As part of February’s Dating Violence Awareness Month, Mary Kay partnered with loveisrespect and YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DALLAS to host a Healthy Relationships Huddle at DeSoto High School on Monday February 29th. More than sixty students participated in the after school event.  Students represented CLASS, a boys mentoring program and DHS a girls mentoring program, led by school community liaison, Tabora Walton along with students from the Youth & Government program led by Xavier Mitchell.

During the huddle, student leaders joined in an intimate conversation about healthy relationships, as well as recognizing the signs of abuse.  The event featured a panel discussion with domestic violence experts and advocates including; Margaret Halpin, Digital Services Manager of the National Domestic Violence Hotline & loveisrespect; Brian Pinero, Vice President of Development and Strategic Initiatives of the National Domestic Violence Hotline & loveisrespect; Cameka Crawford, Chief Communications Officer for the National Domestic Violence Hotline & loveisrespect; Crayton Webb, Vice President of Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility for Mary Kay Inc.; and Troy Williams, Youth Development Director for Moorland Family YMCA.

Students thoughtfully and respectfully engaged in a 90 minute conversation with each other and the panel about teen relations, dating along with setting boundaries and expectation in a relationship. 

This was the first of five huddles Mary Kay, loveisrespect and YMCA OF METROPOLITAN DALLAS will host across North Texas. “The fact that dating abuse impacts one in three teens in the United States today is simply unacceptable. It is our responsibility as the corporate leader in the fight against domestic violence to acknowledge this difficult statistic and act upon it,” said Crayton Webb, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for Mary Kay Inc. “The necessary change in attitude towards abuse must start at a young age. We are proud to partner with YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and loveisrespect, organizations that work tirelessly to better our communities, in these efforts.”

“The YMCA is pleased to be part of this collaboration. We know that real progress can be made by working together to ensure every youth has the opportunity and resources to navigate through life’s challenges to become a successful adult,” said Gordon Echtenkamp, President/CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.

 

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