<\/p>\n
Dallas businessman Dave Clark poses with Miles Dagelewicz, a model at Children’s Cancer Fund’s annual Fashion Show and Gala.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Children’s Cancer Fund<\/p>\n
After returning to Dallas with their multimillion-dollar startup, Dave and Leigh Anne Clark will chair one of North Texas\u2019 most high-profile charity events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The couple, co-founders of AI supply chain management company Auger, have been named chairs of the 37th annual Fashion Show and Gala, put on by Dallas-based Children\u2019s Cancer Fund<\/a> to raise money for childhood cancer. The Clarks will serve in the roles alongside celebrity chairs Troy Aikman and Dak Prescott of Dallas Cowboys fame.<\/p>\n \u201cDave and Leigh Anne Clark know how to move big ideas forward. This year, they\u2019re putting that energy behind Children\u2019s Cancer Fund by serving as co-chairs of the 2027 gala,\u201d said Children\u2019s Cancer Fund CEO Jennifer Arthur. \u201cThey understand, because they\u2019ve been to our event for several years, this night is about much more than a gala. It\u2019s about giving families hope and giving doctors and researchers the resources to change what\u2019s possible for children with cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The gala will take place on April 7, 2027, at the Hilton Anatole, with funds raised going directly to cancer research at Children\u2019s Health and UT Southwestern. Last year, the event raised $4 million, and Arthur said she has \u201cno doubt\u201d this year\u2019s event will surpass that total.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the center of the gala is a fashion show, where pediatric cancer patients walk the runway with someone they want to be when they grow up, including firefighters, police officers, athletes, and more. The gala has more than 100 sponsors including major philanthropists and corporate partners and starts at $10,000 a table for guests.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cKids should be dreaming about what they want to be when they grow up,\u201d Arthur said. \u201cWhen they walk the runway with someone that they want to be when they grow up, that\u2019s what they should be thinking about. They shouldn\u2019t be wondering if they\u2019re going to survive to see high school.\u201d<\/p>\n Dave and Leigh Anne Clark are co-founders of the AI supply chain management startup Auger, based in Dallas.<\/p>\n Children\u2019s Cancer Fund<\/p>\n Dave Clark, a former Amazon executive, and his wife Leigh Anne Clark moved to Seattle in 2024 to start Auger, before moving the company\u2019s headquarters back to Dallas this year, according to\u00a0<\/a>D CEO<\/a>. The AI supply chain management software has raised $150 million and counts Meta, Kimberly-Clark and Fanatics among its customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe are blown away every year by the strength and optimism of these children and their\u00a0families.\u00a0It is an honor to play a role in this year\u2019s event,\u201d they said in a statement. \u201cLast year\u2019s record-breaking support speaks volumes about the generosity of this community\u00a0and the impact Children\u2019s Cancer Fund continues to make.\u00a0We\u2019re honored to build on that momentum and help make this year\u2019s Gala another meaningful\u00a0night for the children and families at the heart of this mission.\u201d<\/p>\n Leading up to the event, Children\u2019s Cancer Fund will host a model reveal for the kids who will walk the runway at NorthPark Center, then a wardrobe fitting sponsored by Dillard\u2019s for kids to choose outfits and do a photoshoot with their families. About 1,200 guests attend the gala alongside 200 kids, including both current cancer patients and survivors.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Children\u2019s Cancer Fund, less than 4% of federal funding for cancer research goes to pediatric cancers. Children\u2019s Health in Dallas treats 1 in 5 children with cancer in Texas, with 650 kids receiving cancer treatment at any one time and 300 kids receiving new cancer diagnoses each year at the medical center.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and former quarterback Troy Aikman pose with participants at Children’s Cancer Fund’s annual Fashion Show and Gala.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Children’s Cancer Fund<\/p>\n Aikman and Prescott have been longtime supporters of the event and Children\u2019s Cancer Fund<\/a>. The charity made a $2.5 million donation earlier this year<\/a> to\u00a0the construction of Moody\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital, a joint venture between Children\u2019s Health and UT Southwestern slated to open by 2031.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhat they\u2019re fighting through every day puts everything into perspective,\u201d Prescott said in a release. \u201cIf we can use our platform to support them, bring more attention to the fight against childhood cancer and help make a difference, that\u2019s what this is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese kids are what keep me coming back year after year,\u201d\u00a0Aikman said. \u201cTheir strength\u00a0is incredible, and I\u2019m proud to continue supporting Children\u2019s Cancer Fund and the work they\u2019re\u00a0doing for children and families across North Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas businessman Dave Clark poses with Miles Dagelewicz, a model at Children’s Cancer Fund’s annual Fashion Show and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[97648,160,162,161,88971],"class_list":["post-447404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-business-health-care","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-tp-science-and-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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