DFW International Airport is going to be celebrity filled this spring thanks to the area nonprofits with a dazzling array of speakers. Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support is celebrating its 25th Annual Luncheon with double Academy Award winner/entrepreneur Hilary Swank at the Hilton Anatole on the Friday, May 11.
According to Genesis CEO Jan Langbein, “We are beyond thrilled to announce Hilary Swank as our 2018 luncheon speaker. Her philanthropic dedication to addressing challenging social issues seamlessly aligns with the mission of Genesis Women’s Shelter – to end violence against women.”
Chairing the event that will take place on the Friday before Mother’s Day will be longtime Genesis supporters, Jane and Michael Hurst. Jan described the Hursts, “Jane and Michael are dear friends of Genesis. Through their philanthropic efforts, as well as their professions as lawyers, the Hursts are both well regarded in our community. We’d also like to extend our congratulations to Michael, who was recently inaugurated as the 109th President of the Dallas Bar Association. Jane has served as the Client Advocate Liaison on the board of the Genesis Alliance, and we are honored to have her and Michael at the helm for our 25th luncheon. Through this event, women will know that there is help and there is hope for those who suffer from abuse.”
While many folks know Hilary from her incredible performances in 1999’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” 2005’s “Million Dollar Baby” and 2014’s “The Homesman,” they may not know of her being a clothing designer. She created Mission Statement in 2016 to “merge high-performance and high-fashion to allow the wearer to find the perfect balance of movement while they are working out, in the office, resting or playing.”
To prove her stuff when it comes to putting an ensemble together, it was back in 2011 when Hilary flew in to be guest of honor for a Super Bowl party hosted by Phil Romano. Unfortunately, her luggage got lost in transit. Not to worry. She simply stopped by an airport shop and hit just the right look for cameras.
But Hilary’s story isn’t all glittering awards, red carpet appearances and heading up companies. There was a point when at the age of 16 she and her mother arrived in Los Angeles with $75 in cash and lived out of their car. In hindsight, Hilary described it as “no big deal, really. I was embarking on a big adventure and I was very excited. My mum was scared as hell, but I loved it!”
Sponsorships for the lunch start at $1,750 and are available now by checking in with Bianca Jackson. As for the individual tickets, they won’t go on sale until April.
* Photo credit: Carlo Furgeri Gilbert for The Wall Street Journal