On Exhibit

Two Houston institutions hosted truly museum-quality galas, showing off beautiful exhibition spaces in grand new ways. The Asia Society Texas Center’s annual bash, the black-tie Tiger Ball, celebrated the beauty and culture of India. Honoring Shushila and Durga Agrawal and raising more than $1 million, the colorful event moved from the grand hall out to a massive tent, where Bollywood dancers performed for guests. Meanwhile, the Houston Museum of Natural Science also hosted its yearly gala, which adopted the theme of the Big Bang Ball and celebrated the newly renovated Burke Baker Planetarium. Chemistry demonstrations entertained guests, who sipped cocktails made with liquid nitrogen and helped raise more than $850K for the museum’s educational programs. Talk about a big bang!


Anne and John Mendelsohn at HMNS
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Exclusive Furniture’s Sam Zavary Credits Luck, Hard Work and ‘Mom’s Prayers’ for His Success

How did you get to where you are today? I am a firm believer that hard work and having dreams that you strive to achieve will motivate and inspire people to achieve their potential. Working hard, dreaming, and making sure to take advantage of every opportunity is something I learned at a young age. I credit God and God’s grace firstly, but I know that success is a direct result of hard work. I tell my podcast subscribers and followers to continue setting goals, evolving, improving, and planning, and I practice what I preach. I am proud to have started my business in the fastest growing major city in the United States, and I attribute a lot of the success of Exclusive Furniture to the family culture we create in the best city — Houston’s diversity, philanthropy, and innovation have helped me achieve a lot of the milestones in the furniture business (and the “low prices”) you see today!

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Morris Smith, Tilman Fertitta and Toni Smith

THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S Charity gala is always anticipated, thanks to the big-deal musical acts brought in to entertain; this year it was Chicago. But the headliners this year were the generous donors, who seemed to surprise even event organizer with their largesse, with a total till of $6.2 million, a record.

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