Anyone expecting the VIP "In the Pink of Health" kickoff party at the new Morton’s Grille in The Woodlands to be a demure, sedate affair was in for quite a surprise. The crowd was pink, fun and ready to raise money for Memorial Hermann's The Woodlands Bone & Breast Center.
Morton’s Grille closed the restaurant for the private party recognizing major sponsors of the annual Memorial Hermann "In the Pink of Health" luncheon. Event co-chairs Carrie Hyman and Melissa Preston organized an evening featuring a pink carpet, signature pink cocktails, passed bites and a raucous live auction.
An unexpected item came from Academy Award winning actress Matlin, who volunteered to dance with the highest bidders in the room.
Luncheon guest speakers Marlee Matlin and Henry Winkler hit the pink carpet for pictures with partygoers before the live auction that included two Whoodle puppies, jewelry donated by Donoho’s Jewellers and a black leather Harley Davidson jacket signed by Winkler, a.k.a The Fonz from the '70s hit show Happy Days.
An unexpected item came from Academy Award winning actress Matlin, who volunteered to dance with the highest bidders in the room. The announcement sent the crowd into a frenzy and bidding topped out at $4,000 for two dances and sent the formerDancing With the Stars competitor to the stage where she good-naturedly danced with the winners to Lady Gaga’s "Just Dance."
Winkler also got the crowd going, pushing guests to raise the bidding on the autographed jacket, which eventually sold for $5,000. In all, the party raised $54,000 for The Woodlands Breast & Bone Center Fund at the Memorial Hermann Foundation.
VIP guests included Steve Sanders, CEO of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital and his wife Cathy Sanders plus Kelly Hull, Brady Hull, Missy Herndon, Elaine Turner, Heather McLeskey, Ron Slater, Marian and Don Spence, Elena and Richard van der Dys, Ruth Hiller and Megan Alexander.
Marlee Matlin, from left, Henry Winkler and Elaine Turner at the In the Pink of Health VIP party in The Woodlands.
