Thousands of Kids Have 'A Place to Dream' Thanks to Record-Breaking Furniture Bank Event

Thousands of Kids Have 'A Place to Dream' Thanks to Record-Breaking Furniture Bank Event

Dean Todd, Stacey Todd, Cinde Matocha, Gary Matocha

HUNDREDS OF GUESTS packed River Oaks Country Club for The Furniture Bank's annual fundraising event. They hit the ballroom floor to ensure no kid sleeps on the floor!


Emcee Linda Lorelle introduced the "A Place to Dream" video documenting the efforts of founder Oli Mohammed and city leaders to give furniture to Houston families in need. The evening's honorees included Youval Meicler of Texas Mattress Makers, and the late Ralph Marek, whose son Stan graciously accepted the award.

A live auction led by Johnny Bravo got the crowd excited, and musician Doug Montgomery kept the energy high all the way through dessert and coffee. A record-breaking $300,000 was raised for The Furniture Bank, which has since 2018 provided beds to more than 4,000 children in need.

Aaron and Jessica Glick

Syed and Kelsey Iman

Ben Marek, Neha Dubey

Stan Marek and Regina Rogers

Bob Gulitti, Lisa Gulitti

Oli Mohammed, Jeff Cummins, Harry Cummins

Kevin Gilliard and Frank Billingsley

Michele and Youval Meicler

Mike and Francie Willis

Laura Barnett, Daniel Cavazos

John Parsley, Mike Holland, Stan Marek, Brent Ballard

Parties

Roger and Fatima Camp, and Cassie and Wesley Sinor

AT GALVESTON'S HISTORIC Bryan Museum, founded by wildcatter J.P. Bryan and his wife Mary Jon, hundreds of guests gathered to pay tribute to the history of coastal ranching in Texas at a "Coastal Cowboy"-themed event.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

A scene from Quebrada's 'The Other Son'

NOW IN ITS 17th year, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Latin Wave film festival continues to bring well deserved attention to emerging and established filmmakers from South America, Mexico, Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean. It’s a festival Houston audiences return to every year to discover new talent and experience fresh perspectives. This year’s Latin Wave runs April 25-28, and features 10 recent releases from six Latin-American countries, with screenings happening in two locations: the Brown Auditorium Theater and the snazzy Lynn Wyatt Theater.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment