For the first time in the history of Western Civilization, a crowd gathered this morning at the American Airlines Center was told, the five North Texas Junior League chapters (Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, and Richardson) have come together to work on a project.
That project is Slant 45, a “service-learning” initiative for children led by Big Thought that’s tied to the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee‘s efforts to create a lasting legacy for the Feb. 6, 2011, game. The Junior Leagues, along with local chapters of The Links Incorporated, will help register and coordinate the service projects of the 20,000 kids that the Slant 45 effort hopes to involve.
In one of many, many football analogies made during the presentation, Slant 45 “Action Team” chairman and former Dallas Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston said that the Junior League and the Links will provide the special teams and defense to complement Big Thought’s offense.
It was also announced that the American Airlines Center will host a celebration party featuring “well-known artists” in January 2011, at the end of the Slant 45 effort, for the thousands of children who participate. Today’s affair lacked the star power of September’s Slant 45 launch — Johnston began the presentation with a shout-out to Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel — and the hundreds of young students in attendance then were supplanted by a gaggle of Junior League ladies today.
