'Homemade' Haute! Runway Show at Tootsies Raises $75K for At-Risk Kids

'Homemade' Haute! Runway Show at Tootsies Raises $75K for At-Risk Kids

Lisa Rich, Jessica Givens, Coco Lu

BETWEEN AN EXCITING raffle and runway show, Homemade Hope's fash bash at Tootsies was a truly tasteful success! More than 160 well heeled attendees also enjoyed browsing the season's most stylish offerings and chatting with Homemade Hope's executive director, Blair Bentley Ozenbaugh, about its mission to support at-risk children via mentoring and culinary lessons.


Festive balloons wrapped the store, courtesy of Topped Off, and Johnny Bravo kept the beats spinning all evening long — and emceed the fashion show! It featured community leaders and Homemade Hope supporters strutting their stuff in the latest looks from Tootsies and Festari for Men.

Following the runway presentation, Johnny Bravo announced winners of raffle prizes — tickets to see Luke Bryan at the Rodeo, a Tootsies shopping spree, and Astros' Diamond Club seats were highly coveted items! More than $75,000 was raised to further Homemade Hope's mission.


Tiffany Halik, Trent Kelley, Laurie Cacioppo

Adam Greer

Bart and Beverly Bentley

Scarlett Hankey and Brooke Bentley Gunst

Calvin Krall and Monica Patel

Oliver Stevenson and Mary Lou Pringle

Michelle Leal, Rome Street

Blair Bentley and Brooke Bentley Gunst

Chelsea Collmer and Laurie Sanders

Lisa Woods

Debbie and Rudy Festari

Brittany Owen

Linda Bischoff, Alex Heins, Ryan Thanos

Kendall Monroe, Katie Tsuru

Julie Thomas, Kathleen Graf, lila Sherifan

Ellecia Knolle

Haniyeh Mirdamadi and Young Son

Heidi Feller, Sandy Patout

Heidi Feller, Sandy Patout

Jessica Givens, Melissa McDavid, Rae Solberg

Style

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

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How did you get to where you are today? My journey to where I am today is built on a foundation of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Every step along the way, I faced obstacles, but I approached each one with determination and a “never give up” mindset. Instead of being discouraged by challenges, I used them as opportunities to grow and improve. Consistency was key—I committed to showing up and giving my best effort every day. I also learned not to take “no” as a final answer. Instead, I saw it as a chance to push harder, adapt, and find another way forward. It’s this combination of persistence, resilience, and unwavering focus that has brought me to where I am today.

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