Girls Inc. of Tarrant County is still buzzing with excitement from their STEM cocktail party, The Red Lab! This event celebrated the organization’s STEM education journey, spotlighting the remarkable growth of the program’s mission to empower young girls. With the community and local female-owned businesses coming together, the Red Lab truly showcased the spirit of collaboration and innovation!    

Right when you walked in, you could see the love and dedication that went into the STEM theme. Every table was thoughtfully decorated with Rubrik’s cubes, Lego flower sets, or fun science glassware that doubled as decor for colored water & flowers. Behind the tables, guests could enjoy different hands-on activities, from playing with robots to watching controlled science experiments! This was a great opportunity for the members of the community to see first-hand how GITC is teaching engineering and other STEM-based lessons in their programs.

As the night continued, guests enjoyed good music provided by DJ Ray, along with charcuterie boards for VIP Cocktail Hour by Artisanal Creations and the option for a tasty dinner provided by The Roux – a business based out of Arlington. They also got to experience mixed cocktails by Haley’s Happy Hour – a female bartending service, who wowed everyone with her bubble gun and rendition of a smoked old fashion. 

As much fun as all of these activities were while the guests mingled, the Red Lab had a main goal for the party: raise funds to directly allocate the ever-growing STEM education at Girls Inc. of Tarrant County. 

During the event, there was a handful of silent auction items that piqued interest, ranging from donations made by local spa businesses, wineries, and teams like The Dallas Stars, and Texas Rangers. The competitive spirit really came alive when it was time for the live auctioneer Luther Davis, from Davis Auctioneers, to begin giving away high-ticket items like vacation getaways to Cancun! 

A memorable moment during the auction was a feature called “Fund the Mission”, where a portion of the live auction allowed attendees to support specific initiatives. For example, the crowd had opportunities to financially help send girls to events or various educational camps or provide equipment for the new media room, where girls will be learning about videography and podcasting at GITC in the future. 

Amber Alexander, GITC Development Director, started with the company in March 2024 and said the idea for the sophisticated soiree was already envisioned. She said it was finally able to come to life thanks to the dynamic teamwork at Girls Inc. of Tarrant County and the support from multiple women-owned businesses, like The Ostreum, who opened their doors and hosted the night. 

“The success of The Red Lab relies heavily on community involvement. Our generous donors play a crucial role in funding our mission to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold.” She continued, “Our event sponsors also significantly contribute by covering venue, entertainment, and catering costs while increasing awareness of our mission in the Tarrant County community. This level of support underscores the importance of community engagement in driving positive change for our girls.” 

Girls Inc. of Tarrant County would like to give a special thank you to every sponsor, vendor, and donor who made this night such a success: 

Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor – Goldman Sachs, VIP Cocktail Hzour Sponsor – Federated Insurance, Dessert Sponsor – Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP, Valet Sponsor – Junior League of Fort Worth

Vendors:

The Roux – caterer, Forget Me Not Pictures – photographer and photo booth sponsor, Haley’s Happy Hour – Bartending Service, Pinky’s Valet – Valet Company, Ostreum – Venue, Ray’s DJ Service – DJ, Davis Auctioneers – Auctioneer – Artisanal Creations – Charcuterie Boards  

Donors:

Portillo’s, Fort Worth – Dallas Stars – Dallas Wings – Urban Air, Southwest Fort Worth – Fort Worth Botanical Gardens – Theatre Arlington – Wild Acres Brewery – Fort Worth Zoo – Charles Schwab Challenge – Alicia Duran, GITC Board Member – Circle Theater – Aimbridge Properties – Hyatt Place TCU – Texas Rangers – Deborah Su, GITC Board Member – UTA Planetarium – Live by Loews – Renaissance Worthington Hotel – The Sanford House – Maurice Paciuis – Del Frisco’s Grille – Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine – Crayola Experience – Perot Museum of Nature and Science – Dallas Symphony Orchestra – Cancun Cards by Unlimited Travel Cancun – Talking Animals Bookstore – Russell Maryland – Signature Dermatology – Top Golf, Fort Worth – Main Event, South Fort Worth – Chicken Salad Chick, Montgomery Plaza – Blue Mesa Grill – Pie Five – Starbucks, Montgomery Plaza – TCU Athletics – National Cowgirl Museum – Jon Bonnell – Anna Alvarado – Stanton & Co. – Enchilada Ole, Fort Worth – Climate Ski & Sports – The Magnolia – B&B Butchers & Restaurant – Yogi’s Deli & Grill – Southwest Airlines – Chicken N Pickle, Grapevine – Kendra Scott – Alpha Midway Dance Studio – Davy Knapp Fine Portraiture