Anita Madden knows how to throw a party. As Lexington's best-known party giver, she has counted among her guests the rich and the famous. Movie stars, authors and politicians have all participated in her well-known events. Actor Dennis Cole is among her longtime friends. Burt Bacharach composed a song for her.
Madden is also known for her business savvy. She has long been involved in her family's Thoroughbred enterprise. More recently, she was part of the project that turned Hamburg into a regional shopping destination. The Lexington Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners honored her as recipient of their prestigious Winner's Circle Award.
Now, Madden has chosen to combine these assets in a unique way that she feels will improve businesses as well as Lexington as a whole. She is honorary host for a 100 dinner party event sponsored by many of the city's best-known businesses. Scheduled for Sept. 20, the event, entitled "Justice for All: a revolutionary evening of dinners and dancing," promises to be a night of entertainment unlike any seen before in the history of Lexington, according to organizers.
On that evening, volunteer dinner hosts around Lexington will open their homes and businesses for 100 private dinner parties. After dinner, diners will converge on the Lexington Center's Bluegrass Ballroom for a night of music and dance. With each dinner party averaging 10 people or more, attendance at the event is expected to exceed 1,000.
The goal is to raise awareness about the importance of promoting fairness, equality and justice, particularly for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LBGT) citizens of Kentucky, and to raise funds for a $1 million dollar "JustFund KY" to support charitable and educational projects. The fund would make annual grants to support equality and fairness and end discrimination of all types.
The Sept. 20 event has sponsorship from numerous Central Kentucky businesses, including Brown-Forman, Applebee's, Fifth Third Bank, Lexmark, National City, Gray Construction, Ale8, QX.Net, LV Harkess, Columbia Gas of Kentucky and the Kentucky American Water Company, among many others.
"In the last 15 years, corporate citizens have really taken the lead in breaking down the barriers of discrimination," said Debra Hensley, one of the founders of JustFund KY and owner of Debra Hensley State Farm Insurance Agency. "For many, it was a dollars-and-cents consideration."
"As a business person, I have clients that often ask me what do I do for the community. I feel like that they want to see what my 'financial conscience' is. I think organizations look at the business side, as well as this is the right thing to do," Hensley said.
Hensley, who served on the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for three terms, notes that she has found numerous corporations in Lexington are engaged in conversation on the topic of fairness. She cites Richard Florida's book, The Creative Class, which emphasizes diversity as a necessary element for business and societal success, as influential in many business circles. Businesses have realized that to have the best people and the best company, discrimination of all types must be eliminated, she said.
"Lexington stands in a very positive light, and I think this speaks well of our community, but it's also good for our business community," said Ernesto Scorsone, also among the founders of JustFund KY. "When communities are branded as hostile to minorities, no matter who that minority is, it really sends a bad signal."
"A lot of folks shy away from coming, or wanting to stay, (in a community) because they don't feel welcome. If you treat this minority poorly, well, maybe you won't treat me well."
Scorsone said he can remember several years ago when Cincinnati had ordinances that were anti-gay. Several businesses asked both him and Hensley to come up to Cincinnati to talk about changing that, because they saw the impact it had on their city and "it wasn't good." The business community led the way in reversing the ordinances because they felt it was a bad omen to be stamped as being inhospitable to minority groups, he said.
Governor Steve Beshear recently appointed Scorsone, who served in the Kentucky General Assembly for 24 years, as circuit court judge.
Scorsone said that Kentucky as a whole has made strides in promoting fairness, and some rulings in the courts have also helped.
"The legislature has enacted a hate crimes bill and other provisions, like the bullying bill to protect kids, all kinds of kids," he said. "These are signals that we are sending as a commonwealth that we want people to be treated fairly. That's a very powerful statement.
It's not only good for Kentuckians - those of us who are living here - but also, I think it helps us bring the kind of folks into the state we want and to help keep good folks here, too.
As somebody who has been in the legislature for a long time, I really value the work of so many folks in our community to end discrimination," Scorsone said. "And if I can help by supporting the efforts to help in those education efforts, that's very important. No stronger statement can be made than for a community to say, 'We embrace everybody in our community,' and that we don't want to shut anybody out. Everybody is important, and we're going to include everybody. That, to me, is the ultimate statement for a community."
JustFund KY, a 501(c)(3), will have an outreach to the entire state, said Hensley, who is president of the fund's board.
"I believe that Lexington is a very tolerant, caring and giving community," Hensley said. "Those of us who have benefited from that have a responsibility to help out other parts of our state to fund these education programs."
As occurred in Cincinnati, businesses often take the lead in promoting fairness programs, Scorsone said.
"I think the business community doesn't have all those trappings and all those entanglements that (we) sometimes find in the political arena," he said. "And they're just looking at it and saying, 'What makes business sense?' It's embracing everybody and using everybody and their potential to make the business work, and I think that's who we are learning from."
"We're a 138-year-old Kentucky company that believes, on many levels, it's the right thing to do," said Rusty Cheuvront, vice president of global community relations for Brown-Forman. "Its good for business and good for the commonwealth to facilitate equality and justice for everybody." Brown-Forman is the title sponsor for this year's event.
"I think it comes down to economic, basic pocketbook issues; providing a level playing field for everyone is what life in America is all about," Cheuvront said. "The corporate world tends to lead in this area, and the public sector follows. We lead by example - and why not?"
National City Bank is also a sponsor for the event and is an active leader in promoting anti-discrimination, according to Billie Dollins, senior vice president of retail. For example, National City has recently started to offer domestic partner benefits, she said.
"Often, people perceive banking as a conservative profession," she said. "But these days people are looking to see if you've stepped up to the plate. National City has done that."
Herb Miller, president of Columbia Gas of Kentucky, said that his company's sponsorship of the upcoming event is in line with the organization's overall charitable giving. "We believe it makes good business sense to recognize all of our customers," he said. "Like with any philanthropic organization, we believe we should recognize every constituency."
"Diversity is one of our core values," said Paula Anderson, director of diversity, recruiting and corporate citizenship for Lexmark, another corporate sponsor for the event. "Part of our commitment to that is trying to support organizations that support that commitment in our community. We believe diversity is important not only for our company, but for our community."
Paul Evans Holbrook, one of the owners of Stella's Deli, said companies have a responsibility to be proactive on this issue.
"I think it is something that ought to be done," he said. "The whole idea of promoting local diversity is sound and part of doing something to promote the social fabric of the community. For many years, I have been part of historic preservation of buildings in Lexington. It seems time to be part of promoting an important part of the social fabric."
Stella's Deli will be hosting one of the 100 dinner parties on September 20. Holbrook said the menu will feature fresh local produce from area farmers.
Kelly Flood and her husband, Neil Chethik, are co-hosting a progressive dinner for 20 that night, along with neighbors Sandy and Chris Canon. Appetizers, dinner and even wine will feature Kentucky Proud or home-grown products, Flood said. But it is JustFund KY that has her excited.
"In terms of my social calendar, this is a highlight," Flood said. "As a straight woman, I feel an abiding call to stand in alliance with LGBT people who offer wonderful lives of creativity and worth, but who are all too often used for political fodder."
"I believe we can make a difference in the monies we raise to educate people," she said. "Some people have just not been well introduced to diversity. Ignorance and intolerance can change when people are presented with the information they need."
Cliff Todd of Waddy, Kentucky, is helping to make certain that those monies are raised. He has pledged to match each dollar donated to JustFund KY, up to $500,000. The Todd challenge must be met within three years.
Following the many dinner parties, participants will converge on the Lexington Center. According to Stuart Hurt, co-chairman of dÈcor with Brandl Skirvin, the ballroom will be decorated according to the event's revolutionary theme. Each of the sponsorship levels will be highlighted, he said. For example, the "I have a dream" level will include an interactive component where participants can write their dreams, both personal and for Lexington. The event will also include a silent auction as well as other activities, Hurt said.
Hurt's employer, The Corman Marketplace, is also sponsoring the event. Hurt, who is retail manager of Corman's, said that the company's sponsorship is part of its program of being supportive of good employees.
As the event's official host, Madden said she is excited not only for the party, but for its message. "It's our responsibility to get the word out to everyone: you will be more successful when you make it fair for everyone," said Madden.
"It's such a grand idea - all the small dinner parties, then ending up with the majestic big party," she said. "The scope of the people who will be attending will be amazing, and they will all want to see what is happening at the end. Me, too."