9th annual MOMENTUM LIVE! benefiting Café Momentum

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Café Momentum’s 9th Annual Momentum Live! on September 19th!

Celebrate nine years of transforming lives with one of Dallas' favorite events featuring live music, a chef-curated 4-course meal, beer, wine, bubbles and top-notch entertainment.

Our musical guest for the evening is none other than the Dallas favorite Taylor Young Band, and the entertainment doesn’t stop there - this is a night you don’t want to miss!

This special evening is the culmination of North Texas Giving Day where together we build a stronger and more vibrant community. Our keynote speaker this year is author, activist and social entrepreneur Leon Ford!

As part of this unique experience, you now have the opportunity to sponsor a table for you and guests. Information about table sponsorship is listed below.

Get ready for an evening full of community and meaningful impact, all while having a fantastic time!

Check out our North Texas Giving Day page here -- > www.northtexasgivingday.org/cafemomentum

Café Momentum is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization.

• A four-course dinner
• Live musical performances
• Complimentary wine, beer and bubbly
• Complimentary valet parking

Executive Chef Table ($3,000)

• A table for 6 guests
• Executive Chef Level premium seating location
• Special recognition at the event
• Complimentary dinner for 6 at Café Momentum* (excludes alcohol) to be reserved by 8/31/2025

Sous Chef Table ($2,000)

• A table for 6 guests
• Sous Chef Level premium seating location
• Special recognition at the event
• Complimentary dinner for 4 at Café Momentum* (excludes alcohol) to be reserved by 8/31/2025

Pastry Chef Table ($1,500)

• A table for 6 guests
• Pastry Chef Level premium seating location
• Special recognition at the event
• Complimentary dinner for 2 at Café Momentum* (excludes alcohol) to be reserved by 8/31/2025

*For questions about table sponsorship and to make reservations for your complimentary dinner, please contact Tracey Hull at [email protected] or 214.303.1234 x204.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Email [email protected] or 214.282.9925. We also reply to all of our Facebook and Instagram messages.

Pittsburgh native, Leon Ford is is a celebrated author, social entrepreneur, impact investor, international speaker, and changemaker dedicated to driving positive change in his community and beyond. As a respected activist and mental health ambassador, Ford passionately addresses disparities by focusing on holistic wellness. His inspiring approach emphasizes the importance of resilience, transforming personal challenges into purpose, and creating a lasting societal impact.

In 2012, Leon was tragically shot five times by a police officer during a traffic stop, leaving him physically paralyzed. Nevertheless, he has continued to positively impact his community, working with police officers on cultural competency and legislators on drafting policies to modify the use of force laws.

In 2022, Leon joined forces with former Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Chief Scott Schubert to co-found The Hear Foundation. This trailblazing nonprofit seeks to bridge the gap between residents, community leaders, and law enforcement in order to cultivate a safe and thriving community for all. In 2024, Leon became the organization’s director of external affairs, giving him the opportunity to focus full-time on fostering safety through police and community collaboration in Pittsburgh.

In recognition of its innovative approach, the foundation received the prestigious McNulty Catalyst Prize in 2023. Ford has also joined 150+ other leaders as a Founding Partner of Starts With Us – a movement to end the culture wars by fostering curiosity, compassion, and courage as daily habits.

Leon was recently named to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Pennsylvania Citizen Law Enforcement Advisory and Review (CLEAR) Commission to bring state law enforcement experts and criminal justice reform advocates together to support public safety and ensure accountability for state law enforcement agencies.

In 2023, he completed a year-long national and international book tour to launch “An Unspeakable Hope: Brutality, Forgiveness, and Building a Better Future for My Son,” and in late 2023 was named recipient of the prestigious Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award.

As an influential figure in social justice and mental health, Ford inspires others through speaking engagements, mentorship, and fostering open dialogue. Through his work, he cultivates leaders, organizers, and social entrepreneurs, ensuring his vision for a compassionate and just society endures for future generations.

Ford’s accomplishments include executive producing the Cannes Film Festival award- winning documentary Leon (2019) and Breaking Bread: A Conversation on Race in America (2021), which won a Shorty Award; President Obama’s Volunteer Service Award (2017); The Root 100 (2018); Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40 (2019); Forbes 30 Under 30 (2023); and National Urban League Community Service Award (2023)

As a member of The Aspen Institute's Inaugural Civil Society Fellowship, Ford is devoted to nurturing the next generation of leaders and activists. He serves as an entrepreneur in residence for Bronze Investments, is co-founder of the Leon Ford Legacy Fund, and holds board positions with multiple organizations.

In addition to his activism, Ford has authored valuable resources for overcoming adversity and promoting well-being, including his memoir, An Unspeakable Hope (May 2023); Untold: Testimony and Guide to Overcoming Adversity (2017); and The Leon Self-Care Handbook: From Surviving to Thriving, offering practical tools for healing and personal growth.

With his scruffy beard, pearl snap shirt and soulful blue eyes, Taylor Young certainly looks the part of a Texas born and bred singer-songwriter. However, his solo debut, Mercury Transit, reveals an artist unafraid to break from convention and unwilling to be typecast.

That figures, since he’s taken such a roundabout journey to get here. As a teenager, Young broke onto the Dallas music scene as the drummer for local psychedelic heroes Hi-Fi Drowning. His frenetic-yet-flawless playing style quickly earned gigs with the likes of Young Heart Attack and The Polyphonic Spree, but after years of touring he longed to step out from behind the kit. When he finally did, Young defied expectations and co-founded folk-country duo The O’s, honing his songwriting, guitar playing and frontman presence over four albums and hundreds of live shows.

With Taylor Young Band, these seemingly incongruent split personalities meet. Under the guiding hand of producer and bandmate Toby Pipes, the entire album was recorded on analog outboard equipment in Pipes’ College Station, Texas home studio. Over a year of laid-back regular sessions, the two discovered the perfect balance of Young’s uncanny gift for melody and a clever turn of phrase with Pipes’ shimmering atmospherics and pop sensibility.

Host or Publisher Cafe Momentum