Attorneys Serving the Community and Rainbow Days Pot of Gold Luncheon 2018

Attorneys Serving the Community and Patrons raise record-setting amount for Rainbow Days

(Featured photo: Jessica O’Neill, Luncheon Co-Chair; Liz Murray, featured speaker; Beth Bedell, Luncheon Co-Chair.)*

 

 

More than 830 guests gathered to raise over $323,000 for Rainbow Days!  Luncheon sponsors and guests alike were inspired by Liz Murray’s words of heartfelt honesty.   Liz Murray, this year’s keynote speaker is the author of, Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, whose memoir shares the traumatic story of Liz’s life and her strength and courage in the face of adversity. In addition to sharing her own story, she challenged guests to look around and think about the ‘one thing’ that they could to help someone in need in our community.  She shared “We can’t all do everything, but all of us can do one thing.”

Brightly colored balloons and beautiful centerpieces filled the Chantilly ballroom as guests gathered to enjoy this fun and festive event. The luncheon began with a beautiful original song,

“Brighter Days” which was performed by Rainbow Days children who all wore their colorful t-shirts and showcased their dance moves.   Jessica Thorne, Honorary Chair, moved the audience with her meaningful account of the challenges that kids in our community are facing.    ASC was proud to present their annual “Friend of the Community” award to PwC to thank them for their ongoing partnership and support.  Cathey Brown Founder and CEO of Rainbow Days was recognized for her 36 years of leadership of the nonprofit organization as she is set to retire this year.  Luncheon Co-Chairs, Beth Bedell and Jessica O’Neill, led the efforts of this year’s successful event.

Attorneys Serving the Community (ASC) Luncheon Chair Beth Bedell shares, “It was a momentous occasion for me to have the opportunity to serve as the Lead Chair for Attorneys Serving the Community this year.  Our mission is dedicated to supporting organizations that are making a big difference in the lives of women and children in our community and Rainbow Days accomplishes this in a significant way. We appreciate for our sponsors and donors who gave so generously so that we could exceed our goals this year.  It was truly a luncheon to celebrate!”

The ASC 32nd annual luncheon was a record-setting luncheon for both ASC and Rainbow Days.  Thanks to the generosity of many donors in the community, including Mrs. Nancy Ann Hunt, who was presenting sponsor this year and issued a matching gift challenge that over 400 donors took her up on!  The event sponsorships and ticket sales totaled: $201,720 and through guests’ generosity, an additional $41,142 was raised in donations which was then matched $1 for $1 by
Mrs. Hunt!

 

Rainbow Days is grateful for the partnership and support of ASC this past year.  Through membership fees, a 5K, Silent Auction, special events, donations and their signature Luncheon, they raised over $424,000 for Rainbow Days! These funds provided vital support to further Rainbow Days mission and specifically the organization’s Family Connection program which serves over 1,000 homeless children in the Dallas community each year.

About Rainbow Days: Rainbow Days has been a vital part of the Dallas community for over three and a half decades.  What began in 1982 as a grassroots effort to work with young children whose parents faced addiction, has since expanded to become an award-winning nonprofit that has served over 215,000 children and youth locally and impacted over a million nationally and internationally through training services for adults.   Rainbow Days mission is to help children and youth in adversity build coping skills and resilience to create positive futures. Through Curriculum- Based Support Groups, Classroom Education, Summer Day Camps, Mentored Events and Tangible items, Rainbow Days serves over 11,000 at-risk and homeless children and youth in the Dallas area annually.  By learning important decision-making skills, goal setting and coping skills, children and youth are equipped with the skills and support they need to make healthy choices, stay in school and stay drug-free.

 

For  more  information  about  Rainbow  Days  and  how  you  can  get  involved  as  a  donor, volunteer or advocate, please visit our website at  www.RainbowDays.org or call us at (214) 887-0726.

 

Photos by Dana Driensky and Rob Wythe/Gittings.

(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations is honored to represent Rainbow Days, Inc.)