Shelby's Social Diary

Houston Zoo Ambassadors party with the animals at annual winter bash

Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com
Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchlightGroup.com

Every party planner in H-town knows that when organizing an outdoor event, you have to have Plan B. Such was the case Saturday night when the Houston Zoo Ambassadors second annual winter gala was moved indoors at the 11th hour to the Brown Education Center to avoid the threatening weather.

So much for the entertaining idea of an outdoor bash at Twiga Terrace in the new African Forest.

No dampened spirits, however, in this crowd of thirtysomething/fortysomething professionals. VIP guests, who ponied up an extra $50 over the $100 ticket price, were treated to a special reception one hour before start time. The early entertainment included tours of the McGovern Giraffe Barn, where visitors walked along a catwalk and were eye to eye with the Zoo’s giraffe herd. The VIPs also witnessed a special piranha feeding in the Carruth Natural Encounters Building.

By the time the regular party guests arrived, some 200 in all, the Zoo's animal ambassadors were in the receiving line. The partying menagerie included several reptiles, a chinchilla and a North American porcupine. For a few extra dollars, guests could purchase personal photo opps with sea lions, a binturong, a pygmy falcon and a screech owl, which was a huge hit with several Rice University alums.

Guests swayed to the sounds of the J. Wesley Haynes Trio while supping on party fare from Piola, Max’s Wine Dive, Snap Kitchen, Canopy, My Fit Foods, Becks Prime, The Chocolate Bar, Ra Sushi and TQLA.

Kudos to chairs, Kirstin and Craig Feazel and co-chairs Elizabeth and Zach Fertitta. Joining the party were Jessica and Travis Graham, Paul Doyle, Katherine Orellana and Kyle Ross, Molly and Coert Voorhees, Julie Martin and Will Thomas and Kristina and Kevin Frankel.

Zoo Ambassadors already has its chairs named for the 2012 winter gig — Jen and Steven Vaughn and Posey and Lawrence Saenz.

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legacy and lyrics

High notes and higher hopes put Houston's Omega House in the spotlight

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Deborah Duncan, Brigitte Kalai, Dr. Charlene Flash, and Alicia Smith.

For Avenue 360, it was time to get back in the gala game with Voices for Hope — its first big fundraising celebration since the pandemic. This year’s event marked a lively return to in-person gatherings, joining the ranks of busy, bustling parties that have defined 2024.

The evening celebrated the legacy of Omega House, Texas’s residential hospice for AIDS patients.

Co-chaired by Alicia Smith and Brigitte Kalai, Voices for Hope revived an important tradition of honoring Omega House’s legacy of compassionate end-of-life care. The night opened with a cocktail reception emceed by Great Day Houston host Deborah Duncan, during which guests entered raffles for luxurious prizes, including jewelry from Nini Jewels and Wayne Smith Jewels, a shopping spree at Tootsie’s, and a staycation at The Post Oak Hotel with a Porsche weekend rental.

About those voices: the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts choir’s charming performance of “Seasons of Love” set the evening’s emotional tone. Blues artist Luke Whitney continued with soulful melodies before America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Christina Wells brought down the house with dynamic interpretations of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “We Are Family.”

Houston’s social scribe Shelby Hodge gifted Wells her raffle prize, honoring the performer for her roles as a singer, nurse, and mother. The gala also celebrated the 25th anniversary of Bering Omega Community Services, with board member Ken Bohan receiving the Harmony of the Heart Award. Omega House medical director Dr. Gus Krucke, director of dental services Dr. Mark Nichols, and director Sandy Stacy were honored with the Symphony of Service Award, with Stacy’s 30 years of service encouraging standing applause.

Spotted were Lance Smith, Bashar Kalai, Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees, Leisa Holland Nelson, Farida Abjani, Shafik Rifaat, Maria and Omar Moncada Alaoui, Jody Merritt, Christine Johnson, Michele Till, Anna Reger, Mandy Kao, Mark Folkes and Christopher Johnston, Brandon Weinbrenner and Mitchell Greco, Fady Armanious, and Tony Bradfield.