Out & About: Texas Trailblazer Award Luncheon

More than 700 attended the Texas Trailblazer Awards luncheon, headlined by actress, model, and author Brooke Shields, Oct. 10.

The 27th annual luncheon at the Hilton Anatole, co-chaired by Lindsay Jacaman and Holly Krug with honorary chairs Stephanie and Travis Hollman, began with remarks from emcee Meredith Land of NBC5 and former The Family Place CEO Mimi Sterling.

Sterling then presented the 2023 Texas Trailblazer Award to Mary Kay Inc. CEO Ryan Rogers, grandson of Mary Kay Ash and son of Richard Rogers, Mary Kay’s co-founders. Rogers has served as vice president of the board of directors of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation, which has contributed more than $92 million to emergency shelters, domestic violence service providers, cancer research programs, and related causes.

Lunch included a salad of oak greens with shaved root vegetables, English cucumber, grape tomatoes, and white balsamic vinaigrette, followed by an entrée of pan-roasted chicken breast with rice pilaf, sunburst squash, and thyme chicken jus and dessert choices of  New York cheesecake with seasonal market berries or chocolate fudge cake and hazelnut mousse with raspberry sauce.

After lunch, Sterling presented The Family Place’s first-ever Legislative Impact Award to Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia and State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado for their work on Texas House Bill 5202, which creates a free violent offender database in Texas and was signed into law in June.

Following a video featuring Dr. Aaliyah Miranda about the support she received from The Family Place and an auction, Land moderated a 30-minute conversation with Shields. 

“The work that you are all doing is so valuable and so necessary, and you are tireless, and it is such an honor to be around you all. That’s the real work. It’s the stuff behind the scenes, and its helping people get back on their feet and teaching their children that they don’t have to live like this. To create a better future for themselves. It is God’s work,” Shields said.

The 2024 Texas Trailblazer Award luncheon co-chairs will be Lauren Black, First Lady of Dallas Nakita Johnson, Clarisa Lindenmeyer, and Lauren McKinnon.

For more information about The Family Place, visit their website.