You can learn a lot even if you don’t stay for the party. Friday, I arrived early for the affair benefiting Dell Children’s Surgical Global Outreach at SoundCheck Austin. It was the first of four social stops that evening.
Gina and Estuardo Robles
A blustery breeze teased tents and skirts as guests for the sold-out soiree arrived in twos and threes at the Austin Studios industrial complex. Two stages — positioned between refreshment wells and the silent-auction prizes — waited for musical acts. I focused much of my attention on benefit backers Christina and Louis Messina who brokered the partnership between the Dell Children’s outreach efforts and the Shalom Foundation’s Guatemala Mission.
Armando Zambrano and Bryan Gardner
Christina explained that, while Dell provides the doctors, the Shalom Foundation, put together by Country Music Association CEO Steve Moore — a friend of the Messinas — can supply the infrastructure on the ground in Central America. That way, the good work done by the visiting Austin-based medical outfit comes within a local context and includes follow-up help.
Louis Messina Jr. and Andrea Ponce
I also met the fascinating retired doctor behind the outreach program. Can we say “column material”?