Butterfly Magic

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

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.

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.

fundraisers breakthrough t1d

a sort of homecoming

Houston director Wes Anderson headlines fundraiser for historic theater

Photo by Lars Niki/Getty Images for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

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Acclaimed Houston-born filmmaker Wes Anderson may call Paris his home these days, but he’s always ready and willing to come back home to support a worthy cause.

The Oscar-winning auteur will attend an evening celebrating his 30-year career in filmmaking, presented by Arthouse Houston. Titled “Wes Anderson Homecoming Soiree,” the event takes place at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts’ Zilkha Hall on Friday, July 17. It will also benefit the preservation of the historic Garden Oaks Theater and founding of a new Arts & Film Center.

The evening will include a “Founders Experience,” followed by a reception with food and drinks, live music by the Kelly Doyle Trio, and a silent auction. After that, Anderson will introduce a quintet of his short films he selected for the occasion. These shorts include Bottle Rocket (which he later expanded into his 1996 feature-film debut), and The Swan, one of the shorts from The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More, his only-on-Netflix collection of mini-Roald Dahl adaptations.

Donors at the Founders level will be treated to a meet-and-greet and Q&A with Anderson and friends prior to the show, including a celebratory toast, and a signed show poster. Top-tier donors (starting at $100,000) will have naming rights within the new Arts & Film Center and four complimentary tickets to the event. Proceeds will directly help the effort to preserve one of the city’s few remaining historic cinemas, as well as create a new cultural hub where cinema, live performance, production, and education converge.

Houston won’t be Anderson’s only American stop next month. From Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 12, he’ll be in Los Angeles for the Hollywood Bowl’s “Music from the Films of Wes Anderson” concert series, featuring performances from Beck, Jackson Browne, Devo, Bill Murray, and others.

For tickets and more info on the event, go here.

wes anderson houston fundraisers preservation