Lunching with the stars

7 Dallas charity luncheons bringing star power to the table this fall

One of the main ingredients for a delicious charity luncheon is the featured attraction. The entertainment that takes place, usually, between the first bite of dessert and the final bids on take-home table centerpieces.

In general, Dallas luncheons fall into two categories — those that feature fashion shows, like Dallas Opera's beloved First Sight Luncheon — and those with celebrity speakers who take the stage to uplift, enlighten, entertain, and inspire. This fall, luncheon organizers have snagged A-list speakers who include award-winning actors and filmmakers, journalists, and those who've spent enough time in the White House to dish some secrets.

With fall social season upon us, here's a look at seven hotly anticipated Dallas luncheons bringing star power to the table.

Goodwill Industries The Lunch featuring Laura Bush, Barbara Pierce Bush, and Jenna Bush Hager
September 25 at Omni Dallas Hotel

The former first lady and first daughters — all now best-selling authors — will be featured in an on-stage discussion moderated by ambassador Karen Hughes. Co-chairs of the event are Jeanne Phillips and Carolyn Miller, and it is presented by The David B. Miller Family Foundation. Funds from The Lunch support Goodwill’s job training and employment services for vulnerable individuals in the greater Dallas community.

Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon featuring Tamron Hall
September 26 at Omni Dallas Hotel

The annual luncheon will feature award-winning journalist Tamron Hall as its keynote speaker. Hall is best known for her time as co-anchor of NBC's Today and has hosted Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall on Investigation Discovery since 2013. The Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon, chaired this year by Amy Turner and Sunie Solomon, raises funds to support The Family Place, a nonprofit organization that helps survivors of domestic violence.

Baylor Health Care Foundation Celebrating Women Luncheon featuring Eric Stonestreet
October 25 at Hilton Anatole Hotel

Eric Stonestreet is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the long-running hit ABC sitcom Modern Family. He's also a passionate advocate for cancer-related initiatives, as several members of his family — including his mother — have been diagnosed with the disease. Celebrating Women brings together more than 1,300 patrons to increase awareness and generate funding for breast cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment. This year's co-chairs are Pat McEvoy and Michal Powell.

Dallas Women's Foundation Luncheon featuring Ava DuVernay
November 7 at Hilton Anatole Hotel

Dallas Women’s Foundation will feature film writer, producer, director, and distributor Ava DuVernay as the speaker for their 33rd annual luncheon. The first African American female director to helm a $100 million budget feature film, DuVernay is breaking down barriers through movies such as Selma, 13th, and A Wrinkle in Time. DuVernay will be joined onstage by Michele Norris, a noted American radio journalist, who will moderate a dialogue. The annual luncheon is the foundation’s main fundraiser in support of its work to advance women’s economic security, leadership, childcare access, and healthcare in North Texas. Lael Brodsky and Tricia Miller are co-chairs this year.

New Friends New Life Luncheon featuring Mandy Moore
November 9 at Omni Dallas Hotel

New Friends New Life will present Mandy Moore, star of TV's hottest show, This is Us, on NBC. Moore is a Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated actress, singer, and songwriter whose next project is to star in Twentieth Century Fox’s sci-fi thriller The Darkest Minds. This year's New Friends New Life Luncheon celebrates the organization’s 20th anniversary; co-chairs are Connie Kleinert Babikian, McCall Cravens, and Jill Meyer. Serving approximately 1,000 women, teens, and children annually, New Friends New Life provides services for victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Salvation Army Doing the Most Good Luncheon featuring Rex Tillerson
November 15 at Hilton Anatole Hotel

Former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is the featured speaker for the annual Salvation Army fundraiser. Tillerson served as the nation’s 69th U.S. Secretary of State from February 2017 to March 2018, and prior to being sworn in, had a 41-year career in the petroleum industry. The luncheon helps fund crucial programs for The Salvation Army, which helps care for the poor and hungry in the community. Luncheon chairs are Sam Coats and Bernice J. Washington.

Junior League of Dallas Milestones Luncheon featuring Laura Dern
November 16 at Hilton Anatole Hotel

Two-time Oscar nominated, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Laura Dern will headline Junior League's annual luncheon. Dern has appeared in iconic films such as Jurassic Park, Rambling Rose, and Wild. She won her first Emmy in 2017 for her role in the HBO series Big Little Lies. The Milestones Luncheon is an annual fundraiser benefiting the Junior League of Dallas Community Service Fund and recognizes the impact and achievements of its volunteers. Ambassador Jeanne L. Phillips is being honored. Co-chairs are Nicole Brewer and Natalie Lesikar.

The Celebrating Women Luncheon will feature Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet on October 25.

Courtesy photo

The Celebrating Women Luncheon will feature Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet on October 25.

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A Glittering Celebration

Christine Baranski brings Hollywood sparkle to Dallas luncheon

Photo by Kim Leeson

Karen Hughes White, Caren Lock, Christine Baranski, Shonn Brown.

The Omni Dallas Hotel shimmered in ruby tones on November 14 as more than 950 supporters gathered to celebrate a milestone four decades in the making: the Texas Women’s Foundation’s Ruby Anniversary Luncheon.

The afternoon blended Hollywood sparkle — courtesy of award-winning actress Christine Baranski — with heartfelt tributes to the visionary women who sparked a movement in Texas 40 years ago.

The annual luncheon, one of the region’s most significant events advancing women and girls, raised an impressive $840,000. More than $112,000 of that came in during the program itself, underscoring the energy in the room and the urgency of the mission.

TXWF used the occasion to announce a landmark figure: a cumulative $115 million in impact since its founding in 1985. That number includes nearly $90 million in grants to organizations serving women and girls, as well as more than $25 million invested in research, advocacy, and leadership initiatives designed to shape long-term change.

Board chair Cris Zertuche Wong opened the program by welcoming seven of the Foundation’s 11 living founders, who also served as the event's honorary co-chairs: Susan Shamburger Bagwell, the Honorable Harryette Ehrhardt, Catalina E. Garcia, Frances Griffin-Brown, Helen LaKelly Hunt, the Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, Madeline Mandell, Patricia Meadows, Gwendolyn Oliver, CoYoTe PhoeNix, and Rebecca Russell Sykes.

Their presence cast a powerful through line from 1985 to 2025, reminding guests how a collective of 19 bold women stepped across differences in background, beliefs, and political leanings to create an organization with the singular purpose of supporting Texas women and their families.

Wong also recognized former Foundation leaders and Ruby Anniversary co-chairs from across the decades: Gail Griswold and Brenda Jackson representing the 1980s; Laura Estrada, the 1990s; Helen Frank, the 2000s; and Shonn Brown, the 2020s.

TXWF president and CEO Karen Hughes White spoke to the road ahead, noting that while the founders’ vision remains timeless, the challenges facing Texas women have grown more complex. “It will take all of us to create meaningful, lasting, systemic change that levels the playing field for women and, in turn, creates a strong and vibrant Texas for all,” she said.

Throughout the luncheon, guests were treated to archival video clips of the founders recalling how they built TXWF from scratch: the meetings held around kitchen tables, the spirited debates, the shared belief that change was not only possible but necessary.

Brown then honored each of the 11 living founders, as well as those who have passed, noting that their collective voice will be further amplified in a forthcoming 40-story collection documenting TXWF's history.

The afternoon’s featured guest, introduced by Target executive and event sponsor Sabrina Thomas, was the incomparable Christine Baranski, the Emmy and Tony-winning actress of The Good Wife, Cybil, and The Gilded Age.

In an onstage conversation moderated by former board chair Caren Lock, Baranski charmed the audience with stories from her upbringing in Buffalo, New York, where she grew up in a working-class Polish American family. She spoke of perseverance, discipline, and dreaming big, qualities that carried her to Juilliard and ultimately into a celebrated four-decade career spanning television, film, and theater.

As the luncheon drew to a close, the mood was equal parts celebratory and forward-looking. Forty years in, the Texas Women’s Foundation continues to push for equity with the same passion that fueled its founding.

Photo by Kim Leeson

Karen Hughes White, Caren Lock, Christine Baranski, Shonn Brown.

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