Over 1,250 guests filled the Dallas Ballroom at the Omni Hotel Dallas on Nov. 2 to celebrate and raise over $2.37 million dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the 18th Annual Evening Under the Stars Party. Now the top revenue-generating dinner event for St. Jude in the country, the DFW metroplex Evening Under the Stars Party and Golf Classic continues to break records and amaze crowds year after year.
Hosted by Event Chairs Holly and Doug Brooks, this annual two-day fundraising event helps to ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food—because all they should worry about is helping their child live. This year’s party honored the efforts of well-known Philanthropists David and Carolyn Miller and their generous support of St. Jude and the Dallas community. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened more than 50 years ago.
“It’s incredible to see the Dallas community come together to support the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Through the hard work of committee members, sponsors, and donors the St. Jude Evening Under the Stars Party continues to set a new fundraising record each year in support of the mission of St. Jude. Because of events, like Evening Under the Stars, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food—because all they should worry about is helping their child live,” said Kathy Fairbanks, Regional Executive Director
During the Live Auction portion of the evening, St. Jude Patient Speaker Madison wowed the audience with a custom hand-made portrait which was gifted to be sold in the live auction and raised an astounding $20,000. The top generating item of the evening was the Del Frisco’s Night to Remember which sold for $75,000.
The event featured patient artwork as the St. Jude Mission Moment throughout the evening. Patient artwork and the importance of art at St. Jude was highlighted throughout the event through the use of augmented reality to bring artwork to life and also tell the story behind the patient who created the piece. St. Jude uses artwork as a way for patients to tell their own story and express themselves during treatment.
Top event sponsors included Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Mission Moment Sponsor The David B. Miller Family Foundation, and Legacy Sponsor Sewell Automotive Companies.
Photo Credit: Kristina Bowman.
On Monday, Nov. 4, over 240 Golfers gathered at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco for the 24th Annual St. Jude Golf Classic. Chaired by Joe Haggar III and Lou Grabowsky, the event began with lunch at 10:30 a.m., tee off at noon with scramble format, and concluded with a cocktail reception and awards ceremony.
Last year’s 2018 Evening Under the Stars events brought in over $2 M in revenue to support St. Jude’s mission – taking the Dallas-based event weekend to new heights in both attendance and funds raised.
The 2020 St. Jude Evening Under the Stars Party & Golf Classic will be held Nov. 7 and 9 respectively, kicking things off with the 19th Annual Evening Under the Stars Party on Saturday, Nov. 7 and leading up to the 25th Annual Golf Classic on Monday, Nov. 9. Individual tickets for the Party start at $250 with sponsorship opportunities available, and individuals/foursomes may register for the Golf Classic for $500 per person.
For more information visit stjude.org/dallasevents or contact Jayna Parish at Jayna.Parish@stjude.org or (972) 812-7100.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter and Instagram and subscribing to its YouTube channel.
About Carolyn and David Miller
David and Carolyn Miller have long been inspired by the extraordinary giving spirit of local philanthropists. They take their civic responsibilities very seriously and do whatever they can to make the world a better place, and have served on the boards of many local organizations including Goodwill, Senior Source, Salvation Army, UT Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Baylor Healthcare Foundation, Methodist Health System Foundation, Shelter Ministries, and the George W. Bush Foundation.
David Miller is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, having received Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Business Administration in 1972 and 1973, respectively. In 1988, Mr. Miller co-founded EnCap Investments L.P., which today is the leading provider of private equity capital to the oil and gas industry. He is a recipient of Distinguished Alumnus Awards from both Southern Methodist University and the Cox School of Business. Mr. Miller serves on as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at SMU and also is Chairman of the Executive Board of the Cox School. In 2004, he was appointed to the National Petroleum Council, an advisory body to the Secretary of Energy, and he is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Maguire Energy Institute. Carolyn Miller is a graduate of Hendrix College and currently serves on the Hendrix Board of Trustees. Carolyn has dedicated much of her life to philanthropy and advocacy for education, social justice, and issues that impact older adults. She was an elementary school teacher, obtained a master’s degree in gerontology, and was a program director at The Senior Source. An active volunteer, she supports a number of nonprofit organizations in North Texas.
