What: Houston’s Wild Night Out African Wildlife Conservation Fundraiser
Where: Ouisie’s Table
The scoop: A throng of business influencers, young professionals, and community leaders packed chic Ouisie’s Table in River Oaks for a special evening with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting African wildlife conservation and local communities.
Africa 360’s Rob Fuller and Cathryn Gabor in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Network hosted a one-of-a-kind shopping experience for attendees featuring original oil paintings by Jack Yuen and canvas giclée prints by Peter Pharoah, limited edition photography by Nick Dyer, Matthew Poole and Joel Sartore, hand-carved stone sculptures from Artistic Africa, handmade jewelry from Kenya’s Friends of Samburu and so much more. The “hot ticket” live auction items of the evening were the stunning Tiffany & Co. “Save The Wild” elephant brooch supporting the Elephant Crisis Fund and a luxury 5 day/4-night safari to Botswana donated by Wilderness Safaris. Beneficiaries included Painted Dog Conservation (Zimbabwe), Save the Elephants (Kenya), Elephant Crisis Fund, and Friends of Samburu (Kenya).
Throughout the evening, guests mingled with one of Africa’s premier painted dog experts, Peter Blinston, executive director of Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe, Africa; Jack Yuen, wildlife artist from Boston; and Kenyan Gilbert Sabinga, a Houston favorite, who currently works for Save The Elephants and leads Friends of Samburu, a Kenyan charity focused on improving the lives of the local Samburu children and their families. More than 150 attended the occasion for networking and shopping to benefit African wildlife and communities.
Who: The crowd included Rob Fuller and Cathryn Gabor, David and Audrey Gow, Don and Diane Kendall, Cullen Geiselman, Heidi Dugan, Melinda and Jim Noel, Dr. Ahmit Lahoti and Dr. Sonia Jacob Lahoti, Bruce and Lynn Connery, Woody and Marcie Garmon, Ann Wheeler and Gene Evans, Curtis and Iva Knobbe, Janeen Judah, Tracey Kearny, John and Mary Kenner, and Steve and Robin Kuntz.
Rob Fuller, Gilbert Sabinga, Heidi Dugan, Peter Blintston, Cathryn Gabor, and Catherine Jacobs.
