When we started SweetCharity on August 31, 2009, it was the brainchild of Wick Allison. He reasoned that if there was ever a time when nonprofits needed a little help, it was then. Originally, SweetCharity was just supposed to be a simple little blog. But then it grew with photos and event coverage.

As it grew, so did the demand. The SweetCharity email at times looked like Santa’s mailbox in December.

We were gratified to report goals being met, incredible amounts of money raised, and success story after success story. Guests put up with our photo-stalking. PR people patiently worked with us. Commenters kept us on our toes. You have all been generous with your support and advice.

In return, we hope we provided a “friendly but honest” blog.

Now, seven months later, SweetCharity is closing down its blog neighborhood. It’s not that we don’t love you. And, no one thinks the nonprofits are rolling in money and volunteers. The fact of the matter is that SweetCharity itself was a victim of the economy and failed to locate an angel for its continuation.

But, please don’t stop sending the invitations. Your humble photo-scribe will continue to cover events for D Magazine‘s “D Scene” and FrontBurner, as well as the Park Cities/Preston Hollow People newspapers.

Thank you for helping SweetCharity have a great run. It was our pleasure to have chatted with you. See you later.

Dr. Gail Thomas

Hopefully, someone will congratulate Gail on just being granted honorary membership in the American Institute of Architects. She is just one of six in the country to be selected for the designation. You did know that it’s one of the highest honors that the AIA can bestow on any person outside the profession., didn’t you?

Albert’s 2010 collection showed his appreciation for fabrics and amazing ability to blend classic looks with modern clean lines.

If you’re wondering which ladies will be designated as Dallas’ 10 top fashion leaders, you’ll have to wait until March 21 when it’s announced. Don’t try bribing Luncheon Chair Alison Farrow. She’s sworn to secrecy.

Don’t rush out and order your tickets to the luncheon quite yet. They don’t go on sale until early May.

BTW, if you hadn’t heard the 2010 Crystal Charity Ball beneficiaries include Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, The Family Place, Texas Home Access Fund Inc., and Parkland Foundation.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is making a note of St. Philip’s Saints coach Jack Tierney (pictured), who also participates in the BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas program. The insurance company recently announced that Coach Tierney was one of 20 coaches in the country to receive the Positive Coaching Alliance’s “Double-Goal Coach Award” for his inspiring players to win and to learn “life lessons through sports.”

“Jack wins on the scoreboard, and more importantly, he wins by creating a positive, character-building sports experience for youth athletes,” said Jim Thompson, PCA’s founder/executive director and author of several books on coaching and sports parenting, including the just-released The Power of Double-Goal Coaching. “Ultimately, the youth athletes Jack coaches are the real winners, and as those athletes become tomorrow’s leaders our society as a whole wins.”

BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas is a program that provides a “cross-cultural exchange between inner-city youth players and those from more affluent areas.”

According to BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas President/Founder Edie Lycke, who nominated Jack: “He cajoles, encourages, teases (in a positive way), bellows, jokes, prods, kids and anything else he needs to do to get the players to hear what he’s saying and remember it. And what he’s saying is not just about lacrosse but also about values, such as commitment, responsibility, respect and integrity.”

In accepting the award, Cornell University graduate Jack said, “It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Positive Coaching Alliance. Their work in fostering positive behavior on and off the field is inspirational. While the award is, by definition, bestowed upon one person, it represents the collective efforts of the BRIDGE Lacrosse Dallas organization and St. Philip’s school.”

Congratulations to Jack, Liberty, and the kids in the BRIDGE Lacrosse program.

Photo credit: Holt Haynsworth

CBB Chair Kristi Sherill Hoyl (pictured with from the left True North Advisors founders Scott Wood and Mark Gehlbach) revealed Thursday night that this year’s theme will be “Great State Fair.” The headliner for the annual gala will be Alan Jackson with 2008 Academy of Country Music “Best New Male Vocalist” Jack Ingram appearing on the the Live Auction Stage.

The Thursday announcement was made at a party sponsored by True North Advisors in the Legends Room at Cowboys Stadium.

“We are returning to Southfork Ranch where we will have access to several structures and hard surfaces to ensure a great experience for our guests, rain or shine!” said Kristi.

Wonder if they’ll have a Big Texanna instead of Big Tex to greet guests.

What did you expect? A vintage car collection? Silly.

Besides the drop-dead gorgeous spring and summer fashions, ball chair Cynthia Mitchell welcomed the newest members of CCB including Angie Kadesky, Kay Beecherl, and Suzy Giekere (pictured) and

Janie Cooke, Leslie Diers, Rozalyn Colombo, and Alicia Wood (pictured)

The six hardworking and very fortunate beneficiaries for this year’s ball were also revealed including

1. Boys & Girls Clubs,
2. Children’s Medical Center,
3. Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center,
4. Parkland Foundation,
5. Texas Home Access Fund and
6. The Family Place

(Photos by Dana Driensky)

Last Thursday it was announced at a reception that Haynes and Boone will be the museum’s first presenting sponsor of the museum’s Corporate Council, “an advisory board that helps connect local businesses and the community with the museum.”

Photo: Jason Janik

According to the museum’s VP of Development Hal Rose (pictured second from the left with, from the left, Emily Snooks, Sara Vale and Noel Shastid), “Our Corporate Council is comprised of a powerful set of professionals that apply their expertise and connections to further our cause. Haynes and Boone’s support allows us to bring these influential people together and ultimately deliver more STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education opportunities to kids.”

Photo credit: Jason Janik

Speaking of kids, there were a bunch of them at the event. A pre-teen group of Dallas-area kids, XS NRG (pictured), reprised their FIRST LEGO League Competition  robotic performance that won them first place. According to one mom-type who attended the event, “These are the most articulate, sweet, fun kids who just happen to be brilliant to boot. They used words like ‘ultra-capacitor’ and ‘zero-sum’ when describing ‘strategies they considered’ for their various projects.”

The XS-ers had also researched sustainable solutions for reducing jet plane fuel inefficiencies at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and cited their estimated economic-, airline-ticket-price-, and environmental-impact nationwide.

Gee, maybe one of these kiddos could connect our TiVo for us.

How about some factoids about the future museum digs, which will open in late 2012/early 2013? Take a jump and learn some to impress your friends:

• Elevators and wiring will be visible so visitors can see how buildings are made and work.
• All but 20% of the building will be available to the public to see and/or interact with.
• The museum’s rooftops will reclaim rainwater for use in the museum.
• All the water used by the museum except the drinking fountains will come from the rooftop reclaimed water.

Now, don’t you feel so much smarter? Think of all the folks you’ll impress at your next cocktail party.

But let’s not stop there!

Of the 1,151 organizations in the rankings, Komen placed second among the most trusted non-profit organizations in America just behind St. Jude Research Hospital.

“We are enormously humbled to be recognized in this way by the public that we serve,” said Komen founder and CEO, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker. “This validation redoubles our resolve to our promise to end breast cancer through science, education, advocacy and relevant support programs all around the world.”

Harris Interactive Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Justin Greeves said of the top-performing non-profits: “They are working to solve many of society’s most complex and relevant problems in efficient, new, and innovative ways and have achieved personal relevance in many of our lives – that is why they are at the top.”

Congratulations to the thousands of volunteers and staff members who have made Komen a lifesaver.

1. You can’t be afraid of heights.
2. You’ve got to be a guy. Now, ladies, don’t get all huffy. There’s a reason that even NOW would understand.

Here’s the scenario: The Dallas Opera is looking for some stout-hearted men for its upcoming world premiere of Moby-Dick. According to Dallas Opera’s Suzanne “The Voice” Calvin:

“We need men with a slim to medium build, ages 16 and up who are able and willing to climb a truss up to 30 feet in the air without hesitation.  They should have absolutely no fear of heights. No previous opera/theatre experience necessary.

“As the supernumeraries or ‘supers’ (non-speaking, non-singing extras) you would add height to the workings of the ship by appearing in the crow’s nest and other various parts of the ship above the rest of the “Ship’s Crew” throughout the show.”

Ladies, you’ve probably calmed down by now knowing that there weren’t any women on whaling ships in the 1850′s and besides what woman would be crazy enough to climb up in the crow’s nest?

The open casting call  (“just bring yourself, no equipment necessary”) is Tuesday, March 16, between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. at the Karayanis Rehearsal Production Center, 4301 S. Fitzhugh. That’s on the edge of Fair Park off of Gaisford Street. Please park at the back of the building and enter through the back door.

Before you even walked into the Dallas Trade Mart for the Limbs For Life’s “Roaring 20′s” gala Saturday night, you realized that these party guests redefined costume parties and the whole stereotype of helpless amputee. There was no valet parking and almost all the handicapped parking spaces were empty. No, this group needs no help with their vehicles or getting from point A to point B. In other words, leave the morose attitude behind because Limbs For Life can “shake a leg” and have a great laugh doing it.

But that was only the beginning. Upon entering the Mart, you truly felt like you had returned to Prohibition, flappers, and Valentino (as in Rudolph). Let’s face it: Costume parties usually are a bust. Typically, one or two innocents don a homemade outfit and feel foolish all night, while everyone else is in street wear. Nope, not with LFL-ers.

Just to enter LFL’s “speakeasy” with its silent auction action, gaming tables, open bars, and vast dining tables, you had to know the password to get by the two bouncer-type doormen. Did we see a twinkle in their eyes when we messed up the password?

But once inside it was a “real class joint.”  We’re not talking no blind pig .

Chances are you didn’t see LFL ringleader Doug Brooks (pictured) before you heard him. Dressed as a Boston policeman, the Brinker International CEO loudly proved there was nothing wrong with his lungs and he blew his whistle throughout the evening. He hustled around the ballroom greeting everyone as an old friend. When asked about his state-of-the-art, $45,000 bionic leg, he pulled up his pant leg and showed it off with a big old smile. In the world of prosthesis, Doug’s leg is a Ferrari. It can do practically everything except cook Old Timers.

But Doug is the first to admit that he is one of the lucky ones. Without hesitation he’ll tell you about the 7,700 amputees who have been provided prostheses by LFL since its establishment in 1995.  Thanks to the $400,000 raised at the night’s gala, Doug reported that 150 people would receive new arms and legs.

Then before it got too serious, Doug blew his whistle and was off to greet and/or arrest others like Weston “Newsie” Bryan (pictured), who had a Dallas Morning News rolled up in his back pocket.

Luckily, Doug didn’t have to handcuff him, but he headed in another direction blowing his whistle.

Then there were Elizabeth Rivas and Yessenia Garcia (pictured right with Elizabeth), who redefined flappers in their outfits that they found in a vintage costume shop in Plano. Who knew that Plano had anything older than yesterday?

Doug’s son Taylor Brooks in his black and white shirt, white braces and too-cute-to-be-a-gangster attire has attended the annual gala ever since his Dad lost his leg. This time he brought Houstonian fifth-grade teacher Caroline Magruder (pictured with Taylor) in her “sparkly” outfit. When asked if she was a flapper, Taylor chuckled, “She’s flappy.”

Then it was time for the guests to take their seats for dinner. But before that took place a lone man was seen onstage with spotlights focused on him. It was Craig Gavras (pictured), executive director and co-founder of Limbs For Life. Was he going to greet the crowd of 500? He looked so alone and serious on stage with the spotlights bearing down on him. It didn’t fit with the frivolity of the night. He tried to get the crowd’s attention, but they were having too much fun. He tried again and again. Finally he looked down and tried one last time without stopping. The crowd went silent. He told them that years ago he had erred by misleading a few people with a story about being a Dallas police officer and losing his leg at the hands of a mob. This story was not true. However, it took on a life of its own and Craig admitted that he was wrong not to have stopped it. Choking back tears, he apologized to his family, his friends and to the people of Limbs For Life.

Earlier in the evening Doug had admitted that when Dallas Morning News reporter Tanya Eiserer called him just a couple of days before asking about Craig. Doug just thought she was doing a profile perhaps in connection with the gala. Then she asked if Doug knew how Craig had lost his leg. He replied that he didn’t and recommended that she ask Craig herself. She then shared with Doug the story that she had been investigating. Her story broke Saturday morning.

Doug said that he had had an hour-long talk with Craig the afternoon of the gala and had accepted his apology.

So it was for the crowd listening to Craig. They took in his sackcloth address and accepted it with a standing ovation led by Toni Brinker (pictured).

Then Craig left the stage, the spotlights dimmed and dinner was served.

After dinner the parade of merrymaking organizers, with Holly “Flaming Red Flapper” Brooks (pictured) in the lead, strutted down the main aisle with policeman Doug blowing his whistle and hustling them along. Once on stage, he warmed up the crowd with typical Doug Brooks humor. Example: “You have all these illegal activities (here tonight): prostitution, drinking, gambling. Sounds a lot like a Saturday night at Chili’s!”

Then on a more serious note, it was revealed that Limbs For Life would be working with Haiti to help with the multitude of people who lost arms and legs in the recent earthquake.

Interesting fact: When one dies or has their prosthesis replaced, the old prosthesis cannot be “recycled” for use in the U.S. due to health regulations. However, Limbs For Life is able to provide them for use in other countries, making an incredible difference for those in great need.

Then it was on with the show including the keynote speaker motocross racer Chris Ridgway and recognition of adorable Connor Karow.