The Magdalen House, a nonprofit organization helping individuals achieve sobriety and sustain recovery from alcoholism at no cost and based on 12-Step spiritual principles, held the annual Leave a Legacy “Live Loud and Free” community concert on October 19 at The Empire Room. Those in attendance were treated to life-changing stories of recovered alcoholics from the community and live entertainment by Morgan Wade. Guests were able to bid on incredible auction items — all while celebrating the freedom of recovery and raising awareness and much-needed funds to help D/FW women and men achieve alcoholism recovery.

“Leave a Legacy is our biggest and most exciting event of the year,” says Lisa Kroencke, CEO of The Magdalen House. “It is a celebration that highlights the powerful stories of alcoholic women and men in our community, while also celebrating the freedom that comes with recovery. Attendees were left feeling inspired and motivated to help make a lasting impact for alcoholic women and men in our community and beyond. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters all funds raised from this event help us continue to provide no-cost services to alcoholic individuals.” 

This year’s event was co-chaired by JoAnne Moore, Nancy Gottsacker and Melissa Utley. The David M. Crowley Foundation was recognized as the honorary supporter at this year’s event for the foundation’s integral role in advancing the mission and realizing the vision of The Magdalen House. Created in 1990 by David Crowley and Sandra Hallmark, the foundation is committed to addressing the social needs of the D/FW community. The David M. Crowley Foundation has chosen The Magdalen House to be a designated organization and as such has offered many generous grants to support the organization’s mission. Financial support from the foundation has helped launch the Legacy of Hope Capital Campaign, which helped build their new facility that opened in 2021.

One in nine adults suffer from the disease of alcoholism. Today, there are over 250,000 alcoholic women in D/FW alone and approximately 400,000 men struggling with this disease in D/FW. If you’re a person who can’t stop drinking or a concerned loved one of an alcoholic, the first step in recovery is education and access to resources. In North Texas, The Magdalen House is not only a leader in education about alcoholism but also provides in-house services, group meetings, structured programs, family support groups, and tools designed to help grow and sustain recovery. Fundraising events like Leave a Legacy help to ensure that The Magdalen House can continue providing no-cost services to alcoholic individuals.