Color it Mardi Gras
A Vintage Affair fashionably funds research on multiple sclerosis
When the man’s name is Rex — Latin for “king” and the same name of the 142-year-old crewe credited for many of the traditions of Mardi Gras — it’s inevitable that he would be honored at an event bearing touches and colors of the annual New Orleans celebration.
Rex Kyle, philanthropist, businessman and “champion for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,” received kudos at A Vintage Affair for MS, held Sept. 25 at Next Level Events in Little Rock. The event, co-chaired by Cindy Murphy and Rick Fleetwood, was preceded by a VIP reception sponsored by Presqu’ile Wine, a Murphy family winery.
The night’s program, for which KTHV’s Alyse Eady was master of ceremonies, was highlighted by a speech by Melanie Griffey, a freshman at Arkansas State University at Jonesboro. Griffey, whose father has MS, spoke of the nine years she spent helping the society, having raised $30,000 for it by the time of her graduation from Central Arkansas Christian. She also announced an approaching fundraising event she is planning with her sorority sisters.
After a short film about MS, Fleetwood had guests hold up glow sticks — each in a Mardi Gras hue and topped with a fleur-de-lis — to indicate whether they had MS, knew someone with it, or were supporting it. He then introduced Jeanne Andrews, a $25,000 donor to MS research, and called for on-the-spot donations that would add up to match Andrews’ contribution. Those donations amounted to more than $13,000.
Fleetwood went on to present the guest of honor with three gifts: an Arkansas Razorbacks “Hog Hat,” a painting of a special crest for Kyle, and a crystal trophy. Kyle’s thank-yous concluded the program.
The evening also included a live auction of items including a Lake Hamilton retreat, an opportunity to be a “Secret Service special agent for a day,” and round-trip vouchers to anywhere JetBlue Airlines flies. Guests enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvres that included gumbo and jambalaya and, as befitting the title of the event, bid on numerous silent-auction items and participated in a wine pull as well as a wine tasting.
A Vintage Affair garnered more than $86,000, says Tina Ward, strategic philanthropy coordinator for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Arkansas. — Story and photos by
Helaine R. Williams