Arriving at the Change is Good kickoff party on Saturday, August 25, 9-year-old Kingston Walker turned to his dad, Kelvin Walker, and asked, “How long are we gonna be here?” But once the party at the Community Partners of Dallas headquarters office got under way, with a variety of fun activities for kids and parents alike, Kingston stopped keeping track of the time. “Now he loves it,” Kelvin said, watching his son interact with some new pals.
Kelvin and Kingston were among about 115 people who turned out for the Community Partners event, whose purpose was to rev things up for the annual, family-friendly Change is Good fundraiser at Brook Hollow Golf Club. Scheduled this year for Sunday, October 14, the fundraiser aims to involve kids in “giving back” by collecting pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and bills for abused and neglected children in Dallas County. (Last year, the effort netted 87,600 coins for the cause.) The kids will then exchange their coins for tickets to win prizes at the Brook Hollow event, which also features games, face-painting, and plenty of food.
Kelvin and his wife Celia Walker are co-chairs of 2018’s Change is Good, along with Jennifer and Scott Chandler and Nikki and Crayton Webb. (Kelvin is a former board chairman of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, while Crayton is the Y’s current chair.) Although Community Partners President and CEO Paige McDaniel missed all the kickoff fun—she was in Santa Fe, it seems—Vice President of Development and Communications Joanna Clarke was a worthy stand-in.
While the CPD office buzzed with projects, from kids bundling up pens with rubber bands to stuffing the likes of soap, shampoo and toothpaste into Zip-Loc bags, Joanna explained that everything was geared to “inspiring fundraising” and compassion for those less fortunate. This year’s turnout for the kickoff was the “biggest ever,” she added. Among those engaged in the various projects were Lara Tafel with daughter Mimi Tafel, as well as the Webbs’ kids Nelson, Mitchell, Cabot, and Lucy. Watching their “elders” were Graham with his dad Richard Fuquay and Remi. Perhaps they were picking up tips for their participation next year.