• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Houston First
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    A Million Reasons to Celebrate

    "Under the Big Top" gala surpasses $1 million in colorful evening

    Shelby Hodge
    Feb 7, 2016 | 11:26 am

    "Under the Big Top" was Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services most successful benefit gala to date with proceeds racing above the milestone $1 million mark.

    The evening began in the foyer of the Westin Galleria Hotel ballroom where a colorful cast of circus characters — jugglers, magicians, stilt walkers and the like — mingled with guests as they bid on a vast array of silent and big board auction items. Adding to the circus theme was the costumed emcee, Courtney Zubowski Haas, who dressed as a ringmaster.

    Taking bows as gala honorees were Karen and Buster Freedman, who received the Spirit of Life Award for their many years of support of Seven Acres and of the greater Houston community. Their close friend and community leader in his own right Marc Shapiro presented the awards while Seven Acres president Gary Swartz thanked participants including Cindy and Dennis Laviage of C&D Scrap Metal who generously donated a Fiat car for the raffle.

    The event was chaired by Sandy and Lucky Burke and Andrea and David Stein with Jeri and Marc Shapiro and Bruce Stein serving as honorary chairs.

    Tapping their toes to the sounds of the Richard Brown Orchestra were Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein, Susan Farb Morris and David Morris, Carole Fawcett and Michael Wiesenthal, Leslie and Malcolm Slatko, Sandy Rubin, Judy Yambra, and Vicky and Michael Richker.

    Esther Freedman, Doug Freedman, Lynn Sembler Dawson.

    Seven Acres gala, Feb. 2016, Esther Freedman, Doug Freedman, Lynn Sembler Dawson
    Photography by Joe Vela
    Esther Freedman, Doug Freedman, Lynn Sembler Dawson.
    fundraisersgalas
    news/society

    most read posts

    Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

    Exclusive: Houston restaurateur brings two new Italian spots to Montrose

    New Mexican restaurant sizzles into Houston's 5 most popular stories

    Party Watch

    Champagne and shells mark bold push to save Texas oyster reefs

    Joel Luks
    Feb 9, 2026 | 11:00 am
    Coastal Preservation and Restoration launch party
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Caroline Craddock, Tommy Garcia Prats, and Andrew Abendshein.

    What: Texas Farm-Raised Gulf Oyster Tasting Celebrating the Launch of Coastal Preservation and Restoration

    Coastal Preservation and Restoration launch party

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Caroline Craddock, Tommy Garcia Prats, and Andrew Abendshein.

    Where: La Griglia

    The Scoop: Shell-ebrating sustainability never tasted so chic. More than 85 guests gathered on La Griglia’s breezy patio to toast the official launch of Coastal Preservation and Restoration (CPR), a new initiative aiming to restore 5,000 acres of Texas’s public oyster reefs by 2050, making it the largest reef restoration effort in the nation.

    The soirée paired bubbly with brininess, as guests slurped freshly shucked Texas farm-raised Gulf oysters from Key Allegro Oyster Co. and Oyster Bros., complemented by elegant accoutrements and a touch of night sparkle.

    John Eads, CPR’s founder and chairman, shared heartfelt remarks about the power of oyster mariculture to safeguard reef systems, bolster local economies, and buffer coastal communities. He was joined by Shellye Arnold, introduced as the organization’s incoming CEO, who brings serious conservation chops from her decade-plus leading Memorial Park Conservancy.

    With organizations like Harte Research Institute, Galveston Bay Foundation, and Coastal Conservation Association Texas in the mix, the evening closed with a toast to the future, one where Texas bays thrive with purpose, oysters, and just the right hint of salinity.

    Who: Mary Eads, Pam and Will Harte, Nancy and Butch Abendshein, Sis Johnson, Daniel and Lucie Arnoldy, Emily Clay, Susan Cooley, Dancie and Jim Ware, David Mincberg and Lainie Gordon, Rob Fondren, Carla Knobloch, Bob Stokes, and Bill King.
    fundraisers
    news/society

    most read posts

    Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

    Exclusive: Houston restaurateur brings two new Italian spots to Montrose

    New Mexican restaurant sizzles into Houston's 5 most popular stories

    Loading...