The Los Arboles gated community is a charming world flourishing with winding lanes shaded by trees. One of the most splendiferous — with its terrace overlooking a lake with a fountain — belonged to Debbie and Nickey Oates. The 7,168-square-foot stone home was simply ideal for the Foundation for Callier Center‘s Callier Cares Luncheon patron party on Wednesday, March 27.
The only problem of the evening that no one could have predicted was the neighboring lawn crews being hard at work, crowding the roadway and challenging guests and valets.
But who cared? After all, once there, who was going to leave? As it was, most guests opted to stay until after the crew and their trucks had headed home.
In the meantime, guests like Callier Cares Luncheon Honorary Co-Chairs Sara and David Martineau, Sharon and Mike McCullough, Carole Lou Bruton, Carol Seay, Melinda and Mark Knowles, Patti Flowers, Christie Carter, Mary Martha Pickens, Beth and Chuck Thoele, Barbara Sypult and Stacey Walker with her mother Kay Sim congratulated Ruth and Ken Altshuler Awardee Sarah Losinger for her Callier support. Pat Ellington explained that her daughter/Callier Foundation Board President Anne McPherson, who had co-chaired the Callier Family Care Campaign, was out of town but would be back for the luncheon on Monday, April 8, at a “local country club.”
Regarding the campaign, Ludwig A. Michael, MD, Executive Director of Callier Center Dr. Angela Shoup reported that Anne’s and her husband John McPherson‘s fundraising efforts were nearing the $15M finish line.
Another news making the rounds was Callier Center Senior Development Director Justin Banta would soon be moving his responsibilities in the days ahead from Callier to be SPCA of Texas’ VP of development.
Luncheon Chair Laura Downing stood on the stairway revealing to the crowd that she was a volunteer reader at a Dallas Independent School District elementary school where a concentration of students had hearing challenges. To help them, she and the children wore special devices provided by the district. It was upsetting to learn that at the end of the school day, the children had to turn in their headphones. Thanks to a Crystal Charity Ball grant, Callier was able to provide the children with devices.
Laura also told how she and her husband Jason Downing had personally benefited from Callier. Recently, Laura had noted that Jason had been having issues with the noise in restaurants. She had even noted he had had televisions a bit louder than usual. Thanks to Jason’s taking advantage of the Callier programs and its staff, the family learned that Jason’s hearing was only at 40% capacity in one ear. Now, with a hearing aid in place, Laura was happy to report that the couple was back on the dining out circuit.
Another announcement of the night was made by Angela, who reported that for the first time in Callier Cares Luncheon history, UT Dallas President Richard Benson would not be attending. But he had a stellar excuse. It seems that Richard, who earned a bachelor of science and engineering degree in aerospace and mechanical science from Princeton University, is a lover of sky watching and, on the day of the Callier Cares Luncheon, he would be at the UT Dallas campus with the student body and faculty to observe the solar total eclipse.