Power Philanthropy

Salvation Army does the most good for Dallas at $2.8 million power lunch

When Stan Richards, founder and CEO of the Richards Group, chairs a daytime event, you know it’s going to be big. And he delivered: More than 1,000 guests poured into the Hilton Anatole for the Salvation Army’s annual Doing the Most Good Luncheon.

Calling it a power lunch is putting it lightly, as the event raised an incredible $2.8 million to continue the organization’s programs and services to meet human needs in the community. And it would be doing her a disservice not to mention the wonder woman behind the fundraising efforts. So kudos to Debbie Oates, who served as the Salvation Army’s major gifts chair for 2014.

The luncheon began with advisory board chairman Rick Martin thanking Oates and Charlotte Jones Anderson for their support. He also expressed gratitude to the Jones family as a whole, for their extraordinary contributions to the Salvation Army for nearly 20 years. Anderson served this year as DFW Metroplex chair of the Salvation Army’s 125th anniversary celebration in Texas. Her parents, Gene and Jerry Jones, are also heavily involved in the organization.

Then it was time to dig in, as guests — including Connie and Denny Carreker, Carol Seay, Ruth Altshuler, Margot Perot, Clint Degner, Paul Booth, and Sophie and Wills Johnson — lunched on pot pie, roast beef and chocolate dessert as they enjoyed songs, testimonials and videos about the lives that are transformed by the Salvation Army’s programs.

This year the annual Doing the Most Good Luncheon celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Paul Booth, Charlotte Jones Anderson, Stan Richards, Clint Degner

Paul Booth, Charlotte Jones Anderson, Stan Richards, and Clint Degner, DTMG Luncheon

Photo by Chuck Clark and Pat Patey

Paul Booth, Charlotte Jones Anderson, Stan Richards, Clint Degner

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Fundraising fun

Dallas’ Night at the Museum gala brings in $2M for Perot programs

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Santiago Jorba, Catalina Gonzalez

On Saturday, November 8, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened its doors, after hours, for one of Dallas’ most anticipated galas of fall: Night at the Museum.

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Santiago Jorba, Catalina Gonzalez

Led by co-chairs Shelly and Michael Dee in honor of Sally and Forrest Hoglund, the 2025 Night at the Museum immersed guests in a science-y wonderland of interactive exhibits, fun cocktails, unique cuisine, and more.

Guests agreed: The couldn't-miss highlight of the evening was the 10-Minute Restaurant, which transformed the museum gift shop into a five-star culinary adventure by Wolfgang Puck Catering, reminiscent of how they serve celebrities at the Oscars. Amid all the night's action, it was a great way to sneak in a quick bite and some one-on-one time with a date in a VIP-like setting.

Attendees also noshed from a Living Crudité Bar, an Off the Bone beef station, a paella station, enjoyed "roaming tiramisu," and stopped servers in their tracks for the famous Night at the Museum pot pies. No one went thirsty, either, as guests sipped creative cocktails like Sorbete de Sangria de Cava and the sparkling “Aqua Pearl,” enjoyed a 196 Vodka Seltzer Bar, and a refueled at a coffee cart that opened at the after-party.

Guests got to dig like paleontologists at the Paleo Lab, ooh and ahh at the sparking Aquamarine on the display in the Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall, and learn all about little creepy-crawlies in the Bug Lab Exhibit. Another favorite activity was the Iris Photography, which turned photos of the human eye into works of art.

In total, the crowd of "after-hours scientists" raised $2 million to help fund field trips, outreach, discounted admission and memberships to the Perot, and more.

Among the notable attendees were Margot Perot, Dr. Linda Silver, Marilynn Thoma, Carl Thoma, Santiago Jorba, Catalina Gonzalez, David and Mary Henderson, Katie and Jerome Rose, Lyda Hill, Cade McCarter, DeWitt McCarter, Kelly Compton, Kenna McCarter, John Sughrue, Marlene Sughrue, Kate and Steve Sigfusson, Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart, Grace Cook, Laura Compton, Angus Mitchell, Rachel Mitchell, Martine and Michael Philippe, and many more patrons and supporters.

museums fundraisers galas