Inside Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center’s Sixth Annual Mahjong for a Mission

 My winter Olympic sport? It’s mahjong.

If there’s one winter charity event that I make myself *available* for, it’s Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center’s (DCAC) Mahjong for a Mission. It always takes place in early February, and attendees are encouraged to dress to the nines in their girliest and swirliest Valentine’s Day ‘fits. As I mentioned last year, the daytime fundraiser moonlights as a fashion show.

DCAC recently hosted its sixth annual tournament, raising more than $80,000 for the organization’s work, which collaborates with both public and private agencies to investigate and prosecute criminal child abuse cases and provide healing services to survivors of abuse. In 2021, the agency brought the event format (i.e. a mahjong tournament fundraiser) to Big D, capitalizing on the number of Dallasites who began playing the ancient tile game during the pandemic. Smart cookies.

Laura Black chaired this year’s always-a-blast event, which moved from the agency’s HQ on the east side of town to Galleria Dallas (“between Bachendorf’s and Gucci”). The dress code? “Galentine’s  festive (bonus points if it has a bow!).” As far as bows go, let’s say that attendees really tied one on, both sartorially and via the Lallier champagne that hosts could purchase when upgrading their table.

After noshing on sandwiches and house-made ranch chips from East Hampton Sandwich Co. and posing for photo ops in front of bow-adorned backdrops, guests took their seats for the mission at hand— serious game play. Table hosts brought their own tiles (an additional way to accessorize), and The National Mah Jongg League supplied cards for players’ use. All the local mahjong companies, from The Mahjong Line to Bam Bird Boutique to Oh My Mahjong, were well (and colorfully!) represented.

As a mahjong purist, I vehemently oppose the use of bl@nks. I make one annual exception, however, at this event, when DCAC “sells” them to players who make an additional donation to the organization. Since it’s for the kids, I’ll allow it 😉

After a few spirited games, both the day’s high scorers and the raffle winners were announced.

Once again, DCAC tied a bow on one of the sweetest fundraisers in town, no bams about it.

PC Seen: Leah Ewing, Jennifer Cifuentes, Katie Rastegar, Courtney Derderian, Erika Burton, Sally Pretorius Hodge, Samantha Wortley, Katie Samler, Molly Hardy (a.k.a. “Mahjong Molly”), Jenny Carroll, Tonya McDaniel, Natalie Stewart, Kelli Parks, Michelle Edmonds, Whitney Thomas, Meghan Gill, Jane Wallingford, Katie Samler, Laura McCallan, and Linda Gardner.