Category: Members

Park Place Dealerships served as the official automotive sponsor for the 14th Annual Inspired Women Luncheon, hosted by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon brought together women from diverse industries across the Dallas-Fort Worth region to network, share insights, and celebrate their achievements.

This year’s theme, “Gamechanger: Beyond the Playbook,” celebrated the courage to innovate, the confidence to persevere, the vision to lead, and the power to go beyond the playbook. Gamechangers push their limits, master their craft, and transform the world around them.

The Keynote speaker, Charean Williams, is an accomplished sports journalist and the first woman to receive the prestigious Dick McCann Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, honoring her contributions to football reporting. She’s covered 30 Super Bowls and seven Olympic Games.

Williams shared how her heroes growing up were the Dallas Cowboys and how that love and passion led her to where she is today. 

“I really had no idea that sports journalism was a man’s job,” Williams said of her eight-year-old self’s dreams. “I just knew what I wanted to do, so I set out to do it. Just because something hasn’t been done doesn’t mean that it can’t be done.”

“We have the tendency to focus on the championship game, the end goal, but the winners’ celebration and the losers’ heavy-headed walk back to the locker room isn’t why people turn on the TV. It’s certainly not why people brave the elements and wear embarrassing costumes to the games,” Williams said. “It’s the accumulation of small gains in every play that put points on the board, and the magic and the chemistry that we create with the people around us. It’s one play at a time, one game at a time, one season at a time, year after year after year, another chapter in the story of our lives.”

In recognition of women-owned businesses and students, $28,500 in small business grants and college scholarships were awarded during the luncheon.

Park Place members Stephanie Turlea, Kara Conner, Mia Tovar, Theresa Vincent, and Kalyn Perez attended the event.

In celebration of National Volunteer Month, Members from Park Place Dealerships rolled up their sleeves and made a huge difference across North Texas. As part of the company’s Annual Week of Service, employees stepped away from their regular roles to support 14 local nonprofits through hands-on volunteer projects, creating meaningful impact in the communities they serve.

“Giving back is an integral part of our mission at Park Place Dealerships,” said Kara Connor, Experiential Marketing Manager at Park Place Dealerships. “Our Week of Service is a special time for our team to step into the community and make a real difference. It’s our way of saying thank you to the communities that have supported us for so many years.”

The nonprofits supported and projects completed by Park Place members included:

Association for Independent Living (Dallas): Volunteers painted apartments for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities transitioning into independent living, helping create a clean, cohesive, and dignified space.

Best Buddies: At Park Place’s Porsche Dealership, volunteers helped wrap t-shirts, make walk route posters, and stuffed swag bags to prepare for Best Buddies’ Friendship Walk, which benefits people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Big Hearts Day Habilitation Center (Mansfield): Volunteers enhanced the nonprofit’s outdoor space by laying turf, staining fences, and donating items like picnic benches and mobile planters to improve the environment for adults with disabilities.

BridgeBuilders (Dallas):  In South Dallas, a local basketball court and adjacent parking lot were transformed with new paint and stenciling, creating a vibrant, welcoming community space.

Center for Vision Health (Dallas): Volunteers completed a brand-new sensory garden designed for patients of all ages, including those with visual impairments or sensory sensitivities, providing a peaceful and therapeutic outdoor experience.

Children First (Grand Prairie): Team members beautified the organization’s grounds by cleaning up landscaping, adding mulch, and refreshing outdoor furniture to create a safe and welcoming space for children recovering from trauma.

Community Garden Kitchen (McKinney): Volunteers helped with landscape clean-up, including adding new mulch to the front area and back patio counseling space, cleaning outdoor furniture, and potting plants to enhance the outdoor counseling area.

Community Healthcare of Texas (Grapevine): Park Place members assembled care packages with essential items to support families during hospice or palliative care, helping ease practical burdens and allowing them to focus on their loved ones.

Evergreen Life Services (Fort Worth): Volunteers helped organize and clean the nonprofit’s art studio, a creative space for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to express themselves through art.

Frisco Humane Society: Volunteers organized supplies and event areas, streamlining operations to better serve animals in the metroplex that need shelter and medical care.

House of Shine (Grapevine): Volunteers helped preserve the Parr Rock Art Trail, a tribute to individuals affected by COVID-19, by cleaning and resealing community-painted rocks to ensure their stories continue to shine.

Little Hearts: At Park Place’s Lexus Plano Dealership, volunteers assembled 200 “hope packages” for families affected by childhood cancer. Each package included comforting items for parents and siblings during a difficult time.

Our Daily Bread (Denton): Volunteers built a brick walkway in the nonprofit’s garden, enhancing the space while supporting their mission to serve individuals experiencing homelessness.

V’s Heart (Murphy): Park Place members assisted with sorting and managing donations of clothing and food, helping this community-focused nonprofit streamline its distribution efforts.

At Park Place Dealerships, community involvement is more than a mission—it’s a heartfelt commitment. A group of Park Place Members volunteered their time and energy to support Broken Halos Haven, a non-profit located in Old Town Lewisville.

The volunteers rolled up their sleeves to carefully take down Christmas decorations, ensuring each piece was properly stored for the next holiday season. But their efforts didn’t stop there. They went the extra mile, cleaning the entire house so the next family could walk into a pristine, welcoming space—a home that truly feels like a sanctuary.

Broken Halos Haven was founded by Natalie Reid-Knutson, a woman whose journey through grief has led to a mission of healing for others. In 2018, Natalie’s world was forever changed when she lost her husband unexpectedly. Left to navigate an unimaginable loss while raising her three young sons, she found comfort in the kindness of a friend who invited her to spend the holidays in New York City. That trip sparked an idea—what if other widows and widowers could experience a similar opportunity for renewal and hope?

With unwavering determination, Natalie turned that vision into reality. Today, Broken Halos Haven is a beautifully renovated 1920s home that provides a safe space for widows, widowers, and their school-aged children to process their grief while embracing new possibilities. Families who visit receive a place of comfort and community—all at no cost to them.

Natalie, with the support of her new husband Kjell, sees the restoration of the century-old home as a reflection of the grieving process itself: honoring the past while embracing the future with strength and resilience. Broken Halos Haven isn’t just a retreat—it’s a refuge, a lifeline for families learning to navigate their new normal.

Park Place first learned about Broken Halos Haven when the non-profit applied for a Season of Giving grant. In 2024, the organization was selected as a grant recipient through Park Place Dealerships’ Season of Giving initiative, furthering its mission to support young widows and their families.

Army veteran’s daughter participated in wreaths across America 

Jessica Musgrave, Admin Assistant to the GM at Park Place Lexus in Grapevine, had never heard of the Wreaths Across America initiative until Park Place invited their Members to participate in this year’s event. 

“I just thought the cemetery must put out all the wreaths,” said Musgrave. ”My father, US Army Sargeant Arsenio Vega-Rodriguez, is buried at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. I would see the wreaths on his grave when I’d visit at Christmas time. When I heard Park Place was participating, naturally I volunteered this year. I was truly impressed by the level of community support. Hearing the veterans’ stories from others was incredible. By saying their names out loud, we keep their stories alive.” 

“My father served in the 2nd Armored Division, working with the M1A2 Abrams tank, a role he always spoke of with pride,” she recalled. “He remembered his time in the Army as one of the best chapters of his life. I was born at Fort Hood while he was stationed there.” 

After his military service, Jessica’s father returned to Puerto Rico to begin a 30-year career with American Airlines. He received the American Airlines Purple Heart Award for his heroic actions as a first responder, saving a pilot’s life at DFW Airport.  

“When my father passed, I made a promise to him that his legacy would continue through us—his children, his grandchildren and through the communities he touched. In the end, legacies are not just about the recognition we receive but about the actions we take, the way we treat others, and the values we instill in those who follow us. Our stories are woven into the fabric of the world around us, and through our service, love, and dedication, we create legacies that will continue to resonate for years to come.” 

Musgrave said her biggest takeaway was realizing how we are all woven together for a greater purpose – from serving our country to serving each other. 

“For me, the concept of legacy took on new meaning with the passing of my father. While I miss him every day, I no longer dwell in sadness. Instead, I recognize that he passed the baton to me and my siblings, entrusting us with the responsibility to continue his work and uphold his values. Reflecting on my father’s life, I realize how much of him lives on in me. We share the same laugh, the same desire to help others, and a heart full of service.”