8Charity Ball show cast with producers Dylan Goodwin and Logan Keslar
9Charity Ball show cast with producers Dylan Goodwin and Logan Keslar
10Charity Ball show
11Charity Ball show
12Charity Ball show
13Charity Ball show
14Jennifer Howard, Mitra Woody, and Selby Bush
15Bunmi Adetutu & Jayne Bank
16Soraya & Scott McClelland
17Jennifer Howard, Mitra Woody, and Selby Bush
18Bunmi Adetutu & Jayne Bank
19Alicia & Robert Kimmel
20Megan & Jason Ryan
21Barry & Sydney Gross
22Stephanie & Ryan Fleck
23Ashley and Jonathan Sloane
24Gregg & Sarah Snyder and Martha Ann & Byron Snyder
25Soraya & Scott McClelland
26Zamina Singh, Marciella Ovalle, and Peter Singh
27Gregg & Sarah Snyder and Martha Ann & Byron Snyder
28Victor & Priscilla Mondragon
29Megan & Jason Ryan
30Jamie Hons, Joni Fichter, Hannah Gelbs, and Peyton Wallace
31Jamie Hons, Joni Fichter, Hannah Gelbs, and Peyton Wallace
32Alicia & Robert Kimmel
33Stephanie & Ryan Fleck
34Sarah Snyder and Jayne Johnston
35Garrett & Jayne Johnston
36Barry & Sydney Gross
37Zamina Singh, Marciella Ovalle, and Peter Singh
38Rachel Regan, Shannon Wiesedeppe, and Marian Hilpert
39Victor & Priscilla Mondragon
40Garrett & Jayne Johnston
41Sarah Snyder and Jayne Johnston
42Ashley and Jonathan Sloane
43Rachel Regan, Shannon Wiesedeppe, and Marian Hilpert
44The Junior League of Houston ballroom
45Champagne presentation
46Champagne presentation
47Champagne presentation
48Champagne presentation
We’d forgive you for thinking you were in France last weekend if you spent any time with the Junior League of Houston. The women’s organization held its 70th annual charity ball over two nights, February 2 and 3, and effectively transformed its uptown headquarters into a Parisian estate.
The gala’s theme, “Une Belle Nuit,” came to life with spirited Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV-inspired performances by League members, elaborate champagne presentations, and candle-lit, romantic interiors evocative of Versailles. A cocktail hour and silent auction beneath a large tent in the garden preceded each night’s events, which culminated with live auctions, dinner and dessert, night caps and dancing.
All told, the two-night affair raised $800,000 for the Junior League’s community program and volunteer initiatives—its stated goal since its origin in 1949. This year, the League’s 1,400 volunteer members (82 percent of whom work outside the home) will contribute over 100,000 hours of service in the community.
Jayne Sheehy Johnston chaired this year’s ball. Guests sipped champagne as artist Patti Stenson painted her take on Marie Antoinette for auction later. Also up for bidding: a VIP Indy 500 experience. a private tour of the Cockrell Butterfly Center, and an Astros homerun package including dinner with Reid Ryan in the Diamond Club.
Abby Ledoux traded Canada’s border for Mexico’s when she moved to Texas from northwestern Vermont in November 2017 to join the staff at Houstonia.
An alumna of Emerson College’s journalism program in Boston, Abby was previously associate editor of three weekly newspapers in her home state of Vermont. There, she covered everything from Bernie Sanders to the heroin epidemic and won numerous state and regional awards for her work, including the Vermont Press Association’s 2014 Rookie of the Year. She was also an investigative reporting fellow at the New England First Amendment Coalition.
Today, Abby is excited to explore Houston’s vibrant, diverse culture (and shopping scene). Aside from fashion and design, she’s passionate about politics, hip hop and Mexican food. She believes leopard is a neutral and red lipstick can fix almost anything.
