Eye on the ball

Texas Rangers score $1.85 million at charity gala starring Darius Rucker

Texas Rangers Six Shooters were there to cheer with the crowd.

Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation hit a grand slam with the 2022 TEX Gala, presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The second annual event raised $1.85 million for the foundation's community initiatives, $200,000 more than last year's inaugural ball.

About 1,150 guests braved the heat on the evening of Monday, June 20, making the night a sell-out. Many showed their Rangers spirit by donning their best red, white, and blue.

Rangers players and their wives and significant others in attendance included Brett and Haley Martin, Brock Burke and Katie Wilson, Sam Huff and Katie Hess, Dane and Rachel Dunning, Nathaniel Lowe and Brenna Karwich, Jonah and Kenzie Heim, and Kole and Jennifer Calhoun.

VIPs started with a private cocktail hour in the Lexus Home Plate Club. Then the masses arrived for a larger cocktail hour, at which they posed at photo booths, purchased Kendra Scott jewelry mystery bags, and played on the Choctaw game tables.

Attendees had the opportunity to bid on terrific live and silent auction items that included exclusive Rangers experiences and an assortment of sports and Hollywood memorabilia.

A multicourse dinner featuring prime cut beef, chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and an assortment of plated desserts was served on the playing surface of the Rangers' stadium.

Then members of the Rangers organization and foundation — including executives Karin Morris and Neil Leibman, and announcer Emily Jones — took the stage to underscore their mission in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. David Hogg, Sr. talked about his son’s experience at a Texas Rangers Youth Academy, one of the beneficiaries of the gala.

The Texas Rangers Six Shooters were there to cheer with the crowd throughout the fundraising efforts (like a spirited game of "Heads or Tails").

The highlight of the night was a live performance from three-time Grammy Award winner Darius Rucker. To the delight of fans, he opened with his song "Alright" and ran through his many hits until he ended with a rousing cover of Prince’s "Purple Rain."

Earlier in the day, Texas Rangers players Taylor Hearn, Jon Gray, and Dane Dunning had presented Rucker with a custom powder blue jersey. Rucker also met former MLB and Rangers legends Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez and Ferguson Jenkins.

Since its founding in 1991, the foundation has invested more than $50 million in the community. The nonprofit provides funding for children, the military, first responders and their families, and more.

Emily Jones speaks to the crowd.

Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers

Emily Jones speaks to the crowd.

Welcome to the Dreamstate

Dreamy DIFFA Dallas gala invites glammed-up guests into surreal soiree

Photo by Kelly Alexander

Gabriella Monte

We're always in favor of a gala where you can turn up wearing pajamas, but when that gala is House of DIFFA, those PJs had better be glam.

The 2025 theme combined the eerie with the ethereal: Dreamstate, which DIFFA describes as "a surreal realm where the power of dreams fuels transformation and fantasy gives way to fearless impact."

And this year's guests were definitely not sleeping. Along with silky, slinky, sequined pajama sets and even a bit of racy lingerie, attendees at this avant-garde fashion extravaganza interpreted the theme in myriad ways: fairy wings, lacy masks, crowns, and plenty of ballgowns, rhinestone tuxedos, and high heels (on all genders) tall enough to rival skyscrapers.

Chaired by Payton Martin and Jacob Samson and sponsored by the Louis L. Borick Foundation, the May 3 evening began with a private VIP cocktail hour. Then the masses could descend on the Sheraton Dallas Hotel for a vibrant two hours of sipping specialty drinks, posing for photographers, and bidding on both the silent auction items and legendary jacket collection.

DIFFA 2025 Midsummer night scene in the runway show.Photo by Thomas Garza

These custom, one-of-a-kind jackets were all created exclusively for DIFFA Dallas, and included pieces from both local and global designers. The extensive silent auction offered everything from luxury fashion and jewelry to artwork, spa services, furniture, decor, and exclusive dining and travel experiences, with all proceeds benefiting HIV/AIDS service organizations across North Texas.

This year's beneficiaries include:

AIDS Interfaith Network
AIDS Outreach Center
AIDS Services of Dallas
AIDS Walk South Dallas
CAN Community Health
Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ
Children's Medical Center ARMS Clinic
Cook Children's Health Foundation
Dallas Hope Charities
East Texas Cares Resource Center
Elevate North Texas
Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund
Health Services of North Texas
HELP Center for LGBT Health and Wellness
Legacy Cares
Legal Hospice of Texas
Open Arms, Inc. - Bryan's House
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas
Prism Health North Texas
Resource Center of Dallas
A Sister's Gift
Sonya's House
Tarrant County Samaritan Housing
White Rock Friends

A special display also showed off outfits and headgear worn by such stars as Madonna, Shania Twain, Chappel Roan, and Zoe Saldaña in music videos, photo shoots, and on the red carpet.

When the doors of the Lone Star Ballroom were thrown open, guests quickly sought their seats so that the program and three-course dinner could commence.

Following remarks from the co-chairs and DIFFA Dallas board chair Ken Weber, the lady herself presented the Donna Fishel Community Hero Award to Todd Bacon, pastor of White Rock Community Church and community liaison for White Rock Friends.

For the last 30 years, White Rock Friends has been committed to the health and well-being of its community, providing hot meals on weekends (one of the first and only in DFW) and running a "general store" that supplies personal care and household cleaning products to those in need.

Then the DIFFA board of trustees got their moment in the spotlight, with waves of applause for Jacob Samson, Brandon Bell, Rick Castillo, Jonathan Flores, Steve Lopez, Paige Westhoff, Richard Rivas, David Chadd, Jainy Selvakumar, Danny Acevedo, Rhiannon Bolen, Christi Meril, J.R. Shoman, JR Hernandez, and Eric Bright.

Strutting the runway next were the 2025 DIFFA Dallas Style Council Ambassadors: Ashley Anderson Smith, Sonya Morfor, Bill Moore, Korey Williams, Shelle Carrig, Amy Baumann, Lisa Endicott, Clayton Nabors, Chad Collom, Deborah Bowles, Sonia Simmons, Sierre Tuthill, Kelly Wolfenberger, Kelli Seliger, Danny Cabrera, Steven Hoyl, and Abbe Fenimore.

DIFFA 2025 Booker T. Washington Senior Modeling Luxury Jacket Photo by Danny Campbell

To introduce the recipient of the Candy Long Excellence in Fashion Award, Erykah Badu surprised the crowd in an oversized hat and floor-length black veil. She revealed the winner to be Swedish-born activist and costume designer B. Åkerlund, who has outfitted some of the world's most iconic artists such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Britney Spears.

Comedian Dana Goldberg returned as auctioneer, leading both a spirited paddle raise and a bidding race for such elite live-auction packages as a week in Puerto Vallarta, a villa stay in Costa Rica, a South African safari for two, a colorful painting of Dolly Parton titled Born With a Good Heart by Ashley Longshore, an in-home private chef dinner for six, a jaunt to Cortana, Italy, and a romantic Turks & Caicos escape for two.

This led into the much-anticipated fashion show, which opened with a "Diamonds Are Forever" James Bond tableau and then ran the gamut from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to "Rhinestone Rodeo." At different points, the enraptured audience experienced dancers from Ballet North Texas, live musicians scattered across the T-shaped runway, and pajama-clad phone operators cooing to their callers. It was, as always, an over-the-top night to remember

DIFFA Dallas' signature fundraising events continue throughout the year, with Burgers & Burgundy set for October 9 and the Holiday Wreath Collection happening in winter. The 2026 House of DIFFA will take place May 9, 2026, at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.

Since 1984, DIFFA has granted millions of dollars to North Texas HIV/AIDS programs by raising funds through the production of incredible events highlighting the design community. DIFFA is one of the largest and most successful fundraising organizations for HIV/AIDS nonprofit service providers and education programs within Texas, New York, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Washington.

DIFFA is the only HIV/AIDS organization in Texas that provides non-earmarked funding exclusively to HIV/AIDS service efforts in our communities, thus providing for the direct care for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Dallas is DIFFA's largest fundraising chapter. The unique design-focused events DIFFA Dallas holds include Burgers and Burgundy, DIFFA Wreath Celebration, and House of DIFFA.

Photo by Kelly Alexander

Gabriella Monte

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