HRCF gets $520,000; Lambda Legal gets $50,190, top amount among 19 local beneficiaries
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| THE BIG BUCKS | Nan Arnold, third from left, presents a check for $50,190 to, from left, Gina Menicucci, Jennifer Guyot-Wallace, Roger Poindexter, Chad West and Bill Prather of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. (David Taffet/Dallas Voice) |
Black Tie Dinner officials this week announced that the 2009 event — held in September at the Sheraton Dallas hotel — brought in $1.04 million that was distributed Thursday, Dec. 3, to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and 19 local beneficiaries.
Also during the Thursday night reception, Nan Arnold was named as female co-chair for the 2010 dinner. She replaces Laurie Foley, who just completed her second year as co-chair, and will serve with Ron Guillard, who is completing his first year as co-chair.
Foley and Guillard said it was the "generous support of corporate and individual sponsors, table captains and their guests, and through the purchase of live luxury and silent auction items, raffle tickets and general ticket sales" that put the total funds raised over $1 million again this year, despite the ongoing economic challenges impacting the country.
Foley offered a special thanks to the sponsors, table captains, dinner guests and volunteers who helped make the dinner a success.
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| Joe Solmonese |
"Our community is very fortunate to have such committed and supportive individuals and corporations," Foley said in a statement released Thursday. "It is because of their personal dedication to the GLBT cause that Black Tie is able to provide funding for our very worthy beneficiaries."
Guillard said it was "a thrill and an honor for Black Tie to be able to distribute these funds" to its "deserving" beneficiaries.
As in previous years, half of the proceeds — or $520,000 — went to HRCF. The DFW dinner is consistently among the top fundraising events for HRCF each year.
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, led the way among local beneficiaries this year, receiving $50,190 from Black Tie. AIDS Arms received the second-highest amount, $48,191, and Resource Center Dallas received $40,995.
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| Nan Arnold |
Other beneficiaries and the amount they received from the dinner are: AIDS Interfaith Network, $23,256; AIDS Outreach Center, $19,799; AIDS Resources of Rural Texas, $20,075; AIDS Services of Dallas, $25,836; AIDS Services of North Texas, $23,329; Celebration Community Church, $26,927; Congregation Beth El Binah, $24,119; Equality Texas Foundation, $24,243; Legacy Counseling Center, $27,998; Legal Hospice of Texas, $28,498; Northaven United Methodist Church, $29,790; OUT TAKES Dallas, $20,283; Turtle Creek Chorale, $23,621; White Rock Friends, $20,202; The Women’s Chorus of Dallas, $20,668; and Youth First Texas, $21,980.
Funds are divided based on a formula that includes the organization’s need, the services it provides; and how many volunteer hours have been contributed to Black Tie in its name.
Guillard and Arnold said the Black Tie Dinner board is already working on next year’s dinner, scheduled for Nov. 6 at the Sheraton Dallas. The 2010 beneficiary application will be available online ar BlackTie.org in February.
The first Black Tie Dinner in Dallas was in 1982 with 140 guests attending. That inaugural event raised $6,000 for the Human Rights Campaign. To date, Black Tie Dinner has distributed nearly $14 million.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition December 4, 2009.