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Society / Featured Parties

Houston Zoo’s $150 Million Campaign Gets a Major Push In a Ball Where Flamingos, Pythons & Ostrich Chicks Are Special Guests

Keeping It Wild

BY // 10.24.24
photography Daniel Ortiz for Houston Zoo

What: The Houston Zoo ‘Wing of Wonder’ Ball

Where: The Zoo‘s tented Masihara Pavilion

PC Moment: So many moments of note. Let’s begin with announcement that Joe Cleary and Cullen Geiselman Muse will have two of the soon-to-be hatched ostrich chicks named in their honor. The special recognition given, as Houston Zoo president ad CEO Lee Ehmke noted, comesin thanks for the duo’s efforts in leading the Zoo’s $150 million “Keeping Our World Wild” centennial capital campaign.

Ball Co Chairs Chris Laquer and Anita O’Shaughnessy and Jennifer and Chris Laporte
Zoo Ball chairs Chris Laquer & Anita O’Shaughnessy and Jennifer & Chris Laporte

Cleary was joined by his wife Cathy Cleary and Muse by her husband Robert Muse as honorees. Phillips 66 was recognized as presenting sponsor.

Special guests at the black-tie soirée were Chilean flamingo chicks, ball pythons, a chinchilla and other ambassador animals. These early visitors went to bed before the City Kitchen team brought out the evening’s first course.

Jennifer and Chris Laporte and Anita O’Shaughnessy and Chris Laquer chaired the gala that raised more than $2.266 million. The live and silent auctions, chaired by Courtney and Zac Harmon, contributed seriously to the bottom line. Particularly fun was the lively bidding in the live auction for naming rights for a future jaguar cub. That honor fetched a cool $50,000.

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And as much as many partygoers dislike the paddle raise appeal, that interlude raised a handsome $275,000 for HoustoZoo programs.

Dr. Deo Ruhagazi, Danae Jackson, Lisa Marie Avendano, Dr. Jessica Kamatenesi and Taylor Rhoades

Both the main event and the after party, which was  chaired by Victoria Villarreal and Arthur “Will” Brown, were sellouts with attendance surpassing 825. Sponsored by PNC the event featured late-night bites, open bars and dancing featuring The Drywater Band, which kept revelers on the floor until midnight.

PC Seen: Sue Chin, Kelley and Stephen Lubanko, Carey Kirkpatrick, Alie and Dave Pruner, Stacy Methvin , Courtney and Zac Harmon,  Sadie Rucker, Sultana and Moez Mangalji, Courtney and Bas Solleveld, Carina and Brooks Antweil, Mindy and Josh Davidson, Beverly and Jim Postl, Anne Clutterbuck, Debra and Mike Dishberger, and Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan.

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