HOUSTON (November 1, 2021) – Over 530 community leaders and luminaries gathered in their masked and vaxxed best to celebrate the work of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston at the organization’s 2021 Tapestry Gala on the evening of Wednesday, October 27 at the Hilton Americas-Houston. The ballroom glittered in shades of royal blue and gold, with an abundance of white lilies and other blooms.
The Tapestry Gala is Interfaith Ministries’ largest and most popular fundraising event. It is known for attracting a diverse crowd, mirroring Houston’s diverse and robust culture. The event raised much-needed funds for the services of Interfaith Ministries including: Meals on Wheels/Animeals, Refugee Services, Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships, Volunteer Houston and Serve Houston.
This year’s event honored three long-time Interfaith Ministries supporters: Tapestry Award honoree Paula S. Sutton, Spirit of Respect honoree Rev. Dr. Jim Bankston, and Corporate Champion honoree Sysco. The event was chaired by Philamena and Arthur Baird, Dr. Kathy Flanagan, Dr. Sushma and Devinder Mahajan, and Anuradha and Dr. Kohur Subramanian. The presenting sponsor was Shell. Frank Billingsley served as emcee and a musical tribute to Frank Sinatra was provided by the Richard Brown Orchestra, with a special performance of “The Prayer” by three local tenors Kenneth Gayle, Michael Gott and Wayne Ashley.
Lead sponsors included: Brigitte and Bashar Kalai, Susan and Dan Boggio, Barbara Mackey and Jim Ferrendelli M.D., Karyn and Charles Crisp, EOG Resources, CenterPoint Energy, Susanne and Randall Evans, Patti and Richard Everett, Frost Bank, Karen and Jay Harberg,
H-E-B, Dr. Sippi and Ajay Khurana, the Marek Family, Dr. Marilyn Stovall, Nihala and Shaukat Zakaria, Duane Failing and Fran Zandstra, and TRIO Community Meals.