Society / Featured Parties

Fighting Cancer with Your High Heels on: Spectacular Catwalk Show Rakes in $650,000

BY // 03.15.17
photography Dana Driensky, Daniel Driensky

“You look gorgeous. You look fantastic!” enthused KDFW legend Clarice Tinsley, as she greeted the well-heeled crowd at this year’s St. Valentine’s Day Luncheon & Fashion Show. “I see so many shades of red and pink. So many shades of love, compassion, and kindness.”

As the most fashionable fund-raiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the event continues to raise the bar — this year exceeding expectations, raking in an impressive $650,000 towards the LLS mission of finding cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of the lives of patients and their families. Over the past 60 years, LLS has invested more than $1 billion to develop drug cancer therapies.

“One of our cancer warriors has masterfully led us to battle with our high heels on” shared Tinsely as she introduced this year’s chair, Heather Perttula Randall to the benevolent crowd settled in the Eugene McDermott Concert Hall at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Randall then shared her heartfelt story of her personal struggles with cancer (as she lost her father to the disease) before introducing board chair Erin Ragsdale, who also shared her own testament of her family’s strife with cancer.

Following suit were the other honorees who were introduced one by one to be honored on stage. Luke Lange (last year’s Tom Landry Character Award recipient) presented Bennett Williams with the 2017 award; the Lynda Adleta Heart of Gold Award to Robyn and Don Conlon; and the Memorial Hero Award to the late Charles Young for his fight against multiple myeloma. His wife (and former luncheon chair) Lillie Young accepted the award on behalf of their family.

After a tear shed here and there and an overwhelming surge of applause for all honorees, it was time for the annual fashion show. Thanks to Highland Park Village co-owners Elisa and Stephen Summers and Heather and Ray Washburne and show producer, our inimitable darling of the runway, Jan Strimple, the show was ahhhmazing. Highlighting fashions from luxury retailers sitting pretty in Highland Park Village, including Carolina Herrera, Etro, and Market…. the show, we must say, undoubtedly packed a stylish punch.

In the words of our dear emcee, Ms. Tinsley, “Today, we are fighting cancer on the catwalk.”

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Additional chairs: presenting sponsors Nancy and Richard Rogers; underwriting chairs Yvette Ostolaza and Daffan Nettle; honorary chairs Tracy and Ben Lange; raffle chairs Jennifer LeLash, Jennifer Stalkup and Monti Konen; table host chair Maggie Cooke Kipp; artistic chair Bradley Hawkins; and advisory chairs Gina Betts and Michael Flores.

Who: LLS executive vice president, Kathy Greisenbeck; director of the North Texas Chapter of LLS Patricia Thomson; board chair Erin Ragsdale; deputy executive director Stacey Russell; senior director for corporate and donor development Kacy Lowe; senior campaign director for special events and volunteer management Emile Blaine; campaign specialist for special events Jessica Buckman; and guests Bina Patel, Melissa Sherrill Martin, Paige McDaniel, Brenda Cockerell, Cindy Stager, Brooke Shelby, Apryl Churchill, Katy Bock, Kristi Bare, Dennis Moon, Nancy Gopez, Lisa Ogle, Kristen Sanger, Lisa Bhattacharya, Nina SachseStephanie Curtis, Lora Farris, and Abby English.

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