Coronavirus pivot
The latest Dallas charity galas and luncheons to host virtual alternatives
Given the unpredictable nature of COVID-19, it's hard to predict whether mass gatherings will be possible next month or even next year. So Dallas nonprofits continue to look for new and inventive ways to raise vital funds to support their missions.
More and more charities are pivoting to virtual presentations of galas, luncheons, and other parties this fall. Below are the latest to reveal plans for virtual fundraisers. (To find previously announced events for September, go here.)
Kluber Family Foundation Curveball for a Cause Celebrity Gala, September 13
UPDATE: This is now an all-virtual event. For more information, visit the website.
The Kluber Family Foundation, established by Amanda and Corey Kluber, will present the inaugural 2020 Curveball for a Cause Celebrity Gala both in person and online September 13. Corey Kluber is a Coppell High School graduate and two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, who recently joined the Texas Rangers (though he is now injured).
According to a release and the foundation's website, in-person guests will enjoy a cocktail reception, multi-course seated dinner, and live entertainment at Arlington's new Live! By Loews hotel beginning at 6:30 pm. The event will feature silent and live auctions, and Kluber and several of his Texas Rangers teammates will make virtual appearances. All social distancing guidelines will be followed, the release says, including contactless check-in with volunteers and vendors required to wear masks.
For fans who would like to take part virtually, a “Stay-at-Home” package also will be available. It will include virtual access to the event, autographed swag, and a steak dinner and wine pairing delivered to the home.
Single tickets to the gala are available at $400 each, but just $250 for the at-home event. For more information and tickets, visit www.coreykluber.org.
Proceeds from Curveball for a Cause will support the Kluber Family Foundation’s community outreach programs, which work to impact the lives of families who have seriously ill and chronically ill children.
New Friends New Life Annual Luncheon, September 18
New Friends New Life will present a virtual edition of its annual luncheon, which raises funds for its mission to restore and empower formerly trafficked and sexually exploited women, teens, and children. The event will take place at 11:30 am September 18, and is co-chaired by board members Jane A. Rose and Jessica Turner Waugh with honorary co-chairs Elizabeth and Eric Gambrell.
Cyntoia Brown-Long, a sex trafficking survivor and advocate for criminal justice reform, will be the featured speaker. Brown-Long is the author of Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System and the subject of a documentary about her life. Receiving the 2020 ProtectHER awards will be: Natalie Nanasi, director of the Judge Elmo B. Hunter Legal Center for Victims of Crimes Against Women and SMU assistant professor of law; and Brittany K. Barnett, author, entrepreneur, and attorney committed to reform of the criminal justice system.
Individual tickets are available for $100 each; guests will receive a link to view the luncheon. For more information and tickets, visit www.newfriendsnewlife.org/luncheon.
Texas Women’s Foundation 35th Annual Luncheon, September 29
Themed “Texas for All,” the Texas Women's Foundation's biggest fundraiser of the year will take place virtually and feature a celebrity keynote speaker: actress America Ferrera. The event will take place 11:30 am-1 pm September 29, and in honor of the 35th anniversary, tickets are just $35 each.
Business and community leaders Cynt Marshall (chief executive officer of The Dallas Mavericks) and Bonnie Clinton (vice president for Toyota North America) are co-chairing the luncheon. Other participants include foundation president Roslyn Dawson Thompson, foundation board chair A. Shonn Brown, and Laysha Ward, Target executive vice president.
Ferrera, known for her roles on TV's Ugly Betty and Superstore, also executive produced and directed episodes of Netflix’s new Latinx Dramedy, Gentefied. She is the author of the best-selling American Like Me, a collection of first-person accounts from prominent figures about growing up between cultures in America, and is a prominent advocate of social justice causes.
The Texas Women's Foundation works to advance women’s economic security, leadership, education, health, and safety in Texas through research, advocacy, programs, and grantmaking. For more information or to purchase a ticket, visit txwfluncheon.org.
