Trailblazing Fundraiser

Family Place Dallas awards luncheon includes TV host's powerful account of assault

What: The 22nd Annual Texas Trailblazer Luncheon benefiting The Family Place

Where: Hilton Anatole

The 411: Co-chairs Cindy Stager and Kristen Sanger welcomed guests into the Chantilly Ballroom, where The Family Place CEO Paige Flink presented 2017 awards. Most notably, the Texas Trailblazer Award went to Lynn McBee for her charitable work in the Dallas community. Also recognized were Be Project Award Recipients Elizabeth Grandell and Lamisa Mustafa, Faith-Based Vision and Leadership Award Recipient Highland Park United Methodist Church, and Advocacy Award recipient TexProtects.

Following the awards ceremony, the keynote speaker, TV commentator and best-selling author Gretchen Carlson, gave a powerful speech highlighting domestic violence and sexual assault in the workplace, while referencing her own experiences with sexual assault throughout her career.

The evening before the luncheon, a more intimate Patron Party for The Family Place's most charitable donors took place at the Highland Park home of Amy Turner. Guests mingled while sipping on wine and enjoying cuisine by the Coquerel Family Wine Estates and Proper Catering & Events. Domestic violence survivor and past client Aliyah Miranda shared her personal experience with suffering from domestic abuse and finding help through The Family Place.

The Family Place is one of the first family violence service providers in the state with a mission to eliminate family violence through intervention and proactive prevention, extensive community education, and advocacy and assistance for victims and their families. Since 1978, The Family Place has counseled more than 225,000 clients, provided lifesaving shelter to more than 22,000 women, children and men, and answered more than 550,000 calls for help.

Who: Ciara Cooley, Ruth Altshuler, Lisa Cooley, Brian Levine, Laurie Berger, Brenda Cockerell, Clay Cockerell, Ramona Jones, Billie Leigh Rippey, Bobbie Sue Williams, Rhonda Sargent Chambers, Nick Even, Stephanie Hollman, Travis Hollman, Connie O'Neill, Tracey Nash-Huntley, Donald Fowler, Terry Loftis, Kelly Perkins, Heather Randall, Lisa Singleton, Kathy Lethbridge, The Hon. Anita Martinez, and Al Martinez.

Lynn McBee, Kristen Sanger, Gretchen Carlson, Cindy Stager

Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

Lynn McBee, Kristen Sanger, Gretchen Carlson, Cindy Stager

fundraisers

Gala preview

Dallas' most glam fall gala to honor Hollywood superstar Charlize Theron

Universal Pictures Presents "The Odyssey" Paris Premiere

Photo by Pierre Mouton/Getty Images for Universal Pictures

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Hollywood star Charlize Theron will be the guest of honor at one of Dallas' hottest-ticket galas of 2026: She will receive amfAR's Award of Inspiration at the organization's black-tie ball on October 24.

For a second year, the glamorous fall fundraiser will take place at the home of Kathleen and Scott Kirby, a release says. Taking over where Dallas' TWO x TWO gala left off when it ended in 2024, the amFAR gala has quickly become one of Dallas' marquee social events, drawing philanthropists, collectors, and high-profile guests in support of amfAR's mission to end HIV/AIDS.

Theron, who won an Oscar for Monster, is currently on a worldwide press tour ahead of her starring role in one of the summer's biggest movies, The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated adaptation of the Homer epic (opening July 17).

Beyond her film career, Theron serves as a United Nations Messenger of Peace and founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), which supports organizations focused on youth health, HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, and combating gender-based violence across Southern Africa.

"Charlize Theron’s longstanding support of amfAR and HIV/AIDS care and prevention through her own foundation make her an inspiration to us all," said amfAR CEO Kyle Clifford in a statement. "We are grateful to her for her tireless work and are thrilled to be able to recognize her at our event in Dallas this year."

According to amfAR, programs supported by CTAOP have reached more than 4.8 million young people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Theron and the foundation also launched the Together for Her campaign with CARE and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to address gender-based violence, and later partnered with the Ford Foundation to advocate for global vaccine equity.

Founded in 1985, amfAR has invested more than $950 million in research grants supporting HIV/AIDS and other diseases in which viruses and the immune system play a significant role. Over the past 26 years, supporters in North Texas have raised more than $66.5 million to advance amFAR's ongoing HIV research and global health initiatives, the organization says.

This year's gala will feature cocktails, a seated dinner, musical performances, and a live auction offering luxury goods, travel experiences, and contemporary art. Tickets and table sponsorships are now available, starting at $2,500.

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