Unless you live under a rock, you know exactly what will be happening in Dallas on Saturday, October 18th. Everyone who is anyone will be dusting off their cowboy boots and putting on their best suede, leather and jeans for the 2014 Cattle Baron’s Ball. Still touted as one of the largest single event fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, the annual ball is a night of auction, fun, entertainment, fashion statements and oh yea, KENNY CHESNEY!
This years ball is co-chaired by two incredible volunteers that I had the privilege of getting to know when I chaired the Cattle Baron’s Ball in 2008. Cindy Stager and Jill Tananbaum are not only co-chairs, they are also good friends (and attorneys). The Cattle Baron’s Ball is made up of 100 women who volunteer to raise the funds and produce the ball. I’m telling you, it’s a full-time job done by incredibly dedicated women determined to help eradicate cancer. Never underestimate the power of gifted volunteers with a common goal.
Want to be a part of their COUNTRY ROCKS shindig? Go to www.cattlebaronsball.com and see if you can squeeze in. They are very near a sell-out! In the meantime, get to know Cindy and Jill a little bit more by reading through our rapid fire questions below.
Hope to see you there on October 18th. I’m polishing my boots! xoxo- Tanya
10 rapid fire questions:
1) How long have you been a member of CBB?
Cindy: Since 2006
Jill: Fall 2006. My first Chair was Gina Betts who has been an incredible mentor throughout my Cattle Baron’s Ball affiliation. Her year was followed by Tanya Foster chairing the Ball, who has been another incredible mentor for me. I’ve learned something from each of the Ball Chairs before Cindy and I chaired the Ball and grateful for the various committee assignments each Chair gave me. I believe I knew a lot about how CBB operates before we became the 2014 Chairs.
2) What do you want people to remember about your CBB Ball/theme/year? What will your legacy be?
Cindy: Our theme Country Rocks captures the spirit of this year. Having made the decision to bring the Ball indoors, we wanted the vibe to be fun and urban with a country twist to show our guests that Cattle Baron’s Ball can thrive in a rain-proof setting. Kenny Chesney, our main stage entertainer, captures the spirit of our theme perfectly! I hope my legacy will be instilling our future chairs with the confidence and vision that change is a good thing for our organization and can enable us to grow and take the Ball to the next level.
Jill: I would like people to remember that we can have a lot of fun while still doing amazing work to raise money for cancer research. We intentionally used our personal stories to help motivate our committee and our donors and made the theme something fun and edgy that didn’t use the word cancer in the theme. I live every day knowing that I survived cancer and didn’t need it in a theme to remind me. I am really proud of our committee this year and the changes we’ve made. Not only did we plan the entire event to be enclosed and protected from the rain for the first time in its 41 year history, but we’ve grown some new partnerships as well. We have a new multi-year spirits sponsor – Bacardi. We have a new wine sponsor, Kobrand and a new soft drink sponsor Coca Cola. We partnered again with Moody Foundation and new this year, Studio Movie Grill, for our Jr. Cattle Baron’s Ball as a movie premier and we have partnered with a Baja Trophy Truck racing team Driven Experiences for the Driven to Fight Cancer campaign which allows us to have a broader reach for our efforts. Along with CBB Committee Member, Jonika Nix, we helped to develop a partnership between the American Cancer Society and Driven Experiences (DE), a professional off-road racing program whose team motto is “Driven To Fight Cancer.” ACS is now sponsoring the DE Baja 1000 Truck running in November 2014. We want and need every mile sponsored by race time. I plan to help ACS and the DE team raise money for cancer research for many years to come. I would love to see Cattle Baron’s to continue to strengthen our existing and new donor relationships and grow new relationships too.
3) What is your fundraising goal? Where does the money go?
Cindy: Our goal is to raise the most money for cancer research possible. The money raised goes to the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research.
Jill: Our public goal for CBB 2014 is to return at least $3.5 million to fund cancer research projects that have been vetted and identified by the American Cancer Society or grants right here in North Texas. We also have some funds designated to assist in transporting patients to and from their treatments as well as to help patients navigate the often scary and confusing cancer treatment process. I believe we will exceed our goal this year, especially if our guests spend big in our legendary live auction and our silent auction. Despite the wise advice from my predecessors, I suspect I will be calling donors up until a few hours before the event. I want to raise a ton of money for cancer research.
4) Raising all of that money is a lot of work. How do you unwind?
Cindy: Baths, reading and family time.
Jill: I workout almost every weekday at Builtco in Uptown. I love to hang with my family and take long walks to catch up with friends. If I can make plans ahead, I will book a massage. Now that school is back in session, my weekends are filled with sports activities — Basketball, Football and Lacrosse.
5) Favorite vacation spot and must-see destinations?
Cindy: My favorite vacation spot is the Four Seasons Hotel in Maui.
Jill: I love beach and party time in Cabo and snow skiing in Colorado, Which is why we have a live auction trip to Cabo and an all-inclusive ski trip to Crested Butte in our raffle this year! When I have more time, I would love to go on Safari with my boys. We have several great Safari trips in our live and silent auction that I have my eye on!
6) Favorite place to grab a bite in Dallas?
Cindy: Neighborhood Services or Shinsei.
Jill: Mesero Miquel, Shinesei and City Cafe to Go
7) What makes Dallas so great?
Cindy: Dallas is one of the most philanthropic cities in the country. Besides its giving spirit, Dallas has amazing restaurants, shopping and arts.
Jill: The people who live here/the community believe in working together to grow Dallas and make it a great place to live, raise and family, work, obtain excellent medical care, and have a rich cultural experience. Our residents are incredibly generous and have opened their wallets to support our efforts to raise money for cancer research. In the 20 years that I’ve lived here, Dallas has grown and evolved so much. Our infrastructure is amazing, not to mention architecturally significant. I am excited to see and experience what the future will bring to Dallas.
8) Text, call or e-mail?
Cindy: Call – I still prefer the person to person contact that comes with having a live conversation.
Jill: It all depends! I communicate with my clients in different ways, based on their preferences. If I need to communicate with my kids and we are not together, I like to talk with them because I cannot understand their one-word text messages!
9) Favorite social media?
Cindy: Besides your Blog, I am a Facebook fan.
Jill: Whatever social media site is promoting Cattle Baron’s Ball 2014! I rely on the pros, like you, to handle social media. I barely have time to read my emails and listen to my voice mails these days….my social media efforts are really lacking on most days.
10) What will you be wearing on October 18th?
Cindy: This is still in the works – my outfit has to go with some amazing silver cowboy boots by Old Gringo. Being Cattle Baron’s Ball, it’s all about the boots!
Jill: Earlier this year, I ordered a custom pair of boots from Old Gringo through Heath at Cowboy Cool. I will probably have something made since I want to wear something special and that no one else could possibly wear to Cattle Baron’s!
Tags: Dallas events
