The late Annette Strauss was a mentor for countless people. Her days as the area’s top fundraiser were a legendary chapter in Dallas history. The reason? No, make that, reasons? She was brilliant (her Phi Beta Kappa designation proved that); she supported very worthy causes; and she knew how to create fundraising events that were like her— smart, elegant and worthy of big bucks for the right reason. One of those causes that was especially near and dear to her heart was the Family Gateway for homeless families. While Annette’s own home was always filled with family and friends (can anyone forget those dinners at round tables with white underclothes and pink overlays in the backyard with meals that Annette and “Birdie” cooked up?), she more than empathized with families who didn’t have any form of security. She used her ability and her resources to “spearhead the effort to build a refuge for an increasing number of families living on the streets, victims of the collapsed Texas economy.” It was Family Gateway.
So, what does this have to do with Friday’s Celebrity Waiter Luncheon? More about that later.
Giant “art” eyeball
The crowd that partied did just that Friday, big-time, at the Family Gateway’s Celebrity Waiter Luncheon at the Joule Hotel, with the giant “art” eyeball observing from across the road. Organizers admitted that the past two years had been more than zealous, and a little toning down was needed.
This year’s adjustment was being achieved by moving the event to the Joule’s smaller ballroom, a calmed-down warm-up of the waiters, and a more organized pay-for-play unlike previous years’ free-for-all, with men stripping down and giant hangovers the next day.
As the 30 celebs crowded in a room that was the size of a country-western star’s RV, the guests registered and partied on the opposite side of the second floor with celebrity waiter songbird Aubree-Anna singing like a lone canary.
Stacy Girard and Ron Corning
As Aubree-Anna crooned, the rest of the celebs prepared themselves for their duties. Tracy Rathbun warmed up upside down against a wall. She revealed that foodie partner Lynae Fearing had confided that full splits were passé. If true, what was the stretch du jour that Tracy was practicing against the wall? . . . . Celebrity waiter LeeAnne Locken’s boyfriend Rich Emberlin was in “plainclothes” this year, instead of his police uniform from last year. Ah, but he still had his yellow police tape to capture his table guests. . . While Co-Emcee Stacy Girard talked about her plans for the Christmas season, fellow Co-Emcee Ron Corning chatted it up with Tommy Habeeb of “Cheaters.” Shane Walker allowed a coveted few to check out the very special cake he had created for his VIP guest Cathy Vieth in celebration of her birthday.
2013 Celebrity Waiters
After the traditional group photos of the celebrity waiters were taken, the ballroom doors were opened for guests to enter. Despite the crowd being smaller, Co-Chairs Lindsay Jacaman and Jamie Singer reported they planned to top past goals ($150K) thanks to corporate donations. The gals had decided to “make it more intimate” this year. Instead of 400, they opted for 300, with the 30 celebrity waiters. One waiter confided that many of the celebs weren’t showing up — Jody Dean, Matt Nordgren, Lisa Pinero, Hunter Sullivan, Amy Vanderoef and Anthony Wilkinson. Translation: Some of the celeb waiters were going to be juggling additional tables.
But things were beginning to slow down. Emcee Ron passed it off as, “We’re updating on Dallas time. So we’re a half hour behind schedule.” A Family Gateway staffer put a positive spin on the situation: “We’re just 30 minutes late, which means more drinking, hopefully, and more money.”
Finally Ron called the group to order, saying, “All right, ladies — and the two guys that are here — get in here. Stop comparing shoes — we are ready to raise money for Family Gateway!”
Once the guests were seated, Ron and Stacy told the group that 750 homeless children were helped via Family Gateway and FG has vowed to eradicate homelessness in Dallas.
Things on stage started off with the introduction of the celebrity waiters. In describing Linda Cooper, Ron joked that her new Sunday morning show on WFAA was supposed to be called, “Live, Laugh, Have A lot of Sex,” but that the title was “too racy for WFAA. . . it would be better for HBO.”
2013 Celebrity Waiters being introduced
When Lisa Pineiro’s name was called out during the celeb introduction and no one showed, Stacy suggested, “perhaps D The Broadcast ran over.” Without missing a beat, Co-Chair Ron quipped, ”There’s breaking news at D that somebody broke a nail, and they’re gonna tell you how to fix it!”
Laughter.
LeeAnne Locken and Ron Corning limboing
After the introduction of the celebs ended at 12:45, the first “challenge” took place on the stage in the middle of the ballroom — the Community Trust Bank limbo with Shay Geyer underdoing it baby style. Next up was the Community Trust Bank lip-sync challenge. Despite local songbird Liz Mikel being the first one up to croon, Ron said, “Here’s what I have to say about the lip-sync challenge: It’s a good thing it’s for a good cause!”
Then “The Dougie” hip-hop dance was on the program, with Co-Chair Stacy trying her best to rise to the occasion despite a bad hip.
Pink-boa ladies
But all the action wasn’t on stage. The tables were rocking and rolling, with one group being decked out in pink feathered boas and masks. Across the way, one table had a guest who was into her third glass of wine.
At 1 p.m., Family Gateway Executive Director Rob Alperts told how there were 5,000 homeless children in Dallas. He recalled how Annette Strauss started this group 27 years ago and thanked all who had supported it through the years.
Lisa Garza
Then cooking princess Lisa Garza, who had been reviewing her notes backstage, took to the main stage. She read Bible verses and told how “we do not choose our circumstances. My circumstances led me to be homeless.” Growing up Baptist in an abusive Christian home, she told how her dad was bipolar, her mother detached and working all the time. As a result, Lisa took care of the other kids in the family when she was just 7. At 14, Lisa was sexually assaulted by a schoolmate; at 18 she was into drugs, alcohol and sex; at 19 she was homeless, deciding that the “unknown was better than living in an abusive hell.” It was at that point that she lived on sofas, becoming pregnant at 20 with no self-esteem. But thanks to years of therapy, she stopped being a victim, finally, and “decided to pursue my dreams.” Now a frugal businesswoman, she encouraged the audience to “invest in educating the kids, or invest in sending them to prison!” She then added that “someone said I had a 95% chance of not making it. If we can save just one kid, we’ve succeeded. I won, and I have an amazingly happy life. I ask you to dig deeper. We want to raise $100K today. I think we can do more.”
With that, the gal known for her bangs and her cooking received a standing O.
Then it was back to the celebrity shenanigans. At one point the envelope was pushed. At least two females who were old enough to be Miley Cyrus’s mamas took to the stage to “twerk,” sorta. While some thought it was uproarious, other guests blanched that the controversial style of dancing was going too far. As one person put it, “There’s a reason why ‘twerk’ rhymes with ‘jerk’.” After one table complained, the activities returned to a more PG-rated level.
All of which brings us back to Annette Strauss. What would that classy, civic-minded lady have thought of such antics?