Georgia and Marc Lyons to Receive Catholic Foundation Award
Georgia and Marc Lyons were selected as the 41st annual recipients of The Catholic Foundation Award.
On Feb. 10, 2024, the Lyons will be honored during The Catholic Foundation Award Dinner at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Jane and Don Hanratty, recipients of the 2017 Catholic Foundation Award, will serve as the 2024 Award Dinner committee chairs.
The Lyons, married 51 years, parents of two children, and All Saints Catholic Church members since 1985, are being recognized for their decades of leadership and engagement in numerous diocesan and parish-based initiatives.
For more than four decades, The Catholic Foundation Award has recognized an individual, couple or family for their distinguished service and support to further the religious, charitable and educational needs throughout the local Catholic community.
“Georgia and Marc beautifully model how laity in the Catholic Church can make a significant impact in the way churches, diocesan schools and nonprofit organizations grow and place heightened attention in critical areas of need,” says Matt Kramer, president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation. “Raised with a strong moral compass, Georgia and Marc place their Catholic faith at the center of all they do as volunteers and leaders to promote Christian values and support Catholic education.”
The Lyons met in college as Georgia earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., just south of her hometown of Plaquemine. Marc, born in Crowley, La., attended Midland High School in West Texas, then earned a bachelor’s degree in quantitative management while lettering on the Nicholls State golf team. The two met on a Friday night blind date during their freshman year and married in 1972.
Together, in Dallas, the Lyons coordinated a couples Bible study group that later served meals to the homeless at The Bridge for more than 12 years. They also co-chaired the Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament, The Catholic Foundation Award Dinner Committee, the Catholic Pro-Life Community dinner, the Symphony of Chefs dinner for KidLinks, the Spes Gregis Dinner for Holy Trinity Seminary, the Texas Irish American Cup Challenge for the Ireland Funds and the Our Lady of Perpetual Help School Gala.
They have also supported Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, The Jethsuby Scholarship Fund of The Catholic Foundation, The Halo Initiative Scholarship, Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), ACE Scholarships and the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land University Scholarship.
They are contributors to Holy Trinity Seminary, Catholic Charities Dallas, CatholicPro-Life Committee, Heroic Media, In My Shoes, Young Catholic Professionals, Society of St. Vincent de Paul North Texas, the Institute for Homiletics at The University of Dallas, the Catholic Extension and other charities.
Table and individual reservations for the 2024 Catholic Foundation Award Dinner can be purchased later this year. Visit www.catholicfoundation.com, call 972-661-9792 or email adalise@catholicfoundation.com for more information.
