Preston Hollow Advocate

07/19/2025

The unique SusieCakes branding draws customers in. From the old-fashioned logo to the vintage-looking cursive “SusieCakes” script, the company adds a modern twist while honoring founder and CEO of SusieCakes, Susan Sarich's childhood experience with her beloved grandmothers.⁠
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“I was very intentional with the logo and colors,” she says. “The first thing I wanted to make sure we did was include what we call ‘Susie blue.’ This turquoisey, minty blue color was the color of my grandmothers’ mixing bowls. Those are the bowls that are colored on the outside and white on the inside — very popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s. A cyan wall brightens the space from the end of the store. Freshly baked cakes, cupcakes, cookies and other treats neatly line the shelves.⁠
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Susie Red, the other color in the SusieCakes palette, has a different origin. “It’s the color of a ‘69 Mustang, which is called ‘cherry red. That was also a specific color that was a nod to the past.”⁠
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“Everything is made on site from scratch, and that’s the reason we have the kitchen open with real ingredients from those recipe cards from my grandmothers. We don’t use any preservatives or anything to make it last forever.”⁠
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https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2025/07/01/susan-sarichs-story-as-the-founder-of-the-beloved-susiecakes/
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Susan Sarich, the founder and CEO of SusieCakes, emerges from the back of the Preston Center store in Dallas. She wears a white apron with “SusieCakes” embroidered in cherry-red thread on the front. She dusts off her hands from a morning filled with baking and a genuine smile spreads across her ...

07/16/2025

Francis Zalace, who lost her limbs due to a catastrophic illness, has a message for the world: “Being disabled isn’t a bad thing- — it’s just a thing.” Her story is a masterclass in resilience, happiness, and wisdom.⁠
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In February 2024, the 41-year-old Zalace elementary school music teacher began to feel a bit “off,” as she recalls, “a little tired.” She was diagnosed with viral and bacterial pneumonia and a dangerously low oxygen level. “I fell into a 10-day coma,” Francis recounts, “and when I woke up, my extremities had suffered necrosis as a side effect of the vasopressors that were keeping me alive.” A quadruple amputation was necessary to clear away the necrotic tissue. It was the only choice to save her life.⁠
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Over time, through physical therapy and an amazingly positive attitude, Francis has made progress adjusting to her new life. Francis has resumed many of her pre-illness activities: dates with her boyfriend, movies, visiting the mall, weekly choir practice and making music. She has found success playing the steel tongue drum with mallets. ⁠
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She wants to educate anyone and everyone about her situation, inspiring her to start a YouTube channel on the first anniversary of her hospitalization (youtube.com/). The videos enable her to share her story and demonstrate some of her daily routines. They are also filled with plenty of levity. "I’m grateful for the opportunity to educate others and help normalize people with disabilities living life to the fullest,” she says. ⁠
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https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2025/07/01/francis-zalace-keeps-smiling-in-spite-of-her-disability/
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Stoicism: an ancient philosophy that teaches how to live well in the face of adversity and uncertainty. Neighbor Francis Zalace, who lost her limbs due to a catastrophic illness, can teach you something about this approach to life. Her story is a master class in

07/16/2025

Two Preston Hollow families have identified their children as some of the 119 found deceased in the Texas Hill Country floods last weekend.

Two Preston Hollow families have identified their children as some of the 119 found deceased in the Texas Hill Country floods last weekend. Janie Hunt, the 9-year-old granddaughter of oil baron William Herbert Hunt and daughter of FC Dallas co-owner Dan Hunt, was identified by the Dallas Morning New...

07/14/2025

At W.T. White High School, a group of determined, multi-sport athletes laced up their cleats, pulled on their flags and made history — not just by going undefeated in the Dallas Cowboys Girls Flag Football League, but by rewriting what was possible for girls on the gridiron. ⁠
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For a lot of the girls, this was their first time ever playing flag football, and going undefeated and being a semifinalist for Dallas ISD was a huge accomplishment for the team.⁠
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Team member Mikayla Kowalewski says, “Being able to have the experience to be on an all-girls team was crazy, like I felt so welcomed at the games, at the tryout and at the camps that we went to with the Cowboys, and it was just such a different experience. Being surrounded by girls and getting the opportunity, knowing that people cared about our future and the opportunities that we had was so amazing.”⁠
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https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2025/07/01/w-t-white-girls-go-undefeated-in-cowboys-flag-football-debut/

📷️: Brandon Gonzalez⁠

At W.T. White High School, a group of determined, multi-sport athletes laced up their cleats, pulled on their flags and made history — not just by going undefeated in the Dallas Cowboys Girls Flag Football League, but by rewriting what was possible for girls on the gridiron.

07/14/2025

In case you missed it:

NorthPark Presbyterian Church volunteers gathered this week to create disaster clean-up buckets for victims of the Texas Hill Country flood disaster. The kits were designed to make a tangible difference for those still grappling with damage from unprecedented July 4 flooding and to supply comfort and aid to the weary victims and first responders.

NPPC youth tie green ribbons in memory of flood victims. NorthPark Presbyterian Church volunteers gathered this week to create disaster clean-up buckets for victims of the Texas Hill Country flood disaster. The kits were designed to make a tangible difference for those still

07/12/2025

Linda McMahon, CEO of the Dallas Economic Development Corporation (EDC), is a powerhouse in her field and an advocate for our booming city. ⁠
EDC is a new but growing business committed to the growth of the city. McMahon's goal is to inform everyone of the unique and powerful story of the City of Dallas.⁠
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"[A company] will say, “My business is in Dallas,” and I’ll say, “OK, where in Dallas is your business?” “Oh, it’s in Frisco.” Well, that’s not Dallas. ⁠
So, my biggest challenge and also the biggest opportunity is to change the narrative about the City of Dallas ... Telling our story and amplifying why it’s important, why the City of Dallas is really why the growth is happening. The city needs to get a lot more attention and love."⁠
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"The thing that surprised me the most is how much international interest there is in the city ... We hosted a group of government officials from Finland a couple of weeks ago ... [one] said, ‘It’s so clean here.’ The people’s perception about what they see in the news outside of the U.S. is really what they’re cemented in. I think they’re pleasantly surprised when they come here."⁠
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https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2025/07/01/linda-mcmahon/⁠
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Linda McMahon, CEO of the Dallas Economic Development Corporation (EDC), is a powerhouse in her field and an advocate for our booming city. McMahon studied at the University of Texas at Austin

07/11/2025

Their week at church camp was canceled, so NorthPark Presbyterian Church youth cut and distributed green ribbons to remember flood victims.

NPPC youth tie green ribbons in memory of flood victims. NorthPark Presbyterian Church volunteers gathered this week to create disaster clean-up buckets for victims of the Texas Hill Country flood disaster. The kits were designed to make a tangible difference for those still

07/10/2025

Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church will prepare cleanup buckets and hygiene kits tomorrow, July 10, for families in Kerr and Comal Counties, according to a press release.

Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church will prepare cleanup buckets and hygiene kits tomorrow, July 10, for families in Kerr and Comal Counties, according to a press release. Courtesy of Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church Volunteers will gather at Jubilee Hall inside the church at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to....

07/10/2025

Heart House is a nonprofit organization that provides free literacy programs for refugee, immigrant and under-resourced children in Vickery Meadow. The organization recently expanded its operations outside of after-school education to include an in-school tutoring program at Lee A. McShan Jr. Elementary School called McShan Reading Homeroom.⁠
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“We’ve historically served them after school, with what started off as a safe place for them to go so they’re not just home alone or in the neighborhood on the streets. They helped with homework and things like that. Now it’s transitioned to be a place where we help them develop their literacy skills, their English language learning”, says Executive Director Shannon Hendricks. Students at McShan Elementary even say that after-school is better than regular school because of the activities. ⁠
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Eight full-time staff members are largely supported by volunteers. “They can come to our after-school program, they can share a skill or a talent that they have,” Hendricks says. “They can just come and hang out with the kids and just be a positive influence. We have one volunteer who has a therapy dog, and he brings Bunny in once a month to be with the kids, and the dog is trained to be that calming presence. We have individuals who know how to do yoga, and they’ll come in and teach yoga to the kids as a good method.”⁠
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https://prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/2025/07/01/heart-house-vickery-meadow/ ⁠
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Midtown Improvement District. Five Points. Little UN. Through landlord neglect, systemic failures, high crime, beautification efforts and recent gentrification: Vickery Meadow. It’s one of the most densely populated areas of the city, spanning a few square miles of apartment complexes built

07/09/2025

Galleria Dallas will host a second benefit for Texas Hill Country flood victims all day Tuesday, July 15, at its skate center, according to a press release.

Galleria Dallas will host a second benefit for Texas Hill Country flood victims all day Tuesday, July 15, at its skate center, according to a press release. Courtesy of Galleria Dallas For the second week in a row, the mall's ownership will donate all Galleria Ice

07/08/2025

Good Shepherd Episcopal School’s Disaster Relief and Recovery (DRR) program began its relief efforts today for those affected by the recent flash floods in Hunt, Texas, according to a press release.

07/08/2025

The Housson Center is now offering free counseling services to those affected by the devastating floods in Central Texas, said Dr. Matthew Housson, psychologist and the center’s founder and CEO.

The Housson Center is now offering free counseling services to those affected by the devastating floods in Central Texas, said Dr. Matthew Housson, psychologist and the center's founder and CEO. Courtesy of The Housson Center Many Dallas families were impacted by last week's flash flooding in Kerr