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Agape Clinic’s 40th Anniversary Dinner To Celebrate Perseverance With Ben “Walk On” Malcolmson

Jan 30, 2023 6:57 PM by Jeanne Prejean

In the past 39 years, Agape Clinic has handled more than 102,500 patients visits. Why, in 2021 alone Dallas’ only 100% privately funded charity healthcare clinic provided:

  • more than $9M in quality healthcare
  • services to 5,761 unduplicated people to improve their health
  • healthcare services in more than 260 ZiP codes in 23 counties

Of the patients served, all are less than 200% below the federal poverty level; 95% are minority and 100% are uninsured.

2022 Crystal Charity Ball committee touring The Agape Clinic with Paul Hoffman (File photo)

During the pandemic, when things were so locked down, “over 16,000 patients visits were provided for the medically underserved.”

This “little engine that could” has been chugging along largely under the radar since Dr. Barbara Baxter starting helping patients back in 1983. Over the years, healthcare professionals and volunteers have stepped up to help the small staff.

As Agape Clinic’s 40th anniversary approached, Suzy Gekiere and Pam Thompson decided to not only expand the awareness of the clinic but to raise funds to support its programs by co-chairing the Agape Clinic’s 40th Anniversary Dinner on Friday, April 14, at the Dallas Arboretum’s Rosine Hall.

Suzy Gekiere
Catherine LeBlanc
Ellen Dill
Sharon Wall
Pam Thompson

As the letters announcing plans for the fundraisers were being signed by Suzy, Pam, Sharon Wall, Catherine LeBlanc and Ellen Dill at Suzy and Larry Gekiere‘s home, Pam recalled the first years of the clinic when Dr. Barbara Baxter started helping patients out of Grace United Methodist Church’s basement in East Dallas. Over the decades word spread among the area healthcare professionals and volunteers, who came on board to help the little staff that currently works out of a two-story building across the street from the church.

“Walk On’s” Ben Malcomson with Pete Carroll*

In addition to honoring Barbara and Honorary Chair Richard Stanford for his exceptional dedication to Agape, Suzy and Pam have arranged for the keynote speaker, who in his own way shared the “little engine that could” journey — Ben Malcolmson. Besides being the son of North Dallas Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Ken Malcolmson, Ben’s story started as a pee-wee dropout in fifth grade. Years later as a sports writer for the University of Southern California’s “Daily Trojan,” he thought it would be a bit of a lark to try out for the school’s legendary football team and write about being a “walk on” for the paper. However, he landed a roster spot as a wide receiver and soon learned firsthand of the physical pain and emotional challenges that came with it. Still he persevered and impressed legendary Trojan Head Coach Pete Carroll so much that Ben “worked for Coach Carroll at USC for three years before joining him at Seattle for the next 11 seasons,” as well as writing the book titled “Walk On.”

If you’ve already received the letter, then you know how easy it is to be part of the anniversary celebration. If your letter hasn’t arrived, why wait to be inspired by an organization and a pee-wee dropout? You can sign up for a sponsorship/tickets here.

* Graphic provided by Agape Clinic

Filed Under: A Show of Appreciation, Anniversary, Announcement, Challenge, Children, Cocktail reception, Conversation, lecture, panel discussion, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Pandemic, Dinner, Events, Football, FYI, Health, Healthcare workers, Heroes, In need of help, In-person, Reveal, Sports Tagged With: Agape Clinic, Barbara Baxter, Ben Malcolmson, Catherine LeBlanc, Ellen Dill, Pam Thompson, Pete Carroll, Richard Stanford, Sharon Wall, Suzy Gekiere, Walk On

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