Whatever comes to mind when you think “dodgeball” – possibly Vince Vaughn and the Average Joes from the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story – you probably don’t imagine corporate America battling it out on the floor of the American Airlines Center in the name of philanthropy.
But, that’s exactly what happens each year when Dodge for a Cause pits some of DFW’s most recognizable and prominent businesses against each other in a friendly – if rather competitive – dodgeball tournament.
The Dallas office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP hosted the seventh annual Dodge for a Cause tournament this summer, raising over $105,000 for a local nonprofit that’s near and dear to our firm – Vogel Alcove. Dedicated to providing free therapeutic services to the more than 3,000 homeless children in Dallas, Vogel Alcove is an exceptionally deserving beneficiary, and we are proud to have raised a cumulative total of over $450,000 for the organization since the creation of Dodge for a Cause in 2012.
With such an intense athletic competition on the floor, it’s only fitting that WFAA sports broadcaster Mike Leslie emceed the event, as he has previously. After a couple of hard-fought hours, the team from driversselect emerged as this year’s champion. But the true winners were the children served by Vogel Alcove, not to mention the many tournament participants and their supporters, who enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and friendly competition!
We’re always excited to see teams embrace the tournament, creating custom shirts and coming up with clever team names. Some fan favorites included Game of Throws (Kainos Capital), DodgeFathersVI (Sewell Automotive), Patches O’Houlihan Lokey (Houlihan Lokey), Balls Fly Free (Southwest Airlines) and The Average Crow’s (Crow Holdings).
What started as a 12-team event raising a total of $11,000 in its inaugural year has grown into a staple event for the community with 32 corporate sponsors this year, each contributing amounts from $2,000 to $20,000 to make a positive impact on the lives of children in need.
The idea for Dodge for a Cause originated as part of a firm-wide “Pay it Forward” initiative, focused on supporting local community organizations that are typically underfunded. The program, inspired by Catherine Ryan Hyde’s 1999 book of the same name, was designed to tap into the creative, entrepreneurial talents of the firm’s employees to extend the reach of Weil’s overall philanthropic endeavors.
To this day, the purpose for the tournament remains largely the same – to use resources from the firm and the firm’s business partners to create long-term, sustainable improvement of the community.
The beneficiary, Vogel Alcove, has a similar mentality. Vogel Alcove’s vision is that every child in the Dallas region has a home, self-sufficient family and a foundation for success in school and life. Its work helps reroute the course of a child’s life by creating long-lasting change and helping young children overcome the traumatic effects of homelessness.
Given our tight-knit local business environment, we wanted to create a venue for bringing everyone together in support of a worthy cause and to have some fun while fundraising. We are thrilled to be able to provide this entertaining opportunity for corporations to give back and to hopefully inspire other organizations to find creative ways to support those in need and make charitable outreach a priority, instead of an afterthought.
Weil is immensely grateful to experience continued support of both the event and Vogel Alcove from our business community. In addition to its tremendous financial significance, the dodgeball tournament also provides a new and unique platform for Vogel Alcove, generating valuable exposure to more members of the Dallas business community. Players and spectators include hundreds of professionals and their families, many of whom are likely exposed to Vogel Alcove for the first time.
Notably, Weil’s long-standing partnership with Vogel Alcove goes beyond Dodge for a Cause. Several Firm partners have served as co-chairs of the organization’s annual Arts Performance Event and/or on its board of directors. Through this multifaceted commitment, Weil has demonstrated that there truly are a multitude of ways to give back to local nonprofits, be it on the dodgeball court or in the boardroom.
In addition to Weil, major 2019 Dodge for a Cause sponsors included:
- $15,000: Kainos Capital
- $5,000: driversselect
- $4,000: Copart, Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Cooper, Sewell Automotive Companies and Vinson & Elkins LLP
- $3,000: ORIX Corporation USA
- $2,500: Crow Holdings Capital
Team sponsors included: American Airlines, Armanino LLP, AT&T, Austin Industries, Bain & Co., The Beneficient Company Group, Caddis Healthcare Real Estate, Celanese Corporation, City Electric Supply, Dallas Mavericks, Forterra, HALL Group, HighGround Advisors, Hunt Consolidated, Interstate Batteries, KPMG, Lennox International Inc., Southwest Airlines, Tailwater Capital, Trinity Industries, YourCause and media sponsor WFAA-TV Channel 8.
Any organization interested in learning about opportunities to support the 2020 Dodge for a Cause tournament should please feel free to contact me at 214-746-7786.
David Gail is a Dallas-based partner in Weil’s corporate department. He advises both public companies and private equity sponsors in a wide variety of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, restructurings, financings and dispositions.