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ecognizing community excellence
Assistance League of Houston’s annual Mary Jo Peckham Award Luncheon and Fashion Show will be held Oct.14 at the River Oaks Country Club. The festivities will include a fashion show by boutiques Elizabeth Anthony and Esther Wolf. The honorary chairs are Mary Jo Peckham’s three daughters, (pictured, from left) Leila Gilbert, Ann Berry and Liz Jameson. Marilyn Denham is the luncheon chair, and Elaine Finger will be this year’s honoree. Jan Carson will serve as the mistress of ceremonies. Proceeds from the luncheon will support the philanthropic programs provided by the Assistance League of Houston.
Leaving food allergies behind
Lace up your walking shoes and join thousands of other Houstonians Sept. 11 for the 5th Annual Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward a Cure event at Sam Houston Park. The walk is sponsored by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). Walkers from last year’s event included (pictured, back row, from left) Sonny and Theresa Sachdeva, Desiree Hearn, Jackie Wood, (front row, from left) Spencer, Miles and Caroline Sachdeva. The 2.5-mile walk is non-competitive, and there is no entry fee. Food allergies affect more people every year, and young children have the highest incidence. Last year’s FAAN Walk included nearly 2,000 Houstonians who raised more than $175,000 – making it the top fundraising walk among 35 similar walk events held nationwide. Funds raised will be used to increase awareness and support food-allergy research. Visit www.foodallergywalk.org for more info.
Standing tall at 100
Plans are underway to celebrate the 100th year of an architectural jewel in Houston, the John Staub-designed Forum of Civics Building located near the corner of Kirby and Westheimer. A centennial celebration will be held Oct. 27 at the Forum, a historic building and gardens which has withstood being torn down and replaced by new construction. The River Oaks Garden Club purchased the Forum in 1942 and has continued founder Will Hogg’s dream of gardening education, protecting native plants and birds, and encouraging civic planting and planning. Pictured reviewing plans for the upcoming celebration are (from left) honorary centennial co-chair Lynne Bonham, co-chairs Cathy Brock and Sally Matthews, and honorary co-chair Carol Butler. Contact Nancy Abendshein at nancyabend (at) aol (dot) com or Anne French at afrench454 (at) aol (dot) com for reservations. Go to www.riveroaksgardenclub.org for info.
One hopeful evening
Kaylan Findley Caballero and Roula Nassar (pictured, from left) are making final plans as co-chairs for the Evening of Hope Gala benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, located in Memphis, Tenn. The gala is set for Oct. 2 at The Hilton Americas Hotel and will honor former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Farouk Shami. Committee members, including Kim Brown, Sharon Campbell, Denise Evans, Janet Jenkins, Sophia Mafrige, Cathey Meagher, Joy Neely, Virginia Pederson, Lisa Prendergast, Rachel Purcell, Nicole Salha, Shellie Stone and Royce Walker, promise a silent and live auction to remember as well as dancing to the beat of the New Orleans Motown Band Sha’on and Success. For tickets, go to www.stjude.org/houston.
One last dance
Crowds turned out in force for the Houston premier screening of the movie Mao’s Last Dancer at the Museum of Fine Arts. Attending the premier were actors Kyle MacLachlan and Bruce Greenwood, who had starring roles in the movie. The movie tells the story of young, poverty-stricken Li Cunxin from China and his inspirational journey as a world-class dancer and principal with Houston Ballet. Li joined friends and former dance partners Suzanne Longley, Janie Parker and Martha Butler at the screening. As a young man he was discovered by Houston Ballet artistic director emeritus Ben Stevenson, who brought Li to America as part of the first cultural-exchange program allowed between China and the United States, with the help of immigration attorney Charles Foster. The film is showing this month at Landmark River Oaks Theatre. Pictured at the premier are (from left) Charles Foster, Gigi Huang and Valerie Greiner.
Let’s talk over dinner
Dialogues 2010 brought Houston notables together for an evening of lively conversation at the Jewish Community Center of Houston. Table hosts included local celebs such as Houston mayor Annise Parker, Houston Ballet managing director C.C. Connor, real estate mogul Ed Wulfe, clinical psychologist Dr. Ed Reitman and award-winning chef Monica Pope. Each table host led a discussion based on his or her own area of expertise. With only 10 tablemates, guests could have their questions personally answered at the intimate chat fest and dinner. Pictured are (from left) Patti and Dan Steiner, Ed Reitman, Sheila Johnstone, Richard Elbein, Rhoda Clamen and Allen Caudle enjoying the Dialogues event.
Swimming for a cure
Two days of swimming lessons for young children were provided as a summer fundraiser created by members of the Briargrove Barracudas swim team, spearheaded by their coaches, (pictured, from left) Meredith Mejia, Edward Taussig and Liz Gomez. Held at the Briargrove Pool, Swim Away Cancer netted $600 in donations to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The fundraiser offered swim lessons for young children given by members of the swim team with the cost of the lessons donated by the swim team instructors. Team representative Delores Jones was on hand when the swim team presented their check to Andree Halpin at M.D. Anderson. Congratulations to the Barracudas for finding a way to combine their passions for swimming, teaching others and serving their community.
Ways to age gracefully
Oct. 27 is the date of the 12th Annual Women’s Health Summit featuring Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist Lesley Stahl, co-editor of television’s 60 Minutes news show. The event at River Oaks Country Club will feature educational programs about health from 10 to 11:30 a.m., followed by a noon luncheon. Mary Bain Pearson and Bain Pearson Pitts are the event’s co-chairs, and Nancy Dinerstein and Mary Ann McKeithan will receive the Spirit of Excellence Award. Kelli Cohen Fein and Denise Hazen will be recognized with the Excellence in Bloom Award. Honorary chairs for the summit are Terry Huffington and Ralph Dittman. The summit is sponsored by the Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine and will offer up-to-date information on issues relating to women’s health. Pictured are (from left) 2009 honorees Kimberly DeLape and Diane Gendel, author and keynote speaker Barbara Taylor Bradford, Donatella Benckenstein and Betty Hrncir.
Wheels and wine
Drinking and driving is typically a no-no, but Susan and Norm Spalding and Theresa and Ralph Kelly hosted an unusual event combining the two activities for car and wine enthusiasts. Guests, including Nancy and Bob Rigney, Jan and Val Bennett, Nini and Tino Bekhradi, Stacey Strouhal, Karen Mann and Bill Monroe, enjoyed test driving an electric roadster by Tesla Motors before enjoying wines and nibbles. The unusual car caused quite a few double takes on Tanglewood Boulevard while it was parked in The Spaldings’ circle drive. Partygoers quenched their thirst alongside former Houstonian John Kelly, a winemaker and owner of Westwood Winery in Sonoma, Calif. He presented his latest releases of his estate-grown pinot noir and syrah. Pictured checking out the unusual roadster are (from left) Susan and Norm Spalding, Ross Rubman, John Kelly, and Theresa and Ralph Kelly.
Bee Seen in Buzz About Town
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