WHAT: Cancer Support Community North Texas' 5th annual Red Tie Gala

WHERE: On The Levee

WHEN: November 15, 2025

THE 411: More than 300 supporters gathered for Cancer Support Community North Texas’ fifth annual Red Tie Gala, an Under the Big Top-themed evening that raised more than $275,000 to support free mental health and social services for people living with cancer and their families across North Texas.

CSCNT CEO Mirchelle Louis and gala co-chairs Dr. Korie Flippo and Matt Tribolet welcomed guests to the milestone event, which began with a VIP reception for top sponsors that featured signature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and live music by Signed Sealed Delivered.

More than 300 people packed On The Levee.Photo by Kim Leeson and Nate Rehlander

Photo by Kim Leeson and Nate Rehlander

Clay Cane, Kerry Perez, Erik and Christin Stanford, Mercy and Jeff Benshetier, Samantha Avila, Bianca Boehrs, Michelle Ison, Nicki Schafer.

Circus-inspired entertainment set the tone early, with a juggler, stilt-walker, and aerialist mingling among guests as they arrived in elevated circus-themed attire. Inside the ballroom, the space was transformed into a Big Top, complete with costumed circus animals roaming the crowd.

As guests enjoyed dinner from tapas-style stations, NBC5 Texas Today host Cleo Greene took the stage to underscore the importance of CSCNT’s mission, noting the growing need for mental health and support services amid ongoing healthcare funding challenges.

Louis followed with thanks to sponsors and supporters before presenting the organization’s THRIVE Award to longtime advocates Dave Ashworth and Janet Moll, honoring more than two decades of leadership and philanthropy tied to CSCNT’s founding and growth.

THRIVE award recipients Janet Moll and Dave Ashworth.Photo by Kim Leeson and Nate Rehlander

A lively live auction and paddle raise, led by auctioneer John Beasley, helped drive the evening’s fundraising success. The program also featured deeply moving moments, including a video spotlighting a CSCNT participant and firsthand remarks from a metastatic breast cancer patient whose story brought the room to a standstill, representing the thousands served by the organization each year.

The night concluded with dancing, late-night sweets, and continued bidding in the silent auction, with Signed Sealed Delivered keeping the celebration going well after the formal program ended.

Celebrating more than 20 years in Dallas–Fort Worth, Cancer Support Community North Texas operates three clubhouses serving Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties and, through its affiliation with the national Cancer Support Community, is part of the largest professionally led nonprofit cancer support network in the world, dedicated to ensuring no one faces cancer alone. All services are completely free, offering people with cancer and their families education, psychological support, networking, children’s programs, workshops, and other resources to help them live with cancer and thrive beyond it.

WHO: Andrea Ellis, Melissa Flynn, Ben Crockett, Elise McMillin, Claire Williams, Cameron Fallon, Clay Cane, Kerry Perez, Erik and Christin Stanford, Mercy and Jeff Benshetier, Samantha Avila, Bianca Boehrs, Michelle Ison, Nicki Schafer, Eric and Emily Przybysz, Evan and Sarah McKee, Lindsey and Clint Encinias, Jennifer Potter, Katie Petras, Amanda Vaughan, Ken Harris, Matt and Julia Pickett, Rick Coulson, Nicki Schafer, Michelle Ison, Shawn Johnson, Mary Jones, Zachary Gadd, and Courtney Lyons.