Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1468547
By Billy Fong. Photography Jonathan Zizzo. EVENING AN I t's always a beautiful evening at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek for the NorthPark Ambassadors dinner, and this go-around (slightly delayed from its original February date) was a wonderful celebration. The 2022 Ambassadors are 15 high-profile individuals and couples who have been named by NorthPark Center as part of its mission to support local nonprofits. Since launching in 2017, it's raised key funding as well as awareness for more than 40 charities in social and health services and the arts. Throughout their tenure, the Ambassadors will host charitable initiatives at the shopping Mecca. I made a beeline upon arriving for the cocktail hour when I saw one of my favorite people: the incredibly talented designer with a massive heart when it comes to charity work, Jan Showers. She is one of this year's Ambassadors, and the organization that she's supporting is Dwell With Dignity. We had a long catch-up, since we realized we hadn't seen each other since Kips Bay Dallas last October. "That long!" we exclaimed in unison. Guests soon moved to the glass-enclosed room adjacent to the patio for the evening's agenda: a beautiful dinner, entertainment from Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Young Musicians program, and news about this year's NorthPark Ambassadors. I'm sure two of the speakers, Kimberly Whitman (an Ambassador whose charity is Children's Health) and Nancy Nasher, would agree the star at the microphone that evening was Tristan Whitfield. He was the first-place winner of the 30th MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, which allows students to research and write a speech reflecting on where our country is when it comes to the "dream" Dr. King referenced in his 1963 speech. Whitman introduced the Ambassadors during her remarks and named the charities they're supporting: Jennifer Dix, Dallas CASA; Susan Farris, Crystal Charity Ball; Nancy Gopez and Kris Johnson, American Cancer Society (the duo have joined forces to co-chair the 2022 Cattle Baron's Ball); Gunjan and Anurag Jain, North Texas Food Bank; Babe Laufenberg, Luke Laufenberg "Fight" Scholarship Fund at the University of Texas El Paso; Dr. Nimesh Patel, who was standing in for his wife, Bina Palnitkar Patel, Methodist Health System Foundation; Janelle Pinnell, Vogel Alcove; Quincy Roberts, Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Amanda Dillard Shufeldt, Children's Cancer Fund; and Michelle and Jason Witten, The Salvation Army. Others gathered for the beautiful evening included Kathleen LaValle, CEO of Dallas CASA; Sanjay Hathiramani, Dolce & Gabbana's VP of marketing; collector (and Janelle Pinnell's husband) Alden Pinnell, Charlie Shufeldt, Trisha Cunningham, Brent Christopher, and Calvert Collins Bratton. WITH ANGEL AMBASSADORS Alden & Janelle Pinnell John & Susan Farris Jennifer Dix, Nancy Gopez Kristen Gibbins, Amanda Dillard Shufeldt & Charlie Shufeldt, Jennifer Arthur Party purse Yeny & Quincy Roberts Michelle & Jason Wien Anurag & Gunjan Jain Sanjay Hathiramani Meredith Hays Babe Laufenberg Justin & Kimberly Whitman Nancy Nasher & David Haemisegger Jan & Jim Showers Paula Acosta, Sandy Hutchison 30