Shelby's Social Diary

Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Katie Couric help M.D. Anderson raise close to $350,000over lunch

Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz
Photo by Pete Baatz

When the final count was done following M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's "A Conversation With a Living Legend," coffers for colon cancer research had been enriched by $342,900. Applause, applause for headliners Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Katie Couric and for luncheon chairs Sheridan and John Eddie Williams.

Add to the credits for the successful luncheon the family of Rose and Harry Cullen, which chaired the annual fundraiser in 2010 and turned out in force for Tuesday's luncheon at the Hilton Americas-Houston. Add Katie and Harry Cullen Jr. and Kathy and Jody McCord to the table.

Leading the charge for the first time at the fifth annual Living Legend event was M.D. Anderson president Dr. Ron DePinho, who took the helm in September as the fourth full-time top gun at the cancer center. He and his wife Dr. Lynda Chin were seated at the head table along with the Williamses, Mayor Annise Parker, Kathy Hubbard, Nicolla Hewitt, Kristen Nix, Anderson chaplain Stephen Findley, Anderson faculty member Dr. Dennis Hughes and the TV news stars.

Since its inception, the Living Legend event has raised more than $2 million for research and patient care initiatives.

In the ballroom on Tuesday were a number of supporters who have been on board from the beginning of this event including Patsy and Greg Fourticq, Barbara Hurwitz, Joan Schnitzer Levy and Irvin Levy, Diane Lokey Farb, Maureen Hackett, Pat Breen, Melvyn Wolff and Aileen Gordon as well as newcomers such as Sylvia and Tommy Dorsey, Diane and John Connally, Patrice Ferguson, Christy and Lou Cushman, Karen and Mike Mayell, Karen Johnson and Cerón.

Kudos to Darryl & Co. which created a grand autumn landscape with its brown cloths and linens and profusions of flowers, both on stage and on tables, in rich golds, yellow and orange.

unspecified

raising glasses

Wine and dine raises spirits for Houston's Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities wine and dine fundraiser 2024

Photo by Johnny Than

Alicia Reggie Freysinger, His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic Charities President Cynthia Nunes Colbert.

An evening of fine dining and philanthropy unfolded at The Revaire for the 2024 Wine and Dine Dinner, benefitting Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on November 16. With wine glasses in hand and wallets wide open, the stylish and pious savored a night dedicated to lifting up the most vulnerable in the community.

Co-chairs Mikki Hebl and David E. Harvey, Jr., alongside Kerri and Downey Bridgwater, welcomed the crowd, which included His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, who blessed the meal. The highlight? A four-course feast by master sommelier Brandon Kerne and chef Ryan Bouillet, paired with wines selected to enhance each bite.

An interactive twist with the secret sip challenge surely added a playful element. Attendees worked together to identify the mystery wine — a 2015 Merite Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia’s Wrattonbully region.

But the night wasn’t just about indulgence. The live auction, emceed by Johnny Bravo, and a moving “fund a need” segment inspired oenophiles to dig deep for Catholic Charities’ programs. Last year, the organization served people in need 358,000 times across Harris, Fort Bend, and Galveston counties, providing essentials like food, housing assistance, and legal aid for immigrants.

Generous support came from sponsors like the Hildebrand Foundation, Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and Cuenod Families.

Wining and dining were Alicia Reggie Freysinger, Cynthia Nunes Colbert, Penny and Paul Layne, Monit Cheung and Patrick Leung, Ashley and Doug Plaeger, Sandi and Jim Lemming, Carol and Paul Beck, Louise and Bob Parsley, Avalyn Langemeier, Suzanne Werner, Amie Springmeyer, Lori Hessel, Ginger Niemann, Peggy Idstein, Karina and Mark Amelang,and Ellen and Jim Ginty.

Photo by Johnny Than

Alicia Reggie Freysinger, His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic Charities President Cynthia Nunes Colbert.

catholic charities of the archdiocese of galveston-houston fundraisers