Thanks to Our Friend’s Place, the legacy of the late Ebby Halliday Acers lives on. At the OFP’s Gala, Auction and Casino fundraiser at the Renaissance on Saturday, April 27, the 15th annual Ebby Award was presented to Terry Goltz Greenberg and Southwest Airlines. Ebby would have loved the fact that proceeds of the event will support the organizations mission to help young women overcoming challenges. Here’s a report from the field:
Our Friends Place (OFP) celebrated its annual Gala, Auction and Casino night on Saturday, April 27, at the beautiful Renaissance Dallas Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Burns Sr. were honorary co-chairs. Gala, Auction and Casino Night Co-Chairs were Dorinda Cavender-Akin, Suzanne Jaco and Jill Svoboda.
The event was well attended by 500 guests eager to bid on live and silent auction packages, play casino games, and dance the night away.
The night started off by recognizing Terry Goltz Greenberg and Southwest Airlines as recipients of the 15th Annual Ebby Award. Each was recognized for significant contributions and achievements in the advancement of girls and/or women in North Texas. The award was first given to its namesake, Ebby Halliday Acers, in 2005 in recognition of her tireless and passionate advocacy for women in the community.
“Thanks to everyone who made our 2019 Gala, Auction and Casino Night such a huge success raising financial resources for our Transitional Living Centers and SOAR to Success outreach mentoring program,” said Our Friends Place Executive Director Sue Thiers Hesseltine. “We were able to increase awareness of Our Friends Place, while having a great time raising funds to continue helping young women grow from adversity towards economic self-sufficiency.”
Additionally, funds raised enable OFP’s SOAR to Success program to bring lifelong skills to even more young women through high school, community college, and local nonprofit programs.
Gala sponsors, whose contributions made the evening an even greater success, included:
- Presenting Sponsor ($50,000): HollyFrontier Corporation
- Patron Party Sponsors ($10,000) Paladin Partners and 12 General Contracting Services
- Emerald ($6,000): BDO, Energy Transfer, EY, FlyWheel Advisory Group, Vinson and Elkins and Zonta Club of Dallas
- Table Sponsors ($3,000): Bobbie Athey, Peggy Busby, Dorinda Cavender-Akin and Hugh Akin, Caitlin Doepfner, Kathy and Phil Doepfner, Kim Drake-Loy and Jeff Loy, Bonnie Ewing and Brenda Snitzer, Frost Bank, Terry and Barry Greenberg, Angela Maverick and Sean Baxley, Leslie Simmons and Rick Johnson, Southwest Airlines, Sunshine Holdings I Corp, Jill and Brad Svoboda and Diane and Berge Tasian
- Underwriters: Andrews and Barth PC, Bradford Commercial Real Estate, Julie Chance, CorDirect Printing, McShan Florist, Total Wine and more
* Photo provided by Our Friends Place