Mary Kay Inc, The Mary Kay FoundationSM and Tootsies celebrated the 9th annual Suits for Shelters with a “Think Pink Launch Party” on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 6:30 p.m.
Hosts Maleiah and Ryan Rogers welcomed 150 partygoers, who arrived with donations of new and gently used women’s professional attire for local domestic violence shelters. Each donor received a gift card as a “thank you” for their generous donation.
Attendees mingled while sipping wine and champagne and nibbling on light bites by Ford’s Kitchen Catering. Models, sporting the hottest summer trends, were on view, as partygoers shopped the store’s selections.
Mystery boxes were available for purchase for $100, $250 and $500, featuring prizes of jewelry, local hot spots, sporting events, fashion items and more, with all proceeds benefiting The Mary Kay FoundationSM. Raffle tickets were also on sale, with attendees buying their chances to win one of three prizes: a $100 Tootsies gift card and a Mary Kay gift basket; a $500 Tootsies Gift Card, a personal styling session at Tootsies and a Mary Kay Gift Basket and the grand prize a $5,000 contribution in the winner’s name to the domestic violence shelter of their choice, donated by Maleiah and Ryan Rogers.
Mid-way through the evening attendees gathered upstairs for brief remarks. Ryan Rogers, chief investment officer for Mary Kay Inc welcomed all in attendance and thanked them for their support of the ninth annual Suits for Shelters program and the Mary Kay Foundation. He then recognized the 12 program beneficiaries, as well as long-time community partners, including Tolleson Wealth for their sponsorship of the evening, media partner WFAA-TV and Tootsies, the evening’s host.
Rogers shared that the Mary Kay Foundation donates 97% of every dollar it receives to the causes it supports, including domestic violence. He then asked everyone to consider purchasing a raffle ticket or mystery box, or make a direct donation to the Foundation to help them with their commitment of ending domestic violence. In closing he raised his glass to the crowd in appreciation of their generosity and ongoing support.
WFAA-TV’s Cynthia Izaguirre followed with additional thanks and a last-call to purchase raffle tickets. Izaguirre then reminded everyone that donations of professional clothing to local domestic violence shelters would be accepted at Tootsies through August 4. She added that for many of the recipients of the clothing donations, it means a lot more than a suit; It signifies financial independence, freedom from an abuser and to rebuild their lives with confidence, for a fresh start.
The much-anticipated raffle winners were then announced with Piers Hurley winning the grand prize of a $5,000 contribution in his name to the domestic violence shelter of his choice. Unable to choose just one beneficiary, it was later announced that all seven program beneficiaries in attendance that evening would each receive a $5,000 donation to help support their work and help survivors of domestic violence, donated by Maleiah and Ryan Rogers. Program beneficiaries in attendance were Attitudes and Attire, Brighter Tomorrows, Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, Hope’s Door New Beginning Center, Mosaic Family Services, Salvation Army and The Family Place.
As the celebration came to an end, guests were gifted a pink sachet of Mary Kay products including Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, Lash Intensity™ Mascara, and MKMen Skin Care Shave Foam as well as a $50 Tootsies gift card.
Since 2009 the Suits for Shelters program has donated more than 17,000 professional items to local domestic violence shelters.
About The Mary Kay FoundationSM
The Mary Kay Foundation was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. Since the Foundation’s inception, it has awarded nearly $44 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and more than $26 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. More than 97% of each donated dollar goes to the missions. To learn more about The Mary Kay Foundation, log on to www.marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).