To get the momentum rolling for the Saturday night fundraiser, Cristo Rey Dallas‘ “Grow the Grove” sponsors got together in the great room of Joyce and Larry Lacerte‘s home on Wednesday, November 14. Guests included everyone from Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, new Cristo Rey Development Director Abby Hoak-Morton to Cristo Rey Dallas senior Ryan Olson. Here’s a report from the field:
Cristo Rey Dallas’ Grow the Grove: The Cocktail Party Co-Chairs Nancy Cain Marcus and Nelda Cain Pickens were joined by nearly 70 sponsors and host committee members including Micki Rawlings with son Gunnar Rawlings, Will Coleman, Peggy and Dan Meyer, Margie and Ray Francis, Mary and Mike Terry and Cheryl Joyner for a celebration held in their honor on Wednesday, November 14, at the home of Joyce and Larry Lacerte.
Attendees arrived and mingled as they enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Midway through the reception, Cristo Rey Dallas President Kelby Woodard gathered the crowd for brief remarks.
Woodard thanked the Lacertes for hosting the evening and serving as Grow the Grove underwriting co-chairs alongside Liza and Will Lee and Maryann and Frank Mihalopoulos. He also recognized event co-chairs Nancy Cain Marcus and Nelda Cain Pickens, Honorary Co-Chairs Patty and Mark Langdale and presenting sponsor Tolleson Wealth Management for ensuring the event’s success. And last, he recognized Mayor Mike Rawlings, who would be honored at Grow the Grove on Saturday, November 17, for his inspiration, dedication and diligent work for his signature campaign, Grow South, uniting the northern and southern sectors of our city. In closing, Kelby shared some of the highlights of this year at Cristo Rey Dallas, including that 2019 will mark the first year that Cristo Rey Dallas will have a graduating class, with some students already receiving early acceptances by 4-year universities.
Following, Tolleson Wealth Management President Richard Joyner took a few minutes to share why Tolleson is committed to Cristo Rey Dallas, specifically highlighting the college prep school’s Corporate Work Study Program, an innovative model of education that gives students a Catholic, college-preparatory education while earning work experience in a corporate setting.
Cristo Rey Dallas senior Ryan Olson then followed and shared what attending the school has meant to him and his fellow classmates. In closing he added his gratitude to all who have made Cristo Rey Dallas possible to him and the 484 students who attend the school, including the many sponsors of Grow the Grove.
The 2018 Grow the Grove: The Cocktail Party sponsors were:
- Presenting Sponsor – Tolleson Wealth Management
- Fuel our Students ($20,000) – Anthony Family Foundation
- Buy our Books ($10,000) – Joyce and Lawrence Lacerte, Sharon and Tom McNearney, Maryann and Frank Mihalopoulos, Nancy Perot and Rod Jones, Carolyn and Karl Rathjen and Mary and Mike Terry
- Gap and a half ($4,800+) – Ashford Hospitality Advisors, Lynn and Win Bell, Suzanne Arkoosh Caruso, Shelly and Tom Codd, Irma and Alfredo Duarte, Laura and Jim Einspanier, Maria Carmen and Raul Estrada, Frost Bank, Hall Group, Gray Reed and McGraw, Beverly Goulet, Alex and Ford Halbardier, Jane and Edwin Jenevein, Cheryl and Richard Joyner, Cecilia and Kip Kernodle, Nancy Cain Marcus, Mary Blake and Chuck Meadows, Laura and Scott Moore, Vicki and David Moran, Anne and Scot O’Brien, Pam and Gary Patsley, Nelda Cain Pickens, Plains Capital Bank and Pat and Pete Schenkel
- Fill the Gap ($3,200+) – Nancy and Robert Dedman Foundation, Judy and John Dryden, Kara and Peter Gehan, Patty and Mark Langdale, Kathleen and Frank Lauinger, Jodi and Brian Neitzel and Susan and Jon Piot
- Half the Gap ($1,600+) – Walter Adams, Rosenblatt Family Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation, Betty and Russell Bellamy, Inette and Joshua Brown, Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Sue and Lee Coleman, Lee Cullum, Dal-Tile, Denise and John Dunlap, Eiseman Jewels NorthPark Center, Karen and Steve Fox, Margie and Ray Francis, Sue and Jim Gragg, Greg Greene, Haynes and Boone, Irma and Christopher Henry, Kate and John Kunasek, Liza and Will Lee, Muffin and John Lemak, Rosemarie Marshall and Lee Wilkins, Vicki and Brian Miller, Reena and Jim Morris, Carol and Bruce Orr, Pam and Vin Perella, Katherine and Eric Reeves, School Sisters of Notre Dame, Joanna and David Shuart, Joan and Tom Stevens, Maria and Bobby Stover, The Hoglund Foundation, The Horchow Family, The J.M. Haggar Jr. Family Foundation, Katie and Bill Weaver Charitable Trust, UT Southwestern, Allison and Jason Waldie, Susannah and Michael Wisenbaker and Ana and Jim Yoder.