Sitting Down with Felicia Powell, One of the Ten Best Dressed Women of Dallas

What is your proudest accomplishment as a community volunteer?

One of the experiences I am most proud of was serving as a Patient Pal at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. I spent a four-hour shift with a nine-year-old girl who had been in the PICU for months after becoming critically ill with the flu. She had recently come off a ventilator, could barely speak, and was understandably very anxious. I quickly learned to watch for the smallest signs of discomfort and respond immediately. Over those hours, I could see her begin to trust that I was paying attention and that I wasn’t going anywhere. My understanding of traumatic stress and how it affects a child’s nervous system helped me recognize what she was communicating, but she taught me just as much about what a child who has experienced trauma needs: consistency, calm, and someone who makes them feel safe.

Outside of Crystal Charity Ball, what Dallas charitable organization is nearest and dearest to you?

The Callier Center for Communication Disorders is incredibly special to our family. My son began receiving services at Callier when he was just two weeks old with a feeding evaluation and therapy, and now at five, he continues to receive speech therapy focused on articulation. We have experienced firsthand the extraordinary care and expertise Callier provides. The ability to communicate can change the trajectory of a person’s life. It affects their relationships, confidence, independence, and ability to accomplish their goals. Callier is also doing important work in research and technology and bringing that expertise directly to people in our community with speech, language, and hearing needs. Dallas is so fortunate to have Callier, and I am grateful to now serve on the board of the Callier Center Foundation.

What is something you’re looking forward to in the year ahead?

Trauma-informed care has long been a personal passion of mine, so I am especially excited about a new initiative I am supporting with the Meadows Institute. Dallas has made tremendous progress in children’s mental health, but there is still a critical gap in care for children who have experienced trauma and need more support than traditional outpatient care can provide. We are working with leading local and national providers to build the specialized services needed to fill that gap. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity for Dallas to build a comprehensive, trauma-guided system of care that could become a national model.

What is a favorite memory from an event you’ve chaired or volunteered for?

One of my favorite memories was my first year as a new member of Crystal Charity Ball. After the Ball, we were there until about 3 am cleaning everything up. Our husbands were helping; we ordered pizza, turned on music, and at one point one of the men tied a ribbon around his head like Rambo. It had been such a long week, but we were all exhausted, laughing and having so much fun working together. It is still one of my favorite memories.

Why does serving the Dallas community matter to you?

Service was always part of my upbringing. My mom used to say that we are always meant to carry a burden, and if it isn’t ours at the moment, then it’s time to help carry someone else’s. That has always stayed with me. We are all human, we all struggle, and we all need support at different points in our lives. Once you see a need, you cannot unsee it. I love Dallas, and I want the people who live here to have access to the best resources, care, and opportunities possible. If I have the ability to help make that happen, I can’t imagine not doing it.

What is something you’ve learned from working alongside the women of Crystal Charity Ball?

I’ve learned that there is so much more to the Crystal Charity Ball than what you see from the outside. It may look like a social organization filled with beautiful events and women dressed to the nines, but what you don’t see is all the work behind the scenes, and much of it isn’t glamorous. The CCB women are smart, capable, professional, and incredibly hardworking. They do the serious work of evaluating and supporting our beneficiaries, but they also roll up their sleeves to stuff envelopes, wrap gifts, make floral arrangements, or whatever needs to be done. There is no task beneath anyone. Their commitment goes far beyond writing checks or raising money. They are deeply invested in the organizations we support and committed to doing the work it takes to serve the children of Dallas.