Jeanie Luskey signed on to raise funds for a hospital, not compete with football playoffs.

All the planning in the world still doesn’t mean you can control the world.

Something I know from experience, and I’m sure others have learned this lesson, too.

Last year I served on the steering committee for a celebration marking my sorority’s centennial at the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner, of course). It was a big darn deal. Most of the women had worked on dozens of similar committees, so these volunteers were pros in the field of gala-throwing. Invitations, underwriting, bands, centerpieces, seating charts and ice sculptures were not foreign turf to this crew.

We met for months, going over every detail for this two-day event. Account balances in the black, RSVPs duly noted, speakers lined up. The highlight was to be a black-tie ball on a Saturday night with a fabulous dinner, fun band and even husbands.

So for a bunch of type-A women, we had it under control…or so we fooled ourselves into thinking.

The football gods aligned the planets so that our beloved Sooners played a big game on national TV.  Kick-off? Exactly the same as the time printed on our oh-so-lovely invitations.

So now as the Dallas Cowboys make a rare Saturday night appearance on national TV in a play-off game with that Philadelphia team, I’m not worried about Jerry’s boys. My concerns are for the Jewel Charity Ball in Fort Worth. That party, an annual event for Cook Children’s Medical Center, has been on the books longer than Tony Romo’s been wearing ball caps backwards.

Jeanie Luskey, president of this year’s ball, probably is wondering what the heck happened to Monday night football.

Jeanie Luskey, 2009 Jewel Charity Ball President

What recession?

This year’s Jewel Charity Ball ignored leading economic indicators, raising in excess of $3.5 million.

Gail Landreth, 2008 president of Jewel Charity Ball Inc., (www.jewelcharity.org) announced at the Feb. 12 annual meeting and celebration that this year’s ball total was $3,544,655.65. Most of the proceeds will be designated for Cook Children’s Medical Center’s uncompensated fund, while portions also will go toward behavioral health and hematology/oncology programs.

The theme for this year’s black-tie gala was “Jewel of the Nile,” with live camels greeting ball guests as they arrived Jan 10th. Decorations included giant obelisks and statues of the Egypitan god Anubis. Eiseman Jewels, NorthPark Dallas provided the jewelry showcased for the evening.

New ball president Jeanie Luskey officially took office Feb. 23, although she already is working toward the 2010 event, having held her board orientation Jan. 20. The next ball is set for Jan. 9, 2010.

The first Jewel Charity Ball was held in 1954 when $9,000 was raised for what was then known as Fort Worth Children’s Hospital. Now the charity ball, held every January in Fort Worth, draws approximately 2,000 guests.

The cumulative amount over the 55 years of the gala’s history now totals more than $45 million.