2021 Partners Card Kicks Off with Exclusive Luncheon and Fashion Presentation at Eataly Dallas in NorthPark Center
(Featured photo: Jan Strimple, Kirsten Swanson, Heather McNamara, Leigh Danley, Kimberly Schlegel Whitman.)*
The Family Place celebrated the start of Partners Card with a festive luncheon
and fashion presentation featuring NorthPark Center retailers
Dallas-based family violence agency The Family Place and their Partners Auxiliary group hosted an exclusive luncheon and fashion presentation on the first day of Partners Card, Friday, October 29, 2021 at Eataly in NorthPark Center. The inaugural Partners Card Preview featured a fantastic seasonal lunch by Terra and a custom fashion presentation from some of NorthPark’s Partners Card retailers commentated by NorthPark’s Fashion and Lifestyle Ambassador Kimberly Schlegel Whitman and renowned fashion producer Jan Strimple.
Mimi Crume Sterling 
Rachel Osborn, Jane Wallingford
Inside the beautiful and airy space at Terra, Partners Card Preview Event Co-Chairs Heather McNamara and Kirsten Swanson along with Partners Auxiliary President Leigh Danley welcomed the nearly 150 guests to mingle and sip delicious Italian wine prior to the start of the seated luncheon. Each spoke to the group about the legacy of Partners Card and its impact on The Family Place. Newly appointed CEO of The Family Place, Mimi Crume Sterling, greeted the crowd and talked about the funds that The Family Place is able raise through Partners Card each year and its impact on domestic violence within our community. Former CEO Paige Flink also socialized with and greeted event attendees.
Upon the start of the festive and seasonal luncheon, a fashion presentation with styled looks from NorthPark Center retailers CAMILLA, Isabel Marant, Billy Reid, Maje, Sandro and others were presented by renowned fashion producer Jan Strimple and NorthPark Center’s Fashion and Lifestyle Ambassador Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, as elegant female and male models meandered throughout the space. Each luncheon guest also received a complimentary gift from NorthPark Center retailer Longchamp.
Additional guests in attendance were Partners Card Co-Chairs Jane Wallingford and Rachel Osburn, Partners Card Honorary Chair Debbie Snell, and The Family Place’s Director of Development Melissa Sherrill.
Melissa Sherrill 
Lynn McBee, Debbie Snell
After the event, Partners Card Preview Event Chairs Heather McNamara and Kirsten Swanson welcomed guests to an after-party downstairs at ZIMMERMANN to kick off an afternoon of shopping throughout NorthPark Center with their Partners Cards, replete with champagne and macarons. Partners Card took place this year October 29 through November 7.
The Family Place is at the forefront of its mission to empower victims of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling, and skills that create independence while building community engagement and advocating for social change to stop family violence. As its signature fundraiser, Partners Card is a 10-day shopping event that ran from Friday, October 29 to Sunday, November 7, 2021. Shoppers purchase a Partners Card for $75 to receive a 20% discount at 550+ participating retailers across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The purchase of a Partners Card provides one night of safety for a victim of family violence at The Family Place. Over the past 28 years, the efforts have raised more than $20 million to help break the cycle of family violence in our community. For more information on Partners Card, call 214-443-7754 or visit www.partnerscard.org.
ABOUT EATALY DALLAS
Eataly Dallas opened its doors in NorthPark Center on December 9, 2020. Following the company’s philosophy, the vibrant Italian marketplace is interspersed with restaurants, counters, and a cooking school. Significant focus is devoted to local producers, who provide fresh ingredients daily to complement Italian products harmoniously. The unique environment invites guests to “Shop, Eat, Learn” while learning about high-quality Italian food and drink as they taste dishes, find ingredients, and take classes. Since Oscar Farinetti first opened Eataly Torino in 2007, this philosophy has spread with more than 40 stores across the world, including our flagship NYC Flatiron (2010), Chicago (2013), NYC Downtown (2016), Boston (2016), Los Angeles (2017), Las Vegas (2018), Toronto (2019) and Dallas (2020).
ABOUT NORTHPARK CENTER
NorthPark Center is the preeminent shopping center in the Southwest and one of the finest shopping experiences in the world with more than 200 stores and restaurants, including more than 70 market exclusives. Anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillard’s, and Eataly, NorthPark offers an unparalleled collection of luxury boutiques set amid internationally acclaimed 20th and 21st century art, award-winning architecture, and extraordinary landscaping—as well as a 1.4-acre garden, CenterPark, and a state-of-the-art movie theatre, AMC NorthPark 15. NorthPark consistently ranks as one of the top five performing shopping centers in the United States and is North Texas’ number one visitor destination. NorthPark is conveniently located 7 miles from downtown Dallas and 35 miles from Fort Worth.
*Photos: Tamytha Cameron
(Sharon Adams, Adams Communications Public Relations, and publisher, Philanthropy Lifestyles, is honored to be a sponsor of the Partners Card benefiting The Family Place and to post this Scene event, courtesy The Family Place.)
