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They are America’s sweethearts – the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Kaitlin Ilseng.

It’s that time of the year again – the annual Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Calendar Launch Party and 2012 may never have looked so good.

“We’re all super excited because you really don’t get to see your friends beautiful pictures that often,” said Ilseng.

These beauties are showing not only can they cheer but they sure know how to model.

“Looking at these pictures just takes me by surprise,” said Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Kelsi Reich. “Never in my life did I ever imagine being a model, much less in a swimsuit.”

Not only was it a celebration of the brand new 2012, but it was also a reunion for everyone involved who made the calendar a reality. Photographers caught up with the cheerleaders they took photos of and everyone reminisced about their ten day photo shoot in Puero Vallarta, Mexico.

“You know, we do spend long days taking these beautiful photos, but when we’re not shooting, we get to explore, and be tourists for a day,” said Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Ally Traylor.

From Ms. January to Ms. August, these chosen twelve are humbled to be in the spotlight.

“I see these calendars in the malls and random stands on the streets so it’s such an honor to actually be in this that travels internationally,” said Reich.

But while their fans and admirers are grabbing the 2012 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders calendars off the shelves, these American icons are focused on performing.

“We’ve already gotten into the season and we’re training hard for our Thanksgiving halftime coming up,” said Traylor.

While they look amazing in swimsuits, it’s cheering the Cowboys onto victory that they love the most.

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“It’s a great opportunity for us to partner with KaBOOM! and come here and be able to build this playground for these kids,” said Dallas Cowboys Tight End Jason Witten.

“It’s a phenomenal cause,” said Dallas Cowboys Tight End John Phillips.

UnitedHealthcare, Uplift Education and the Dallas Cowboys have partnered up with KaBOOM! to help build an entire playground in one day. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to saving play and helping children stay outside. UnitedHealthcare volunteer, Chris Roth, flew all the way from Chicago just to lend a helping hand to this project.

It’s important for everyone to have a safe place to play and you know the kids are all here,” said Roth. “They helped design this. It’s a great story and it’s just a great way to help out in the community.”

The playground was built for Uplift Education’s Williams Preparatory as a part of UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well” campaign, which promotes service and volunteerism among the company’s employees.

“Everybody started working at eight o’clock this morning,” said Volunteer Kevin Kittrell. “It was going pretty good then the sun hit and it’s been a little drained but we’re going to finish on time.”

Dallas Cowboys mascot Rowdy helped pump up the kids and volunteers while four Dallas Cowboys tight ends put their weight training to good use.

“Obviously we have a great platform to be role models and to show them on the field how to play football and hopefully they see that,” said Witten. “You want to do that off the field and show them to dream big and encourage them. Doing something like this is special and makes it worth being a pro football player for the Dallas Cowboys.”

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Charities are always assisting those in need and giving aid to the community but sometimes they find it hard to survive alone. Executives in Action, or EIA, is a nonprofit dedicated to helping other nonprofits succeed.

“EIA is able to help them by matching them with the people with the skills to help them further their organization,” said EIA Consultant Gary Sobolewski.

EIA uses experienced business leaders as free consultants for charitable organizations. Each executive has over fifteen years of management experience, and Jeff Upperman says this valuable knowledge is key for the success of many charities.

“They may not have the background in business necessary to run an organization,” said EIA Consultant Jeff Upperman. “The role Executives in Action is playing is coming in and helping with that infrastructure.”

Hopeful Solutions is a nonprofit that helps recovering female drug addicts get their lives on track, and they’re one of many organizations benefittng from EIA. Hopeful Solution’s funding and donations are growing because of help from a former CFO.

“A lot of times when they come to us, some of the women may not have custody of their children and the only way they can get the custody is they have to have a stable home environment for them,” said Founder of Hopeful Solutions Natalynne Walton. “Because we will service them they can get custody of their children.”

Walton has a positive attitude and contagious smile that makes it easy to believe she’s a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. But she wasn’t always so optimistic. She was once a drug addict herself.

“It’s awesome because she’s been there,” said Amanda. “She knows you know what we’ve gone through. I was a heroine addict. I used heroine and cocaine until I was seven months pregnant.”

Child Protective Services took Amanda’s son away from her shortly after he was born. She says because of Hopeful Solutions, she now has her son and her life back. Amanda isn’t alone.

“You lose a lot of parenting skills,” said Darissa. “You lose self-esteem. You lose a lot of things: family, friends, your home. And this is my home now and I’m so grateful to have it. Hopeful Solutions saved me.”

The Hopeful Solutions building has all of the necessities the moms and children need. Apartments they can call their own, classes to help aid recovery, training computers for school and work, and surroundings that feel safe.

“If it wasn’t for Natalynne a lot of mothers and children wouldn’t have made it this far,” said Darissa. “Without her a lot of parents wouldn’t have their children and would still be struggling to try to find somewhere to go.”

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Former Dallas Cowboys running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and his wife, Pat, President of Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities (PESC) hosted the 2nd Annual Emmitt Smith Celebrity Invitational in Frisco and McKinney.

HAS Events, an experiential marketing & events firm created Suite 22, for the celebrity athletes & entertainers attending at the Westin Stonebriar.

Highlights this year included VIP events for sponsors and celebrities, a red carpet party and VIP reception, celebrity golf tournament with a cash purse of $15,000, celebrity Pro-Am style golf tournament, Celebrity Poker Tournament with the winner earning a coveted seat at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP), live on-site and on-line video broadcast by Heritage Auctions featuring extraordinary “fantasy” experiences; and a “Suite 22” gifting lounge for celebrities and VIPs by HAS Events.

Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities (PESC) is a 501 (c)(3) public charity that uses proceeds from high-impact celebrity events such as the Annual Emmitt Smith Celebrity Invitational to create unique educational experiences and enrichment opportunities with an educational focus for underserved children. PESC strives to create innovative programs for young people across North Texas and beyond. Pat & Emmitt Smith are connected and invested in each program and experience opportunity that PESC supports.

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At first glance the red carpet premiere at the Angelika Film Center in Plano may look like any other. But the stars of this movie aren’t Hollywood actors. They’re North Texas children.

“You just have to be yourself and help the community,” said SLANT 45 participant Madeline Braley.

It’s the premier of SLANT 45 the movie directed by renowned filmmaker Mark Birnbaum. The documentary follows groups of children as they participate in one of the largest community service projects in the country.

“It was just a great privilege and honor to be asked into the lives of these kids,” said Mark Birnbaum. “A couple of these kids are going to be president.”

SLANT 45, or Service Learning Adventures in North Texas, partnered with non-profit organization Big Thought to create the massive project. And it all happened in support of one of the largest events in the world. The Super Bowl.

“I think it’s an example of using the vehicle of a wonderful football game but also to see the importance of doing things that are important to the community,” said Chair of North Texas SUper Bowl XLV Host Committee Roger Staubach.

The original goal of SLANT 45 included twenty thousand children dedicating over fort five thousand hours to community service. But by the end of 2010, over forty four thousand kids logged more than four hundred thousand hours making a difference and far exceeding many expectations.

“When we first sat down and the people at Big Thought talked to us about the numbers they hoped to accomplish, I was a little hesitant to think that we were going to be able to do that,” said Chair of SLANT 45 Daryl Johnston. “To see where this program ended up over the last 18 months is absolutely amazing.”

Daryl Johnston, former Dallas Cowboys fullback and Chair of SLANT 45, hopes the NFL will recognize the success of the project.

“We wanted the NFL to see what we did here and then franchise this as they move forward with other Super Bowls,” said Johnston.

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