‘Blooming’ with Excitement, 600 Gather for Laughs and Lunch in the Name of Literacy

Daniel Ortiz & Jacob Power
‘Blooming’ with Excitement, 600 Gather for Laughs and Lunch in the Name of Literacy

Carolyn Mohsenzadeh and Gina Saour

MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO Gina Saour and Carolyn Mohsenzadeh chaired the seventh annual Power of Literacy lunch, held in the ballroom of the Post Oak Hotel and attended by an astonishing 600-some guests.


The event, which benefits the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, this year adopted the theme “Blooming with Books.” Floral and harvest-inspired décor set the tone for a festive meal of salad with grilled chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and goat cheese, followed by a cinnamon-spice dessert.

Jeannie Gaffigan — actress, mom of five and wife to comedian Jim Gaffigan — joined KPRC anchor Lisa Hernandez onstage. The featured speaker shared stories from her best-selling book, When Life Gives You Pears, which chronicles her diagnosis, surgery and recovery from a pear-size brain tumor. While she kept things light yet heartfelt, Gaffigan also stressed the importance of women taking time to take care of themselves and “not ignore the signs that something else may be wrong.”

A raffle with items like jewels from Tenenbaum and a Gucci handbag, plus a silent auction with more purses, helped the day’s total till top $575,000.

Allison Schulze, Lisa Jakel, Emily George

Betty Hrncir, Donatella Benckenstein

Blanca Jolly, Raquel Lewis

Cathy Trask, Amber Alonso

Deborah Duncan

Elizabeth Dansby, Ashley Gentry

Hilary Purcell, Cathy Cleary, Caroline Dace

Kime Smith, Lynn Forte

Leah Rauch, Rebecca Linn

Linda Linder, Mary Sage, Deborah Deford Dunkum

Stephanie Mays, Laura Weaver

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Consistent Focus on the Patient Is What Sets Montrose Med Spa Apart

Owner Maricela Olivo and Montrose Med Spa

WHAT MAKES MONTROSE Med Spa stand apart from the competition? We set ourselves apart from the competition by being consistently focused on one thing: the patient. With that focus, we will succeed in a successful and healthy experience and loyalty to Montrose Med Spa. Staying true to our message of intentional wellness is a point of difference where I see other spas being unclear and distracted in their direction. By listening to our patients, we ensure we meet and exceed their expectations. We continually stay on top of the market by offering the best innovative body sculpting and skin treatments that invigorate and energize and are specifically designed to restore balance and strength and renew youth to the body. We also utilize a number of marketing programs to stay on the minds of our guests, including radio, TV, direct mail, email blasts, and unique invitations for exclusive treatments. One element that helps to establish the bar and sets us apart from our competition is our emphasis on providing a complete medical gym experience—from the varied treatments with Emsculpt Neo to a personalized health and wellness and skin evaluation for each individual by our certified staff. We also provide a noninvasive, pain-free, and needle-free facelift through EMFace in addition to offering monthly beauty memberships that create a commitment to the overall wellbeing of the patient.

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AL FRESCO DINNERS with food prepared by buzzy chefs may be trendy these days, but Gracie Cavnar’s Recipe for Success was way ahead of the curve, with her annual Delicious Alchemy banquet coming ’round for the 19th time this fall.

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A WINE-TASTING rendezvous at the Post Oak Hotel benefited a heartwarming charity — to the tune of $410,000!

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