We were blown away by the dedication and generosity of our volunteers and guests who made this one of the best GRACE Galas yet! Hundreds of you filled the Irving Convention Center ballroom to fund the life-changing programs at GRACE throughout the year. The night began with a special art performance by renowned Christian speed painter Lance Brown, whose mission is to “spread the Gospel with paint.” The colorblind artist spun his abstract painting to reveal a detailed likeness of Jesus’ profile. NBC 5’s four-o’clock Anchor Bianca Castro welcomed the guests as the evening’s Mistress of Ceremonies. Dr. Todd Renner of White’s Chapel United Methodist Church began the evening with an invocation. The team at Alford Media outdid themselves again this year by dressing the stage with dramatic gold and maroon drapery, and setting up laser lights and confetti for the celebration. Auction items were showcased on multiple digital screens

The Angel of GRACE is awarded each year to a person or organization who exemplifies GRACE’s mission of stewardship, compassion and guidance toward self-sufficiency. In past years we have recognized businesses, churches, cities, and individuals for their invaluable service to our community. Berkeys Air Conditioning, Plumbing, & Electrical is a company dedicated not only to outstanding service, but to the improvement of the community by helping those in need. On the business front, Berkeys is well known for their outstanding, fast, and reliable service. Behind the scenes, Berkeys Owner and President, Jamie Wooldridge, goes above and beyond to utilize his resources to help advance the mission of GRACE. Their annual HVAC, plumbing, and electrical maintenance contribution covers recurring costs and potential emergencies at GRACE sites- a costly service for a non-profit organization if not for their generosity. Berkeys has also been a top sponsor for the annual GRACE Gala, with

Many of us have set out to improve the curb appeal of our home to make it seem more welcoming to guests and passersby. For those in our Transitional Housing program, feelings of home eventually fade away or elude them after prolonged violence, despair or crisis. Valspar and the team at CWS Corporate Housing understood the importance of creating a comfortable refuge for our clients by giving a fresh coat of paint to the exterior of the Transition Housing residents’ homes. CWS Corporate Housing donated the manpower, and Valspar donated all of the paint and supplies for the beautification project. Last year CWS Corporate Housing, the 2015 GRACE Volunteer Group of the year, provided new landscaping, plumbing and furnishings to the apartments, going so far as to donate their personal time off and collect a pool of over $3,000 to complete the projects. The transformation of the Transitional Housing grounds

Volunteers are the heartbeat of GRACE, and our Sponsors are foundational in providing food, clothing, shelter and medical care to struggling families in our midst. The GRACE Gala takes hundreds of volunteer hours and visionary investors to ensure vital programming continues throughout the year. We’d like to recognize business partners, volunteers and Gala Committee members who are truly instrumental in furthering the GRACE Mission: 2016 GRACE Gala Committee Members Gala Co-Chairs Andy Cunningham Ashley Cunningham Raffle Chair Stephanie Hays Sponsorship Chairs Kevin Chase Stacey Chase Auction Co-Chairs Melissa Pritchett Anna Sheehan Jesika Cook Traci Coy Ana Erwin Carol Hartvigsen Sheila Moyer Tiffany O’Malley Bree Vopelak Title Sponsor The Thompson Group at Classic Chevrolet Platinum Plus Berkeys Air Conditioning, Plumbing, Electrical North Texas Specialty Physicians Feature Sponsors Accenture BNSF Railway EY HCL Technologies Salesforce SAP America, Inc. The Hartnett Group World Wide Technology & EMC Gold Sponsors KPMG EFH, TXU Energy

Celebrate the holidays with GRACE and help us collect toys for families in need this season. The community is encouraged to attend GRACE’s annual Christmas Cottage Open House, a special evening when families and businesses have the opportunity to donate new, unwrapped toys to make the holiday season special for children in need. Thanks to the generosity of the City of Grapevine and sponsor Park Place Lexus in Grapevine, GRACE is able to utilize the same Christmas Cottage site for its third consecutive year at 815 S Main Street off Dallas in Grapevine. The Open House will be held on Wednesday, November 30. Guests are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped gifts to children and families in need. This is an ideal holiday event for your family, church, civic group or business to attend. Refreshments and Christmas cheer will be provided! Holiday goodies will be served for the children at 4:00

Celebrate the holidays with GRACE and help us collect toys for families in need this season. You are cordially invited to attend the Christmas Cottage Open House on Wednesday, November 30 at 815 S. Main Street in Grapevine. This is an ideal holiday event for your family, church, civic group or business to attend. Refreshments and Christmas cheer will be provided! Holiday goodies will be served for the children at 4:00 p.m., with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped gifts to children and families in need. Click here to download a list of toy ideas and volunteer information.   PARKING INFORMATION There is free parking behind the cottage off of Dallas. There is a lot across from the police station on Dallas as well and they are also allowed to park in the parking at Grapevine vintage Railroad. For those who haven’t experienced the magic

Many First Financial Bank employees spent their Columbus Day “day off” beautifying the Grapevine Housing grounds, where many of our local Friends & Family seniors reside. The group came prepared with brooms, rakes, clippers and trash bags to tend to the yards that had become too overbearing for our seniors, motivated by the truth that not only does the work instill pride in the senior’s property, it makes them feel good inside as well. After the weed eating, gutter cleaning, branch trimming, and porch sweeping came to an end, a table of fall craft projects was waiting for both parties. The crafts were taken to many home-bound seniors to give them a reason to smile this season. The men tackled the barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs to share with the seniors to celebrate a new season of fellowship, service and thanksgiving. To the volunteers who show God’s love to our

We are grateful to our partner, Accenture as the Live Auction Feature Sponsor of the GRACE Gala. The Live Auction is the lively portion the evening that delights, beckons and even creates some healthy competition around winning experiences like nothing else you’ve seen. We can’t give it all away, but our Auction Committee has been hard at work to give you the most luxurious, unforgettable experiences that are the best of Paris, Opryland, Argentina and the Rockies. There’s also something special for every art, music and sports fan, and we’re just getting started! Feature Sponsors like Accenture underwrite the program services that sustain and uplift families seeking haven at GRACE. The global, Fortune 500 consulting company essentially molds operating models to elevate performance through innovative business, technology and operations strategy. As GRACE’s largest fund raising event of the year, the revenue from the Gala provides foundational support to further the GRACE mission.