CORE Hosts Third Annual Founders’ Dinner at AT&T Stadium, Honoring Award Recipients Don Billings of IMI Agency and Publisher of in the Mix magazine, and Rodney Strong Vineyards

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March 25th, 2018

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CORE, a nonprofit granting support to children and families of food and beverage service employees navigating life-altering circumstances, hosted the organization’s third annual Founders’ Dinner at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on November 14, 2017. Hosted by Legends Hospitality, the event honored the generous support of Don Billings of IMI Agency with the Lifetime Support Award, and Rodney Strong Vineyards with the 2017 Support Award for their ongoing contributions, which have helped more than 100 families this year thus far.

CORE’s board of directors, advisory council, COREporate members, staff and featured special guests, including a local Dallas-area family who received support from CORE, gathered together for this annual dinner at AT&T Stadium. The event program included a brief overview of CORE’s success over the past year, introductions of key board members and constituents, and the presentation of the evening’s two Founders’ Dinner Award recipients, Don Billings of IMI Agency and Rodney Strong Vineyards. Event festivities also included a VIP tour of AT&T stadium, courtesy of Legends Hospitality.

Since CORE’s inception in 2004, Don Billings and his team at IMI Agency have supported this organization by giving time and energy as volunteers and ambassadors, as well as donating as COREporate members. Don’s support and passion for CORE has been integral to the organization’s growth, as he has helped spread awareness of the organization far and wide as well as encouraging his staff and network to follow suit. CORE is grateful for his lifetime commitment to our mission of giving back to our own.

In 2017, Rodney Strong Vineyards (RSV) donated over $20,000 to CORE through COREporate memberships, event sponsorships and on-premise promotions. Five of the RSV team members are now CORE ambassadors, providing support at events and promotions around the country. Vice President of National Accounts On-Premise Colleen Brennan serves on CORE’s board of directors and was on hand at the Founders’ Dinner to accept the 2017 Support Award on behalf of her team. CORE was honored to be the guest of RSV at their 2017 national sales meeting, and is grateful for the RSV team’s support through on-premise promotions that partner with local distributors to benefit CORE.

“This annual celebration of our CORE family is something we look forward to all year,” Lauren LaViola, Executive Director at CORE, said. “We come together to share our growth and success from the past year, as well as to inspire continual help for those in need. This year, honoring Don Billings and Rodney Strong Vineyards was extra special – both recipients made a significant impact in the lives of our CORE families, and we can’t thank them enough for their generosity and support. We are also grateful to Legends Hospitality for hosting the CORE Founders’ Dinner for three years running.”

If you are interested in getting involved with CORE, please contact Lauren LaViola at lauren@coregives.org or via phone at 678-689-7938. For more information on CORE or to make personal donations, please visit www.coregives.org.