The Dallas Holocaust Museum’s annual Hope for Humanity Dinner on November 8 not only broke all previous dinner attendance records, but the event was the most financially successful ever for the Museum. A record $463,000 was raised.

More than 800 people attended the dinner at the Fairmont Hotel. “The record attendance and financial support is a tribute to the 2009 Hope for Humanity honoree, Bill Lively, and the community he so diligently serves,” said Jim Hogue, president of the Museum’s board of directors.

Bill Lively is president and CEO of the Super Bowl XLV Host Committee and president of the DallasCenter for the Performing Arts' Endowment Trust. 

Honorary chairs of the dinner were Howard Hallam, chairman of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts board; civic leader and philanthropist Caren Prothro; Roger Staubach, businessman and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback; and R. Gerald Turner, president of Southern Methodist University.

Major sponsors include:

Chai underwriters (Life), $18,000:

Alon USA

Pioneer Natural Resources/

Vinson and Elkins LLP/

Fran and Mark Berg

Barbara and Stan Rabin

Silver underwriters, $10,000:

AT&T

Drs. Michelle and Benjamin Bassichis

Brinker International

Funk Family

Fanchon and Howard Hallam

Elizabeth and Thomas Halsey

Ynette and James M. Hogue

Gene and Jerry Jones

    Family Charities

Neiman Marcus

Park Place Motorcars

Sewell Automotive Group

Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation

Helen and Frank Risch

Bronze underwriters, $5,000:

Baylor Health Care

Comerica

Carol and Don Glendenning/

    Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP

Linda and Mitch Hart

Veronique and Hylton Jonas

Mickey and William Lively

Joy and Ronald Mankoff

Elaine and Trevor Pearlman

Robbie and John Raphael

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP/

    Celia and Larry Schoenbrun

The Honorable Florence and

    Howard Shapiro

Harold Simmons Foundation

Marianne and Roger Staubach

Debbie and John C. Tolleson/

    Tolleson Family Foundation

Waldman Bros.

Peggy and Mark Zilbermann

The Museum received many nice letters about the Nov. 8 dinner, including this note from a dinner guest:

“Dear Event Chairs,

Congratulations on an outstanding event to honor Bill Lively last night.  We all go to a lot of these fund raising dinners and often are relieved to finally get the meal and event over with so we can get home.

Not so last night!

The entire evening was just outstanding from the first dance performance (by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre) all the way through to the beautiful violin solo (by 13 year old Rachel Steiner).

It could not have gone any better.  Thanks for a job so well done.”