What: Jubilee of Caring.
Where: River Oaks Country Club.
The scoop: Family legacy and the importance of maintaining Houston’s Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital Level I Trauma Center (Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center) were the heart and soul of the Jubilee of Caring dinner benefiting Harris County Hospital District (HCHD) Foundation. The record-breaking night raised more than $650,000, which will go to first floor renovation of the Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital Level I Trauma Center (Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center) and celebrated the 25th anniversary of the HCHD Foundation.
Event chairs and sisters Carroll Robertson Ray, Beth Robertson, and Lillie Robertson, the self-named “Tres Hermanas,” honored their sister-in-law Barbara and brother Corby Robertson with the Ben Taub Humanitarian Award for their compassionate life’s work to improve the health and well-being of the community. Tables were kitted out with stethoscopes that were part of a live fundraising efforts, prompting guests to listen to each other’s hearts during the high-energy bidding.
Stories of hope and healing were highlighted in personal testimonies and an emotional video, including one by CultureMap editor-in-chief, Clifford Pugh, who was treated at Ben Taub after a serious motorcycle accident last year. “All of this has made me appreciate so much about life. If you’re in a traumatic incident, Ben Taub is the best place to go. You get the best minds, the best medicine. The people there provide the best care,” he said. The stories moved the audience, who spontaneously donated an additional $50,000.
Who: Ginni and Richard Mithoff, Michael Mithoff, Anne Clutterbuck, Barbara and George Masi, Karen and Howard Tellepsen, Dr. Paul Klotman, Swan and Theo Franklin, Beth Young, Emily Crosswell, Flo McGee, Cathy and Joe Cleary, Melissa Juneau, Marcy E. Taub Wessel and Thomas F. Wessel, Kitch Taub, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Danielle and Meredith Cullen, and Nancy and Jim Gordon.