Main Content
Former SAWA Fashion Show Chairs Celebrated The Fundraiser’s 30 Years With Tales Of The Past
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
Neiman Marcus Downtown’s Zodiac Room has been the site of legendary occasions. From the late, great food doyenne Helen Corbitt ruling supreme with keepsake recipes to Bobby Short playing piano for Mr. Stanley‘s 90th birthday, it was most recently the scene of memories being shared at a luncheon on Wednesday, February 21, honoring the former Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary Dallas Fashion Show and Luncheon chairs. And what stories they had to tell, including how the Zodiac Room had been the birthplace of the Fashion Show and Luncheon 30 years ago. Here’s a report from the field:
Traditions reigned as the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary luncheon honored former Luncheon Chairs at Neiman Marcus Downtown on Wednesday starting with the locale, the Zodiac, which was the site of the initial gathering of the original luncheon organizers 30 years ago.
Back then, Auxiliary President Ann Smith and Luncheon founder Margot Perot, recruited Barbara Charlton and Betty Harlan to initiate a new fund-raising event. They immediately recruited longtime Salvation Army supporter Joanie Slaughter to serve as honorary chair.
No one can recall, but perhaps the initial “power lunch” might have featured Neiman Marcus’s legendary chicken salad and orange mousse luncheon entrée.
Fast forward to the recent gathering as Neiman Marcus General Manager and Director Tim Adair hosted a seated luncheon in the Zodiac with many of the former Chairs and Underwriting Chairs in attendance. They enjoyed the aforementioned Zodiac entrée (including traditional chicken broth and popovers, of course) and were updated on plans for this year’s Fashion Show and Luncheon set for Tuesday, May 7, at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The luncheon was chaired by Kerry McStay.
The nostalgia and references to tradition continued with 2024 SAWA Fashion Show and Luncheon Honorary Chair Shelle Sills recounting the numerous times that Neiman Marcus has partnered with the Salvation Army, including multiple events at the downtown store, many of which were held during her multi-year tenure as vice president and general manager.
One senior luncheon guest recalled that Neiman Marcus was one of the few retailers that allowed the Salvation Army to have volunteer bell-ringers, collecting donations in front of the store, at a time when many shopping centers would not allow it.
Tim recalled “the thrill” he experienced, as a child, when he dropped coins in the ever-present red kettles at Christmastime. “It still feels good, to this date,” he said.
“Fortunately, the Red Kettle campaign volunteers are still welcomed at Neiman’s and there is not a better place to talk about fashion,” said 2024 Fashion Show Luncheon Chair Shannon Graham.
Shannon and Auxiliary President Candace Winslow were joined by North Texas Area Commander Major Dawn McFarland. They recognized Kathie King, who will receive the Margot Perot Service Award and updated guests including Jennifer Dix, Laura Downing, Susan Farris, Patti Flowers, Kimber Hartmann, Susan Hayner, Kim Hext, Ellen McStay, Kim Quinn, Carol Seay and Lisa Singleton.
For luncheon tickets or more information, please visit sawadallas.org.
* Photo provided by Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary Dallas
Change Of Plans: Makeup Legend Bobbi Brown To Bow In For Christine Baranski For Woman To Woman Luncheon
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
Today is a not-so-good news day. It’s also good-news-recovery day.
Word just arrived that The Gilded Age‘s Christine Baranski won’t be able to be the keynote speaker for the Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas‘s Woman To Woman Luncheon at the Fairmont Dallas Hotel on Thursday, April 18. The reason was a cancellation “due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control.”
Before you feel as let down as Bertha Russell after being denied a box seat at the Academy of Music, take heart. Luncheon Co-Chairs sisters Fran Toubin and Sam Utay and Susan Kramer, Bobbie Repp and Barbara Spigel have swooped in and arranged to have renowned makeup artist, author, and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown to be at the podium.
The end result? Give your bustles a rest and pull out your best false eyelashes to flutter for the luncheon.
If you haven’t gotten your place at the table, now’s the time to do it.
* Photo credit: Rebecca Miller
A Summit, A Fair And Celebrities Like Will.I.Am Helped The Center For BrainHealth Mark “BrainHealth Week” In Dallas
By Glenn Hunter Leave a Comment
When Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed February 19-24 “BrainHealth Week” in Dallas, the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas mounted a week-long series of events to mark the occasion. They ranged from a free community fair for more than 700 registrants and an expo of innovative technology companies in brain health to a powerhouse summit with celebrities and thought leaders including will.i.am, Arianna Huffington and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Here’s a report from the field:
There was something for brain health enthusiasts of all ages at the Center for BrainHealth the week of February 19-24, proclaimed by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson as “BrainHealth Week.” The second-annual BrainHealth Week also kicked off the center’s 25th anniversary year.
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Dallas-area artists, leaders and community members gathered for the Art of BrainHealth, an invigorating evening of creativity and connection sponsored by Bank of Texas. Host committee members — including Laurel Bush, Benjamin Vann, Grace Cook, Bora Laci, Adriana de Urquidi, and Maria Vehslage — convened several hundred young professionals for a networking reception and art exhibit and competition. The evening started with cocktails and mocktails, as well as delicious food catered by FGF Catering, and ended with an incredible showcase from young student artists from Dallas College and UTD. Judges Joshua King of Aurora, Dr. Ben Rein, a neuroscientist from Stanford, and David Gappa, a renowned local glass artist whose work is featured at the center, awarded the Grand Prize to Noelle Allen from Dallas College. Madison Hermann, a UT Dallas student, won the People’s Choice award.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the center hosted approximately 200 changemakers from across the country for the Brain3 Summit, sponsored in part by HKS. This first-of-its-kind, invitation-only gathering showcased visionary thinking on the power of proactive, preventive brain health. Presenters and panelists included international celebrities like will.i.am, acclaimed thought leaders like Arianna Huffington, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Adm. William McRaven, executives such as Jesus Manta from IBM and Kana Enomoto from McKinsey Health Institute, and local leaders such as former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Eric Bennett with Tolleson Wealth Management, Yolanda Lewis with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and Michael Phillips with TDJ Enterprises, among many others.
On Day One of the Summit, the center’s deputy director Dr. Dan Krawczyk set the stage with a “cold open” that took attendees through a fascinating 3-D visualization of the brain. Later that morning, Tom Leppert led a panel discussion of the state of brain health across the generations, which was brought to life by a powerful short film, “Lived Experiences”, produced by award-winning filmmaker Quin Mathews. The day also featured a unique showcase and expo of innovative technology companies in the brain health space.
At the end of the first day, Sammye Myers chaired a dinner at the Crown Room at Reunion Tower, allowing out-of-towners and Dallasites alike — including Jason Garrett, Mary Cook, Dan Patterson, Kay and Will Beecherl, and Sarah Dodd — to enjoy 360-degree views of the Dallas skyline on a spring-like February evening from the iconic “big ball.” After firing up the crowd with her enthusiasm for the outcome of the day’s events, BrainHealth founder and Chief Director Dr. Sandi Chapman turned the podium over to City Councilman Chad West, who read the Mayor’s BrainHealth Week proclamation. Adm. McRaven remarked on the growth in the “BrainHealth ecosystem” he and his wife, Georgeann, have witnessed since they became national spokespersons for The BrainHealth Project in 2018. He congratulated Dr. Chapman on bringing together diverse groups of people with their own platforms and businesses, with a shared desire to improve brain health.
On Day Two of the Summit, Krys Boyd interviewed Dr. Ian Robertson, T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Chair and Co-Leader of The BrainHealth Project, on the topic of confidence for her popular KERA program, Think. Later, attendees enjoyed a surprise guest during a conversation on Creativity + Technology led by IBM global director Jesus Mantas: Grammy award-winning musician and AI entrepreneur will.i.am joined the event live from London! The day culminated with a lively workshop led by design gurus Bruce Mau and Bisi Williams, co-founders of Massive Change Network. Participants were inspired to “think exponential” about ways in which proactive brain health can become a priority in education, healthcare and the workplace. The Summit ended on a high note, with will.i.am’s hit song “Let’s Go” filling the center with joy and dynamism.
On the Friday of BrainHealth Week, BrainHealth hosted an invitation-only luncheon to bestow its highest science honor — the Dr. Charles L. Branch BrainHealth Award — to Mark D’Esposito, MD. Keana and Representative Morgan Meyer chaired the event that brought together members of the Branch family plus BrainHealth supporters and board members, including Stacey and Dan Branch, Dianne Cash, Debbie Francis, Eric Bennett, Cher and David Jacobs, Gano Ehlers, Chuck Eisemann, Claudia Stool, and Carol Heller. Dr. D’Esposito kept the audience’s rapt attention in sharing his insights on the brain’s frontal lobes in a fireside chat-style conversation with Dr. Charles Branch Jr., son of the groundbreaking neurosurgeon for whom the award is named.
To engage the youngest of brain health enthusiasts, the week wrapped with a BrainHealth Family Fair, a free community event with more than 700 registrants. The center joined forces with more than 40 community partners to provide arts and crafts, activities, free food from the Ruthie’s food truck (sponsored by Frost Bank), a gaming truck from the YMCA and a TECH truck from the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Kid-friendly speakers included Dr. Jeff Rich, an astronomer from Carnegie Observatories; Mallory Mbalia, a storyteller from Fred Rogers Productions; and Shamonn Wise with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, who was joined by Nestor Mercado-Garcia from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
* Photo provided by Grant Miller Photography
Former NFL Player/Author Brad Cousino To Keynote YES’s “Celebration! – A Night Of Hope And Connection”
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
Youth Equipped to Succeed’s (YES) “Celebration! – A Night Of Hope And Connection” Honorary Co-Chairs Nancy and Ron Houston just finalized plans for the fundraiser on Thursday, April 18.
Taking place at the Omni Dallas Hotel, the dinner’s keynote speaker will be former NFL players/author Brad Cousino, whose memoir, “Unwanted, Unworthy, Unshackled” revealed his 18 years of living in a “dysfunctional, alcoholic home where physical and emotion abuse were the norm.”
Born out of wedlock to a couple in their early teens, none of his direct family lineage of great-grandparents, grandparents or parents had graduated from an accredited high school. He decided the way to break the cycle of abuse was education.
In addition to graduating from high school, he set his sights on college. But money was the problem. So, he took “a job cleaning out putrid sewers at $4.50/hr.” to pay for one quarter of college. That way he could try out for the football team with the hope of earning a scholarship. Despite being the smallest defensive lineman in Division One college football, he not only won the scholarship but “was awarded All-American honors for two years in a row.”
Even with those accomplishment, the NFL took its time recruiting him because, at 5’10”, the “official NFL scouting report stated he was ‘too short, too small and too slow’.” But once again Brad didn’t let a challenge stand in his way and as a “free-agent he went on to become one of the elite special teams players (and smallest linebacker) in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Recognizing that professional football was not going to be a longtime venture, he became a “successful commercial real estate investor, developer and property manager specializing in multi-office building complexes, high rise offices, industrial warehouses, multifamily apartment projects, self-storage facilities, etc., and either owned, developed or managed over $300,000,000 in investment grade real estate properties.”
His personal life has been another success story, having been married for 46 years to Tami Cousino and having four children and 11 grandchildren.
Brad’s story is one that can resonate with YES supporters and the students in the YES program.
Sponsorship opportunities and tickets for the dinner are available here.
* Graphic courtesy of Youth Equipped to Succeed
Crystal Charity Ball Bus Tour Provided Committee Members With A Firsthand Look At 2024 Beneficiaries
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
Organizers were a bit concerned about the 2024 Crystal Charity Ball bus tour of its beneficiaries on Thursday, February 15. The problem was there were more committee members signing up than there was room. Luckily, at the last minute, a couple of ladies had to cancel, allowing for all to have a seat.
Sponsored by Joan Eleazer and Layne Pitzer/Briggs Freeman| Sotheby’s, the tour started right on schedule at 8:30 a.m. in the Turtle Creek Village parking lot with CCB Bus Tour “Guide” Melissa Macatee explaining the day’s game plan. The downside was there would be few if any children at any of the sites. The good news was that thanks to having five-year CCB Bus Driver Vincent Williams at the wheel and a well-planned schedule, they would finish up the run of the day by 1:30 p.m.
HHM Health
CCB Foundation Chair Candace Winslow told how faith-based HHM Health’s mobile Pediatric clinic would use it $1,099,045 CCB grant for the purchase and outfitting of a mobile pediatric clinic designed to provide high-quality and holistic healthcare for infants, children and teenagers in South Dallas. It will be parked in the parking lots of schools, community center and churches in South Dallas for easy accessibility.
The grant is projected to serve approximately 2,300 children between the ages of 0 and 18 annually.
Traffick911
Following Candace’s presentation, Traffick911 Executive Director Lindsey Speed took her place at the front of the bus to describe how the $607,912 grant would be used for its “Voice and Choice Survivor Empowerment Program” to help free youth from sex trafficking by creating trusted relationships.
Established in 2009, Traffick911 is the only agency in Dallas County that provides 24/7 crisis response for child sex trafficking victims. It prides itself on also “dispatching a Traffick911 advocate, who arrives onsite to be with the victim within 60 minutes.”
The grant will support two full-time advocates to create a trust-based relationship with trafficked children in Dallas County that will include outings, support groups and backpacks with essentials and a teddy bear.
Approximately 622 child sex trafficking victims between the ages of 9 and 18 will be served.
Following Lindsey’s presentation, the bus departed for its first stop of the day.
The Center For Integrative Counseling and Psychology
Arriving at The Center For Integrative Counseling and Psychology facility just west of the North Dallas Tollway off Lemmon, committee members departed the bus and took a brief tour of the center including a playroom for therapy. It was in a large gathering room that President/CEO Dr. Brad Schwall and his staff provided deflated balloons to committee member to participate in the experience of understanding and dealing with emotional needs.
Thanks to a commitment of $1,029,051, The Center will be able over a three-year period to “expand critically needed services for youngsters” in West Dallas and extended services in South Dallas. By collaborating with non-profits in these communities, the Center will not only be able to work with existing non-profits to “mobilize a comprehensive mental health initiative ranging from prevention to intervention for children and teens,” but it will also renovate a new play therapy room at the Center’s central office.
Approximately 850 children will benefit from the grant.
After the committee members re-boarded the bus, it headed to its next stop while 2024 CCB New Members Liaisons Katherine Coker and Susan Glassmoyer introduced the new members (Katy Bock, Andrea Cheek, Isabell Novakov Higginbotham, Christa Sanford, Megan Steinbach, Caroline Snell Wagner and Nikki Webb) with the help of pieces of trivia.
Parkland Health Foundation
Since the Parkland Health Foundation’s new Richland Health Center was in the earliest stages of construction, it was decided that the presentation would take place at the 2.8M-square-foot New Parkland’s main campus at the northeast corner of Harry Hines and Medical District Drive.
As Parkland Health Foundation Development Officer Beth Ellis and Parkland Health Foundation Chief Advancement VP Daniel Sullivan boarded the bus and thanked the committee for its support of the Richland Health Center, Vincent was directed to follow a security car along a route throughout the campus. To the surprise of the committee, the sidewalks were lined with cheering staff members holding signs showing their appreciation of the CCB efforts.
2024 CCB Chair Cheryl Joyner, 2024 Underwriting Chair Jennifer Dix and Candace couldn’t resist jumping off the bus to show their appreciation of the group.
Plans call for the $1,000,000 grant to “establish a 3,400-square-foot pediatric health clinic at the Richland Health Center on the Dallas College-Richland Campus in northeast Dallas that is considered a medical desert.” Offering high-quality affordable pediatric care including ten exam rooms, a laboratory and separate waiting room for sick children, it is projected to serve 7,400 children annually.
Methodist Health System Foundation
After a quick trip to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, the committee departed the bus and walked through a gauntlet of Methodist staffers in the long lobby cheering like a Super Bowl celebration. At the end of the room, the members took their places in rows of chair for a presentation by Methodist Health System Foundation President Jim Johnston, Methodist Dallas Medical Center President John Phillips and Women’s And Children’s Director of Nursing Susan Bremner, who thanked the committee for the $1,148,907 grant.
As a result of the funding, “an Obstetric Emergency Department will be housed in Methodist Dallas’ newly transformed Labor and Delivery Unit” with five private patient rooms, enabling quick and efficient emergency care for pregnant women who present with high-risk pregnancies, urgent medical needs and pregnancy-related complications. The result will be a 22% reduction in preterm deliveries.
Approximately 2,400 newborns will be supported, increasing to 4,000 pregnant women and babies annually within five years.
Vogel
After the day’s cheers and shouts of appreciation, the tour headed to The Shops at RedBird. Following the traditional group photos, the committee walked from the entry through the retail center that was “a groundbreaking initiative connecting employment, resources and strategic partnerships” revitalizing Southern Dallas.
After arriving at what would be Vogel’s “Early Childhood Programming And Care” center, Vogel President/CEO Karen Hughes and Vogel Chief Development Officer Greg Brinkley took committee members through the hallways showing classrooms, waiting areas and offices that would occupy the 15,000-square-foot center.
After having worked for 37 years to stabilize homeless children and their families, an important part of the Vogel mission is to “include high-quality early childhood education, developmental and mental health services, and family support.”
Thanks to its being located in The Shops at RedBird, Vogel would make such services more accessible for families in need. To make it even easier for clients to access, the Vogel facility was located in the complex just a few feet away from a nearby entrance.
CCB’s grant of $1,500,000 will underwrite the salaries of teachers and administrators over a two-year period, resulting in 134 children from six weeks through five years annually receiving “quality childcare and education through Vogel’s nationally accredited therapeutic early childhood programming, which promotes children’s cognitive, emotional and social development.”
Dallas Holocaust And Human Rights Museum
As the bus pulled up to the final stop of the day at Dallas Holocaust And Human Rights Museum, a school bus filled with youngsters was departing. After going through security, Dallas Holocaust And Human Rights Museum President/CEO Mary Pat Higgins greeted committee members and directed them to the third level, where they briefly toured the the permanent exhibition of the Holocaust including an authentic World War II boxcar that the Nazis had used to transport men, women and children to the concentration camps.
It was also at this time that Holocaust survivor Bert Romberg talked with the group. He and his sister, Magie Furst, had been part of the Kindertransport program that sent a thousand Jewish children out of harms way to England to live with families. Watching from the side was Bert’s wife, Terry Romberg.
As the committee slowly made its way through the exhibitions displaying human rights violations through time and throughout the world, Terry and Bert followed holding hands.
The Dallas Holocaust And Human Rights Museum will be able to provide transportation, teacher curriculum support and written student materials for thousands of Title 1 and economically disadvantaged students in Dallas County free of charge over a three-year period, thanks to the CCB grant of $708,750.
As the bus returned to Turtle Creek Village ahead of schedule at 1:15 p.m., the CCB members had their work cut out for them in the months ahead to provide $7,093,665 for countless Dallas County children and the generations to follow.
* Photo credit: Melissa Macatee
Greenville Avenue Is Gonna Start Bustling With Activities Preparing For Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
The corner of Greenville Avenue and Lovers Lane is notorious for its dosey-doe of drivers trying to cross. As bad as it may have been in morning and evening drives, Friday is going to have added players — the delivery of beer trucks, metal barriers and porta-cans. It’s all in preparation for … Read More...
Young Unwed Mother And Her Kids Rescued After Being Rejected By The Man In Her Life
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
It was an oh-so-typical situation. An unwed mother of four was rejected by the man in her life. At least the man took her and the four youngsters to a shelter instead of turning them out in the street to fend for themselves. As he was preparing to take them into the shelter, a couple saw the … Read More...
Grovel Alert: Family Compass 2024 North Star Luncheon
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
While many are in other parts for spring break as scary weather approaches North Texas, there are two camps — either they have their reservations for Family Compass’ North Star Luncheon, or they’re shutting their eyes realizing they hadn't due to being sidetracked by spring break. Well, stop … Read More...
44 Debutantes Texas Dipped At The 2024 Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
When it comes to a changing of the guard, change naturally is ever-present. Some changes are for the better; some are snafus to learn from en route to growth. Such was the case with the 2024 Dallas Symphony Orchestra League Presentation Ball at the Meyerson Symphony Center on Saturday, February … Read More...
2024 Chi Omega Christmas Market Is Moving To Dallas Market Hall For A September Shopathon
The 4th of July hasn't even neared and the Dallas Chi O alumnae are hooting about their annual Chi Omega Christmas Market. 2024 Market Co-Chairs Karen Hunt, Debbie Lang and Nancy Woodall and Steering Chair Lynne Seago have just revealed that there are changes to the tried-and-true arrangements of … Read More...
“Because The World Is Round” Jane Saginaw Will Kick Off Turtle Creek Park Conservancy’s The Write Stuff
By Jeanne Prejean Leave a Comment
Reading between the lines the Turtle Creek Park Conservancy is opening up a new chapter in its membership perks. The Conservancy will launch "The Write Stuff: Conversations With Authors and Influencers," on Thursday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. The newly announced program will become "a perk for … Read More...