Chicks Are for Kids
Witty Gigi Levangie wows at Chick Lit Luncheon benefiting Community Partners ofDallas
- Amy Cobb, Alicia FryePhoto by Dana Driensky
- Jana Wickham, Elizabeth GambrellPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Leigh Anne Haugh, Heather HicksPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Alissa Gearing, Kristen WooleryPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Katy Bock, Daffan NettlePhoto by Dana Driensky
- Gigi LevangiePhoto by Dana Driensky
- Amanda Ward, Simona Beal, Lara Tafel, Rana ChehabiPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Lisa Singleton, Mersina StubbsPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Gigi Potter Salley, Katherine Coker, Katherine LalondePhoto by Dana Driensky
- Kate Rose Marquez, Anne StodghillPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Susan Nichol, Margaret StoryPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Joanna Clarke, Aimee Deputy CookPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Mary Gill, Miki JohnstonPhoto by Dana Driensky
- Paige McDaniel, Allie Beth AllmanPhoto by Dana Driensky
Dallas ladies who lunch clearly got the memo that colored lace is a hot spring fashion trend. Women wearing pretty lace frocks filled Brook Hollow Golf Club for the seventh annual Chick Lit Luncheon benefiting Community Partners of Dallas (CPD).
But more important than any fashion trend was the reason they were gathered: to support the nonprofit dedicated to ensuring safety, restoring dignity and inspiring hope to abused and neglected children served by Dallas County Child Protective Services.
As supporters dined on a light lunch, they applauded Partners for Children Award recipient Mersina Stubbs and listened intently to CPD president and CEO Paige McDaniel. She spoke passionately about the cause, often getting teary when recounting stories of children in crisis who received life-changing help thanks to CPD.
The mood lightened when speaker Gigi Levangie took the podium. “Dallas women are gorgeous. I really do belong here,” quipped the sassy California author known for books-turned-TV series Maneater and The Starter Wife. The film Stepmom, for which Levangie wrote the screenplay, was loosely based on her own experiences with the children of her former husband, movie producer Brian Grazer.
The fit-and-fabulous 50-year-old shared tales of tragedy and triumph, from her early days as a struggling writer, fetching cigarettes for her boss, to spotting celebrities like Steve Martin, Sylvester Stallone and Eddie Murphy at her wedding. “At my wedding, mine was the only face I didn’t recognize,” she joked.
Kidding aside, Levangie urged the audience to “embrace fear, practice gratitude and expect miracles.” And perhaps the most powerful words of all: “It only takes one yes to change your life.”
Following the program, guests queued up to get books signed by the gorgeous Levangie. Spotted in the colorful crowd: luncheon chair Lisa Singleton, honorary chair Allie Beth Allman, Anne Stodghill, Amy Cobb, Heather Hicks, Kate Rose Marquez, Gigi Potter Salley, Katherine Coker, Amanda Ward, Mary Gill and Katy Bock.