According To New Friends New Life Luncheon Honorary Co-Chair Robin Bagwell,
“I was introduced to New Friends New Life by Gail Turner, one of the founding board members, when NFNL was in its infancy. When I first became involved, ‘sex trafficking’ wasn’t yet a familiar term. I always thought NFNL helped women who made poor choices, but once I learned more, I discovered that they helped women who had no choices. I chaired the NFNL Home Tour, and we opened our home for the Holiday Shoppe one year, and I spent much of the last two decades serving on the board of directors.
“Back in 2008, my husband Norm Bagwell had just joined Bank of Texas as CEO. Corporate support was lacking at the time in part due to the discomfort and misunderstanding of the issue. In those early days, we relied on private donations and faith groups for support. Norm was able to gain the bank’s support of the annual luncheon by conveying how these women’s human rights had been violated. Grateful that Bank of Texas and Interstate Batteries opened the door to corporate America for NFNL.
“I remember hand addressing invitations with Gail in a small room on SMU’s campus. Today, New Friends New Life’s Annual Luncheon consistently draws 1,000 or more attendees, and the room is filled with corporations, individual donors, social groups, civic organizations and more! This year’s luncheon is coming up on Friday, September 20, at the Omni Dallas Hotel, and Norm and I are serving as honorary co-chairs. We were shocked to be asked and were happy to accept. I try to attend every year because I always leave feeling inspired and always learn something new.
“As I was once asked to get involved, I now ask you to join Luncheon Co-Chairs JoJo Fleiss and Lisa Rocchio, and Norm and me in support of the New Friends New Life Annual Luncheon, which will feature a conversation with Camila and Matthew McConaughey. Sponsorships begin at $2,500, with a limited number of individual tickets being made available on Wednesday, August 28, while seats last. www.newfriendsnewlife.org/luncheon
“Thank you for taking a ‘Stand for Her!'”
* Graphic/photo provided by New Friends New Life
** Photo credit: John Russo
