There are just no two ways about it. Collin County is the kissing cousin of Dallas. The folks there are energetic, growing and bound and determined to do the best thing…especially when it comes to kids. Perhaps that’s why the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County felt right at home holding its annual Black Tie Gala presented by Rent-A-Center at the Hilton Anatole on Saturday, May 2.
As 825 of the black tie and glittery set including Christa Carrell, Cindy and Robert Sutley, Angela and Attorney General Ken Paxton, Tony Bradley, Dan Powers, Dave Hoffman, Richard Estell, Frank Stanesic and Ana and Raj Asava arrived, the gargantuan silent auction practically filled the reception area outside the Chantilly Ballroom with treasures ranging from clothes and jewelry to travel, wine and sports memorabilia.
And then there were those rows of bags lined up on the tables behind a gong. As usual the bags sponsored by Willow Bend’s Neiman Marcus was a huge success with surprise goodies inside.
Longtime CACCC supporter Carolyn Speese told a buddy, “You’d better get a bag before they’re all gone.” And everybody knew when the bag count was dwindling. A gong was sounded as the sale was made.
But it wasn’t just a silent auction. Heck, no! Of course, there was a dinner, but then there was the entertainment. Gala Co-Chairs Cathy and Richard Riccardi had arranged for the Pointer Sisters to entertain.
Realizing that the evening was to be a full one with a drive back to Collin County, the decision was made to have the meet-and-greet with the trio before the dinner.
One party circuit vet upon hearing that the Pointer Sisters would be on stage shrugged. Another, who had witnessed the Sisters in action at the Children’s “Celebration of Our Century” fundraiser in 2013, chastised the vet saying, “Just wait and see. The place is going to explode.”
Truer words were never uttered. In addition to two of the original Sisters — Anita Pointer and Ruth Pointer — on stage, they were joined by Ruth’s granddaughter Sadako Pointer, who was obviously pregnant. Didn’t matter. The grandmother Sisters and mother-to-be nearly rocked the Chantilly’s chandeliers from the ceiling. At one point they offered to let anyone who made a nice financial contribution to CACCC to join them on stage. Whoa! Hands immediately went up and the sisters were joined by the likes of Anne Davidson.
Yup, those Collin County cousins know how to party and how to raise funds. In this case, the net was $525,000 to support abused and neglected children.
* Photo credit: Kristina Bowman