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Our ultimate goal is to develop a statewide organization with the same basic concepts that we have developed in Memories of Dallas: hearing the stories of the folks that lived there and doing this all with No Politics or Self Promotion. We feel there is a huge need for an organization like ours.
We currently serve the citizens of Dallas, the citizens of the State of Texas, football and cheer-leading fans in Texas and are expanding into the music of our great state. Each one feeds the other one yet can easily stand on its own. Our goal is to expand into other metro area as new moderators are found. While there are other groups that service metro areas in our state, very few have a 501c3 Non Profit behind them.
We work with the Salvation Army donating both our sweat equity and funding. We also work with Operation Kindness, a pet rescue and rehabilitation center in Carrollton. While Covid has stopped our volunteer training, we have sent funding to assist. We were also a sweat equity partner with Texas International Pop Festival – 50th Reunion where groups like ZZ Top, Chicago, John Mayall and others preformed.
We began our journey with Memories of Dallas on Facebook, followed by the formation of our IRS approved 501c3 non-profit for Memories Inc. and subsequent DBA in Dallas County for Memories of Dallas, and then the webpage memoriesofdallas.org. We are currently building logos and revised web pages for Memories of Texas, Memories of Texas Football and Memories Incorporated.
Our next project is Memories of Texas Music. Our Board of Directors include some very knowledgeable folks that have booked bands from Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin to Ike & Tina Turner to John Mayall and ZZ Top.
We have partnered with Riipen, a group out of Vancouver, British Columbia that puts non-profits like us together with college graduates working on MBA and other grad programs. Currently we are working with a group at UT-San Antonio. The semester-long project is to see us through their eyes amd how they can help us with direction, financial goals, social goals and so forth.
At this time there are no paid positions in Memories Inc. We have contracted with an outside Webmaster to develop our webpages, logo’s, etc.
Currently we are a “baby non-profit”. By that, we are growing but still in our infancy. We are on the waiting list for offices through the Meadows Foundation. Those offices are located on the lower part of Swiss Avenue.
Our biggest strengths are in our Board of Directors: Lenny Licht runs Noel Management, one of the premiere multi-family housing companies in the Metroplex. Greg McCone was the GM of the world famous Starck Club (designed by the world famous architect Phillipe Starck). Tami Brown Rodriguez is a brilliant addition to our team who has testified before the US Congress and is currently the VP of Sales for The Financial Brand. Angus Wynne was the brains behind the 1969 Texas International Pop Festival and the 50th Reunion reboot and one of the two founders of the premiere concert sound company Showco. Linda McAlister runs Linda McAlister Talent and represents artists like Barry Corbin, Burton Gilliam and Janine Turner. Paul Heckmann ran several clubs in Dallas before going to work for Carnival and Admiral Cruise lines as Chief Purser and Hotel Manager.
Paul Heckmann is the founder and Executive Director of Memories Inc. Tami Brown Rodriguez is the COO and Secretary. Lenny Licht is the Treasurer.
As a “baby” 501c3, our budget is limited to what we bring in from donations — just under $10,000 per year. We are currently in the process of developing and improving our webpages so that advertising can be sold to augment donations. One rule we have had from early on: never go into the black and keep $X in the bank at all times. Sometimes it is harder than others, but staying in the black is always good. We plan ahead and deploy fundraisers as needed, well in advance of need.
Long term goals include moving into our own offices, having a small showplace for artifacts that are donated to us and eventually having paid positions. We have been steadily building up our base so that we can make these things happen.
As is the issue with most young non-profits, raising funds is key to survival. Add in the remnants of the pandemic and it’s sometimes like getting blood out of a rock. But our steadfast adherence to only purchasing what we can afford and never going into the red is our key to success.