May-June 2012

First Investigator Board Golf Tournament

Jennifer Vitera

TDCAF Development Director in Austin

Please join us in a big round of  applause for our Investigator Board members who organized the first Investigator Board Golf Tournament at The Club at Concan in beautiful Concan, Texas, on March 24. This event raised $5,000 for the Texas District and County Attorneys Foundation. Special thanks to co-chairs Wayne Springer and Melissa Hightower; Danny Kindred, District Attorney in Medina County; staff members who came out to volunteer; and John Dodson, County Attorney in Uvalde County.

2011 Annual Report

We are honored to show you our 2011 Annual Report. It summarizes what we accomplished last year, lists all donors, and explains plans for the next year and beyond. Please take a few minutes to review it at www.tdcaf.org.

How is the Foundation helping this year?

With the support of the Foundation, TDCAA hosted a three-day seminar in San Antonio targeting the unique role of prosecutors’ office personnel in combating domestic violence (see the brochure at right). Domestic violence crimes affect all prosecutors—misdemeanor- and felony-level, rural and urban. Information in this seminar was aimed at prosecutors, investigators, and victim assistance coordinators to help them investigate and prosecute domestic violence crimes as well as more compassionately and effectively provide assistance and information to domestic violence victims.

    We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Coastal Bend Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation, which underwrote the costs of providing books to all attendees.

    We are still looking for corporate and foundation partners from across the state to support the Domestic Violence Training Initiative in the future. Please email Jennifer Vitera at [email protected] for contacts in your area.

2012 DWI Summit

The Texas District and County Attorneys Association (TDCAA), in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., and the Texas District and County Attorneys Foundation (TDCAF), is proud to offer the Guarding Texas Roadways: 2012 DWI Summit. Thank you to Smart Start, a supporter of this year’s event, which will be in early November.

    We are asking members to please help the foundation identify corporations and individuals who might be interested in supporting this popular training. Please contact Jennifer Vitera at vitera@tdcaa .com if there is someone in your area we can send more information to.

Tax letter update

Just like last year, in an effort to keep Foundation expenses down, we have been including Tax ID and IRS information on all thank-you letters for your generous donations. In the past, we mailed out an additional receipt with tax information around this time, but from now on your thank-you letter will serve as your tax receipt. If you would like a copy of your thank you letter/receipt, please feel free to call me at 512/474-2436 and I will be happy to provide one.

Golf Tournament at the Annual Update

The 4th Annual Foundation Golf Tournament and silent auction will take place Wednesday, September 21 (the week of the Annual Criminal and Civil Law Update) in South Padre. (The exact location of the tournament will be announced later.) We are asking members to please help the Foundation identify corporations and individuals who might be interested in sponsoring or donating an auction items for these events.
    Please contact Jennifer Vitera at [email protected] if there is someone in your area to whom we can send more information to regarding either one of these efforts.

2012 Annual Campaign membership challenge

We hope by now you have received the 2012 Annual Campaign invitation. The Foundation is committed to continuing and improving the excellence TDCAA provides in educating and training Texas prosecutors, law enforcement, and key personnel.
    This year will be our third membership challenge between the investigators, key personnel, and victim assistance coordinators. For the last two years, the investigators have taken home the win—but 2012 is a new year! Just like last year, we’ve got two different fundraising goals for our membership groups, one for elected prosecutors and one for investigators, key personnel, and victim assistants.

    Elected Prosecutor Annual Campaign Challenge. This year we are asking for 100-percent support from all 333 elected prosecutors across the State (either through a personal gift or a contribution through the office’s asset forfeiture fund) to the Annual Campaign. You can make a pledge that can be paid out through December 31.

    Campaign challenge for investigators, key personnel, and VACs. Three of our membership groups have stepped up to challenge each other in their fundraising efforts. We will track the results based on dollars raised compared to percentage of membership in each of these groups. We will feature a bi-monthly update on who’s leading the way on our website and in The Texas Prosecutor.

    We appreciate your support and consideration!

Leadership America

Last year I had the honor of participating in Leadership Texas, which took me across our wonderful state to learn more about issues facing our communities. During my visits I had a chance to meet with a few of our TDCAF Board and Advisory Committee members along with TDCAF corporate supporters. This year I’ve been invited to participate in the next level of the program, Leadership America. The purpose of this program is to explore issues confronting today’s interconnected global society in the political, social, educational, and economic realms. It is a great way to build relationships with other professionals across the state and country, and it allows us to introduce folks to the TDCAF.