Oh, what a night! 

This was truly the biggest and best Texas Tough gala we've ever held.  I hope you didn't miss it!  Wow! 

Our guests had so much fun with the photo ops created by my husband Fred and daughter Lizzy.

Of course, Kari Lake did a fantastic job, as did Rick Green our MC.  When Kari started speaking, I immediately texted my friend Jonathan Stickland, "Wow!  She's the real deal!"  It takes a lot to impress me, but she sure did.

When I got up to speak, y'all gave me a standing ovation!  I was blown away, but then I warned you, "I'm about to ask you for money.  You might want to reconsider this warm welcome!"  Ha ha!  I gave a review of all TTP has accomplished and then asked for folks to donate generously.  Y'all responded very well!  Thank you!  For those who have not had a chance to donate yet, please do so here.  Thank you!

Every guest received a free copy of a biography on Rush Limbaugh.  His brother David actually reached out and asked if he could share them with us, and then he sent us 600 autographed books!

After dinner, we enjoyed a live band and dancing.  I wish we had more time for that.  Just as the crowd was getting warmed up, it was time to end it!

Of course we finished the party as we always do when we're celebrating Texas Independence... with fireworks and by shooting off the Twin Sister cannons!  This year Fred rigged 'em up so that you could see the fire blast!

Here's a link to the candid pics that photographer Ellen Lumpkin of Chapter 2 Photography volunteered to take and has offered as downloads free of charge!  They are so fun!  Everyone looked just gorgeous.  I made some personal commentary on my own pics via my Facebook page if you'd like to check that out.

If you took VIP pics with Kari Lake, those will be emailed to you directly from the photographer.

Whether you were able to attend our annual gala or not, I want you to know two things.  First, we appreciate having all of you in our lives.  And second, put 2024 on your calendar!  We always strive to make things bigger and better. After all, this is TEXAS!

In celebration,
Julie McCarty, CEO

PS. About that apology...

We were so thrilled to have over 500 people join us for this special event!  We had originally planned for 600, but then the venue told us there wouldn't be room for a dance floor without moving tables out after dinner.  We cut our numbers down because we didn't want to inconvenience anyone.  Much to our surprise, when we arrived at the event, they had no room for us!  There was no dance floor, and even with our reduced numbers, they still had to cram us into smaller tables... some of which were literally directly behind divider walls giving no view of the stage or the speaker at all.  We were horrified.  I had literally stayed up all night a few nights prior (did not go to bed at all) to get the seating just right, and with 3 hours before the event was to start, it all had blown up.  We adjusted things as best we could, but in the end, we knew there were still tables with pretty bad seats, and there was simply no time to fix it properly.  In fact, in the chaos of that last minute scrambling, some who had paid for better seats actually ended up with worse views than others who had only jumped in for discounted tickets at the last minute.  It was so disappointing, and we sure appreciated the grace most of you gave us in an impossible situation.  Only two people brought it up.  One was completely justified in complaining (I would have).  The other only brought it up because she was trying to convince herself it was ok and shouldn't matter.  It did matter! And if 2 people vocalized their disappointment, any business owner knows many others are upset but staying silent. I struggled that night, wondering if I should address it from the stage and just tell folks to move their chairs anywhere they wanted and gather round, or to just let it be and not raise a fuss.  I chose the latter and regret it.  So... my sincere apologies for all those who had an obstructed or non-existent view during the night. The good news is that we are already searching for a bigger and better venue that will fit everyone who wants to attend (plus still allow fireworks and cannons!) next year!  Big thank yous for your understanding! You guys really are the best.