VolunteerNow has set its Hearts of Texas Luncheon for April 18, 2024, at the Arts District Mansion, with a reception at 11:30 a.m. followed by the luncheon at 12:00 p.m. For 17 years, the centerpiece of this event has been the Lifetime Achievement Award, and this year’s honoree is Randy Bowman, businessman, nonprofit founder and philanthropist. He joins the ranks of notable community leaders such as the late Ruth Altshuler, Lyda Hill, Erle Nye, Roger Staubach and former First Lady Laura Bush.
VolunteerNow will also recognize and honor Community Partners of Dallas with the Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler Award for excellent stewardship of volunteers. Lewisville ISD will receive the Tammy Richards Impact Award for driving greater volunteer impact through their partnership with VOLY.org.
Rachel Currie Triska, VolunteerNow CEO, said, “Every year at Hearts of Texas, we bring together people with BIG hearts doing BIG good in the BIG D and beyond. This year, we look forward to celebrating Randy’s outstanding achievements, and Community Partners of Dallas and Lewisville ISD for the exceptional work they and their volunteers do every day. The event is held in April during National Volunteer Month to highlight the power of volunteerism to create the change we want to see in the world.”
Luncheon Chair Chitra Raman added, “Through a fireside chat led by Gordon Keith of The Ticket, we will hear about Randy Bowman’s legacy and his devotion to his mother, Annie Lois Hunt Bowman, who inspired him to achieve and serve in transformative ways. He is an extraordinary leader and dedicated civic contributor whose service is an inspiration to us all, and we are excited to honor him.”
Randy Bowman: Bowman is known as an innovator in law and business, building successful careers in both, including 17 years as president of the successful logistics company he co-founded. He has served Dallas for decades, including as chair of Parkland Foundation, Employee Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas and Impact Dallas Capital boards. But in philanthropy, he is best known as the founder, CEO and driving force behind AT LAST! – The Urban Boarding Experience (https://atlastboarding.com).
Born into an impoverished family, Bowman possesses a unique understanding and respect for the challenges faced by such families, and an acute belief that stability and home life resources are fundamental to enabling children to learn. On March 7, 2021, his idea manifested in launching AT LAST!, a weekday boarding experience for kids in poverty. Today, AT LAST! ensures that elementary school-aged children from impoverished families have the types of educational resources available to them during the home life portion of the school day that are available to children living in more prosperous households.
Bowman said, “I regard myself as the product of an amazing earthly mother and a grace-yielding Heavenly Father, and I want my work to reflect my unending gratitude to each. I’m honored to be receiving this prestigious award and thankful to VolunteerNow for it. My mother taught me that education is the key to a better life. I seek to honor her and the sacrifices she made to enable me to have this adult life. I do so through AT LAST!, which helps today’s similarly-situated moms access the educational resources necessary to enable their kids to have better adult lives.”
Hearts of Texas Luncheon sponsorships start at $2,500, and tickets are $150. To purchase sponsorships and tickets and for more information, visit https://www.volnow.org/heartsoftexas or contact Rachel Currie Triska at rcurrietriska@volnow.org or call 972.971.3450.
About VolunteerNow: VolunteerNow was founded in 1971 as the Dallas Voluntary Action Center by four visionary leaders – Annette Strauss, Helen Boothman, Mitch Jericho and Jan Sanders – who knew how much the service of volunteers matters to the nonprofit community. Today, VolunteerNow is one of the nation’s largest volunteer centers, widely recognized for our impact in marshalling thousands of volunteers to strengthen more than 4,200 nonprofit organizations. Learn more at https://www.volnow.org.