Applause, applause for Vanessa and Eduardo Sanchez, who led Thursday night's Pearl Ball to record proceeds that pushed the total raised in a quarter century of elegant evenings beyond the $4.8 million mark. The couple chaired the 25th anniversary gala benefiting the Good Samaritan Foundation and its mission of supporting nursing education.
Addressing the gathering in the River Oaks Country Club, Good Samaritan board chairman Jason Fertitta announced that, since its founding in 1951, the foundation had provided 15,500 scholarships for nurses. As is tradition with this annual fundraiser, Fertitta kept the program very short — he allowed that he had hoped to limit his comments to 90 seconds. He might have gone a tiny bit over, but few minded as the evening then flowed into a genteel dinner dance.
With that, songbird Yvonne Washington took to the stage and the party began in earnest.
Supporters of the most profitable Pearl Ball in its 25-year history included Susie and Mel Glasscock, Courtney Fertitta, Lilly and Thurmon Andress, Rosemarie and Matt Johnson, Matt Ballesteros, Abigail and Dr. Eric Berkman, Melinda and Dr. Norman Berkman, Joan and Butch Pratka, Nikki and Jason Kunz, Carolyn and Chris Dorros and Nicole and Evan Katz.
