By:
Sherri Tilley
Nearly a "dazzling dozen of Dallas’ most fashion-savvy women" walked the runway at Dallas Country Club on Friday night as part of the Fashion Stars for a Cause event presented by the Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas. Founded eight years ago by Yvonne Crum in conjunction with SCC Executive Director Margie Wright, the annual runway fashion show is designed to raise funds for the Center’s much needed programs such as the Survivors of Suicide and Teens Can Survive initiatives which help those in crisis find hope for the future.
Gala Event Chair Yvonne Crum explains, “We want to do a fun event that everyone can enjoy ... people get tired of going to lectures about really sad subjects; so I said to Margie, ‘I want to do something that would be fun, but that we won’t ever lose the message.’” “I’m from the fashion side and love that and want to get the message out and I think that’s the best way to do it. I think you’ve got to give [guests] something that’s encouraging and fun and all that, but still keep that message there which is really good.”
A chic cocktail reception and personal welcome by Honorary Chairs Toni and Daniel Hunt preceded an elegant seated dinner and opening remarks by advisory chair Carolyn Tillery who delivered details about the informative new publication Fashion Stars Magazine. Beautiful dresses provided by Belk department store were then modeled by ten stylish and community-conscious women including Jennifer Fleming, Jamie Fowler, Leah Frazier, Caroline Harrison, Dr. Naila Malik, Charmaine Marshall, Dawn Mellon, Jessi Moreau, Melissa Rountree, and Cathy Williamson. Rebecca Harper Hallam remained seated due to a recent foot injury, and unexpectedly absent was Dawn Neufeld who was attending her grandmother’s funeral in Los Angeles, California.
The evening’s emcee, Suzie Humphries, introduced guest speaker Debbie Murray who powerfully shared her experience with this unfortunate type of tragedy and described the redeeming encounter she had as a result of being brave enough to talk about it. Now serving on the Board of Directors for The Suicide & Crisis Center, Debbie encouraged guests to be the person they were meant to be by remembering the love, trust, energy, laughter, and creativity of a carefree five-year-old. The evening concluded with a lovely rendition of the song “For Good” from the hit Broadway musical Wicked sung by Kyle Hughes which served to recognize hard-working volunteers and event organizers with the lyrics “because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
A large portion of the proceeds result from this year’s raffle drawing consisting of a $5,000 gift card from Belk and a Royal Raffle Dinner Party package presented by Darren McGrady, the Royal Chef who was personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales and Princes William and Harry for fifteen years and has cooked for Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush. Now a chef, author, and culinary consultant living in Dallas, Chef McGrady will set his sights on providing the raffle winner with a four-course dinner based on dishes served at Buckingham Palace including food and wine pairing, an autographed copy of his top-selling cookbook Eating Royally for each of ten guests, and more.
Located in Dallas and answering calls for DFW and two national crisis lines, the SCC offers services such as crisis debriefing, training for professionals in high-intensity environments, a speakers’ bureau which makes presentations about crisis intervention and prevention, and a support group for friends and family members left behind after a suicide. Volunteers can get directly involved with the SCC in a number of ways ranging from attending events and purchasing raffle tickets all the way to completing an intensive ten-week training program in order to get the teaching necessary to then work personally on the crisis line. In a society where depression, bullying (both at school and online), and disconnected families have become all too common, the Suicide & Crisis Center offers hope and solutions.
For more information on how you can participate in future events or contribute to the efforts of the Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas, visit:
Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas
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