Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1203912
28 MIDDAY PHILANTHROPY BY BILLY FONG. PHOTOGRAPHY DANIEL DRIENSKY, TAMYTHA CAMERON. W hen trees shed their leaves and the cashmere comes out, charity lunch invitations begin to breeze into my mailbox. (And, yes, I prefer some- thing substantial on a good card stock to Paperless Post.) My first autumn luncheon at Brook Hollow Golf Club supported KidneyTexas' annual Runway Report Luncheon and Fashion Show. Chair Mari Epperson, with honorary chairs Renée Winter and Suzette Derrick, planned an exciting 20th anniversary of the event, which provides funding to combat kidney disease. The catwalk by Tootsies was filled with all the current trends, but none as fierce as leopard prints. Feeling kittenish and coy? Pick up a Moschino feline blouse and purr "Meow" next time I see you. Post fashion show, Dallas Cowboys' greats Michael Downs, Drew "Mr. Hail Mary" Pearson, Timmy Newsome, and Ed "Too Tall" Jones walked on stage, and the crowd went wild. They were there to cheer on another Cowboy, Everson Walls, who received the inaugural Everson Walls Legacy Award, which will annually recognize individuals or corporations dedicated to fighting kidney disease. Seated by the runway: Sue Goodnight, Patricia Cowlishaw, Carol Seay, Billie Leigh Rippey, Doris Jacobs, Dustin Holcomb, and Jay Finegold. The moment I heard that style icon and force of nature Jada Pinkett Smith would give the keynote for a Dallas event, I had two questions: Where is it? What time should I be there? The annual New Friends New Life luncheon at the Omni Dallas Hotel drew a packed house supporting its work on behalf of sexually exploited women and children. The organization is an important cause for Pinkett Smith, who spoke about growing up in Baltimore aware of "wolves on the street" and how the experience led her to produce the documentary Rape for Profit. The staggering statistics — as many as 4 million women and children will be trafficked this year, and most will be forced into the sex trade — had guests hanging on her every word, including Greg Frary, Lael Brodsky, Abi Ferrin, Shelly Slater, Whitney Rowell, and Laura Thompson. LUNCHING WITH KIDNEY TEXAS AND NEW FRIENDS NEW LIFE Everson Walls, Scott Murray at KidneyTexas Mari Epperson at KidneyTexas Joe & Amy Crafton at New Friends New Life Bianca Jackson, Laura Harris at New Friends New Life Dustin Holcomb, Nerissa Von Helpenstill at KidneyTexas Abi Ferrin, Shelly Slater, Christa Sanford at New Friends New Life Mackenzie & Tyler Kleinert Annemarie Graham at New Friends New Life Jan Strimple at KidneyTexas Dennis Moon, Janet Ryan, Wendy Messmann Todd Westerburg at New Friends New Life