“I think what we’re all looking for is that broader sense of family, that broader sense that the community’s there to help us all when we find ourselves in need,” says Chris Schwegman. And, for him, his wife, Shelbi, and their three children, this community is Oak Cliff.
It was through his connections in this local community that Chris, a trial lawyer and Managing Partner at Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, that Chris first heard of the Well Community. “The Well has always had a very good ambassador neighbor who managed to get all of our neighborhood friends in the same place at the same time,” Chris explains. That’s how he and Shelbi ended up at their first fundraising party on behalf of the Well.
“My wife and I both obviously loved the mission, but we loved being able to support it along with all of our friends,” he recalls. “What drew me to it was my wife and I were always looking for ways to stay active and be a part of the community, and part of that’s involving ourselves in some way with different nonprofit groups.”
He continues, “The Well has always been a very visible and active participant in our community. And the easiest way to get involved is when your friends ask you to help. … And we’ve had such close friends that have been involved. It’s never been much of an ask to ask us to jump in with them. I’m almost always going to say yes if I support the mission, and the Well is obviously doing such great work in the community. … It’s a perfect match of my love for what it does and my desire to support friends.”
Since that first event, Chris and Shelbi have been constants at the Well Community’s fundraising parties, contributing not only as attendees but in their role as generous sponsors. As Giddy Ghost sponsors for this year’s Monster Mash Halloween Bash on October 26, they’re once again helping the Well make their annual event a smashing—and spooky—success.
Though Chris and Shelbi give to numerous organizations outside of their involvement in special events like Monster Mash, “It’s more fun when you also get to hang out and meet the people that work there, hang out with your friends,” Chris explains. “There’s something magic when people collectively support something as opposed to when it’s just done individually through writing a check. … There’s something that creates a deeper, longer-lasting connection when people do things together. … Oak Cliff has, I feel, in some ways adopted the Well as one of our collective organizations that we all tend to support.”
Chris shares how most attendees at Monster Mash know one another because community ambassadors, like this year’s event chair, Jeremiah Loeffler, put in time and effort to invite people from the neighborhood and get them involved. And, once community members get involved, they often ask others to participate with them, as Chris and Shelbi do. “Shelbi and I always try to invite folks who maybe hadn’t been there before so that they see it’s a lot of fun and they want to go. Then hopefully some of those people later turn into sponsors.”
As Chris shares, these connections bolster relationships both with organizations serving in the community and among community members. “It creates a safety net that we all rely on,” he explains. “The shared connection to the Well deepens and strengthens existing relationships so that we all help each other in other ways. We all know that we’re all there for each other.”
He continues, “That shared support system, that community, I think that all makes us mentally healthier. And that’s a lot of what I think the Well does too. It gives folks this community of people that are like-minded about things. And I think it just collectively helps people be healthier, both physically and mentally.”
Groups like the Well that bind people together are “necessary for a healthy community,” Chris says. “We’re just so lucky that we live in that kind of community. … My suspicion is that the more connected people are, the more they help those local organizations.”
He tells others who are still considering becoming sponsors for Monster Mash, “Every year is more fun than the year before. Help put on a great party, and then it’s a riot of fun every year and you wouldn’t want to miss it. … It’s a fun way to support an organization that creates, I think, a deeper connection.”
Want to join Chris, Shelbi and other members of the Oak Cliff community in connecting at Monster Mash, Halloween Bash? Click here to get your tickets now or explore sponsorship opportunities.