2010 Doing The Most Good Luncheon Sets All-Time Record

Over 1300 guests attended The Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command 2010 Doing The Most Good Luncheon held on Thursday, November 18 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Joyce Fox was the Luncheon Chair. The annual luncheon is believed to be The Salvation Army's largest fundraising luncheon in the world. Funds raised through the luncheon will help meet a variety of human needs in the community.

Carolyn Rathjen, Joyce Fox, Luncheon Chair and Margot Perot

Underwriting Chair, Dr. Bobby Lyle, kept the total funds raised by the luncheon a secret up to the moment he handed President Gerald Turner a sealed envelope. Upon opening the envelope, Dr. Turner announced that the 2010 luncheon had raised a new all-time record.

Lottye Brodsky, Blake Mycoskie, and Dr. Bobby Lyle, Underwriting Chair

Guests also enjoyed the interactive fun of texting a $10 donation to The Salvation Army from their cell phones to increase the amount raised to meet human needs in the local community.

Arlington native and Founder of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoskie, was the featured speaker. "Changing lives start with a single step of putting OTHERS ahead of yourself. TOM's One-for-One business model is a simple promise to match each pair sold with a donated pair to a child in need around the world. It isn't the amount of your gift, but the fact that you are giving to The Salvation Army that will make a difference in your life and the lives of others," Mycoskie stated.

Blake Mycoskie with the Hockaday Girls

Thanks to the generosity of the DFW community, in 2009 The Salvation Army provided assistance to nearly one out of every 50 people in the Dallas Metroplex and returned 86 cents of every dollar donated to services to our community. "It's no secret that times have been tough, but now they're especially tough for those who have no savings to fall back on when they lose their job or when there's an emergency like a sick child who needs medical care," says Major Ward Matthew, The DFW Salvation Army Metroplex Commander. "Our goal is to help make life better for people in difficult circumstances."

Major Ward Matthews, Judy Gibbs, President of the Board, Jim Gibbs and Captain Michelle Matthews

In 2009, The Salvation Army provided:
· Assistance to nearly one in 50 people in the DFW Metroplex
· $448,505 in emergency financial assistance
· 1,085,138 meals to the hungry
· 185,727 nights of care for men, women and children
· 322,924 Christmas gifts given through their Angel Tree Program
· 75 Programs and Services through 19 centers