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    Shelby About Town

    In the party fast lane, Houstonians kicked up their heels and raised a ton for worthy causes

    shelby hodge
    May 25, 2010 | 1:03 am
    News_Shelby_Be the Ball_Jan 10
    Pepper Paratore, left, Martha Finger and Michael Landrum joined the Glasstire and Fresh Arts Coalition fundraiser at Hermann Park Golf Center.
    Photo by Anthony Rathbun

    It's been one heck of a ride on the social scene since the clock struck midnight at the start of 2010. For Houstonians in the mood to play, the options have been endless and almost ridiculously varied. From waltzing in white-tie-and-tails across the dance floor in Wortham Theater Center to counting tattoos and body piercings at Spacetaker's Apocalypto "gala," there truly has been something for everyone.

    The winter/spring party season ramped up with unexpected energy the first half of the year and then, as is tradition, it came to a screeching halt last week, as if the party bus had just gone over a cliff. This welcome breather between seasons gives us a chance to look back and ruminate on the spectacle of Houston charitable fundraising January through May.

    If one thing marked the realm of fancy frocks and black-ties, it was individual generosity — an unprecedented spurt of seven-figure giving. While there have been major donations well into the millions by individuals throughout the years, this is the first that we recall in which specific gifts were made by individuals in association with specific galas.

    Oilman Oscar Wyatt was first out of the shoot last month with a $1 million gift to Houston Grand Opera in honor of his wife, Lynn Wyatt, the opera's "Yellow Rose Ball" honoree. Two weeks later, trial lawyer Joe Jamail gifted Rice University's Baker Institute with $1 million in honor of his pal, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, ata black-tie benefit celebrating Baker's 80th birthday.

    And, finally, oilman George Mitchell chose the UTHealth inaugural awards dinner, "A Celebration of Transformation and Hope," to announce a $1.5 million matching gift to the University of Texas Health Science Center to create an Alzheimer's research center. (His wife, Cynthia Woods Mitchell, died earlier in the year from Alzheimer's.)

    Hey, big spender

    Probably the most exciting evenings in terms of fundraising and individual giving came earlier this month when a bidding war for a George Rodrigue "Blue Dog" painting resulted in a $180,000 windfall for Friends for Life, the no-kill animal shelter. The bidding began at an impressive $20,000 and quickly escalated as Don Sanders and David Sutherland-Yoest competed for the work. Guests in the River Oaks Country Club ballroom went wild as the numbers rose and rose until Sutherland-Yoest made the final bid and then caused an even greater stir when he presented the painting to Sanders.

    Sanders and his wife, Chris, had underwritten all expenses of the benefit so the non-profit went home with more than $600,000.

    Hats rule

    Another trend that cannot be denied — one that Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue both adore — is the penchant for luncheon hat, and even the occasional cocktail hat. We saw scores of luncheon hats this season starting with the United Cerebral Palsy "Hats Off to Mothers" benefit, continuing with the Hermann Park Conservancy's "Hats in the Park" event and on through the various Kentucky Derby Parties.

    For evening, Lynn Wyatt stepped out at the Houston Ballet ball in a cocktail hat. She opened the doors and others followed through the spring

    And we love it that the gents are just as likely to get into the act as the ladies. Consider the number of snazzy hats worn by a dozen or so men at the "Hats in the Park" event.

    Special nights

    The season launched with a major party bang thanks to Judy and Glenn Smith, who rang in the New Year with a whopping blowout at the Hilton Americas-Houston. Their private party for hundreds of friends began with a two-hour musical blitz from New York show band Starlight Experience and continued with Franki Valli and the Four Seasons crooning all the way to midnight. Once the mylar confetti had cleared, a curtain at the end of the ballroom opened to reveal the Eagles, who performed a 90-minute concert for the stunned crowd.

    On a different note, for the 200 guests ponying up the big bucks to attend the UNICEF black-tie dinner at the home of John and Becca Cason Thrash, it was an evening of high glamour and serious fundraising. By night's end and with the help of UNICEF celeb ambassador Lucy Liu, $750,000 was raised. Not bad for a little dinner held in a private home where profusions of candles and flowers and designer-clad fashionistas created a lavish tableau of Houston riches.

    Destination unexpected

    Charity benefits raised serious dollars in every venue imaginable from the veddy civilized Buffalo Bayou Partnership dinner held in a swell party tent erected on the Sabine Street Bridge to the irreverent "Be the Ball" party that Glasstire and Fresh Arts Coalition held at the Hermann Park Golf Center.

    While museums typically play host to fundraising events, this year, libraries entered the fray. The Houston Public Library's historic Julia Ideson Building was scene to a "Hard Hat Tea," attended by both Mayor Annise Parker and Barbara Bush. Earlier this month, the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Studies hosted the Houston Library Foundation's third annual "Party in the Stacks," although this Sunday afternoon fundraiser took place on the grounds of the recently-refurbished library.

    And let's not forget the recent Alley Theatre gala held two weeks ago in the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Hobby Airport, the perfect venue for the "Jet Setters Ball."

    The Houston Polo Club, the Houston Zoo, the Orange Show, Tootsies, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saint Arnold Brewery, the St. Thomas High School baseball field, even Tilman Fertitta's backyard — all have served as the setting for serious fundraising efforts.

    In fact, in my personal calendar I counted 188 charity events that took place all across the city from January through May and that does not include the myriad kickoff parties, underwriter dinners and the like and it doesn't include a slew of charities that were slow to discover the CultureMap e-mail address. We can hardly wait to join the party fray in the fall and we anticipate even more events on our dance card in the years to come.

    But pardon me in the meantime, I'm taking off those party shoes and putting my aching feet up for a while.

    This George Rodrigue painting brought in $180,000 in a Friends for Life live auction.

    News_Shelby_Tuesday05_18
      
    Photo by Jenny Antill
    This George Rodrigue painting brought in $180,000 in a Friends for Life live auction.
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    Butterfly Magic

    Colorful Houston gala lifts spirits and $2.5 Million for diabetes cure

    Joel Luks
    May 2, 2025 | 9:00 am
    Breakthrough T1D Promise Ball 2025
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Jeff and Brooke Gunst; Wellesley and Geoff Fraser.

    With the spirit of spring in full bloom, philanthropists at Breakthrough T1D's Annual Promise Ball unfurled their social wings for an evening of butterfly wonder. Held at Hilton Americas-Houston, the "Mariposa: Spread Your Wings" gala whisked attendees into a colorful garden party that was anything but ordinary.

    Breakthrough T1D Promise Ball 2025
      

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Jeff and Brooke Gunst; Wellesley and Geoff Fraser.

    The April 5 gala transformed the ballroom into a springtime reverie, thanks to Bergner and Johnson's vision and décor. Think blooming branch trees, technicolor florals, and a swirling cascade of silver and vibrant butterflies overhead.

    Houston Texans TV host Drew Dougherty emceed the evening, welcoming guests and thanking the night's generous sponsors before guests tucked into a carb-count-friendly feast. On stage, Breakthrough T1D Houston board president Travis Lauritsen and executive director Rick Byrd honored the late Leon Ullrich and spotlighted the organization’s latest wins. Chairs Kellie and Randy Johnson and their children shared their family's emotional journey with T1D before presenting honorees Erin and Chris Dyer alongside Ronda and Dan Feeney.

    Adding a touch of inspiration, Patricia Wright received the Meredith and Fielding Cocke Visionary Award, lovingly presented by daughters Lindsay Wright Brett and Molly Wright.

    The evening's silent and live auctions, curated by Jance and William Hagans and spirited along by auctioneer Johnny Holloway, featured everything from luxury trips to South Africa to a bourbon lover's dream collection. The night’s "Fund A Cure" moment, led by 2025 Fund A Cure Family Victoria and Chris Wright, sparked $1.7 million in research funding alone.

    The Casino After Party, hosted by Liskow, saw guests testing their luck at poker and roulette, with bites from Frenchy's ensuring no one gambled on an empty stomach. The $2.5 million raised for the pursuit of improved treatments and a cure for Type 1 diabetes? That’s a sure bet.

    Among the 650 spreading their wings were Fred Hagans, Rosalyn and Barry Margolis, Robert Biffle, Nelly and Blanton White, Patricia and Larry Wright, and Sue Sue and Don Aron, alongside a full slate of Breakthrough T1D board members.

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