River Oaks Baptist School’s biennial gala – A World of Pure Imagination – will take place on Friday, April 19, 2024, at The Post Oak Hotel (Attire: Whimsical Cocktail). Money raised through underwriting donations, ticket sales, silent and live auctions, wine donations, and a tuition raffle supports educational excellence at ROBS. You can read more about ways to support the event by clicking on Underwriting Opportunities below.
The fair market value of a ticket to the A World of Pure Imagination gala is $200.
Please contact Tany Klaes, Development Associate, at tklaes@robs.org or 713.623.6938 x 135 with any questions.
A World of Pure Imagination Gala Information
If you have an item or experience to donate to the 2024 “A World of Pure Imagination” Gala auction, please fill out the Auction Donor Form, linked below. Completed forms must be received by February 29, 2024, to be recognized in the auction materials.
Thank you to our auction donors who have generously donated their products and services. We hope you will consider supporting them during this time in any way you can!
A Fare Extraordinaire
A Tailored Life
Alexana Estate Vineyard and Winery
Aperture Cellars
The Athon Family
Avant-Art Gallery
Avenu Fitness
Bach Mai
That Balloon Girl
Barry’s Houston
Berg Hospitality Group
Bergner & Johnson
BFT River Oaks
Big Yoga
Erin and Michael Breen
Camp Creek Inn – The Watersound Club
Captains Only Bartenders and Servers
Kendall and Matt Chuchla
City Boots
Ellen and John Conley
Cyclone Anaya’s
Claire and Tyler Day
Double Batch Aggieland
Dr. Roth Plastic Surgery
Jessica Givens Driscoll and Jamil Driscoll
Elanna Atelier
Estilo Salon & Spa
Executive Nail and Spa
F&G Landscape, Inc.
Libby Fay | Eloise Fay Novotny | Anabel Fay Thompson
Allie and Jay Fields | The Fields Companies
Float Baby
The Floridian
George Pou & Brian Cushing’s Garage Total Sports Training
Gathering Boards 30A
Glow Medical Aesthetics
Goodie Rentals
Hai Hospitality
Hamilton Shirts
Lauren and Herschel Hamner
Yassin and Mindy Austin Hassan
The Hernandez Schmidt-Tophoff Family
Hey Day Flower Co.
Houston Astros
Houston Sports Adventures
Houston Texans
Jennifer Barron Interiors
Jentry Kelley
JR Mobile Detailing
Katia Boutique
Ellecia Knoll @ParisPrep
Magnolia Portraits (Chris Bailey Photography)
Maria Elias Kasselakis Art
The Marquis II
MHCo Bakery
Mi Golondrina
Miller Outdoor Theater
MontArt House
Neatly & Co.
The Oren Family
The Original Round Top Antiques Fair at The Big Red Barn
Palace Social
Pappas Restaurants
Persona Medical Spa
Pete’s Fine Meats
Emily and Mark Porter
Q Clothier
The Ramji Family
Relish Restaurant & Bar
Rio de los Suenos, LLC.
River Oaks Dance
River Oaks Donuts
River Oaks Baptist School
River Oaks Baptist School Needlepoint Stitchers
Robin Jackson Photography
Rooftop Cinema
RYDE
Shredded by Shelley
Skin Pharm
The Sleepover Co.
Sonoma Splendor
Southland Tour Co.
Spice Paper Designs
Spray Hou
Squared Away
Steak 48
Steinway Piano Gallery of Houston
The Studio Gals
Style by Savery
Sunshine Art Space
Sweet Paris | Allison and Ivan Chavez
Swiftly Catered – Private Chef
Tenenbaum Jewelers
Teressa Foglia
Thomson Travel
The Trueheart Hotel
Three Smudges Photography
Three Sticks Wines
Pammy and Irfan Umatiya
Urban Chef
Vacayzen
Tami and David Wall
Lesley and Trey Watkins
Matthew White
Audrey and Matthew White
Gala Committee Chairs
Gala Chairs | Lauren Athon Pammy Umatiya |
Underwriting Chairs | Melissa & Bryan McDavid (PS) Kelley & Drew Scoggins (LS) Kara & Hank Hilliard (MS) |
Past Parent & Grandparent Underwriting Chairs | Chris & Merrell Athon Nancy & David Pustka |
Auction Chairs | Margaret Bravo, Claire Day, Audrey White |
Auction Committee | Ali Attar, Courtney Blair, Lyndsay Burgoyne, Chita Craft, Jessica Givens Driscoll, Allie Fields, Alex Heins, Caroline Knapp, Katie Leonard, Megan MacIntyre, Meredith Marshall, Christina Milligan, Melissa Moncrief, Anna Monsour, Cara Nunnally, Martha Paterson, Jett Petit, Emily Porter, Elizabeth Scofield, Krystal Thompson, Ashley Yates, Tami Wall |
Auction Class Parties Chairs | Lakshmi Picoli & Elise Swan (PS) Marissa Avery & Brittany Douglas (LS) Ting Bresnahan & Kandace Moon (MS) |
Auction Class Projects Chairs | Caroline Williams (PS) Emily Dingmann (LS) Henley Old (MS) |
Auction Class Projects Grade Level Representatives | Julie Stephen (R), Jaclyn Goodell (PreK), Kristen Steen (K), Jennifer LaForge (1), Rachel Everaard (2), Emily Walker (3), Susan Munson (4) , Angie Chadha (5), Amanda Olson (6), Milane Frantz (7), Olivia Benitez (8) |
Auction Photographer | Cathy Kim-Gray |
Auction Secretary | Rachel Gummattira |
Decorations Chairs | Courtney Brooks, Lesley Ho |
Luncheon Hostess | Margaret Bravo |
Needlepoint Chair | Cheyanne Leibe |
Post Gala Chair | Paula Jones |
Program Chairs | Leslie Cammuso, Jeni Heard, Sarah Lee, Lesley Watkins |
Raffle Chairs | Claire Walters (PS) Jennifer Monteleone (LS) Reagan Wellins (MS) |
Wine & Spirits Chairs | Shawn & Denis Garcia Michelle & Jack Hsia |
Auction Sponsor: Habiba and Ali Dhanani
Candy Bar Sponsor: Crystaphase
Cocktail Sponsor: Flecha Azul
Heads or Tails Sponsor: Star Precision, LP
Invitation Sponsor: Greenwood King Properties
Late Night Snack Sponsor: Susan Arnoldy Paisley
Photo Booth Sponsor: Greater Houston Orthodontics – Dr. Amir Davoody and Dr. Rana Mehr
Program Sponsor: Louise Carter – Compass
Puppy Sponsor: Vantage Bank
Valet Sponsor: Sewell Cadillac of Houston
Wine Pull Sponsor: Truist
Wonka Bar Sponsor: Valobra Master Jewelers
Golden Ticket
Sara and Jay Bhatty
Loompaland
Taylor and Clint Bawcom | Rebecca and Thom Brandt | Whitney and Jaime Casas | Kara and Hank Hilliard | Chelsea and Matt Pacey
Margaret and Brian Bravo
Jacquelyn and Collin Cox | Lexie White and Jason Dunahoe | Sarah and Richard Punches | Katharine and Richard Ride | Krystal and Garrett Thompson
Chita and Lane Craft | Allie and Jay Fields | Melissa and Logan Moncrief | Tami and David Wall | Audrey and Matthew White
Caroline and Adeeb Dwairy | Michelle and Jack Hsia | Meghaan and Yasser Madriz | Judy Ho and Nathan Nguyen | Brittany and Richard Owen
Jenny Elkins and Ron Walker
Annina and Jordan Emmott | Georgia and Stephen Fox | Paula and Jonathan Jones | Calia and Peter Pettigrew | Kristen and Michael Weekley
Frances and Rick Jeter | Robin and Danny Klaes
Chris and Merrell Athon
Everlasting Gobstopper
Taiwo Adesoye | Kenne Ogunmakin and Dare Ajibade | Ellie Hurdle | Techecia Idowu | Fisayomi Shobayo and Femi Makanjuola | Amaka Unaka
Miriam Habib and Nassim Akle | Regina and Vincent Ibarra | Diana Holguin and Thomas Uribe | Maria Manrique and Juan Vallejo | Laura and Rhett Van Syoc
Kadriye and Avery Alcorn | Courtney and Buck Baker | Teal and Jeff Reamer | Liz and Adam Ross | Becky and Jamie Stehle
Ashley and Andrew Allison | Susan and Phillip Berry | Kerry Levine Bollman and Justin Blackmon | Emily and Neal Dingmann | Dona and Will Moye
Christina and Matthew Almy | Courtney and Jeff Butler | Ashley and Brent Hodges | Anne and John Hughes | Jennifer and Steve Roberts
Lindley and Jason Arnoldy | Sydney and Robert Eifler | Brittany and Joe O’Brien | Stephanie and Scott Sanders | Kelley and Jeff Scofield
Lauren and Bryan Athon | Erin and Michael Breen | Katie and Charlie Davis | Tany and Chaz Klaes | Jessica and Joshua Shishkoff
Alexandra and Frank Attar | Marissa and Robbie Avery | Kristy and Chris Bradshaw | Juliana and Dan Chervanick | Scarlett and Scott Hankey
Jenna and Paul Atwood | Kathleen and Travis Johnson | Kelly and Drew Scoggins
Charlotte and Jayson Baird | Ellen and John Conley | Sophie and Ryan Moses | Kelli and AJ Orr | Chelsea and Warren Williamson
Karen Maclang-Bangilan and Frank Bangilan | Milane Frantz | Becky and James Kennard | Debbie and Travis Kozar | Madhavi and Pravin Nayar
Jennifer and John Barron | Lynn and Graham Gordon | Randi and Pablo Hernandez Schmidt-Tophoff | Mia and Blake Rankin | Caroline and Ward Williams
Danielle and Nathan Baldauff | Vianey and Chris Casarez | Mychelle and Harry Phan | Jennifer and Philip Ho | Frances Ho and John Reuwer
Leslie and Todd Bazin | Jeannie and Zach Fenton | Julie and Drew Sudduth | Jennifer and Hap Weitzel
Sarah and Philip Beck | Lucy and Fowler Carter | Jeni and Ben Heard | Alyssa and Bryan Kilpatrick
Karla and Alex Bekardi | Erin and David Halprin | Michele and Bobby Marandi | Farnoush and Gary Stratulate
Leigh and Jim Bell | Jackie and Scott Freeman | Ellie and Will Garwood | Sheridan and Robert Plumb | Jenni and Nick Swyka
Meghan and Eddy Blanton | Carter and John Dugan | Cheyanne and Brandt Leibe | Katie and Bryan Leonard | Henley and Carter Old
Alexandra and Anthony Borreca | Meagan and Brad Glover | Lizzy and Mark Greenburg | Michelle and Bryan Walker | Katy Rowley and Tim Wyatt
Stephanie and Shaffer Braun | Kristen and Scott Browning | Jackie and John Furlow | Elizabeth and Crosby Scofield | Alston and Jordan White
Carlisle and Cullen Brock | Claire and Tyler Day | Riley and Beau Landry | Cara and Knox Nunnally | Elise and Evans Swann
Courtney and Austin Brooks | Shawn and Denis Garcia | Lesley and Washington Ho | Christina and Ignacio Scuseria | Erika and John Toussaint
Teresa and Hoyt Brown | Katy and Robert James | Rita Jou and Chris Leung | Kristen and Paul Steen | Tamara and Mike Woods
Anne and Mike Buckingham | Jennifer and Ryan Caughey | Julia and Chris Foster | Meredith and Ben Marshall | Nancy Sahota and Tej Singh
Lyndsay and Drew Burgoyne | Becca and Phillip Gayle | Allison and Hunt Harper | Rachael and Toby Miclette | Beezie and Hanley Sayers | Keegan and Phil Thompson
Daisy Xu and Pulin Cai | Karen Zhou and Ning Kang | Jackie Wang and Willie Lai | Juli and Pin Sumargano | Jing Li and Shuo Yang
Leslie and Chris Cammuso | Shannon and Clay Carroll | Pamela Soliman and Russell Content | Amanda and Stephen Olson | Pammy and Irfan Umatiya
Mo and Ric Campo | Kim and Ted Hartz
Lauren Soliz and Chris Canonico | Rachel and Kent Everaard | Neha and Reed Paseur | Hollie Nguyen-Rodriguez and Daniel Rodriguez
Alicia and David Castro | Jessica and Ori Lev | Ashley and Seth Moseley | Julie and Michael Stephen | Katie and Jamie Yarbrough
Louise and Park Carter | Meg and Preston Kamin | Jennifer and Will Monteleone | Katie and Jay Register | Ashley and Nathan Yates
Brittney and Edward Chang | Jessica Givens Driscoll and Jamil Driscoll | Melissa and Bryan McDavid | Andrea and Robert Paisley | Rae and Geir Solberg
Saera and Matthew Chung | Ashley Pleasants and Arash Keyhani | Alice Luan and Samuel Parl | Jessica and Won Yi
Ilona Carson and Jim Colasanto | Catherine and Dean Giuffre | Vanessa and Matthew Hauser | Anna and Paul Monsour | Kandace and Ryan Moon
Abigail and David Coleman | Kim and Chuck Hebenstreit | Caroline and Fred Knapp | Susan and David Munson | Taryn and Preston Proler
Caroline and Paul Cornett | Amber and Chris Howard | Angela and Jody Johnston | Karen and Austen Morris | Therese and Lee Tran
Ashley and Jonathan Crouse | Laura and William Easterling | Tiffany and Briggs Knight | Taylor and Brad Knotts | Lauren and Adrian Turnham
Haley Webster and Jeb Cox | Taylor and Craig Dawson | Anne and Cary Goss | Sarah and Bryant Lee
Habiba and Ali Dhanani
Eryn and Stephen Ebaugh | Kaitlyn and Manuel Garza | JB and Anne McAllister | Katie and Brian Patterson | Laura and Irby Rozelle
Lindsay and James Eilers | Anne and Kyle Kelley | Bissau and Danny Mounir | Melissa and William Steele | Addie and Dustin Teague
Lauren and David Etlinger | Jaclyn and Tyler Goodell | Rachel and Roshan Gummattira | Ashley and Kenneth Kneisly | Dr. Jose Karam and Ms. Melinda Keyhani
Courtney and Jason Fertitta | Jennifer Beato-Miller and Mark Miller | Ellen and Bill Otto | Kara and Dax Sanders | Natalie and Trevor Wommack
Allison and Adam Flikerski | Elizabeth and Bryan Gilcrease | Amber and Dan Kelusky | Michelle and Brandon Holcomb
E’Lisa and Scott Garber | Lucy and Kevin Leonard | Lesley and Mauricio Marquez | Candace and Brian Thomas | Bridy and Tony Talamas
Julie Anderson-Glaser and Richard Glaser | Maria Grant and Farrell Johnson | Shelly and Matt Kurtz | Lauren and Alfred Park | Nisha and Ra’Kerry Rahman
Myrna and Guilherme Godoy | Jennifer and Colin LaForge | Beth and Danny McEntee | Sarah and Luis Miranda | Lindsay Bateman and Andy Sims
Kassia Yanosek and Chris Gurr | Mei-Jen Ho | Kristi and Corey Johnson | Catherine and Edward Lee | Ying Kate Li | Susan Lin and Ted Liang
Lauren and Herschel Hamner | Martha and Tom Paterson | Rebecca and Rob Prtichard | Natalie and Ryan Synnott | Reagan and Mike Wellins
Rana and Todd Hassen | Autumn and Michael Hunt | Mahsa and Mehran Massumi | Andrea Espinosa and Henry Medina | Alexandra and Parker Meeks
Kari and Jeff Helm | Doug and Michelle Huth & Frost Bank | Kate and Jonathan Jeter | Mary and Weston O’Black | Gabe and Bridget Vick
Patricia Mallinson and George Joseph
Meg and Preston Kamin | Jennifer and Will Monteleone | Katie and Jay Register | Ashley and Nathan Yates
Laporte Family Foundation
Megan and Shaw MacIntyre | Elizabeth and Thomas McConathy | Ludmila and Robert Paul | Lakshmi and Andrew Picoli | Claire and Matt Walters
Missy and Kevin Millin
Casey and Jeremy Newton | Codi and Matthew Wiener
Nancy and David Pustka
Anabel and Steve Thompson | Prosperity Bank
Chocolate Factory
Kyle and Christian Baker
JoAnna Barrett and Todd Brooks
Rosangela and David Capobianco
Ramona and Razvan Dadu
Nicolette and Patrick Daniel
Emily and Elliott Doyle
Roula and Steven Gerguis
Mignon and Steve Gill
Katherine and Chris Gillman
Rizzia and John Hammond
Alex and Anthony Heins
Yelena Grinina and Brennan Higgins
Alle and Brian Houstoun
Alexander and Tiffany Jais
Barbara and Cedric Kouam
Mindi and Chris Kral
Christine and Marc LaBorde
Anna Shao and Justin Lee
Colleen DiFonzo-Lewis and Jarrad Lewis
Annie Wu and George Lu
Elizabeth and David Mackie
Christina Milligan
Hallie and Tyler Moore
Devesh and Kavitha Pandya
Alex Simotas Laskaris and Aris Laskaris Papasakellariou
Asasia and Jerod Pierce
Torri and Leon Pierce
Eliza and Alexander Romeo
Melissa and Scott Santana
Meredith and John Stilwell
Aparajitha and Amit Verma
Andrea and Michael Walsh
Lollipop Ticket
Kyle and Christian Baker
Melanie and Chris Bibb
Sarah and Adam Brock
Tom Bullock
Kristi and Corey Johnson
Karen Zhou and Ning Kang
Shelly and Matt Kurtz
Colleen Di-Fonzo Lewis and Jarrad Lewis
Kay MacIntyre
Alex Simotas Laskaris and Aris Laskaris Papasakellariou
Asasia and Jerod Pierce
Christa and Greg Pryor
Donations
Ellen and Peter Aarsen In honor of Louisa and Henry Brock
Cynthia and Sherman Eoff In honor of Molly and Reece Hodges
Deborah and Will Garwood In honor of Irby and Lily Rozelle
Lisa and Brett Jones In honor of Jules and Thomas Jones
Kristy Liedtke In honor of The Athon Family
Charles Ripley In honor of Charles Ripley II
Jill and Loren Ross In memory of Ann McDaniel and Jeff Love
Susan and Evans Swann
Nneka and Chris Unaka
2024 Gala – A World of Pure Imagination – Frequently Asked Questions
- What do I need to know about the 2024 River Oaks Baptist School Gala?
The gala is an important (and FUN!) biennial fundraising event for River Oaks Baptist School. Typically, between 600 and 800 people attend this event. The 2024 gala will take place on Friday, April 19, 2024, at The Post Oak Hotel. Cocktails will be served beginning at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and the program beginning at 7:30 p.m. The attire is Whimsical Cocktail.
This festive and colorful evening is open to the entire River Oaks Baptist School community and will feature a silent and live auction, tuition raffle, seated dinner, and entertainment by the The Drywater Band. Proceeds go to support continued excellence at ROBS.
- I am new to ROBS and don’t know a lot of people. I would like to attend the gala. What do I do? Who do I sit with?
We are thrilled for you to join us! You have several options. First, you can reach out to your grade level Underwriting Chair to help connect you with other families. You can also reach out to your Class Parent or other families in your child’s class to see if they want to go in on a table together. Another option is to purchase individual tickets at a Preschool, Lower School, or Middle School table, and we will seat you at a table with other parents/ticket holders in your child’s grade or division!
- I have found people to split a table with. Does one person need to buy the whole table?
One couple does not need to purchase the whole table. It is actually best for each couple to purchase its portion of the table separately in order for each couple to receive a tax benefit. When you purchase your spots, please be sure to indicate the names of the other people at your table in the space provided. Please note that for split tables, we must receive payment from ALL purchasers before a table will be assigned. ALL payments for split tables must be received by April 1, 2024. If all payments are not received by April 1, purchasers who have paid will be considered individual ticket holders.
- How much are tables and tickets? How many people can sit at a table?
Golden Ticket: $25,000 (12 people)
Willy Wonka: $15,000 (10 people)
Loompaland: $10,000 (10 people)
Everlasting Gobstopper: $5,000 (10 people)
Chocolate Factory: $500 (individual tickets)
Lollipop: $300 (underwrite a faculty/staff member)
- How do I reserve a table/ticket?
You may reserve your table/ticket online at www.robs.org/giving/gala or contact Tany Klaes, Development Associate, at tklaes@robs.org or 713-623-6938 x 135.
- I can’t attend the gala. Can I still participate in the auction?
Absolutely! The silent auction will be online through One Cause. Bidding will open the week of the gala. We will send out a link to start bidding.