| 14th ANNUAL GALA - AUCTION & CASINO NIGHT UPDATE |
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"A Starry Night Filled with Dreams"
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Our Friends Place 14th Annual Gala - Auction & Casino Night was truly a "starry night filled with dreams". We thank the Honorary Co-Chairs
LuAnn and George Damiris and Debbie and Jack Gibson and our Gala - A&CN Co-Chairs,
Tonnette Easter, Barbara Milo, and Leslie Simmons. We appreciate your time and talent to make this event a fun-filled and festive evening benefiting the young women we serve!
Along with the chairs, many staff, committee members and volunteers worked tirelessly every step of the way. We want to give a shout out to a few who went above and beyond: Suzanne Jaco, Barb Kolle, Brandi Kriegshauser, and Kathlena Smith Ruiz.
And finally, thank you to the 450 FRIENDS who attended and helped us to raise over $300,000 for Our Friends Place. These funds allow the organization to continue helping young women grow from adversity towards economic self-sufficiency. Plus, funds raised enable the SOAR pilot program, presently in two Dallas ISD high schools and Richland College, to bring lifelong program skills to even more young ladies.
"The evening could not have been possible without our generous sponsors and underwriters (see list below). Their support continues to benefit our young women" said Brenda Snitzer, Development Director.
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L - R: LuAnn and George Damiris; Debbie and Jack Gibson; Tonnette Easter, Leslie Simmons and Barbara Milo
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GALA WELCOME
The evening kicked off with
Sue Hesseltine sharing OFP 2016 successes including client debt reduction, increased financial savings and hourly income, plus employment and educational enrollment updates. See more highlights, including 10-year averages,
online.
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L - R: Northwood Woman's Club President Sharyl Weber and Sharon Pope; Suzan E. Fenner |
EBBY AWARDS PRESENTATION
Honorary Co-Chairs LuAnn & George Damiris and Debbie and Jack Gibson presented the 13th Annual Ebby Awards to Northwood Woman's Club and Suzan E. Fenner. We appreciate their devotion to young women and girls in the Dallas area, and most importantly, the tremendous impact they've had supporting OFP in various ways.
Suzan Fenner stated,
"I am honored to be a 2017 Ebby Award Winner recognizing the contributions I made personally and professionally to help organizations grow through successful capital campaigns, stronger leadership and volunteer involvement. Touching the lives of many young people, adults and families so they can have a successful and rewarding life is a role I cherish."
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ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT
The evening continued with the debut of our newest video highlighting OFP programs and how the programs support the young ladies we serve. Many thanks to videographer Josh Puebla, OFP's Melanie Meijering and Ashley Walters, plus two recent alumnae - Morgan and Shabnam, for giving the audience a bird's eye view of how OFP helps clients build upon life skills and resources leading to more successful livelihoods.
We are so proud of these young ladies for sharing their stories and their personal transformation that occurred while living at Pauline's Place.
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EVENING FUN
As the evening progressed we enjoyed a game of heads or tails, the live and silent auctions. Attendees capped off the evening at the casino tables and showcasing their dancing skills ending a truly successful Gala - Auction & Casino Night. We are looking forward to next year!
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Jade:
EY
Jill & Brad Svoboda
Sapphire:
12 General Contracting Services, The Fab Four, Heather Bennett, Angela Maverick, Micki Seager & Cindy Tonnessen, Diane & Curtis Hawkins, Leslie Simmons & Rick Johnson, The Ryan Foundation, Brenda & David Snitzer, TDKrause Consulting & Peggy Busby
Underwriters:
Angela Maverick & Sean Baxley, Bradford Commercial Real Estate, Frost Bank, Leslie Simmons & Rick Johnson, Sue & Jack Hesseltine, Jackson-Shaw Foundation, Hunton & Williams, LLP, and Sutton Frost Cary, LLC
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Laundry soap (pods)
Toilet bowl cleaner
Dishwasher soap (pods)
Paper towels
Kitchen & Bath size trash bags
Umbrellas
Notebooks
Adult Scissors
Black & Blue pens
Pencil Sharpeners
Bed pillows
Twin sheets
Vibrant colored towel sets (2 each - bath, hand and washcloth)
Blow dryers
Motions Hair Care products
Hair straighteners
Walmart gift cards
To donate, contact Cindy Washlesky or Brenda Snitzer at
214.520.6268
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Ways to Get Involved
Share your talents and knowledge on a committee
Redecorate a bedroom or living space for young women
Offer crucial support to our office staff
Engage the community to gather school supplies, personal items and more
Put your party planning skills to good use for our annual fundraiser
To get involved, email
Amazon Shopping
Our Friends Place is proud to be a charity partner in the Smile.Amazon.com shopping program. Select Our Friends Place as your preferred charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases. Shop at
www.smile.amazon.com
today and give the gift that gives twice!
About Our Friends Place
Our Friends Place helps young women between the ages of 18 and 24 break the generational cycles of abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness. OFP provides a supportive home and teaches the skills young women need to become self-reliant adults. OFP young women enroll in an educational or vocational program, hold a job and pay a portion of their earnings as rent and savings.
Our Friends Place Staff
Sue Thiers Hesseltine,
Executive Director
Melanie Meijering,
Program Director
Kadetrah Lockett,
Beazley House Site Manager
Ashley Walters,
Pauline's Place Site Manager
Cindy Washlesky,
Program Specialist
Brenda Ewing Snitzer,
Development Director
Caitlin Doepfner, Development Associate Caitlin.Doepfner@OurFriendsPlace.org
Our Friends Place
Administrative Office
6500 Greenville Ave
Suite 620
Dallas TX 75206
214.520.6268
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@ourfriendsplace
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