After a non-stop month of fundraising activities, Ally’s Wish‘s Boots and Blessing Gala at Gilley’s closed down April with gals in boots and remarkable testimonials about the organization that is the late Allyson Hendrickson‘s legacy. Here is a report from the field:
Country-themed affairs were the talk of the town on Saturday, April 30, but at the iconic Gilley’s Dallas, Ally’s Wish was making wishes come true for mothers battling terminal illnesses. The two-year-old organization has raised over $150,000 and granted over 17 wishes to moms with big dreams of create lasting memories with their children.
Inside one of Gilley’s largest ballrooms, a packed house with 300 of DFW’s finest and some out-of-towners, event chair, Laura Downing and honorary chair, Tricia Sims worked the room sharing their connection to Ally’s Wish. Earlier in the year, Tricia Sims hosted a fashion themed kick-off at her home featuring local designer Esé Azénabor and as Laura Downing noted during her speech, her personal connection to Allyson Hendrickson (the organization’s namesake) is why she chose to serve as event chair, to help raise more awareness and dollars to fund wishes.
As guests began to trickle in dressed in their boots and jeans, some with a little bling and some with a lot, they enjoyed cocktails courtesy of Candy’s Signature Cocktails and beer provided by Community Beer. Blushington’s make-up touch-up bar and the boot shine stand were hot spots, but it was the silent auction that was all a buzz. Guests made their way ‘round the tables bidding on favorites including the Abi Ferrin shopping experience, Alexis Bittar earrings courtesy of Neiman Marcus and the Emmitt Smith autographed footballs. Bob Manzano captured Cathy and Tommy Vieth, Kunthear Mam-Douglas, Melissa Rountree, Nicole Barrett, Regina Bruce and Kersten Rettig who posed for photos.
The night began with LeeAnne Locken, from Bravo TV’s “The Real Housewives of Dallas” welcoming everyone, a prayer was said and the chow bell rang! A buffet of Texas BBQ favorites was served including apple cobbler for dessert, but for those that didn’t want anything too sweet, Yasmeen Tadia of Sugaire™ provided them with an alternative option in her gourmet, organic, less than 1 gram of sugar version of cotton candy. As the program continued and guests were seated, Missy Phipps, founder and president of Ally’s Wish shared the stage with her friends and co-founders Melissa Cary, Holly Reed and Heather Bryan to tell their story of creating Ally’s Wish and why their love for their friend has translated into the organization serving moms and their children.
Larry and Pat Conner, the parents of the late Allyson Hendrickson spoke about their daughter, her battle with ovarian cancer and wish to have her blog, “My 3 Sons” turned into a lasting memory in the form of a book (“Three Little Cowboys”) that is now sold with a portion of proceeds benefiting Ally’s Wish and a portion placed into a trust for her sons.
Soon after, Wendy Lambert Auctions’ Charla Goodwin Janecka began the live auction. From the Dancing with the Stars package to the 20 friends Blushington beauty experience and Chamberlains wine tasting with cast members from the “Real Housewives of Dallas,” the bidding wars began.
However, it wasn’t until Russell Spencer and Tanya Norris took the stage to share their stories and connections to Ally’s Wish, that guests began to feel the depth and breath of how granting wishes to moms would and could have an immeasurable impact. Russell shared the stage with his two sons, Austin and Ethan, and spoke of his wife Terran, whose wish was granted in 2014 with a memorable family vacation to Hawaii where she swam with dolphins.
Tanya shared her story and current battle of Glioblastoma Multiforme, more commonly known as brain cancer. Her wish is to visit Nashville with her daughter Paige and loving caretaker husband Ben this summer. Her wish will be granted because shortly after sharing their stories over $30,000 was raised, allowing Ally’s Wish to grant more wishes to moms like Tanya and the current list of ten others on the waiting list.
The Breckenridge Band took to the stage and taught a bit of line dancing, but the night wasn’t over because Britnee Kellogg the season 11 and season 12 hopeful from “American Idol” made a special appearance on stage with her band and closed out the night rocking to original songs and country classics.
For more information about Ally’s Wish, visit www.allyswish.org.
* Photo credit: Bob Manzano