The Family Place To Welcome Justin Baldoni as Keynote Speaker and Honor Dr. Opal Lee with Texas Trailblazer Award at Upcoming Texas Trailblazers Awards Luncheon

(Featured image: Justin Baldoni, Keynote Speaker and Dr. Opal Lee, Texas Trailblazer Award honoree.)

The Family Place board members and community leaders, Lauren Black, Nakita Johnson, Clarisa Lindenmeyer and Lauren McKinnon, will serve as this year’s luncheon co-chairs alongside advocates and philanthropists, Lindsay and George Billingsley as honorary chairs.

 The Family Place, Texas’ largest service agency dedicated to eradicating family violence, proudly enters its 46th year by announcing its marquee luncheon. Justin Baldoni, celebrated actor and director of the upcoming blockbuster “It Ends With Us,” along with being an esteemed author and advocate for redefining masculinity, will be the featured speaker at the 28th annual Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon. The event is scheduled for October 4, at 11:30 a.m. at the Hilton Anatole.

In addition to Baldoni’s much-anticipated address, the luncheon will honor Dr. Opal Lee with the 2024 Texas Trailblazer Award. Dr. Lee, affectionately known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” is a revered civil rights leader whose unwavering dedication culminated in the establishment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday. This award recognizes those exceptional individuals who have achieved remarkable success and opened doors of opportunity for countless others.

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce Justin Baldoni as our keynote speaker for the Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon,” said Tiffany Tate (McDaniel), CEO of The Family Place. “Justin’s diverse experiences in television and film, both in front of and behind the camera, coupled with his podcast and best-selling books that redefine masculinity and gender roles, promise an inspiring and meaningful conversation for our luncheon guests. His purpose-driven work, including his upcoming film, ‘It Ends with Us,’ ensures an event filled with profound insights and thought-provoking solutions.”

Beyond his highly anticipated film, co-starring Blake Lively, Baldoni hosts the Webby-nominated, “The Man Enough Podcast,” which explores the complexities of masculinity and how men can evolve into better partners, fathers, and community members. His literary contributions include the acclaimed “Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity” (2021) and the New York Times bestseller “Boys Will Be Human” (2022).

Dr. Opal Lee, a true trailblazer, sparked a national movement leading to President Joe Biden signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021. Beginning her campaign at 90 years old, Dr. Lee’s determination and online petition garnered over 1.6 million signatures, making Juneteenth a recognized federal holiday.

“I can think of no individual more worthy to receive the Texas Trailblazer Award than Dr. Opal Lee,” Tate stated. “Despite her humble self-description as just a ‘lady in tennis shoes getting into everyone’s business,’ we recognize her for her perseverance and devotion to preserving the history and timeline of the emancipation of enslaved Texans, leading to the national recognition of Juneteenth. We will all be in awe as she takes the stage to accept her award.”

A native of Fort Worth, Dr. Lee boasts eight honorary doctorates, has been named the 2021 Texan of the Year by the Dallas Morning News editorial board, the 2021 Unsung Hero of the Pandemic, Fort Worth Inc.’s 2022 Person of the Year, and is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. She is also the second African American to have her portrait hung in the Texas State Senate.

The Texas Trailblazer Awards Luncheon stands as one of the largest fundraising events for The Family Place. Proceeds from the luncheon enable the organization to continue its critical mission of stopping family violence and empowering survivors through safe housing, counseling, and skills development, and helping families transition from fear to safety.

This year’s luncheon, chaired by The Family Place board members and community leaders Lauren Black, Nakita Johnson, Clarisa Lindenmeyer, and Lauren McKinnon, aims to amplify more voices around the issue of family violence, beyond just women and girls, and focus the program around preventing violence before it starts, in order to finally break the cycle in families across every zip code in Texas.

Lindsay and George Billingsley will join this year’s leadership team as honorary chairs. Longtime supporters of The Family Place, the Billingsleys have made significant and lasting contributions to the support and empowerment of domestic violence survivors.

The program will include a conversation with Justin Baldoni, moderated by Natalie Nanasi, Director of the SMU Judge Elmo B. Hunter Legal Center for Victims of Crimes Against Women and Associate Professor of Law, as well as a VIP Reception, seated luncheon, and presentation of the 2024 Texas Trailblazer Award. Sponsorships from $3,500 are available now for purchase at familyplace.org/trailblazer and individual tickets for $350 will go on sale beginning August 28.

ABOUT THE FAMILY PLACE:

The Family Place is the largest provider of family violence services in Texas, serving over 44,000 people in 2023. Programs include a 24-hour hotline, three emergency shelters, including the state’s only shelter for men and their children, a transitional housing program with 25 apartments, three counseling centers, two medical clinics, a dental clinic, a job readiness program, violence prevention education programs for schools, court-ordered supervised visitation, court-ordered counseling for abusers, and legal services. All survivor services are free and provided in Spanish and English.
   
 For more information on The Family Place, call 214-559-2170 or visit familyplace.org. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Photos courtesy The Family Place.

(This Philanthropy Lifestyles eBuzz courtesy The Family Place.)