Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. and that always funny Emmy Award-winning actor Leslie Jordan are practically best friends.
Jordan has been here by popular demand many times, and he will once again provide the entertainment when the Center for Aids Resources, Education and Support hosts its 11th annual "Red Ribbon Gala" on March 8 at Southern Hills Country Club.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation is the presenting sponsor. Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. board member Wiley Parsons is event chairman, and Marshall Noice, a prominent Montana artist, is the honorary chairman. Noice has also graciously donated one of his stunning paintings to the live auction.
The festivities begin with cocktails and a silent auction. The live auction will offer up lavish vacation destinations, wonderful dinners at well-known Tulsa homes, unique antiques, beautiful artwork, and gorgeous jewelry.
"Guests will have the opportunity to bid on auction items ranging from once-in-a-lifetime vacations to Breckenridge, Colo.; Crested Butte, Colo.; Seaside, Fla.; New York City and the private West Indies island of Mustique," Parsons said. "The gala's other outstanding live auction items include original works of art by Patrick Gordon, Wendy Matson, and Marshall Noice; an original piece of jewelry designed by Tulsa's own Susan Sadler; a year's worth of flowers from Toni's Flowers; a hand-beaded bottle by Linda Stevens; three hours of flying time on an Omni Air Transport eight-passenger Learjet; and several delicious dinner options."
Following the auction, Mary Cogan and Grady Nichols will play music for dancing. Last year the event raised more than $300,000 for the United Way agency.
Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. has provided social services for low-income men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS throughout Northeastern Oklahoma since 1991. The organization served more than 500 low-income people last year through its case management and counseling programs and provided life-sustaining services such as food, housing, and prescription assistance.
The 2008 "Red Ribbon Gala" sponsors include: the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Pat Chernicky, F&M Bank & Trust Co., Robert Coffey/Andy Kinslow, Charles Faudree & Jim Steinmeyer, Toni Garner and Nora White, Hillcrest Medical Center, Kinslow Keith & Todd, Blake Loveless, Nameplates, the Orthopedic Center/Greg Holt, Schnake Turnbo Frank PR, Bob Stewart, Dr. John H. Summers, Vidoop, the Williams Family, Kim Smith and Bob Stanley, Patricia Wheeler, Adams Hall Asset Management, Arvest Bank, Patsy Savage, Tom and Stephanie Seymour, T.D. Williamson, Jeffrey Zumwalt and Matthew Force, and Oklahoma Magazine.
Individual tickets and table sponsorships are still available. For more information, visit tulsaworld.com/redribbongala or call Bruce Lewis at (918) 834-4194.
"Many have said to me, 'How can you work in a place where people come because someone has died?' My answer is always, 'People come to the Tristesse Grief Center because someone has lived.'" That's a quote from Judy Totty, program director of the Tristesse Grief Center, and it captures the essence of the center's mission.
The Tristesse Center is named in honor of Tristesse Aimee Gonsalves, who died from cancer in 2000 at the age of 14. She taught all who knew her how to embrace life and death. Her mother, Laura Gonsalves, who founded the center and is a board member, was among those greeting guests at a "Welcome Home" reception hosted by F & M Bank and Trust Co. in its executive dining room.
Supporters and friends had a chance to learn more about the Tristesse Grief Center while enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as well as the music of Steve Liddell. Those in the crowd included other board members, such as Jill Warnock with her husband, Dr. Jim Guerin; Dr. Diane Heaton with her husband, Scott Phillips, and their daughter, Kendall; Erin Donovan; Lisa Roth; Debbie Miller; Linda Sights; Molly Parker; Jennifer Wood; Randy Miller; Alan Aaron; and Leigh Reaves.
Others attending included: Mary Ann Lewis, John Reaves, Marilyn and Al Bush, Marilyn Morris, Monica Basu, Gary Betow, Dan and Faith Boudreau, Cindy Cain, Sandy Cardin, Barbara Cargill, U.S. Magistrate Paul Cleary, Ginny Creveling, Barbara Eden and Kip Hull, Toni and Clifford Garrison, Lori Heerlyn, Jim Hodges and Judge Jane Wiseman, Patricia Neel, Judge Dana Rasure, David Roth, and Bob Stewart.
The Tristesse Grief Center is a nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive grief support services for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. The center offers individual bereavement counseling as well as ongoing loss-specific support groups facilitated by professional counselors.
It also recognizes the importance of addressing grief with children who are often denied the opportunity to mourn the loss of a parent, sibling, or friend because their caregivers do not recognize the child's need or are dealing with the loss themselves. Six-week support group sessions for children ages 5-11 and teens ages 12-17 bring those with similar losses together to help them better understand and express their emotions, while their caregivers meet in separate groups to learn how to recognize and address problems their children may be having in dealing with the loss.
The Tristesse Grief Center also offers off-site bereavement training and education for businesses, retirement centers, schools, agencies, churches, and more. You need only to walk in the doors of the beautiful bungalow at 1709 S. Baltimore Ave. to feel the warmth and welcome of home.
For more information, call the Tristesse Grief Center at (918) 587-1200 or email [email protected].
Danna Sue Walker
(918) 581-8342
[email protected]
