At Dress for Success and Women of Wardrobe's annual Summer Soiree, generously hosted by Tootises, fashion-forward attendees dressed in pretty pastels, bold patterns and lots of ruffles — many designed by Houston's Hunter Bell, who showed off her fall line alongside jewelry by Claudia Lobao. Chairs Karishma Asrani, Courtney Campo, Allie Danziger and Melissa Sugulas welcomed guests to the event, which toasted the 20th anniversary of Dress for Success, and raised more than $20,000 for the org.
Describe the mission of Make-A-Wish. Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana grants life-changing wishes for local children battling critical illnesses, serving 47 counties in Texas (from Lufkin to Corpus Christi) and the entire state of Louisiana. We are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey.
How do you view your role in Make-A-Wish? I truly believe I have the greatest job in the entire world! Every day, I see the strength and bravery of the wish kids we serve and the power their wishes have to transform not only their own lives, but those of entire communities. I work with the most hard-working and dedicated staff imaginable. It’s my responsibility to ensure that they have the foundational support to effectively do their jobs and fulfill our mission at a level of excellence. I’m here to work alongside our team and Board of Directors to guide our organization daily and propel our future with limitless possibilities.
What’s unique about your approach? We are building a team based on a sincere belief in having the best and most capable staff executing our mission and serving our wish families. A key component of fulfilling this vision each day is empowerment of my team to embody a service-focused culture of achievement. My motto is, “We always find a way to make a wish happen!” We’re here for the sole purpose of making magic happen for our wish kids — it’s that simple!
What factors motivated you to choose a career in non-profit leadership? Growing up, I was fortunate to have role models who constantly showed me what true community stewardship looks like. Studying Journalism at Mizzou, I felt a strong desire to bring stories to life. Then, I saw the need for people to actively contribute to making their community stronger. It is an ongoing, rewarding and humbling journey to work with a team who shares that mindset and to bring hope to those that need it.
What are the key lessons you’ve learned? By far, the most important lesson is that we must be 100 percent kid-focused with every decision we make. There is no higher priority than our wish kids. We must act with honesty, integrity and compassion. The commitment to serve is one not to be made lightly, and we hold ourselves to standards higher than those set by anyone outside Make-A-Wish.
What’s most exciting about the future of Make-A-Wish? This summer we will grant the 10,000th wish to a local kid since our organization’s inception in 1984. This represents a very special and key milestone as Make-A-Wish is building toward our impact goal to double the number of local wishes granted annually by 2025. Get involved at http://wish.org/texgulf
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AS THE HOLIDAYS loom closer with celebrations and travel in the works, now is the time we start thinking about how to feel and look our best.
Enter Houston-based physician Steven J. Cyr, who grew up in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and knew he wanted to be a doctor at just four years old. His long medical journey, which led to specializing in spine surgery, began with top honors, graduating Summa Cum Laude and as a valedictorian with a biology degree from Southwest Texas State University.
“I played college football, and due to an injury, had my ACL reconstructed my first year,” explains Cyr, 53. “The fact that I was able to return to that level of competition as a college running back drew me to the field of orthopedic surgery.
“During my residency, I found spine surgery the most intriguing because it was the most complex and required patience and meticulousness,” continues Cyr, who trained at the Mayo Clinic and is now the Chief Medical Officer of Surgical Associates in Spine at SASpine. He has a stellar reputation for correcting complex conditions of the spine and musculoskeletal system — but he also always had an interest in cosmetic surgery.
Now, after years of cosmetic surgery training, he has pioneered a significant integration of these two specialized fields. His CYRx MD Cosmetic Surgery leverages his orthopedic expertise and passion for fitness and body building. Cyr developed a revolutionary surgical technique called OrthoSculpt. Unlike conventional liposuction, which focuses solely on fat removal or shaping fat to portray muscle, OrthoSculpt is a five-step process which delves deeper to reveal a patient's underlying muscles with extraordinary precision.
By relying on a comprehensive understanding of muscle, nerve, and blood vessel anatomy, Cyr selectively and safely removes unwanted fat from areas of the face, neck, and body, to unveil jaw lines, cheekbones, and sculpted physiques with a natural-looking, fit, gym-built appearance.
But his cosmetic surgery expertise doesn’t stop there. “My fellowship training included both facial and body cosmetic surgeries of all kinds. I routinely perform breast augmentation, tummy tucks, breast lifts, facelift and neck lifts, Brazilian butt lifts, and fat transfers to the face, breasts, and body,” says Cyr.
At his offices in Houston, Ft. Lauderdale and San Antonio, he performs nonsurgical and aesthetic procedures (like filler and neurotoxin injections). He also offers ultrasound cavitation, which is the use of ultrasound technology to break down fat cells below the skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite.
In his leisure time, the always-busy doctor enjoys weight training, martial arts and spending time with his wife of 25 years and their four children; the eldest is 22 and in law school at Vanderbilt. When time allows, traveling is another joy. “We love visiting Italy and Spain, where I have family.”
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Fall’s First Fete Goes Swimmingly, Ballet Fans Enjoy Glam Onstage Dinner After ‘Mermaid’ Opening
Daniel Ortiz
Sep. 11, 2024
AN ELEGANT DINNER on the Wortham stage for dance patrons followed the opening night performance of the Houston Ballet over the weekend, a glittering first foray into what’s shaping up to be a typically busy fall social season.
“This year’s spectacular opening night performance, underwritten by Phoebe and Bobby Tudor with support provided by The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, featured John Neumeier’s interpretation of the beloved classic tale The Little Mermaid,” explained a rep for the company. The show, colorful and surreal, actually hews closer to Hans Christian Andersen’s original dark fairytale than the Disney cartoon.
After the show and remarks by artistic director Stanton Welch, some 230 well dressed ballet fans waited for the stage to be cleared of its sets and a beautiful dinner party to be set up in their place.
“Inspired by the vibrant blue hues of the ocean, the enchanting décor created by Bergner and Johnson transported attendees to the magical world of The Little Mermaid with low and organic arrangements of varying shades of pink and white filled with hydrangeas, astilbe, roses, tulips and other seasonal florals pristinely placed in white shell and capezi vessels,” cooed the Ballet rep. “Taller arrangements adorned with sea leaves sat atop clear glass palace vases and table accents such as air plants and coral added to the unforgettable evening.”
The dinner, chaired by Mignon & Steve Gill and Fady Armanious & Bill Baldwin and honoring the great groundbreaking ballerina Lauren Anderson, raised more than $325,000, a new record for the annual event. It began with a salad of bibb lettuce and Shrimp Louie. The main course of braised beef short rib with cabernet-thyme reduction and parsnip puree preceded a dessert of panna cotta with melon sorbet. Per the custom at the Ballet’s lavish events, charming young dancers from the company were sprinkled through the party, seated at every table.
Notable attendees included choreographer Neumeier, along with the Ballet’s Jim Nelson and Julie Kent; John Neumeier. Other VIPs included Stephanie and Frank Tsuru, Kristy and Chris Bradshaw, Laura Robertson, Hallie Vanderhider, Bobby Dees, Margaret Alkek Williams, Jo Furr, Jay Jones, Terry Wayne Jones, Martha Finger, and Duyen and Marc Nguyen.
Chris and Kristy Bradshaw
Connor Walsh, Chae Eun Yang
Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees
Phoebe and Bobby Tudor
Margaret Alkek Williams and David Wuthrich
Nick Pierce, Victoria Gutierrez
S. Shawn Stephens, Leigh Smith, Ileana Treviño, Kelley Lubanko, Martha Finger
Stephanie and Frank Tsuru
Tony Bradfield, Marguerite Swartz, Mary Sage, Rahul Ramdas
Yuriko Kajiya, Akemi Saitoh
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