Many consider the Crystal Charity Ball to be the finale of Dallas' fall/winter social season, but millennials like to play by their own rules. So they packed the Statler Hotel on December 14 for the fourth annual Millennial Gala, which supports Millennials for STEM.
The nonprofit foundation is part of the Dallas Millennial Club, which was founded in 2016 by Noble Madu, Christiana Yebra, and Broadrick Umeh. Each year, Millennials for STEM awards scholarships to students for coding camps at UTD and iCode, transportation, school supplies, school courses, and STEM-related activities.
This year's theme was "Space and Beyond," with an astronaut available for out-of-this-world photo opps. Like in previous years, there was also a 360-degree video booth and several glamorous selfie stations.
Co-hosts Matt Ransdell and Obiora kept the black tie-clad crowd pumped throughout the evening, while DJ Jesse Koo played hit after hit that helped fill the dance floor. Guests could make song requests for $5 through Venmo, a giving trend that was repeated throughout the event and surely netted quite a few extra donations.
Those who felt like they needed a little more sparkle could purchase jewels from the Kendra Scott pop-up shop in the lobby, where 20 percent of all sales went to Millennials for STEM.
In the VIP area, sponsors Vista Bank, o9 Solutions, The Power Group, OVME, SILK Dental, Men's Wearhouse, Communities Foundation of Texas, and Hilton Dallas each had their own plush conversation configuration. More importantly, they also had close access to the food stations, which fortified VIP guests with wagyu sliders, mini fried chicken sandwiches, and waffle fries.
A second VIP area overlooked the ballroom, giving guests a bird's-eye view of the action (and amazing outfits). It also provided prime people-watching during the live auction, which among its many impressive items included a trip to South Africa.
The initial intent of the Dallas Millennial Club was to create an organization that would give modern-minded professionals an organic way to connect offline. Two years later, the organization has expanded its membership offerings while also hosting monthly speaker series events, masterclasses, philanthropic and service events, an annual STEM in the Park event at Klyde Warren Park, and an annual charity gala every winter. Millennial Clubs created its foundation Millennials for STEM in 2017 to benefit science, technology, engineering and mathematic learning in the North Texas area.
DJ Jesse Koo kep the crowd dancing.
More than 300 people packed On The Levee.Photo by Kim Leeson and Nate Rehlander
THRIVE award recipients Janet Moll and Dave Ashworth.Photo by Kim Leeson and Nate Rehlander