Alley’s House will host its fourth annual Creating New Futures luncheon on Friday, Oct 21 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Magnolia Park Cities Hotel. The luncheon will feature keynote speaker Lucille O’Neal, author and mother of Shaquille O’Neal. Lucille O’Neal may be the mother of one of greatest athletes of all time, but Lucille O’Neal is much more than Shaquille O’Neal’s mom. Acquainted early in life with turmoil, O’Neal’s circumstances shaped her perspective, strengthening her resolve to overcome the challenges she would later encounter. She has endured poverty, rejection, abuse, addiction and the illness of a child, yet today her faith and compassion for others is stronger than ever. She shares her life story candidly – and often humorously – in her book Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go as well as in her keynotes. Because she was a teen mother herself at the age of 17, Alley’s House is thrilled to have her share her motivational journey with our supporters and most importantly, our teen moms.
Formed in 1997, Alley’s House is the only organization in the Dallas area that provides a comprehensive array of programs and services for pregnant and parenting teenage mothers (13-21 years old). It is not unusual for a young person with a history of delinquent behavior to make lasting change on behalf of their child that they were unable or unwilling to initiate for their own well-being. Alley’s House exists to fill the service gap for this group through a comprehensive array of programs and wraparound services which support mental health and wellness, workforce readiness, and positive parenting.
Alley’s House offers programs that provide mental, physical, and emotional support to under-served, economically disadvantaged, and at-risk teen mothers to help them create a happy and healthy home environment for themselves and their children. In 2016, we anticipate serving 150 young mothers and their children through counseling, innovative learning, and workforce development through our on-site Pathway program as well as 200 teen parents in outreach programs through the schools and community agencies.
In addition to the keynote speaker Lucille O’Neal, the luncheon will feature jazz diva Effie Burt singing during the silent auction time at the beginning of the luncheon. Alley’s House will award it’s Crusader Award to Fossil and the Volunteer of the Year award to Peggy Pruitt. Sponsors include: Fossil Group, Alston & Bird, Home Health Companions, Dallas Woman’s Forum, PJS Services, Access Analytics, James Alleman, Ariane & Will Perry, Judy Liimatainen, Stacie Cargill, Kirsten James and Ann Garrard, and Yara Imani.
Sponsorships begin at $2,500, tables at $1,200, and individual tickets at $150; all are available for purchase at www.alleyshouse.org or by calling 214-824-8700.
