Dallas’ Leading Women Follow in the Giving Footsteps of Audrey Hepburn: UNICEF Heroes Get Their Hands Dirty to Change Lives

The first time I met Moll Anderson — the Dallas-based New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, television and radio host, and interior designer — we quickly bonded over our mutual love of Audrey Hepburn. Of course, the silver-screen icon’s impeccable style and enviable elegance had something to do with our Audrey obsession, but a more poignant quality drew us to her.

Holly Golightly and Roman Holiday aside, it was Hepburn’s dedication to philanthropy — particularly her devotion to UNICEF — that defined her style as so much more than Givenchy gowns and Academy Awards. You see, Hepburn was called to serve UNICEF in a way that puts to shame the kind of modern-day celebrity benevolence that is too often the byproduct of needing good PR.

“I can testify to what UNICEF means to children,” Hepburn is famously quoted as saying, “because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II.” Indeed, Hepburn actually got her hands dirty, serving as a UNICEF ambassador and using her star-power to spread the organization’s message on a global scale.

At home, Hepburn gave countless speeches and interviews on behalf of UNICEF. She supported the range of the organization’s efforts, from launching UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children reports to participating in its World Summit for Children, and engaging in its myriad fundraising efforts and events.

But it was her work abroad and participation in field visits that made her service incomparable. Her globetrotting took her to Turkey and Venezuela, Ecuador and Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and Sudan. It was through these trips that she witnessed the widely varied work UNICEF does firsthand, from medical services to clean-water efforts and nutrition projects, to those endeavors supporting women and children — a piece of the puzzle closest to Hepburn’s heart.

It’s no surprise, then, that UNICEF named an award after Hepburn, the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award, which is given annually to those doing immense work on behalf of children, and celebrated during the UNICEF Snowflake Ball, held each winter in New York.

In 2016, Anderson was the Spirit of Compassion Award — alongside Grammy Award winner, Katy Perry, no less. It is an accolade, unlike many charitable honors, that celebrates actual work done — not just the monetary funds that may be raised. And it is a moment that brings tears to Anderson’s humble eye.

No doubt, it was a fitting for Anderson to receive the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award as she — just like Hepburn — has dedicated her energy and resources to making as many UNICEF field visits as possible, serving a countless number of women and children.

“Our main goal while on field visits is [to be] all hands on deck,” Anderson says. “Muddy boots on the ground, if you will.” So far, field visits have taken Anderson to Mozambique and Jamaica, where she has helped with hospitals, schools, clean-water needs, immunizations, and children in need.

It was during a recent visit to Mozambique that a young boy named Eddieside changed her perspective. “He was severely disabled, blind, completely and emotionally shut down,” remembers Anderson. “Like so many of the children.”

Anderson reached for Eddieside’s hand in a gesture of kindness, only to receive a limp, lifeless response. “There was nothing back — no grip, nothing,” says Anderson. Still, she pushed on with love, holding his hand, telling him she was happy to meet him and that he was beautiful.

When the time came to go, Anderson reached for Eddieside’s hand once more. A miracle: “He immediately grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go,” she says. “He held my hand so tightly. I started to smile, cry, and laugh. He continued to squeeze harder.

“Letting go of Eddieside’s hand was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Finally, it was time to say goodbye and I knew this moment is why I will always keep working to make a difference in children’s lives.”

As she co-chairs the inaugural 2018 UNICEF Gala in Dallas, with help from the inimitable literary agent Jan Miller, no doubt, Anderson’s experience with Eddieside has driven her. But it’s not just Anderson who has been impacted by field-visit experiences with UNICEF.

In fact, a startling number of Texas women have dedicated their time to an organization that until just a few years ago had only a quiet presence in Dallas as charity balls and high-wattage events are concerned.

Dallas’ Female UNICEF Army

Selwyn Rayzor, who runs an investment company and is chair of the UNICEF USA Great Plains Regional Board has spent time in Uganda and Nepal, where she has visited schools and hospitals, observing UNICEF’s deeply imbedded local presence and ability to affect lasting change.

“My greatest challenge has been witnessing devastating poverty first-hand and then returning to Dallas to my fortunate life,” says Rayzor. “It is hard to sleep at night knowing the girl you met in Nepal probably spent most of her day breaking rocks and eating very little — or that the weepy eyed boy in Uganda lying on the dirty mat on the floor might have died of malaria with his desperate mom by his side.”

Sterling McDavid, an entrepreneur originally from Fort Worth now living in New York, where she runs the socially conscious home-product line, The Starling Project, has also made her UNICEF mark. She has made field visits to Rwanda, Kenya, Vietnam, Jamaica, and Mexico — and credits it all to a certain friendship.

“I was working on Wall Street [when I was first exposed to UNICEF] and highly interested in finding more meaningful work outside of the office,” says McDavid. “I was seeking a humanitarian organization that creates full-picture solutions that can save lives for years or decades as opposed to short-term solutions.”

Enter, a fellow Texan. “I was incredibly impressed when my friend Jenna Bush Hager shared her UNICEF experiences with me.” McDavid says. “Once I got involved, I never looked back. I knew immediately that I had discovered a part of my calling. Here I am, seven years after first getting involved, and I have started a company (www.thestarlingproject.org) that gives back to UNICEF with every sale.”

Dallasite Gowri Sharma, also on the UNICEF USA Great Plains Regional Board of Directors, has made trips to Rwanda and Nepal. “In Rwanda, our days were filled with school and community visits,” she recalls. “In Nepal, there were a lot of long car rides through the foothills of the Himalayas to reach a school or town. Every day is filled with information about the unique problems people face and the creative and culturally sensitive way that UNICEF partners with NGO’s on the ground to address it.”

Even Lynn McBee, arguably one of Dallas’ most active community leaders, has traveled on behalf of UNICEF — to Nicaragua, where she experienced work in child protection (birth registration and sexual abuse), water and sanitation (plastic bottles recycled to make toilets and vocational training of adolescents), health (baby-friendly schools and hospitals, and sites to counter child labor and drug trafficking), and innovation labs with a local university.

Despite the many infrastructure and socioeconomic challenges proposed during these visits, like so many other volunteers, the real impact came down to the human level.

“Seeing young girls who had been trafficked broke my heart,” McBee says. “All I could think was, ‘Why aren’t you in school? Why don’t you have a book in your hand? How did this happen to you?’

“I thought of my 12-year-old niece and could not handle what was happening to these young girls that were her age.”

The UNICEF USA’s Dallas gala takes place this Saturday, February 3 at Ritz Carlton Dallas. Actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl will be honored at the black-tie affair co-chaired by Moll Anderson and Jan Miller Rich. For tickets and more information, click here.