It was a magic night for the annual Promise Ball
benefiting
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation held at
the Hilton
Americas Hotel. Over 800 guests attended the evening
that
was led by Chairman Rosemary Schatzman and Jeff
Smith
and brought in more than $1.2 million to the coffers
of JDRF,
an all-time record for the event. The guests began
the
evening bidding on silent auction items, then moved
into the
beautifully decorated ballroom created by Darryl
Murchinson
Design, for the luscious dinner and to bid on live
auction
items. The big ticket items included a week at the
exclusive
Villas del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, a Hawaiian Holiday
at the
Four Seasons Resort at Wailea in Maui, and a dinner
for 40
at Fleming’s Steak House. This year’s auction chairs
were
Kimberly Miller, Kathryn Smith and Elizabeth Vail.
Honorees this year were Alana Spiwak and Sam Stolbun,
whose daughter Ariel has type 1 diabetes, and who
have been
long-time supporters of JDRF. The corporate honoree
was
Halliburton, represented by Halliburton executive
Jeff Miller
and his wife, Rhonda.
The Sam Smith Most Valuable Volunteer Award went to
this
year’s Invitation Chairman, Vanessa Sendukas, for
her tireless
efforts on behalf of the gala.
The ballroom decor transported the guests on a
voyage to find
a cure for diabetes. Everyone enjoyed dancing or
listening to
the ever popular music of ELS from New Orleans.
JDRF, the leading charitable funder and advocate of
type
1(juvenile) diabetes research worldwide, was founded
in 1970
by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes-a
disease
which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin
dependent
for life, and carries a constant threat of
devastating complications.
Since its inception, JDRF has provided more than
$900 million in direct funding to diabetes research.
More
than 80 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly
support
research and research-related education. JDRF’s
mission is
constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its
complications
through support of research.
For more information, please visit:
www.jdrf.org/houston
or call 713 334 4400.