MySweetCharity

Memorial Day weekend has forced the usual MySweetCharity ad auction deadline to be pushed to Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m.

Why? Normally the auction ends on the 25^th, but this month the 25^th falls on a Saturday. After a landslide vote by the MSC elves, it was decided that nobody would be back at work until Tuesday.

So, why advertise in June?

Some sillies may think the summer months are ho-hum, but those-in-the-know will tell you that these three months are busting with news about upcoming events. It’s also a great time to promote sponsorships and ticket sales for fall events. And you just know this fall is going to be simply spectacular.

Still another perk of MSC during the summer is that no matter how far away folks go on vacation, they still get their MSC morning briefs and can always check in with MSC during the day. That’s the beauty of the Internet. You take the MSC community wherever you go.

Send your bids to Jeanne Prejean by Tuesday at 6 and we’ll let you know the results.

T. Boone Pickens (File photo)

Serving as honorary chairman will be philanthropist/energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens.

As reported in March, Boone’s buddy Louisiana-born country/western singer Trace Adkins will be on stage to provide the entertainment.

 “Big Brothers Big Sisters is humbled to have T. Boone Pickens lend his support to our organization and this worthy event,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Rob Roby. “We are equally honored to introduce country music superstar Trace Adkins at this year’s Big Black Tie Ball. Through the generosity of Mr. Pickens, Trace Adkins is donating an unforgettable performance as a demonstration of his friendship with Mr. Pickens and his commitment to changing the lives of the children we serve.”

Tickets will starts at $350 for individuals and $500 for couples. VIP ticket holders will be able to do the meet and greet with Trace, but don’t wait because there are a limited number of VIP tickets.

Last year’s gala that featured Jewel broke the record with more than 650 guests and $550,000 being raised.

Did you know that there are more than 4,000 children “currently waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister in the area? For each $500 raised, a child on the waiting list will be matched with “a mentor, who will enrich, empower and encourage them to reach their highest potential.”

“The Texas Horse Park has been passed!! Equest and River Ranch Educational Charities will be the first tenants at the Texas Horse Park, located near the Trinity River in South Dallas. Equest at Texas Horse Park will focus on building client relationships that will include Therapeutic Riding as well as an extension of our Hooves for Heroes Veterans Program. Stay tuned to learn more about this exciting opportunity!”

The students don’t just attend school. They thrive thanks to the staff and the environment.

Faisal Halum and Brian Bolke

To celebrate and fundraise this Dallas treasure, couture retailer Brian Bolke and couture residential realtor Faisal Halum chaired “FlyingHorse III” on May 10 to benefit the Arts Magnet School. It was a three-place party.

Starting off at the Wyly Theater roof deck sponsored by Neiman’s, guests cocktailed.

Brian said that he estimated that only seven drops of rain fell. . . “It reminded me planning any outdoor event in Dallas takes nerves of steel.”

Gonzalo Bueno and Michael McCray

Merry Vose and Sharon Young

Catherine and Will Rose

Christina Crews and Todd Goldberg

Then guests like Catherine and Will Rose, Merry Vose, Gonzalo Bueno, Michael McCray, Sally and Tom Dunning, Christina Crews, Todd Goldberg, Sharon Young, Sheryl Maas, Jenny and John Kirtland and Lisa and John Runyon strolled across the street to the Booker T. Washington Arts Theater, where guests were blown away by an “electrifying” opening dance number followed by a strings performance and a jazz performance.

Lucy Wrubel and Tom and Sally Dunning

Blending a live show with video clips of Booker T. students and faculty, the presentation itself was typical of the school. Before 55 string musicians entered the stage, the theater went dark. Then a “light/glow stick attached to a bow” was seen. And then another one and another one as they played Viva La Vida by Coldplay.

As much as the audience was enjoying the action on the stage, the “look on faces of the jazz quartet members when they got to play with Branford Marsalis” was the true memory maker. According to Brian, “I am sure to them (the students), it was like playing in the Super Bowl.”

Branford Marsalis

Summing up the performance, Brian and Faisal described it as an “overwhelming sense of surprise and pride” by guests “that such an amazing group of students, in our very own city, literally put on a world-class show.”

The final stop of the evening was the Joule Hotel’s rooftop pool where DJ Lucy Wrubel provided the music while mini-cheese burgers, red velvet cupcakes and Grey Goose vodka cocktails were served.

Photos provided by FlyingHorse III

Please check with experts (i.e., teachers/counselors, therapists and/or ministers) on how to handle your children’s concerns, anxieties and feelings about the recent situations.

Lyda Hill (File photo)

“We’re astounded by Lyda Hill’s incredible generosity and humbled by her commitment to cancer patients and their families through this truly transformative gift,” said Ronald DePinho, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “Its broad application across the cancer care continuum of prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship will play a significant role in the success of the entire Moon Shots Program, especially in the areas of early detection, risk assessment and the development of more effective treatments for multiple cancer types.”

What are “Moon Shots”? No, they’re not a new cocktail nor a video game. It’s “an unprecedented, comprehensive assault on cancer.”

The program is made up of six teams of MD Anderson professionals with the focus on the following eight cancers:

• acute myeloid leukemia (AML)/myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS),
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia,
• melanoma,
• lung cancer,
• prostate cancer, and
• triple-negative breast and high-grade serous ovarian cancers.

Lyda’s gift will “support high-priority flagship projects including:

• the lung cancer team’s efforts to develop mire reliable, low-cost screenings that can be available in community clinics, including blood-based biomarkers to detect the disease at its earliest stages and
• the breast/ovarian cancer team’s integrated program to screen patients for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations and to prescribe new personalized therapies.

“I’m excited about the Moon Shots Program,” said Hill. “It represents a different direction for research that crosses disciplines and offers new hope for breaking cancer’s codes. I’m pleased to offer my support to this historic effort.”

In honor of Lyda’s generosity, “the institution will name the Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center.”

The Moon Shots Program will cost $3 billion in the first 10 years.

Santa Claus had better watch out. Lyda is giving him a run for his money when it comes to being the #1 gift giver.

“Due to inclement weather the 21st Annual Partners Card Kick-off Benefiting The Family Place event tonight will be postponed to Wednesday, June 5.”

So, why not take the night off?

Mary Frances Burleson

The breaking news is that Ebby Halliday Companies has committed to a four-year sponsorship of the talk series. Ebby Halliday Companies President/CEO and Highland Park/SMU grad Mary Frances Burleson will be part of the board of directors and “work closely with area leaders to further the series’ already substantial impact on SMU and the Dallas-Fort Worth community.”

Along with the announcement is the 2013-2014 season that will include such following boldfacers as former Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Robert Caro, world chess champion and global human rights activist Garry Kasparov and Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, chairmen of the Simpson-Bowles Commission and co-founders of the Campaign to Fix the Debt.

“One of our founding principles of service is serving the community,” says Mary Frances. “At the Ebby Halliday Companies we are excited about the opportunity to sponsor the Tate Lecture Series and look forward to supporting this exceptional SMU and Dallas institution through its 2016-17 season.”

Photo provided by Ebby Halliday Companies

Being listed as safe and well:

• If a disaster takes place in your area, go to the “Register on the Safe And Well” page and register. There you can provide a brief message letting others know your condition and/or how to be reached.
• Example: Your city has been hit by torrential rains with some areas being flooded. You register and leave a message that you’re safe but have had to relocate to a friend’s house.

Searching for someone:

• You go to the “Search” page of the website and register.
• You are then directed to a page where you list the people for whom you are searching. “The results of a successful search will only display your loved one’s first name, last name, an ‘As of Date’ and the messages they posted.”
• In preparation for needing this service, make sure that you have a phone number or a complete home address. Without them the search will not work.

Suggestions:

1. After you check out the “Safe and Well” website, send it to family and friends for their consideration.  
2. Bookmark the website on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.
3. If you can, explain the website to your kids and how to use it. If you’re worried about scaring your children, ask their teachers or counselors the best to discuss the service.

BTW, thank you, Red Cross, for once again providing another service for those in need of assistance.

And because the activities will be kiddo-oriented, silent and live auctions will be replaced by bounce houses, a live DJ, face painting, art, crafts, a private bird show in the Wildlife Amphitheater and some “unique animal encounters.”

Rosie (File photo)

Of course, Jamie won’t be the only animal partying with the kids. Some, like Rosie, just might be available for photo opps, while others, like Patrick, will be safely beyond reach.

Patrick (File photo)

Event Chairs Julie and Rob Little and their munchkins Elise, Gracie and Anna have not only arranged to have Kellie Rasberry and her daughter Emma as honorary chairs, they’ve signed up the following sponsors:

• Founding sponsor ($50,000): M.R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation
• Presenting sponsor ($30,000): Highland Capital Management
• Supporting sponsor ($15,000): Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP
• Leaping Lions ($10,000): AMS Pictures and Union Bank Foundation
• Generous Giraffes ($5,000): Mary Anne and Richard Cree, Al G. Hill Jr. Family and NexBank
• Eager Elephants ($2,500): Bank of America, Jennifer, John and Alexandra Eagle, Amanda and Chris George, Carol and Don Glendenning/Locke Lord LLP, Herb’s Paint and Body Shops, Jackson Walker LLP, Carol and John I. Levy and Tenet Healthcare Corporation
• Zany Zebras ($1,000): Allyn Media/The Pascal Family, Nancy and John Benefield, Diane and Hal Brierley, Kathy and Harlan Crow, Gina and Scott Ginsburg, The Moody‐Dahlberg Family, Maria and Kip Plankinton, Deedie and Rusty Rose, Ruibal’s Plants of Texas, Straight Line Automotive Group, Turner Construction, Emily and Daniel Vafa and Whitlock Family
• Charming Cheetahs ($500): Tracy and Clay Aaron, Bonner and Thomas Allen, The Aron Family, BBVA Compass, The Berkley Family, Dr. and Mrs. Farhad E. Boltchi, Paige and Greg Bordelon, Cynthia and Jeff Bowen, The Brewer Family, Jennifer Cather, In Memory of Sheila Chapman, David Corrigan Family, Erin Nealy Cox and Trey Cox – Amelia, Cate and Vivian, Mandy Dake and Chris Rowley, Suzanne and Drew Durgin, Susan and Terry Eckert, Kathryn and Lance Etcheverry, Amanda and Mark Francis, Kathy and Kevin Hanrahan, Valerie and Todd Istre, The Laws Family, Anne and David Mann, Rhonda, Fraser, Nolan and Emmy Marcus, Amy and Jamie Mentgen, The Meyer Family, ORIX Foundation, Carrie and Steven Parsons, Julie and Steve Rado, Tonya and Todd Ramsey – Tru, Maggie and Berkeley, Heather Randall, Rogers‐O’Brien Construction, The Sachs Family, Keith Schumann and Matthew Simon, Nicole and Justin Small, Jennifer and Dan Spears, Christine and Steve Standbridge – Isabel, Ian and Elise, The Utay Family, Geoff, Leslie, William and Elizabeth Wayne, The Wharton Family and Christina, Allen, Alexander, and Caroline White.
• Media Sponsors: Dallas Child and MommyMixer