Co-chairs Carol and Bill Huckin, Finley and Eric Konrade, and Elsa Norwood, with honorary chairs Leslie and Hawkins Golden, were joined by nearly 60 host committee members and guests at the Blue Ribbon Ball kick-off hosted by Samuel Lynne Galleries on Thursday, April 28 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, partygoers enjoyed a photo opp with two of Equest’s prized miniature horses, Ranger and Dare, before mingling throughout the galleries. At the appointed time, Equest CEO Lilli Kellogg gathered the crowd for brief remarks. In addition to thanking the evening’s host, she also extended her gratitude to kickoff party underwriters, Cindy Thomas and her husband, Bert Headden, who helped make the evening possible.

With the gala theme of Blue Ribbon Ball, Kellogg also shared the importance of blue ribbon moment to Equest clients, whether they have a physical disability, a behavioral issue, an intellectual challenge or maybe they are veteran trying to adjust to civilian life – they are all blue ribbon winners because of their connection with Equest’s horses. She said, “The human horse connection is so powerful and so effective, and helps our clients reach their milestones – so the blue ribbon ball could not be more perfect.”

Blue Ribbon Ball sponsors to date include: Pendery’s Spices, Benchmark Bank, Kubota, Cavender’s, LKCM, CrossFirst Bank, Lennox, International, Republic Title, BKD CPA’s and Advisors, Holland Knight, Kite Realty, Goldman Sachs, IdeaMan Studios, Vestals Catering, Lawson Events, Crazy Beautiful Wines, TX Whiskey, Total Wine, Titos, Sunbelt Rentals, MySweetCharity and Paper City.

The Blue Ribbon Ball will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2022 in the Al Hill, Jr. Arena at Equest at the Texas Horse Park in Dallas. With the festivities taking place in Equest’s open-air arena, partygoers can leave their stilettos and tuxes at home, and opt for cocktail chic with stylish sandals or boots.  Event highlights will include a cocktail reception, a seated dinner, silent and live auctions, live entertainment, photo ops with Equest’s horses, Citation Award presentation and inspirational speaker Timmy Newsome.

Sponsorships, tables and tickets are available now. For additional information, visit www.equest.org/gala or contact Jacquie Maddox at jmaddox@equest.orgor 972-412-1099 x205.

About Equest

Founded in 1981, Equest provides equine assisted learning, therapies and counseling to children and adults with physical, cognitive, sensory, coping and learning disabilities, as well as veterans who receive all of Equest’s services at no charge.  The services provided include physical and occupational therapy, equine facilitated counseling and equine assisted learning, therapeutic carriage driving, therapeutic horsemanship and competition. With the help of 30 therapy horses, eight instructors, four therapists, three counselors, and 700 volunteers, lives are changed for more than 2,000 served annually. Equest was the first PATH International Premier Accredited Center in Texas and remains one of the largest in the country. Equest offers an engaging volunteer program that provides 30,000 hours of direct program service opportunities each year. www.equest.org

Cristo Rey Dallas will celebrate the college preparatory school’s STEAM programs at its 6^thannual Grow the Grove, presented by the Partners of PwC, on Friday, May 6, 2022, 6:30 p.m. at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, located in the Dallas Arts District.

Chaired by Barbara and Jim Moroney and Mary and Mike Terry, guests in casual chic attire will enjoy cocktails, dinner, a live auction and a first-time After Party beginning at 9:30 p.m. Cristo Rey Dallas students will also be on hand with a student artwork display, interactive stations such as math trivia and science, as well as appearances by the CRD cheerleaders and Ballet Folklorico ensemble. Chaired by JP Ideker and Emily Lazor, the After Party will feature late night bites, drinks and music by the Taylor Pace Orchestra.

An evening highlight will be the recognition of two honorees: Dr. Fred Cerise, president and CEO of Parkland Health & Hospital System, and the late Maryann Mihalopoulos, community leader and former CRD board member, chair of the CRD presidential search committee and chair of the CRD strategic planning committee.

Cerise will receive the Ignite Award, which honors a business leader for their commitment to Cristo Rey Dallas and the Corporate Work Study Program. Past award recipients include Michele and John Stephens and Hilda Galvan. Cerise has always believed in Cristo Rey Dallas students and has given them opportunities to represent Parkland on several occasions, including allowing CRD students to be the voice of Parkland flu drives in the community, and present to Harvard University and UT Southwestern as part of a Parkland panel. Cerise’s confidence in CRD students has been instrumental in their hands-one experience while working with such a dynamic team at Parkland. 

The late Maryann Mihalopoulos will be remembered with the first annual Luminous Award, given to an individual who demonstrates passion and commitment to the mission of Cristo Rey Dallas.  Mihalopoulos was not only a driving force in Dallas fundraising, but was also a pivotal part of raising funds for the major addition of CRD’s $14.5 million Innovation Center.  In addition to serving on the board and in leadership roles on multiple committees, she was an integral part of Grow the Grovefor several years. The Luminous Awardhonors Mihalopoulos for her strength and kindheartedness, and her enduring impact as a philanthropist and fundraiser to the CRD community.

Grow the Grove sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsor ($50,000) – Partners of PwC; Technology Sponsor ($30,000)– Barbara and Jim Moroney and Mary and Mike Terry; Engineering Sponsors ($15,000 - $20,000) – Arcosa, Inc.; Brousseau Naftis & Massingill PC; Johnson Equipment Company; and Nancy Perot and Rod Jones; Arts Sponsors ($10,000) – Lydia and Bill Addy; Chris and John Baldridge; Nancy Cain Marcus and Nelda Cain Pickens; Irma and Alfredo Duarte; Laura and Jim Espanier; Ernst & Young LLP; Bev Goulet; Diane and Mike Gruber; Nancy and Jim Hoak; Holly and Joe Hughes; Cheryl and Richard Joyner; Cecilia and Kip Kernodle; Joyce and Larry Lacerte; Kathleen and Frank Lauinger Family; Denise and Danny Lynn; Mary Blake and Chuck Meadows; Eilis and Dave Meyer; The Mihalopoulos Family; Mr. John Owens in honor of the School Sisters of Notre Dame; Chris and Joe Popolo; Carolyn and Karl Rathjen; Marybeth and Craig Reid; Barbara and Randy Rosenblatt; and Carolyn and Jere Thompson, Jr.; Mathematics Sponsors ($5,000) – A. Erin Dwyer Charitable Fund; Lynn and Win Bell; Lucy and Henry Billingsley; Kathleen and Pat Cox; David Douglas; Frost Bank; The Lassiter Family; Vicki and Brian Miller; NexPoint; Pediatric Dentistry of North Texas; Adriana and Guillermo Perales; and Janet and Steve Shumake; and Fund Our Labs Sponsors ($2500) – Beth Ann and Russell Huber; The Hockaday School; Ana and Jim Yoder.

Sponsorships range from $2,500 - $50,000 and are available now. Individual After Party ticketsare also available at $75 per ticket.  For more information, visit https://cristoreydallas.org/fundraising-events/grow-the-grove/or contact Kristin Fletcher, kfletcher@cristoreydallas.org.

About Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep

Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep is a Catholic, college preparatory school for students from households of low to moderate incomes. Cristo Rey Dallas nurtures and challenges young women and men of all faiths to recognize and realize their full potential as they grow to love God, respect others and serve their community. Each student participates in the Corporate Work Study Program, which offers a weekly work study experience for all four years. For more information visit cristoreydallas.org.

Equest announces former Dallas Cowboy football player and 2022 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame selection Timmy Newsome as the featured speaker for its 2022 Blue Ribbon Ball.

“We are so thrilled to have Timmy Newsome join us for our 41^stannual gala as our featured speaker. Timmy will be joined onstage with some of our Equest clients as he shares his inspiring message of achieving ‘Blue Ribbon’ moments in life even in the face of challenges,” said Lili Kellogg, Equest CEO. “We are also honored to be able to recognize Lane Cates and Brad McLain with our Citation Award, which was created to shine a light on individuals and organizations who support us as we reach for the stars and fulfill our mission.”

Newsome was named to the The Dallas Cowboys Weekly Newspaper all-decade team from 1980-1989 and is a 2022 North Carolina Sports Hall Of Fame selection, as well as a member of four other sports hall of fames, one nationally.  

Newsome currently serves on the Computer Science Industry Advisory Board for Winston-Salem State University’s (North Carolina) Department of Computer Science; on the board of directors for Children at Risk (Houston, Texas); president of the NAMI North TexasBoard; and serves as a board member of Hugs Café in McKinney, Texas. 

In addition to Newsome’s keynote speech, Equest will also recognize this year’s Citation Award recipients, former Equest board chair Lane Cates and her husband Brad McLain, who were instrumental in helping Equest complete the Al Hill, Jr. Arena through fundraising and contract management. Given annually since 2019, the Citation Award is named after the thoroughbred horse Citation (1945-1970), who won 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competitions and is the first horse in history to win $1 million. Past recipients include Connie and Denny Carreker, Junior League of Dallas and Andy Steingasser.

Chaired by Carol and Bill Huckin, Finley and Eric Konrade, and Elsa Norwood with honorary chairs Leslie and Hawkins Golden, the Blue Ribbon Ballwill be held on Saturday, June 4, 2022 in the Al Hill, Jr. Arena at Equest at the Texas Horse Park in Dallas. With the festivities taking place in Equest’s open-air arena, partygoers can leave their stilettos and tuxes at home, and opt for cocktail chic with stylish sandals or boots.  Event highlights will include a cocktail reception, a seated dinner, silent and live auctions, live entertainment, photo ops with Equest’s horses, Citation Award presentation and inspirational speaker Timmy Newsome.

Sponsorships and tables are available now. For additional information, visit www.equest.org/galaor contact Jacquie Maddox at jmaddox@equest.orgor 972-412-1099 x205.

About Equest

Founded in 1981, Equest provides equine assisted learning, therapies and counseling to children and adults with physical, cognitive, sensory, coping and learning disabilities, as well as veterans who receive all of Equest’s services at no charge.  The services provided include physical and occupational therapy, equine facilitated counseling and equine assisted learning, therapeutic carriage driving, therapeutic horsemanship and competition. With the help of 30 therapy horses, eight instructors, four therapists, three counselors, and 700 volunteers, lives are changed for more than 2,000 served annually. Equest was the first PATH International Premier Accredited Center in Texas and remains one of the largest in the country. Equest offers an engaging volunteer program that provides 30,000 hours of direct program service opportunities each year. www.equest.org

VolunteerNow® announces the 15^thannual Hearts of Texas Luncheon, which showcases the importance of volunteerism in the community, on Friday, April 28, 2022, at noon at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas. 

Celebrating 50 years of transforming lives through volunteers, the luncheon is chaired by Charles Knight and Peter Jacobson, with The Hoglund Family as honorary chair. In honor of the organization’s milestone anniversary, five extraordinary organizations will be recognized with the 2022 VolunteerNow Lifetime Achievement Award:

-      Lyda Hill Philanthropies founder Lyda Hill has a passion for volunteering and technology and has used her thought leadership and resources to support VolunteerNow. In addition, she has provided transformational support for the development of VOLY.org, VolunteerNow’s easy-to-use volunteering platform. Most recently, in recognition of VolunteerNow’s 50^thanniversary, Lyda Hill Philanthropies awarded the organization a $250,000 challenge grant, which matches dollar-for-dollar all donations directed towards a $500,000 capital campaign through 2023.

-      Hillcrest Foundation supported VolunteerNow’s building campaign and was an early investor in the development ofVOLY.org, leveraging their knowledge of the nonprofit needs in North Texas to help the organization create and sustain the platform. 

-      The Meadows Foundation has supplied property and financial support for the permanent home of VolunteerNow, allowing the organization to focus on supporting nonprofits and volunteers in a great collaborative space.

-      JCPenney is the cornerstone donor to VolunteerNow’s three Discount Depot stores in Dallas and Fort Worth. These stores allow the agency to provide needed new clothing and household items at a deeply discounted price to local nonprofits. Profits from Discount Depot also financially support the organization’s mission of volunteerism.

-      Texas Instruments has been a staunch proponent of corporate volunteerism for many years, and has provided their top executives as VolunteerNow board members, leveraging their technology and business acumen.

Additionally, the Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler Award for exceptional use of volunteers will be awarded to Equest. The Equest mission to enhance the quality of life for children and adults with diverse needs by partnering them with horses to bring hope and healing through equine assisted activities and therapies is one that VolunteerNow greatly admires. 

A luncheon highlight will include keynote speaker Wes Moore, New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, and United States Army combat veteran. Moore will share his remarkable personal story of overcoming adversity through focusing on education, embracing personal responsibility and emerging as an inspirational leader. 

“This year’s Hearts of Texas luncheon will be a wonderful commemoration of VolunteerNow’s five decades of transforming lives through volunteers,” said Tammy Richards, CEO of VolunteerNow. “In addition to hearing Wes Moore’s truly inspirational story, we are extremely honored to recognize five organizations whose unwavering support throughout the last fifty years have ensured our place as one of the largest and most innovative volunteer centers in the country. We hope the community will join us as we salute VolunteerNow’s history and celebrate our exciting future.”

Sponsorships and tickets for the 15^thannual Hearts of Texas Luncheon are available now. Sponsorships range from $2,500 - 50,000; Patron level tickets, with seating for two, are $500; and individual tickets are $200. Visit https://www.volnow.org/heartsoftexasor contact Cami Alexander, calexander@volnow.orgor 214.783.2539, for sponsorship and ticket information.

About VolunteerNow®
With 50 years of experience, VolunteerNow transforms lives through volunteerism and community engagement. In a typical year, VolunteerNow mobilizes more than 310,000 volunteers who give 1.6 million hours to 3,500 local nonprofits, driving a $46 million economic impact. VOLY.org, powered by VolunteerNow, is the 24/7 connection between volunteers and local service opportunities. As a national thought leader in volunteerism and one of the largest volunteer centers in the country, VolunteerNow provides a wide range of programs and services that build capacity for school districts, nonprofits, and municipalities. volnow.org

VolunteerNow, a technology nonprofit celebrating five decades of transforming lives through volunteers, has announced its CEO, Tammy Richards, will retire later this year.

“We are grateful to Tammy for her eight years of outstanding service as CEO,” said Bill Braxton, board chairman at VolunteerNow. “She has led VolunteerNow’s transition from a traditional nonprofit and volunteer center focused on providing services to North Texas to a nonprofit thought leader that uses technology to create a global impact.” 

Richards was instrumental in implementing and enhancing VolunteerNow’s proprietary volunteer matching platform, VOLY.org. This Software-as-a-Service platform facilitates the connection between volunteers and nonprofits. The adoption of the innovative VOLY.org software transformed VolunteerNow into a leading technology nonprofit. Under Richards’ leadership, in a typical year, VolunteerNow mobilized more than 310,000 volunteers who gave 1.6 million hours to 3,500 local nonprofits, driving a $46 million economic impact.  

Richards built VolunteerNow’s growth and strategic plan around the VOLY.org platform, tying technology to volunteer recruitment, management and reporting. The platform also brings in a new revenue stream from municipalities, independent school districts and other large organizations that license the software to manage their internal volunteer needs.

Richards credits her earlier career at Texas Instruments with instilling a drive to support the community and providing her with opportunities to serve. During her time at VolunteerNow, Richards received the 2021 Dallas Business Journal Women in Technology Award. 

“I am immensely proud of the work we have been able to accomplish at VolunteerNow during my tenure,” Richards said. “This role has allowed me to combine three of my passions – technology, volunteerism and education. We introduced easy-to-use technology that has allowed VolunteerNow to mobilize critically needed volunteers to serve the important missions of both nonprofits and schools. I look forward to continuing my service to the community as a volunteer.”

Upon her retirement from VolunteerNow, Richards plans to continue serving on nonprofit boards, particularly in education and family services, as well as on corporate and advisory boards in the educational technology space. 

VolunteerNow has engaged FSP Leaders as its launches a national search for the organization’s next CEO. FSP Leaders consultants bring over 100 years of combined executive search experience to clients seeking leaders with a deep alignment to organizational values and culture.

“We are now looking for a leader that can build on the foundation that Tammy and the leaders at VolunteerNow have built that will take the organization to the next level,” Braxton said. 

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About VolunteerNow®
With 50 years of experience, VolunteerNow transforms lives through volunteerism and community engagement. In a typical year, VolunteerNow mobilizes more than 310,000 volunteers who give 1.6 million hours to 3,500 local nonprofits, driving a $46 million economic impact. VOLY.org, powered by VolunteerNow, is the 24/7 connection between volunteers and local service opportunities. As a national thought leader in volunteerism and one of the largest volunteer centers in the country, VolunteerNow provides a wide range of programs and services that build capacity for school districts, nonprofits, and municipalities. volnow.org