Founded in 2004 by Ethel Silvergold Zale, the WOMAN TO WOMAN LUNCHEON celebrates the POWER, INFLUENCE and IMPACT of women while providing critical support for
Jewish Family Service’s programs and services.
This event has raised $4,661,994 in support of our continuum of 150 programs and services since 2004.
Your support allows JFS to continue the agency's mission of providing professional, effective and affordable mental health and social services for anyone in need regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or ability to pay.
When people turn to Jewish Family Service for help, they can rely on licensed professionals to make a positive difference in thousands of lives every year in an atmosphere of respect and confidentiality.
History
2004
Susan Dell
Woman to Woman, developed by JFS Lifetime Trustee, Ethel Silvergold Zale, debuts to a sellout crowd in the backyard of a private home. Susan Dell, Co-Founder and CEO of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation served as the inaugural Woman to Woman keynote speaker. This first event had 213 guests in attendance and raised $50,000 for JFS.
2006
Karen Katz
2008
Joy Behar
To welcome the third consecutive sellout crowd, Woman to Woman was held at the Westin Park Central. Almost 1,000 attendees heard from speaker Joy Behar, who was in her first stretch as a The View co-host. Proceeds from this event supported the 3,700 clients utilizing JFS services at that time.
2010
Diane von Furstenberg
Neiman Marcus was billed as the presenting sponsor for the 2010 Woman to Woman Luncheon, featuring legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. The Ballroom at the Westin Galleria was filled with 1,036 guests in the luncheon's fourth year.
2014
Bette Midler
Woman to Woman reached the $1 million mark in 2014 with the legendary Bette Midler. With a record crowd of 1,200+ at the Hyatt Regency, Bette spoke about her incredible career and even surprised guests with an impromptu song.
2018
Dr. Jill Biden
This Luncheon welcomed 1,100 guests at the Hyatt Regency, where Dr. Jill Biden shared important moments in her life as the wife of ‘09-’17 Vice President Joe Biden, a mother and grandmother, a lifelong educator, a proud military mom, and an advocate for many of JFS's services. The event included multiple ways to support the agency including live auction, silent auction, and raffle.
2012
Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin provided a moving and meaningful keynote at the fifth Woman to Woman Luncheon, again held at the Westin Galleria. The program book from this year listed "new" events, like Diaper Shower, the Inclusion Experience and the JFS Foundation, which are now JFS event, programming, and development cornerstones.
2016
Goldie Hawn
In our biggest Woman to Woman to-date, the luncheon welcomed over 1,300 guests, and again crossed the $1 million mark. Hollywood icon Goldie Hawn shared her childhood and secrets to happiness. For the first time, the Luncheon featured a hugely popular silent auction in addition to our standard raffle.
2020
Woman to Woman goes virtual
For our 9th Woman to Woman Luncheon, we were excited to have actress Julianna Margolies join us as our keynote speaker. But in March 2020, like the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic derailed our plans and Woman to Woman went fully virtual. In just six weeks, during full stay-at-home orders, we successfully recorded our first-ever agency “home video” with the help of community members and local celebrities, organized a donor matching campaign, and created a thoughtful program. We were so grateful to have the support of our community who help us raise much-needed funds to support our clients through unprecedented times.
The Woman to Woman Luncheon moves to the Dallas Arboretum to accommodate a larger audience.The second year doubled, with over 400 guests in attendance, while proceeds tripled. President and CEO of Neiman Marcus Karen Katz was the keynote speaker, with a special introduction from Jerrie Smith, the daughter of Neiman Marcus founder, Stanley Marcus.
2022
Helen Hunt & 10th Anniversary Celebration
This year’s Woman to Woman luncheon marked the 10th biennial celebration of the event. Since the inception of the Woman to Woman Luncheon in 2004, JFS has raised over $5 million and grown from serving 7,400 individuals to more than 39,000 individuals in 2021.
Woman to Woman raised record breaking donations this year, and received more corporate sponsors than ever before. With an increasing demand for effective, accessible, and comprehensive mental health and social services, the money raised from this event is being used to hire additional intake specialists who can meet the needs of the community in order to reduce the waitlist for JFS services.
The Luncheon would not be possible without the tireless efforts of Sustaining Chair, Linda Garner, and Founding Chair, Ethel Zale, as well as our 31 honorary chairs working alongside JFS staff to make this event so successful over the last 20 years.