Best selling author keynote speaker for luncheon

By Kristi Bare

VolunteerNow announces the 15th annual Hearts of Texas Luncheon, which showcases the importance of volunteerism in the community, on Friday, April 28, at noon at the Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas. 

Celebrating 50 years of transforming lives through volunteers, the luncheon is chaired by Charles Knight and Peter Jacobson, with The Hoglund Family as honorary chair. In honor of the organization’s milestone anniversary, five extraordinary organizations will be recognized with the 2022 VolunteerNow Lifetime Achievement Award:

• Lyda Hill Philanthropies founder Lyda Hill has a passion for volunteering and technology and has used her thought leadership and resources to support VolunteerNow. In addition, she has provided transformational support for the development of VOLY.org, VolunteerNow’s easy-to-use volunteering platform. Most recently, in recognition of VolunteerNow’s 50th anniversary, Lyda Hill Philanthropies awarded the organization a $250,000 challenge grant, which matches dollar-for-dollar all donations directed towards a $500,000 capital campaign through 2023.

• Hillcrest Foundation supported VolunteerNow’s building campaign and was an early investor in the development of VOLY.org, leveraging their knowledge of the nonprofit needs in North Texas to help the organization create and sustain the platform. 

• The Meadows Foundation has supplied property and financial support for the permanent home of VolunteerNow, allowing the organization to focus on supporting nonprofits and volunteers in a great collaborative space.

• JCPenney is the cornerstone donor to VolunteerNow’s three Discount Depot stores in Dallas and Fort Worth. These stores allow the agency to provide needed new clothing and household items at a deeply discounted price to local nonprofits. Profits from Discount Depot also financially support the organization’s mission of volunteerism.

• Texas Instruments has been a staunch proponent of corporate volunteerism for many years, and has provided their top executives as VolunteerNow board members, leveraging their technology and business acumen.

Additionally, the Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler Award for exceptional use of volunteers will be awarded to Equest. The Equest mission — to enhance the quality of life for children and adults with diverse needs by partnering them with horses to bring hope and healing through equine assisted activities and therapies — is one that VolunteerNow greatly admires. 

A luncheon highlight will include keynote speaker Wes Moore, New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur and United States Army combat veteran. Moore will share his remarkable personal story of overcoming adversity through focusing on education, embracing personal responsibility and emerging as an inspirational leader. 

“This year’s Hearts of Texas luncheon will be a wonderful commemoration of VolunteerNow’s five decades of transforming lives through volunteers,” said Tammy Richards, CEO of VolunteerNow. “In addition to hearing Wes Moore’s truly inspirational story, we are extremely honored to recognize five organizations whose unwavering support throughout the last fifty years have ensured our place as one of the largest and most innovative volunteer centers in the country. We hope the community will join us as we salute VolunteerNow’s history and celebrate our exciting future.”

Visit volnow.org/heartsoftexas for ticket information.