Spring Fling

Pirates, dueling chefs, and celebrity actors add buccaneer spirit to Children at Risk party

What: Children at Risk Spring Party.

Where: Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH).

The scoop: Many of the 250 guests donned their best pirate costumes and “walked the plank” to raise money for the nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life for children. The MATCH breezeway was transformed into a magical pirate-themed world, with red and white flags, a 6-foot ship's wheel and a 5-foot cannon for the organization's first-ever spring fundraiser.

Main Street Theater, which partnered with Children at Risk for the party, created a exclusive pirate-centered play starring former Mayor Annise Parker, H-E-B Houston president Scott McClelland, KPRC-2 reporter Chip Brewster, and image consultant Andrea Bonner for the occasion.

Notable Houston chefs David Cordúa (Américas), Jean-Philippe Gaston (Izakaya), Teddy Lopez (Killen’s STQ), Alex Padilla (the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation), and Danny Trace (Brennan’s) engaged in a friendly culinary competition. Guests voted Cordúa the Surf & Turf award as the evening's winner.

Former judge Eric Andell kept the bidding going during a live auction, while a photo safari to Zulu Nyala in South Africa was such a big hit that it sold seven times.

Who: Party chairs Heidi Dugan, Jennifer and Lance Gilliam, Kara Greenberg Gross and Adam Gross, Karen and Bill Shields, Suzanne Starley, Rowena and Buddy Steves, and Dr. Hilary Suzawa and Dr. Daniel Lemke were elated that the event brought in more than $225,000.

Also spotted in the crowd were Laura and Steve Jones, Soraya McClelland, Children at Risk CEO Bob Sanborn and Ellen Sanborn, Michelle and Joe Kelly, Tracy Maddox, Crystal and Justin O’Brien, Sara Padua, Houston City Council member Karla Cisneros and Tim Cisneros, Jean Raphael and Bindi Mathuria, Larry Payne, Terrence O'Rourke, and Susan Schneider.

Crystal O'Brien, Justin O'Brien.

$Crystal and Justin O\u2019Brien at Children at Risk$

Roswitha Vogler, Photos by Rovo

Crystal O'Brien, Justin O'Brien.

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Painted with Purpose

21 Houston doctors trade scrubs for canvases at Arts of Healing gala

Photo by Alida Bonifaz

Chita Craft, Bethany Buchanan, and Nora Jarrard.

Turns out, creativity isn’t just for the canvas. It pulses through the hands of healers, too.

Photo by Alida Bonifaz

Chita Craft, Bethany Buchanan, and Nora Jarrard.

That was the spirit of The Arts of Healing Eighth Annual Gala, where physicians traded lab coats for aprons and oils to showcase their artistic prowess at The Post Oak Hotel on November 8.

Guests — close to 500 — were greeted by a floral fantasia courtesy of Blooming Gallery. A grand circular bar anchored the room, while a curated silent auction, wine pull, and an ultra-chic Valobra raffle for a diamond necklace tempted attendees. The centerpiece? Art by 21 physician-artists being honored that evening lining the entire ballroom.

Among the physicians celebrated for their contributions both in hospitals and on canvas were Dr. Shetal Amin, Dr. Deepak Bedi, Dr. Mark Dannenbaum, Dr. Meshann Fitzgerald, Dr. Matthew Goldman, Dr. Brandon Goodwin, Dr. Mollie Gordon, Dr. Maysoon Hamed, Dr. Emily Jamea, Dr. Henry Kuerer,Dr. JP LeFave, Dr. Dean Moore, Dr. Marlene Morales, Dr. Sehar Najamus, Dr. Eric Powitzky, Dr. Terrence Wadley, Dr. Cindy Williams, Dr. Jose Miguel Yamal, Dr. Sarrah Zadeh, and Dr. Isaac Raijman, who, alongside his wife, Lori Raijman, founded the Arts of Healing Foundation.

Co-chaired by Rachel and Warren Ellsworth IV and Natalie and Mark Bordman, the evening marked a fundraising high, collecting more than $560,000 to support The Arts of Healing and its Sunshine Kids Summer Camp collaboration. The initiative brings children facing cancer from across Texas together for creativity, connection, and joy.

A special musical cameo brought the house down when honoree Dr. Jeff Ross took the stage, trumpet in hand, for a guest appearance with Dry Water Band. The dance floor stayed thumping well into the night, a tribute to the spirit of creativity as medicine.

Summoning their inner Picassos were Sarah Collins, Michele and Youval Meicler, Kristen Collins, Betsy and Jimmy Montgomery, Courtney and Zac Harmon, Kristen Cannon, Cathleen Fishel, Stephanie Wilcox, Alexis Rosales, Faith Majors, Bethany Buchanan, Susan and Steve Beatte, Larry Doty, Vanessa and Chuck Ames, Dana Barton and Robert Clay, Rita Shuma, Jennifer Wisler, Dr. Rukmini Rednam, Dr. Victoria Chang, Dr. Danielle Antosh, Katie Tsuru, and Dr. Kathy Nguyen.

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