last two years, and we are so happy to have him back, as our attendees love his sense of humor and infectious positive attitude. With Laufenberg’s and Eager’s support, we hope to increase awareness of the critical need for more funding, better treatment protocols, and eventually cures for childhood cancers.”

Sponsors for the 2019 III Forks Golf Classic include: III Forks Steakhouse, Title Sponsor; Northwestern Mutual – Dallas, Presenting Sponsor; Park Place Lexus Plano, Automotive Sponsor; Leslie and Alex Beilin, Dinner Sponsor; PlainsCapital Bank, LeaderBoard Sponsor; Peter Millar – Legacy West; Patron Reception Sponsor; BenefitsTexas, Auction Sponsor; D1 Scouting, Valet Sponsor; Town & Country Roofing, Lunch Sponsor; Zigatta, Cart Sponsor; Marsh & McLennan Agency, Bourbon Pull Sponsor; Messick Peacock & Associate, Tent Sponsor; Candy and Scott Lane, Awards Sponsor; The Beck Group (2), Jordan Flournoy LLP, Becky and Rick Welday, Beverage Station Sponsors; Something Pretty Floral, Floral Sponsor; Dorfman Pacific, Hat Sponsors; Legacy Print Group, Print Sponsor; Candlelight Films, Video Sponsor; City Central, Website Sponsor; and 5 Star Expeditions, Armstrong Accountancy P.C., Charles Armstrong, CPA, Digital Range, Fluellen Cupcakes, Frost Bank, Stephanie and Loren Hsiao, Park West Gallery, Peter Millar (2), Pockets Menswear, Water Event, and Gary Wolfe, MBA, CPA, LUTCF, ChFC, CLTC, AEP, RICP (2), Hole Sponsors.

TeamConnor has donated more than $2.6 million in grants to the top research hospitals in the United States conducting cutting-edge research of childhood cancers. 

TeamConnor hosts several events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, including the 15^th Annual III Forks Golf Classic, May 5 - 6,2019; Splash Out Childhood Cancer, Summer 2019; and the 9^th Annual Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot, November 4, 2019. For more information on how to join the fight against childhood cancer, please visit teamconnor.org or Facebook.com/TeamConnor.  

TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation wrapped up 2018 by donating $250,000 to several research hospitals, in support of cutting-edge research for childhood cancers and patient programs.  

Since 2008, TeamConnor has donated more than $2.6 million to numerous hospitals across the country in its mission to find cures for childhood cancers.

The 2018 grant recipients include, Dr. Steven DuBois, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Dr. Simone Krebs, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Dr. Meghan Granger, Cook Children’s Hospital; Children’s Health Dallas; Dr. James Amatruda, UT Southwestern University; Dr. Stephen Mathew and Dr. Paul Bowman, University of North Texas Health Science Center and Dr. Robert Schnepp, Emory University School of Medicine.

“We are committed to funding research for childhood cancers at some of the best research centers in the country,” said Joy Cruse, founder of Dallas-based TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation. “Despite being one of the leading causes of death among children, childhood cancer receives very little government funding for research. Therefore, if better treatment protocols and cures are to be found, it will take significant private and corporate support to fund the research.” 

Dr. Steven DuBois, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Phase 1 Study of the Dual MDM1/MDMX Inhibitor ALRN-6924 in Pediatric Cancer, which will investigate a trial of a new therapeutic agent in children with relapsed solid tumors and leukemia. $100,000.

Dr. Simone Krebs, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Novel Molecular Imaging Tools for Monitoring CAR T Cells in Malignant Childhood Gliomas, will study the advanced molecular imaging and monitoring of CAR T cells in vivo models and will benefit children with DIPG and glioblastomas (one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer). $50.000.

Dr. Meghan Granger, Cook Children’s Hospital, Phase I Study of MIBG Therapy Combined with Immunotherapy, which will investigate the first opportunity for patients to receive a combination of the two most well-known, effective therapies for relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma. $50,000.

Children’s Health Dallas, continued support of our KidzBinz Activity Boxes to patients facing isolated hospital stays while receiving stem cell transplants and MIBG treatments. TeamConnor provides resources for hospitals to create personalized boxes of materials, including paints, canvases, crayons, markers, coloring books, digital tablets, and other items for kids to be creative while going through life-saving stem cell transplants in the hospital. These treatments typically result in extended and isolated hospital stays often lasting up to 90 days. During the treatment, a child often has very limited visitation. The KidzBinz Program drastically improves a patient’s overall experience. $10,000.

Dr. James Amatruda, UT Southwestern University, Ewing Sarcoma Study Utilizing Zebrafish Models to Identify a New Class of Drugs that Inhibit the Function of Ewing Sarcoma FLI1. $5,000.

Dr. Stephen Mathew and Dr. Paul Bowman, University of North Texas Health Science Center, which will recruit additional patients to further validate the finding at NK cells from pediatric ALL patients that appear to be impaired in their ability to kill tumor targets as compared to healthy subjects. $5,000.

Dr. Robert Schnepp, Emory University School of Medicine, Investigating LIN28B-PBK signaling as a novel therapeutic vulnerability in neuroblastoma, which is a preclinical trial to further study LIN28B as a potential target of neuroblastoma therapy. $30,000.

“Funding research is imperative to moving closer to finding cures for childhood cancer,” said Kathryn Copple, executive director of TeamConnor. “We are blessed to have supporters who want to make a difference.  It is through our volunteers, corporate sponsors and private donations that we are able to award numerous grants each year to childhood cancer research projects. TeamConnor has donated more than $2.6 million in its mission to find cures for childhood cancers and we will continue this fight until cures for all childhood cancers are realized.” 

Every year, more than 12,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children, yet the budget of the National Cancer Institute allocates less than four percent of its funds to pediatric cancer research. TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness and funding research and treatment programs to find cures for all childhood cancers.   

TeamConnor hosts several events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, including Smashing Childhood Cancer Tennis Clinic, February 2, 2019; the 15^th Annual III Forks Golf Classic, May 5, & 6, 2019; Splash Out Childhood Cancer, Summer 2019; and the 9^th Annual Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot, November 4, 2019. For more information on how to join the fight against childhood cancer, please visit teamconnor.org or Facebook.com/TeamConnor.