Guests wined and dined at The Pavilion to raise $106,000 for scholarships

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – A record 259 guests experienced a one-of-a-kind evening dining on the Main Stage at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in support of the arts at The Pavilion Partners 17th Annual Wine Dinner & Auction March 22. Partners, the official volunteer organization of The Pavilion, raised approximately $170,000 at the event, with $106,000 going directly to scholarships. Since its inception, Partners has raised more than $911,000 for scholarships to students studying the arts.

“The evening was such an amazing success,” said Lisa Koetting, co-chairwoman of the Wine Dinner & Auction. “The ability to dine on stage at The Pavilion combined with the perfect weather, amazing food from Fleming’s and superb wines from Hunnicutt Winery made the event truly one-of-a-kind.”

This year’s event honored Candi & Gerald Glenn. A former Pavilion board member who served as chairman from 2008-10, Candi also has served as co-chair of the Wine Dinner & Auction committee. The Glenns have been members of The Pavilion Partners since 2002 and are very active in The Woodlands community.

“Candi and Gerald Glenn are passionate supporters of education and the arts,” said Randy Lowry, co-chairman of the Wine Dinner. “They are true believers in Cynthia Woods Mitchell's mission to bring the arts to the people. Since the wine dinner funds provide scholarships to students who will major in the arts, Candi and Gerald were the obvious choice to be the 2015 honorees, and were instrumental in the success of this year's dinner.”

Guests were treated to the sounds of Maydwell Musical Group during the social hour of the event. Following the social hour was a seated dinner donated by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and featured wines from Hunnicutt Winery. Michael Grijalva, a Pavilion Partners fine arts scholarship recipient in 2014, performed during the dinner.

The live and bid board auctions featured fabulous trips to Cabo San Lucas and Napa, custom-made jewelry donated by Robichau’s Jewelry, premium wine baskets, fur coats, concert tickets and much more. Dynamic duo Judy Larson and Nelda Blair served as auctioneers for the event.

Eleven named fine arts scholarships were donated by guests at the event. Guests also had the opportunity to purchase tickets to exclusive dinners featuring former Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil and Tom and Lauren Scott from Tom Scott Vineyards. Another opportunity to support the Fine Arts Scholarships was to purchase a collectible wine glass charm for $50. All proceeds from the live auction, bid boards, dinner packages and wine charms directly benefit The Pavilion Partners Fine Arts scholarships.

Underwriters of the event include Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Candi & Gerald Glenn, Dianne & George Lindahl III, Lisa & Fred Koetting, Texas Children’s Hospital, Lorri & Brian Petrauskas, Sewell Infiniti of North Houston, Audi North Houston, Sylvia Caracio, Sara & Randy Ortwein, Theresa & Dr. Lamar Roemer, Cindy Notarainni, Julita & Gary Bolen, Judy & Dickie Jones, JoAnne & Randy Lowry and Robichau’s Jewelry.

For more information about The Pavilion Partners 17th Annual Wine Dinner & Auction, or the Partners organization, please contact Leslie Williams at 281-210-1125 or lwilliams@woodlandscenter.org.