Downtown was bustling with nearly 1,000 charitable Dallasites, who packed Olive Street on their way to the 2014 Appetite for Advocacy luncheon at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.
Co-chairs Holly Krug and Lindsay Jacaman welcomed guests —including Maggie Cooke Kipp, Kara and Randall Goss, Lauren Hill, Kari Schlegel Kloewer, D’Andra Simmons Lock, and Carla and Rob Cline — who helped raise more than $300,000 for the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
“You will always wear what happened to you on your soul,” Nyad said. “But don’t let it live on your skin.”
While attendees lunched, Texas State Sen. Royce West was called to the stage to receive the Lt. Bill Walsh Award for his dedication and commitment to the children of Dallas County. The Ruth Sharp Altshuler Award, named after the community leader and DCAC co-founder, was presented to Debbie and Ric Scripps for their unwavering commitment to children in need.
The real treat, however, was listening to guest speaker Diana Nyad, who talked about her path to healing as a survivor of child abuse. Nyad is an American athlete, journalist, motivational speaker and world record long-distance swimmer. In 2013, at the age of 64, she successfully fulfilled her life-long dream of completing the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida.
“You will always wear what happened to you on your soul,” Nyad said. “But don’t let it live on your skin.”
You could hear a pin drop during her speech. All eyes and ears were on the captivating Nyad, whose powerful words were meant to remind us that what happens to us does not define us.
The only agency of its kind in Dallas County, DCAC provides a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to the investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse cases.
Kara Goss, Randall Goss
Natalie Boerder, Kaleta Blaffer-Johnson, Meredith Connally, Jennifer Cifuentes, Nathalie Barrera, Hayden Hrncir.Photo by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio
A quartet played Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes during dinner. Photo by Rob Wythe/Wythe Portrait Studio