Anyone who has ever been part of a fundraiser knows there are many working parts when it comes to postponing, rescheduling or…dang it…canceling an event. There are the speakers, the awardees, the venue, the event producers with their legions of models, the caterers, the staff and, of course, the key sponsors and guests.
Despite all the heavy lifting, it’s worth the hassle to avoid holding what could be a super-spreader impacting families, associates and healthcare staffers. For this reason, another fundraising group has decided to take a breather in consideration of the surging numbers of Omicron cases.
St. Valentine’s Day Luncheon and Fashion Show Chair Lisa Loy Laughlin and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of North Texas decided to push off the annual fundraiser to Monday, May 16.
According to Lisa, “As a mission-driven health organization, LLS prioritizes the safety and well-being of blood cancer patients and their families as well as the staff, volunteers, donors, partners and campaign participants who support them. After carefully monitoring COVID-19 cases, including the spread of the omicron variant, and conversing with our medical experts, we felt it was best to reschedule to later in the spring.”
And while it won’t be leading up to Valentine’s Day, all the outstanding hearts-and-flowers elements associated with the fundraiser are staying put: the Highland Park merchants, Meyerson Symphony Center, the awardees (Susie Barnett, Amelia Dammen, Lela Rose and the family of the late Tom Landry), and event producer Jan Strimple and her legion of gorgeous models and sponsors (Benchmark Bank, Melody and Rich Rogers, Julie and Jim Turner, Norma Hunt, Sewell, Sidley and many others).
Or, as Lisa put it, “While the date has changed, we are so grateful to all of our partners for ensuring that event elements will remain the same at our later date. We want to thank our event leadership, sponsors, including our fashion show sponsor Highland Park Village, fashion show producer Jan Strimple and all of our honorees for their willingness to join us on May 16.”
If you haven’t locked down your sponsorships and tickets, you’ve lucked out. Thanks to the rescheduling, they are available here.
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