Picnic for Progress: Raising Money with Socially Distanced Fun

And thus our Picnic for Progress was born. Held on October 22 in the gorgeous gardens of The Parador at dusk, attendees were greeted by festive tables decked out in red and white checked gingham, set with boxed dinners. We checked everyone’s temperature as they entered and handed out Justice Forward face masks as souvenirs. Once inside the event though, things almost seemed normal. The cool jazz music from Paul English and Friends playing in the background certainly enhanced the atmosphere, as did the wonderful weather. But it was the joy of being outside and socializing with other humans live and in person that made it seem like, well, 2019.

With KPRC’s Khambrel Marshall as our emcee, the program could not have been better. Sporting a low-key Hawaiian shirt, he brought a lot of energy and positivity to the Picnic. Marshall was joined by Traci McMurtry, a Specialty Court graduate whose story was truly one of kind. She mentioned stealing 18 wheelers to support her addiction, and then later buying a dump truck and painting it pink to fund her recovery. The high point of the night was definitely the “Raise Your Card” portion of the program hosted by Justice Forward Board Member Rev. Patrick Miller. He had everyone cry-laughing as he exhorted people to donate so they would go to heaven and asked Laura Helfman and her team at H-E-B to move their mac and cheese back to the deli section. 

We raised over $20,000 during the Picnic, and the total amount raised by the event topped $120,000—an incredible success! Thank you to everyone who attended the Picnic for Progress or who watched the program live on Facebook. We are so grateful for your support of our very important mission.