ABOUT US !
Helping Hands Event Planning is really a family. The company was founded by Dawn Starostka with the support of her family, but the company has grown when we find the right people who fit our attitude of "do a professional job and love doing it."
Our family is:
Dawn Starostka, Owner
Dawn Starostka is an El Paso native who left the desert for a while, but was drawn back to the open skies and friendly people. Dawn spent many of her years away in the Washington, DC area as Development Director for a pharmacy association and then a private school, where event planning fell in with all the other duties of managing a fundraising program. She planned galas and golf tournaments, conferences and auctions, along with many other types of events. She has planned events from across country on very tight budgets and with great success. Upon moving to Las Cruces, Ms. Starostka saw a need for professional event planning services and has filled that niche with professionally run, well-organized events primarily in Las Cruces, but increasingly in El Paso and Albuquerque.
Dawn brings the organizational as well as strict financial management skills to the team, along with the vision for where the company is going. She loves Las Cruces and loves being involved with creating fun events that celebrate the community. She is the lead on all large, public events and festivals, while overseeing all of the projects and supervising everyone.
Email Dawn
Stephany Trego, Event Manager
Stephany is a 2009 graduate of New Mexico State University with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and marketing. Stephany has interned with the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau and owns her own company, Designs That Glitter, further utilizing her creative skills. Stephany brings her outstanding communication and writing skills to the operation, along with a keen sense of design and visual acuity as evidenced in the website designs for several of our events. Stephany manages the Hatch Chile Festival and the La Casa Girls Night Out, which she took from a fun concept to an amazing, talked-about signature event, and is heavily involved in the planning and execution of all of our events.
Email Stephany
Kathy Trujillo Lawitz, Sponsorship Coordinator
Kathy is a career journalist, most recently with the Los Angeles Times, and web/graphic designer whose passions are art and fund-raising. The New Mexico native co-founded and co-chaired both "For the HeART of Animals" fund-raisers in 2008 and 2009 at the Farm & Ranch Museum. She helps pair sponsors with the Helping Hands events that best fit their wants and needs.
Email Kathy
Heather Barry Kurtz, Office Assistant
Heather is a student at NMSU and will graduate with her degree in Information Systems in 2011, and recently wed in Tivoli, Italy just outside Rome. Heather worked with the local newspaper for a few years and also did some freelance marketing for some local businesses. She just got her “feet wet” with HHEP by assisting with the SNM Wine Festival as the vendor manager/assistant event director and really enjoyed it; the hard work was well worth seeing the festival come together and be so successful. Heather is a bit of a Jane-of-all-trades for HHEP including database management, vendor application processing, and whatever else we need her to do! She really enjoys working with people in the community and is looking forward to all the exciting events coming up!
Lauren Espinoza, Music and Entertainment Coordinator
Lauren is a student at New Mexico State University with a strong music background on the performance as well as management side. Lauren is in charge of researching and vetting all possible performers and entertainers for all of our events. She is the go to person for contracts and onsite management of the entertainment portion of all of our events.
Internship positions are available from time to time. Email Dawn for more information.
Our Secondary Team
Our secondary team, those we pull in on events has needed and who are always there to help includes a rotating internship position as well as:
John Starostka
Photographer, banner hanger, registrar, schlepper, and supportive husband extraordinaire.
Renata Starostka
Labeler and stamper, assistant decorator, increasingly talented graphic designer and word document creator, and wonderful, supportive daughter.
Diane McMellen
Event babysitter, receptionist, database maintenance, promoter, and proud Mama.