Not Your Mother's Book Club
Chick Lit enthusiasts hang in Highland Park Village for author reveal
Chick Lit Luncheon chairman Wendy Messmann rounded up 50 of her host committee members and sponsors at new Highland Park Village hot spot Roberta Roller Rabbit for a night of sips and snacks, shopping, and special announcements.
Charitable attendees — including Jill Goldberg, Nikki Webb, Lindsay Ballotta, Andrea Cheek, Maggie Kipp, Elizabeth Dacus, Lisa Bhattacharya, Elizabeth Gambrell and Jennifer Tobin — perused the shop’s bright and eclectic collection of clothing, accessories and home furnishings while awaiting the news they had all showed up to hear: the featured author for the 2015 Chick Lit Luncheon, which is slated for Friday, April 24, at Brook Hollow Golf Club.
Paige McDaniel, president and CEO of beneficiary Community Partners of Dallas, thanked all in attendance before announcing luncheon chairman Messmann, honorary chairman Carol Seay and 2014 Partners for Children award recipient the ORIX Foundation. The award honors the foundation’s commitment to the philanthropic needs of our community and its years of service meeting the needs of abused and neglected children.
For the big reveal, Messman joined McDaniel to share the news: The next keynote speaker is Stacey Ballis, author of such novels as Off the Menu, Out to Lunch and Recipe for Disaster. Currently she is co-authoring a new cookbook called Cooking for You: Wellness in the Kitchen with Dr. Francis Ardito, which will be released in 2015.
After the announcement, committee member Jennifer Lelash was gifted with a special something from Roberta Roller Rabbit, because she was the only one who had guessed the 2015 Chick Lit speaker based on clues sent out before the party.
Community Partners of Dallas (CPD) is dedicated to ensuring safety and restoring dignity and hope to abused and neglected children by providing resources and support to the caseworkers of Dallas County Child Protective Services. In the last year alone, CPD has served more than 20,000 children through programs funded in part by Chick Lit.