Bun B Joins Football Great, Mayor and Sheriff to Fete Menninger’s Mental Health Mission

Bun B Joins Football Great, Mayor and Sheriff to Fete Menninger’s Mental Health Mission

Bun B and Charles Haley (photo by Daniel Ortiz)

A LUNCHEON IN support of the Menninger Clinic, Houston’s mental health facility with a worldwide reputation, was held at the Hilton Post Oak. “The importance of speaking openly about mental health and encouraging others to do the same was a recurring message,” said a rep for the event’s organizers.


Charles Haley, an NFL Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboy player, was the keynote speaker, chatting openly with event emcee Melanie Lawson of local TV about his own struggles with mental health. “Silence is a killer,” he said. “Being bipolar is something I'm going to deal with for the rest of my life and I'm not ashamed of it. I take every adversity and turn it into a positive force. I've been through it all and it will never make me hang my head.”

Mayor Sylvester Turner also made remarks, as did event chairs Kathy Flanagan and Susan Sportsman. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez also took to the mic, accepting an award for the sheriff’s office for setting new standards in how law enforcement responds to people with mental health needs. Rapper Bun B was among the many guests, which included a who's-who of physicians, judges and other high-profile Houstonians.

Funds raised will support “innovative research at Menninger that focuses on improving mental health diagnosis and treatment, along with education initiatives that keeps clinicians at the forefront of the evolving mental health field,” said the rep.

The Menninger, a private hospital affiliated with Baylor, is in the midst of a major expansion project. It will turn 100 in 2025.

Susan Sportsman, Armando Colombo and Kathy Flannagan (photo by Jenny Antil)

Deborah Keyser and Devon Anderson (photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Sophie Girard, Elizabeth Farish and Yvonne Ziegler (photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Member of the Harris County Sheriff's Office (photo by Jenny Antill)

Jim Lykes, Kate Lykes and Culley Platt (photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Chad Patel and Natalia Oakes (phot by Daniel Ortiz)

Wellness+Giving Back
Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less

HOLIDAY CHEER IS coming to Bandista, the Four Seasons hotel’s swanky speakeasy, in the form of a fun collab with Nashville bar Four Walls.

Keep Reading Show less
Food

You’ve eaten at Nancy’s Hustle, Tiny Champions, Better Luck Tomorrow, Milton’s and Lee’s Den. Now, you can explore the private warehouse of the design firm that created those spaces!

Keep Reading Show less