Children’s Museum Celebrates Reopening, Raises $155,000 at Lavish Luncheon

Children’s Museum Celebrates Reopening, Raises $155,000 at Lavish Luncheon

Milessa Lowrie, Jackie Effenson, Leigh McFarlane, Susan Barrett

MORE THAN 200 supporters of the Children's Museum Houston gathered inside Lott Hall at the McGovern Centennial Gardens for the annual Friends and Families luncheon.


Chairs Maris Castro and Milessa Lowrie welcomed guests, clad in beautiful and seasonal floral attire, to the event, which was initially to take place outdoors in the blooming gardens but was moved inside due to weather. The afternoon's featured speaker was best-selling author Julie Lythcott-Haims, who joined virtually to share personal accounts of "overparenting." Attendees also enjoyed a tasty lunch courtesy of Jackson & Co. and partook in a raffle that included items like suites at Astros and Dynamo games, and a "dine around town" package of restaurant gift cards.

The luncheon raised $155,000 that will go toward early childhood and parenting programs at the Children's Museum, which just reopened this week after a year-long Covid-related closure.

Kate Stukenberg, Stefani Mayberry

Abbie Giraud, Allison O'Neill, Alison Powell, Kelly Scofield

Dr. Amina Malik, Maris Castro, Dr. Emily Mintz

Julia Morales, Jason Castro, Maris Castro

Kate and Baron Doke

Katie Arnoldy, Kristy Bradshaw

Maris Castro, Elaine Balagia Croucher

Masha Lyons and Jodi Rubenstein

Megan Vondra, Jessica Leeke, Jordan Seff

Parties
Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less

Houston Arboretum

WE ALL LOVE a Rodeo, but sometimes we need options for events that have a different energy, speed — and crowd size. Check out some artsy, unique happenings around Houston in March!

Keep Reading Show less

Dr. Edward Lee and Nuveau

DR. EDWARD LEE believes in bringing the most advance treatment options to his patients at Nuveau. At the River Oaks practice, he performs the latest nonsurgical rejuvenation procedures, such as BOTOX and fillers, various laser treatments, and other nonsurgical treatmetns such as CoolSculpting and EmSculpt. He also does facelifts, upper and lower blepharoplasty, brow lift, and rhinoplasty for facial rejuvenation. Plus, he can achieve natural results with breast augmentation and breast lift surgery, as well as body contouring, such as liposuction, abdominoplasty, Brazilian butt lift and mommy makeovers.

Keep Reading Show less