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Holiday Pilgrimage rolls through Tanglewood, River Oaks
By MEGAN COOPER
Once again, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation of Houston will celebrate the Christmas season by giving back to the community through its biennial philanthropic event featuring a tour of homes.
This year’s Holiday Pilgrimage, Kappa Kappa Gamma Gives a Gift to Houston, will benefit thirteen select local charities.
“We really try to keep the money raised in Houston,” said Theresa Moore, event co-chair. “It is important to us, as well as our donors, to contribute to our own community and to keep the money close by.”
The weekend-long event will be held Dec. 5-7, and will feature a tour of four homes in River Oaks and Tanglewood that have been decorated for the holiday season with the help of professional floral designers.
“All of the homes are going to be decorated to the max for Christmas,” said Laurie Tyler, one of three co-chairs of the event. “We want people who take the tour to get ideas for decorating their own homes.”
The Holiday Pilgrimage is a long-standing tradition of the Kappa foundation, which has been contributing to Houston charities since 1941. Throughout its history, the philanthropy has given a tremendous amount of money back to the community.
“We started tracking the amount of money raised in 1976,” Tyler said. “Since then we have raised $2,250,000.”
Moore said it has been an honor to continue this tradition of giving, and that proceeds from this year’s event will likely exceed those of previous years.
“Two years ago we were able to give $250 thousand to local charities,” Moore said. “This year we’re expecting to exceed that.”
The organizations that benefit from the event have utilized the funds to improve programs, facilities and equipment and have in turn helped thousands of Houstonians in need.
Hundreds of volunteers have been working for more than a year to coordinate this year’s event. The Houston Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma has utilized the talents and expertise of its members, including professionals in the legal, financial, accounting, marketing, and fundraising fields, to plan and execute the fundraiser.
The foundation’s philanthropy committee is in charge of researching and choosing the beneficiaries of each event. The current chairman of the committee is Linda Hunsaker, a resident of River Oaks.
“It’s been a great privilege to serve as chairman of this committee,” Hunsaker said. “I’m very proud of the hard work and dedication of all of the members.”
The committee’s nine members are responsible for reviewing applications, studying each organization that applies and ultimately voting on which organizations will be chosen.
“It is amazing how deeply needs run in this city, even before Hurricane Ike,” she said. “I was really struck by the extremely high number of requests we received from different organizations.”
Hunsaker said it was very difficult to pick only thirteen from the huge number of applications the committee received from worthy organizations of all shapes and sizes.
“We made charts, held in-depth interviews and spent hours upon hours reading applications,” Hunsaker said. “We studied financial reports and held site visits before we narrowed the applicants down and conducted interviews.
“The whole process took place over several months.”
This year’s beneficiaries include: BEAR, BE A Resource for CPS Kids; The Brookwood Community; Covenant House Texas; Denver Harbor Clinic; End Hunger Network; Harris County Hospital District Foundation; Houston Alumnae Panhellenic Foundation; Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation; Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine; Nehemiah Center; The Seniors Place; Sheltering Arms Senior Services; and Yellowstone Academy. Most focus on some type of rehabilitation.
Hunsaker pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma at The University of Texas in 1972. In addition to serving as chairman of the Philanthropy Committee this year, she served as president of the Alumni Association in 1998 and as a co-chair of the Holiday Pilgrimage in 2000.
She said the best part about being actively involved is the friendships she has made over the years as an alumnae.
“So many of my life-long and closest friends are Kappas,” Hunsaker said. “My favorite part of this event is getting to see everyone in such a short period of time.”
This year’s co-chairmen are Shannon Kroger, Therese Moore and Laurie Tyler. All three are Memorial residents. Kroger and Tyler are sisters, and both graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. Moore is a graduate of George Washington University.
Tyler said they have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones as they have worked together to make this year’s Pilgrimage a success.
The Pilgrimage kicks off Dec. 3 with a luncheon at River Oaks Country Club featuring special guest speaker Jason Graham, Executive Chef of Cal-a-Vie located in Vista, California. Graham will discuss the timely topic of healthy eating during the holidays. Graham has co-authored a cookbook, Cal-a-Vie: Gourmet Spa Cuisine, which will be available for purchase at the luncheon with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation of Houston.
In addition to the cook book, other items will be sold which have been made from scratch by Kappas themselves. Additional items include delicious foods from the Kappa Kitchen that have been packaged for the holidays and beautiful needlepoint creations made by the Kappa Stitchers. Tickets to the luncheon start at $250.
Any items that are not sold during the luncheon will be available for purchase at the Tanglewood homes during the home tour.
The home tour will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The four homes are located at 3650 Meadow Lake and 18 West Lane in River Oaks, and at 414 Shadywood and 5551 Cedar Creek in Tanglewood.
“Each of the homes in our 2008 Pilgrimage will be decorated for the holidays by some of Houston’s most creative floral designers,” Kroger said. “Visitors to the homes will have a chance to get a glimpse of the latest trends and decor for the season.”
Floral designers include Miriam Westmoreland, Johnathan Andrew Sage, Inc., Jeff H. Bradley Custom Flowers, and Bergner & Johnson Design.
“It’s really great to see so many people come together and support the local community,” said Stuart Hudson, President of the Charitable Foundation. “We’re so appreciative of all of our underwriters – a lot of local businesses have supported us in this event.”
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and include admission to all four homes on the Tour. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Bering’s, Rice Epicurean and River Oaks Plant House, or on the day of the event at any of the homes featured in the tour. For ticket information, call 713-662-2266.
This year’s Holiday Pilgrimage, Kappa Kappa Gamma Gives a Gift to Houston, will benefit thirteen select local charities.
“We really try to keep the money raised in Houston,” said Theresa Moore, event co-chair. “It is important to us, as well as our donors, to contribute to our own community and to keep the money close by.”
The weekend-long event will be held Dec. 5-7, and will feature a tour of four homes in River Oaks and Tanglewood that have been decorated for the holiday season with the help of professional floral designers.
“All of the homes are going to be decorated to the max for Christmas,” said Laurie Tyler, one of three co-chairs of the event. “We want people who take the tour to get ideas for decorating their own homes.”
The Holiday Pilgrimage is a long-standing tradition of the Kappa foundation, which has been contributing to Houston charities since 1941. Throughout its history, the philanthropy has given a tremendous amount of money back to the community.
“We started tracking the amount of money raised in 1976,” Tyler said. “Since then we have raised $2,250,000.”
Moore said it has been an honor to continue this tradition of giving, and that proceeds from this year’s event will likely exceed those of previous years.
“Two years ago we were able to give $250 thousand to local charities,” Moore said. “This year we’re expecting to exceed that.”
The organizations that benefit from the event have utilized the funds to improve programs, facilities and equipment and have in turn helped thousands of Houstonians in need.
Hundreds of volunteers have been working for more than a year to coordinate this year’s event. The Houston Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma has utilized the talents and expertise of its members, including professionals in the legal, financial, accounting, marketing, and fundraising fields, to plan and execute the fundraiser.
The foundation’s philanthropy committee is in charge of researching and choosing the beneficiaries of each event. The current chairman of the committee is Linda Hunsaker, a resident of River Oaks.
“It’s been a great privilege to serve as chairman of this committee,” Hunsaker said. “I’m very proud of the hard work and dedication of all of the members.”
The committee’s nine members are responsible for reviewing applications, studying each organization that applies and ultimately voting on which organizations will be chosen.
“It is amazing how deeply needs run in this city, even before Hurricane Ike,” she said. “I was really struck by the extremely high number of requests we received from different organizations.”
Hunsaker said it was very difficult to pick only thirteen from the huge number of applications the committee received from worthy organizations of all shapes and sizes.
“We made charts, held in-depth interviews and spent hours upon hours reading applications,” Hunsaker said. “We studied financial reports and held site visits before we narrowed the applicants down and conducted interviews.
“The whole process took place over several months.”
This year’s beneficiaries include: BEAR, BE A Resource for CPS Kids; The Brookwood Community; Covenant House Texas; Denver Harbor Clinic; End Hunger Network; Harris County Hospital District Foundation; Houston Alumnae Panhellenic Foundation; Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation; Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine; Nehemiah Center; The Seniors Place; Sheltering Arms Senior Services; and Yellowstone Academy. Most focus on some type of rehabilitation.
Hunsaker pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma at The University of Texas in 1972. In addition to serving as chairman of the Philanthropy Committee this year, she served as president of the Alumni Association in 1998 and as a co-chair of the Holiday Pilgrimage in 2000.
She said the best part about being actively involved is the friendships she has made over the years as an alumnae.
“So many of my life-long and closest friends are Kappas,” Hunsaker said. “My favorite part of this event is getting to see everyone in such a short period of time.”
This year’s co-chairmen are Shannon Kroger, Therese Moore and Laurie Tyler. All three are Memorial residents. Kroger and Tyler are sisters, and both graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. Moore is a graduate of George Washington University.
Tyler said they have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones as they have worked together to make this year’s Pilgrimage a success.
The Pilgrimage kicks off Dec. 3 with a luncheon at River Oaks Country Club featuring special guest speaker Jason Graham, Executive Chef of Cal-a-Vie located in Vista, California. Graham will discuss the timely topic of healthy eating during the holidays. Graham has co-authored a cookbook, Cal-a-Vie: Gourmet Spa Cuisine, which will be available for purchase at the luncheon with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation of Houston.
In addition to the cook book, other items will be sold which have been made from scratch by Kappas themselves. Additional items include delicious foods from the Kappa Kitchen that have been packaged for the holidays and beautiful needlepoint creations made by the Kappa Stitchers. Tickets to the luncheon start at $250.
Any items that are not sold during the luncheon will be available for purchase at the Tanglewood homes during the home tour.
The home tour will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The four homes are located at 3650 Meadow Lake and 18 West Lane in River Oaks, and at 414 Shadywood and 5551 Cedar Creek in Tanglewood.
“Each of the homes in our 2008 Pilgrimage will be decorated for the holidays by some of Houston’s most creative floral designers,” Kroger said. “Visitors to the homes will have a chance to get a glimpse of the latest trends and decor for the season.”
Floral designers include Miriam Westmoreland, Johnathan Andrew Sage, Inc., Jeff H. Bradley Custom Flowers, and Bergner & Johnson Design.
“It’s really great to see so many people come together and support the local community,” said Stuart Hudson, President of the Charitable Foundation. “We’re so appreciative of all of our underwriters – a lot of local businesses have supported us in this event.”
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and include admission to all four homes on the Tour. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Bering’s, Rice Epicurean and River Oaks Plant House, or on the day of the event at any of the homes featured in the tour. For ticket information, call 713-662-2266.
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