Rowdy Rainmakers

Art + Advocacy raises a joyful noise — and half a million bucks

Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Supporters bid on works donated by local galleries such as Conduit, HollyJohnson, Craighead Green and Barry Whistler.
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Photo by Robert Bostick
Art + Advocacy raised more than $500,000 for Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
Photo by Robert Bostick

There is no more heart-warming way for art to align with charity than at the annual Art + Advocacy benefit. Highlighting the unique role art therapy plays in healing child abuse victims served at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, this annual event, held this year at Fashion Industry Gallery, tends to evoke a particularly emotional response from attendees.

This year the stakes were even higher, as the center is moving to spacious new digs on Samuell Boulevard in 2013. Works of mixed media, oil, pencil and photography from established and emerging artists donated by galleries such as Conduit, Craighead Green, Kirk Hopper, Holly Johnson, and Barry Whistler drew frenzied bids in both the live and silent auctions.

An anonymous donor contributed $25,000 on the day of the event, and auctioneers Ed Beardsley of Heritage Auction Galleries and Gail Sachson of Ask Me About Art didn’t have much trouble convincing the crowd to participate in a “Call for Cash” that this mysterious benefactor promised to match. The effort drew donations of $2,500 a pop as the seconds ticked by.

For Courtney Sinelli, who attended with her husband, Which Wich founder Jeff Sinelli, the cause had a personal resonance. “When I was a lawyer, I volunteered to do the family violence cases,” she said. “We lost almost every case because the victims wouldn’t testify. This cause has always been close to my heart, and I want to work to dedicate more time to it.”

The event was so festive that the crowd needed a reminder to stop socializing and pay attention to the final moments of the auction. One attendee made a generous offer of $50,000 in return for relative silence until the auction’s end.

For the center’s art therapist, Julie Espey, the evening was a success beyond the more than $500,000 final tally. “By integrating art into therapy, you can recognize the resiliency and healing that take place with each child,” she said. “Art is a profound natural form of communication.”

Supporters of the Children’s Advocacy Center included Tamara and John Bickel, Brian Bolke, John Clutts, Ginny and Mark Fein, event chairs Lindsay and Chuck Jacaman, Patricia Meadows, Laura Noble, Marlene and John Sughrue, Lisa and John Runyon, Ree and Jason Willaford, and Cris Worley.

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Making an Impact

Barbara Bush headlines milestone Planned Parenthood Awards in Dallas

Photo by Lindsay Jones Photography

Barbara Bush chats onstage at the 2025 Planned Parenthood Awards.

WHAT: Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas 35th annual Awards

WHERE: Winspear Opera House

WHEN: December 9, 2025

THE 411: The morning program drew hundreds of supporters to the AT&T Performing Arts Center, with Pam and John Beckert serving as co-chairs for the milestone event.

One of the program’s focal points was a live conversation with activist, author, and former First Daughter Barbara Bush, moderated by five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Tashara Parker.

Planned Parenthood Awards 2025 Dallas Tashara Parker and Barbara Bush.Photo by Lindsay Jones Photography

Photo by Lindsay Jones Photography

Barbara Bush chats onstage at the 2025 Planned Parenthood Awards.

Bush, now the NBA’s Head of Social Responsibility, reflected on her famous family with a mix of humor and candor, sharing stories that ranged from lighthearted Bush family moments to deeply personal memories of her grandmother, whom she described as unwavering in her commitments to family and causes she believed in.

The Gertrude Shelburne Humanitarian Award was presented to Froswa’ Booker-Drew, Ph.D., whose acceptance speech underscored her long-standing work on behalf of women and communities of color. Booker-Drew spoke about her partnership with Planned Parenthood on a new initiative supporting women navigating perimenopause and menopause, situating the program within her broader advocacy and philanthropic leadership in North Texas and beyond.

The Katherine Ripley Print Media Award was given to The Dallas Morning News for its investigative series “The Standard of Fear,” which examined the real-world consequences of restrictive reproductive care in Texas through first-person reporting.

Following the ceremony, attendees continued the day across Dallas, dining at participating restaurants — including Le Bilboquet, Nonna, Teak Tearoom, Mirador, and Lovers Seafood and Market — that donated a portion of their proceeds to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, extending the event’s impact well beyond the Arts District.

WHO: Thana Hickman, Missy Falchi, Ken Lambrecht, Abigail Sinwell, Beth Mohsinger, Leora Hanser, Katie Mullen, Lee Nichols, Caroline Snell Wagner, Jennifer Nocerini, Margaret and Brad Hirsch, Katy Murray, Sallie Behnke, Melissa Narvaez, Yazmin Garcia, Erik Moss, Maria Ramos Pacheco, Azul Sordo, Lauren Caruba, and Zaira Perez Viera.

awards luncheons planned parenthood barbara bush fundraisers celebrities