A month out from the main event, patrons and members of first lady Susan Hutchinson's inner circle converged on the Governor's Mansion to raise a glass to this Woman of Inspiration and, yes, some money for her chief charity project, the state's Children's Advocacy Centers.
The first Woman of Inspiration luncheon will take place Oct. 23 at the Marriott hotel in downtown Little Rock. There will be a silent auction and VIP reception just before the 11:30 a.m. commencement.
The Patron Party on Sept. 16 was presented by Baldwin Shell and featured remarks by KTHV-TV, Channel 11, anchor Dawn Scott; Scott Copas, Baldwin Shell president; former state Sen. Percy Malone; and the governor and first lady.
Children's Advocacy Centers (sometimes called Child Safety Centers) are havens for children and teenagers in the immediate hours following reported physical or sexual abuse. These centers work with police detectives, forensic nurses, case workers and therapists. Without them, the children may have to wait in emergency rooms, police stations or shelters.
The live auction featured diamond jewelry from Sissy's Log Cabin, a painting, two events, and dinner for 10 inside the mansion's dining room with the governor and first lady that went to Malone for $10,000. In total, the auction raised $32,000.
"There are children today who don't know that there's help on the way; you are the help on the way. I can't go to every center and hug these children," the first lady said, but she and everyone in the room can support "the people who hug them for us."
High Profile on 09/27/2015