Nov 10, 2023- MySweetCharity- by Jeanne Prejean
As former First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Barbara Pierce Bush were ushered into the Omni Dallas Hotel’s Fair Park Room, the lineup of the Gateway To Opportunity Luncheon guests for the meet-and-greet had already queued up on Thursday, October 5. Perfectly organized, the Bush ladies greeted each guest as if that guest was the special person of the day.
Three couples especially welcomed were the late Family Gateway Founder Annette Strauss’ daughters Nancy Halbreich and Janie McGarr, Luncheon Co-Chairs Paula and Bay Miltenberger and the day’s Annette G. Strauss Community Service Awardee Peter Brodsky and his wife Lael Brodsky.
In less than 20 minutes the meet-and-greet had ended and the Bush ladies were escorted to a holding room.
In the meantime, the ballroom filled with more than 700 guests including Lottye and Bobby Lyle, Tracy and Ben Lange, Tracy Rathbun, Lisa Cooley, Tiffany Divis, Laura and Jason Downing, Gina and Ken Betts, Caren Prothro, Rabbi David Stern, Gerald Turner, Linda Silver and Sunie Solomon.
With the recent developments in the Gaza Strip, Temple Emanu-El Rabbi Debra Robbins gave a poignant invocation for the crowd.
In receiving the Award, Peter admitted that the day was indeed amazing. Not only receiving the award named after former Mayor Annette Strauss, but also the prospect of being onstage with Laura and Barbara.
In addition to Peter’s receiving the award, the late 18-year-old Logan Betts and former Family Gateway Board Chair Stephen Hipp were honored for their hands-on support of the organization over the years.
Unlike the gray draping of the meet-and-greet, the ballroom’s stage backdrop looked like a luxurious mountain lodge. Actually, it was the result of the night before’s M.D. Anderson fundraiser that had featured Garth Brooks.
After a brief break for lunch to take place, the program got underway with Family Gateway CEO/President Ellen Magnis reporting that Family Gateway is determined to prevent children from sleeping in cars due to being homeless. When shelters are full, the organization pays to provide hotel rooms for families in need. As a result of changing the model of helping families on a first-come, first-serve basis to a diversion method, they were able this past year to serve four times the number of families with a little more than twice the budget with this new approach. She recognized and thank the Housing Forward and Crystal Charity Ball for helping Family Gateway to continue this Assessment and Diversion model that includes landlord mediation/eviction prevention and family reunification, as well as find alternatives options to traditional shelters. It is far less expensive to help a family stabilize outside a shelter than to bring every family into the shelter as the primary solution.
To provide additional housing for families going through the trauma of being homeless, Family Gateway would soon be providing a former Candlewood Suites property in Far North Dallas that had been renovated to provide emergency housing. Families will have their own rooms, bathrooms and kitchenettes as well as resources to help them recover from their homelessness.
Following a video testimonial by a Family Gateway client, Louis Murad held a call for cash.
Then it was time for Laura, Barbara and Peter to take their places on stage.
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