The boots had been polished, the bourbon was flowing, and the dance ground stayed packed as greater than 250 friends gathered at The Ballroom at Bayou Place for the Eighth Annual Kick Up Your Boots for Youngsters benefiting Dec My Room.
The bash, chaired by Chelsea Collmer, welcomed Nation star Mark Chesnutt‘s twang and toe-tapping vitality. He carried out a energetic set that had even probably the most reserved friends two-stepping their means throughout the room. Founders Kendall Plank and Susan Plank joined the group in celebrating the evening’s success, their smiles as vivid because the rhinestones scattered all through the ballroom.
Since its founding in 2007, Dec My Room volunteers have reworked greater than 10,000 hospital rooms throughout 180 hospitals nationwide. The trouble continues to develop, with requests up 30 p.c this yr alone. The group’s impression has reached superstar supporters too. Even Taylor Swift made a shock go to to a Dec My Room setup in Tampa earlier this yr.
The night’s emcee and auctioneer David Ackel stored friends entertained with fast-paced bidding and lighthearted banter. Western stylish dominated the gown code — assume suede, sequins, and loads of cowboy hats — whereas friends cooled off with cocktails from two ice bars.
Group Honorees Aimee and Wynne Snoots and Company Honorees Jen and Matt Brice of Federal American Grill had been acknowledged for his or her ongoing generosity. The dwell public sale drew a number of the evening’s greatest cheers, with prime objects together with uncommon Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, a non-public three-day administration hunt at Sycamore Springs Ranch with Kendall Plank, and a once-in-a-lifetime probability to throw the primary pitch at a 2026 Astros recreation.
The celebration wrapped with tequila tastings from Loco Tequila and hand-rolled cigars courtesy of The Plank Corporations, as longtime supporter Mike Plank regarded on proudly from his front-row seat.
The occasion raised a record-breaking $400,000 to help the nonprofit’s mission of brightening hospital stays for pediatric and younger grownup sufferers.
All decked out had been Stacey and Al Lindseth, Carley and Mike Stasney, Kat and Ryan Pressly, Laura Moore and Don Sanders, Laurie and Bret Sanders, Courtney and Zac Harmon, Gaye Lynn and Stuart Zarrow, Jody Merritt, Donna Lewis, Natalie and Shaun Hodge, Nina and Clint Rand, Tracy and Landon Ehlinger, Noelle and Ryan Strickland, Patrice and Robert Allinger, Lindsey Love, Brittany Tribble, Kory and Geoff Blum, George Foreman IV, Gina and Devinder Bhatia, Tom Butler, Ali and Haydeh Davoudi, Tammy and Stuart Spence, Grace and Steven Ward, Beth Rivera, Kiki Wilson, Jennifer Cope, and Brittany Tribble.
