Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1498290
N ormally I leave the NorthPark Ambassadors Dinner with a greater a d m i r a t i o n f o r accomplished speakers. At the podium this evening were Kim Whitman, and the winner of the 31st MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, Zihair Douglas, a fifth grader at Thomas L. Marsalis STEAM Academy. He gave an impassioned speech that touched on many topics — particularly those involving equal rights for all. Bravo. My dear friend Kim Whitman, a current NorthPark Ambassador herself, shared the bios of the other 14 Ambassadors, as well as the charities they support. The 2023 Ambassadors are 15 high-profile individuals (and couples) named by NorthPark Center as part of its mission to support important local nonprofits. This year's Toast the Ambassadors PAPERCITY PROMOTION By Billy Fong. Photography Tamytha Cameron and Afritina Coker. Billy Fong, Lori Jones Myrna & Bob Schlegel David & Andrea Nayfa David Haemisegger & Nancy Nasher Kimberly Schlegel & Justin Whitman John & Lisa Rocchio Isabelle Haemisegger, Meredith Hays Zihair Douglas, Lisa Sherrod Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson Kimberly Schlegel Whitman Angie Kadesky roster: Bela Cooley, Dallas Museum of Art; Angie K a d e s k y , The Crystal Charity Ball; Andrea Cheek and Isabell Novakov Higginbotham, Cattle Baron's Ball; Lindy Berkley, Ronald McDonald House of Dallas; Andrea Nayfa, Children's Health; Abi and Fred Perpall, Two x Two for AIDS and Art; Lori and Jerry Jones Jr., The Salvation Army; Lisa Rocchio, Texas Ballet Theater; Myrna S c h l e g e l , D a l l a s S y m p h o n y Orchestra; Carla Thompson, The Cliburn; Lisa Sherrod, The Family Place; and, of course, Kim Whitman, Children's Cancer Fund. Fred & Abi Perpall It was another beautiful evening at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, which partners with NorthPark on this event. The most endearing moment came when Kim named her mother, Myrna Schlegel. Kim's father, Bob Schlegel, whipped out his iPhone to capture the moment on video. One of the best dressed of the evening had to be Nancy Nasher, who founded the Ambassadors program and looked straight out of an episode of Mad Men in a chic '60s-inspired white Gucci A-line dress with Gucci kitten heels. Others gathered that evening included Jill Cumnock, Jacques Marquis, Vanessa Logan, Dr. Agustín Arteaga, Brent Christopher, Jennifer Arthur, Lisa Runyon, Mimi Crume Sterling, and Christina Cavalier. 34