As the Dallas CASA’s Champion of Children diners settled back at The Rustic with perfect weather on Thursday, October 14, the Crystal Charity Ball husbands were being toasted in downtown Dallas.
Without a tie in sight but plenty of blue window pane jackets being the fashionable look of the night, CCB committee members and their gents were filling Café Momentum thanks to sponsor RGT Wealth Advisors.

The location was a natural. It’s one of the 2021 CCB beneficiaries.
There was no need for entertainment. The guests provided that, as well as a wall of plates in the back of the Café. Each dish had been created by one of the young people enrolled in the Café Momentum program. But the plates’ wall duties were only temporary. As soon as the creator finishes the program, the plate becomes part of the Café Momentum table settings.


Just in front of the wall, Peggy Meyer and Dianne LaRoe were recalling their work on past special events including Rob Lowe and Dionne Warwick. BTW, Dianne and husband Mark LaRoe are nearing their 40th wedding anniversary…. Techie Pete Foster was giving a thumbs-up on the iPhone 13…Towering Joe Bob Shirley admitted that he wasn’t quite 6’4”. Kicking off her heels, wife Lisa Shirley laughed that she looked like a child standing next to her 6’¾“ husband… Richard Dix was looking forward to his annual getaway to attend a football game with a New York pal. Plans called for Richard to fly to NYC the next morning, hook up with his friend and fly to North Carolina for Sunday’s Carolina Panthers vs. Minnesota Vikings game. But Richard and wife Jennifer Dix, who just this past summer hit the 50-year mark, had to miss dinner so Jennifer could pack Richard’s bags. When told the upcoming weekend weather boded overnight temperature in the 40s, CCB Ten Best Dresser Jennifer didn’t hold back exclaiming, “Sweaters!”


2022 CCB Chair Susan Farris and 2022 CCB Charity Selection Chair Suzy Gekiere were looking forward to the next day’s intake of 2022 beneficiary applications. Susan explained that while this year’s applications had been streamlined, they were still thorough and perhaps intimidating for first-time applicants.

As a fire truck with lights flashing outside just barely made it between two criss-crossing DART trains, the group settled down for dinner with a welcome from RGT Wealth Advisor Managing Director Chuck Thoele, followed by a video about the Café Momentum program. Then it was a three-course dinner (first course: Baby kale and romaine Caesar salad with Parmesan croutons or smoked butternut squash soup with cilantro gremolata; second course: 44 Farms NY Strip with potatoes, arugula, mushrooms and demi-glace or market fish with green beans, cauliflower, delicate squash and lemon beurre blanc; or smoked fried chicken with mashed potato, collard greens, buttermilk biscuit and black pepper gravy; third course: ganache chocolate tart or lemon pie jar).
Check out MySweetCharity Photo Gallery for more looks of the evening and the gentlemen who support their wives in raising funds for Dallas County children’s nonprofits.