At Inaugural Ball, $1.7 Mil Worth of Wishes Are Granted

Daniel Ortiz and PWL Studio
At Inaugural Ball, $1.7 Mil Worth of Wishes Are Granted

John and Carly Whitehurst and Claudia and Brad Freels

THE FIRST-EVER Wish Ball was held at The Post Oak Hotel this month, benefiting the Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana chapter.


The glam black-tie gala celebrated the chapter's 40th anniversary, and also honored Montgomery County residents Kay and Tommy Austin. The nonprofit's signature shades of blue and gold adorned the ballroom, where more than 750 guests enjoyed bubbly from the Champagne wall, a raffle of a Kim Chau & Company Fine Jewelers sapphire ring, and more.

Emcee Deborah Duncan led the evening's program, which included video messages from JJ Watt and Charles Barkley, each granting a young attendee a wish. The silent and live auctions were both exciting, the latter touting packages like a trip to the Country Music Awards, which sparked a bidding war that reached $30,000.

Speaking of the CMAs, one of the honorary chairs, Carly Whitehurst, noted that 2024 marks the 10-year anniversary of her granted wish to attend the CMAs. She and her fellow event chairs were thrilled with the evening's total till of a whopping $1.7 million.

Ashley and Jonathan Sloan

Tony and Frances Buzbee

Ben and Bethany Buchanan

Tommy and Kay Austin

Brian and Jennifer Rayburn

Teri and Jim Andrepont and Shelly Millwee

Brian Ching and Lindsey Yates

Stephanie and Thomas Hatfield

Brice and Maryann Mannen

Ryan and Holly Lambert

Edgar and Alejandra Rincon

Ron and Christy Phillips

Jason Salas and Lacy Dalcour Salas

Richmond Webb and Dan Pastorini

Jennifer and Alan Rosen

Paula and Bruce Jefferies

Jeston Adams and Raj Sheth

Norman and Donna Lewis

Lyndsay and Matt Pennebaker

Michael Vanderhider

Mandy Williams and Jonathan Goldsmith

Marian Harper and Rita Shuma

Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray

Parties
Meet Brian Boyter, New High-End Residential Broker with an Unique Background

BRIAN BOYTER IS a Houston native with an interesting background in real estate. After an impressive 16-year tenure managing commercial transactions in a Fortune 500 Real Estate Investment Trust, he recently made the shift to high-end residential brokerage. The experience left him uniquely suited to thrive in the sometimes-emotional world of buying or selling a home.

Keep Reading Show less

THE TRUFFLE MASTERS is returning for its 11th year on March 3rd. Now a Houston tradition of sorts, the competition sees top chefs creating a dish using black truffles all benefitting Southern Smoke.

Keep Reading Show less

A new look from the soft landings collection

FROM THE OWNERS of popular Montrose haunts Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart is another jetset-focused business. Owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell launched Foreign Fare in the fall of 2023 with long-haul travelers in mind. The pieces are wrinkle-free and designed to be functional as well as stylish. The line was recently featured in Travel & Leisure as a “first class look.”

Keep Reading Show less