Rare Doubleheader Fundraiser Powers Houston’s Child Advocates With Sporting Clays and a Blue Dinner
Working to Create Better Futures For Kids
By Shelby Hodge //
Photography Priscilla Dickson
What: Child Advocates’ 31st annual “Pull for Kids Classic”
Where: American Shooting Centers and Bayou City Event Center
PC Moment: Child Advocates’ doubleheader fundraiser began in the morning with a sporting clays tournament with competition spread across three different courses. The raffle of a Beretta shotgun, donated by American Shooting Centers, and a Yeti cooler added to the day’s bottom line.
Many among the 450 guests pouring into the Bayou City Event Center for the festive dinner portion of the fundraiser donned blue attire in response to the “Paint the Town Blue” theme of the evening. Blue is the official color for supporters of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which was in April. Supporter Kelly Hawkins went so far as to paint himself blue in honor of the cause.
Leading the charge for record fundraising of more than $850,000 were tournament chair Dwyane Hyzak and dinner chairs Donette and Jeff Manley.
Support for the event stemmed in part from popularity of the honorees, longtime Child Advocates supporters Traci and Derrick Jensen and Quanta Services, a Houston-based contractor providing fully integrated infrastructure solutions for the electric power, underground utility and communications industries. Derrick Jensen is executive vice president of business operations for the company that does work internationally.
The dinner program featured a video of a young boy named Cooper and his advocate Jana. Cooper came into foster care only days after he was born with high levels of heroin and other opioids in his body. Assisting Cooper’s foster parents, Jana uncovered more background on the biological parents and their true intentions. Jana informed the court that it would be in the boy’s best interests if he were adopted by his foster parents.
Today, Cooper enjoys a safe forever home, and appeared on the video as a vibrant, spunky toddler who is overcoming his challenging life obstacles.
PC Seen: Child Advocates CEO Sonya Galvan, Kristen and Brian Turpen, Bobbi Jo and Chad Miller, Jennifer and Kasey Kilgore, Kristy Hyzak, Courtney and Bill Bucy, Zsaquez Jordan, Annie and Tyler McQueen, Kira Jordan, Eric Tonsul, Kelly Hawkins, Glenda and Ken Morrison, Haylee Morrison, Katherine and Thomas Novosad, and Marty Angermiller.
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