Party Animals! Howl-O-Ween Bash Raises Nearly $1M for SPCA

Jacob Power & Wilson Parish
Party Animals! Howl-O-Ween Bash Raises Nearly $1M for SPCA

Brady & Zane Carruth, Brittany & Adam Clark

THE HOUSTON SPCA campus off Old Katy Road is state-of-the-art — and, it turns out, a great place to throw a party. Friday night’s annual Howl-O-Ween Ball took place at the organization’s open-air Equine Rescue Arena.


Chaired by Zane Carruth and Cheryl Byington, the bash welcomed more than 350 animal-lovers, outfitted in Halloween-chic attire and ready to paw-ty.

A cocktail reception featured spooktacular décor a la gauze ghosts and creepy-cool candelabras, and included a silent auction. The live auction, as well as dinner, followed. The after-party included “puppy cuddles” in the Adoption Center — and three dogs found their forever homes that night!

The evening raised more than $900,000 for the SPCA’s mission to save animals from abuse and neglect.

Abria Flowers, Onyinyechi Muilenburg, TJ Robinson

Carmen Thompson, Mark Anawate

Cameron and Tia Johnston

Cheryl Byington, Deborah Duncan, Zane Carruth

Cynthia Wolff, Mary Fusillo, Beth Wolff

Dr. Anna Joy Jackson, Dr. Carter McAdoo

Emily Gollady, Brooke Barit

Eric & Diane Jansen

Evelyn Griffin, Robert Wick, Carol Bardon

George Schalles & Maria Lacy

George and Jessica Foster

Giselle and John Greenwood

Kristen Cannon, Monique Wyatt, Lara Bell

Laird & Helena Doran

Leslie and Dane Johnson

Mark and Erin Packwood

Sarah Collins, Betsy Montgomery, Kristen Collins

Parties

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

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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.

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