Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity raises $505,000 at gala

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity (MCHFH) held its annual Building Hope Gala on Saturday, April 18th at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, raising $505,000 in support of its effort to eliminate poverty housing by building decent, affordable homes in partnership with hard working families in need. More than 400 guests’ donned vintage clothing in celebration of the theme, “An evening at Downton Abbey”.

The décor, menu, music and auction items all reflected the beauty and classic elegance of the romantic era portrayed in the popular “Downton Abbey” TV series. The Gala commemorated the building of MCHFH’s 100th home in Montgomery County. Also part of the program was recognition of special honorees, including Strike, LLC, Corporate Honoree; Ron and Cyndi Brandt, Community Honorees; and St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Faith-Based Honoree. Another highlight was the auctioning of salvaged doors transformed into masterful works of art by local artists.

Strike, LLC was the Presenting Sponsor at the $50,000 level, and Anadarko Petroleum, Revenew International and The Woodlands Waterway Marriott were Marquess and Marchioness $20,000 sponsors.

“Strike’s ongoing relationship with Habitat for Humanity consistently motivates Strike employees to remain closely connected to our local and global communities,” said Cole Pate, President & Chief Operating Officer for Strike, LLC. “By providing Strike’s employees and families opportunities to volunteer our time and resources, Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity has become a cornerstone in the advancement of our own community advocacy initiative, “Campaign for Change.” Strike is honored to help construct the 100th Habitat home in Montgomery County and humbled to continue our partnership with such an incredible organization by serving as Presenting Sponsor for the 2015 Building Hope Gala.”

Other generous sponsors of this year’s Gala at the Earl and Countess $10,000 level included: Apache Corporation; D.E. Harvey Builders; PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Schulte Building Systems/Valspar/Lisa and Fred Koetting. The Baron and Baroness $5,000 level sponsors include: Larry Abston; American Fire Systems; Karen Cappolino and Paul Taylor; Check-6, Inc.; Barbara and Stephen Crain; Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home & Cemetery; Gensler; Gullo Ford of Conroe; Cindy and John Hageman/ Susan and Mike Larson/ Chris and Bo McBee/ Susan and Mike Carlson/ Maryanne and Mike Basconi; Missy and Greg Jacobson; The Kroger Company; Layne Christensen Company; Dianne and George Lindahl; Lowrance Machine; Suzanne and Dennis Millet; Brenda and John Mizell; Pagel, Davis & Hill, P.C.; Cheryl and Robert Sanford; SLI Group, Inc.; and Woodforest National Bank.

“We extend our sincere thanks to our honorees and our major corporate sponsors, Strike, LLC, Anadarko Petroleum and Revenew International, and the many other sponsors who helped make this Gala a huge success,” said Larry Abston, President of the Board of MCHFH. “We are also extremely grateful to the many talented community volunteers who served as Co-Chairs and members of the Planning Committee. The outstanding results of this event were attributable to their tremendous teamwork, creativity and passion for Habitat’s mission.”

Over the past 26 years, the Montgomery County affiliate has built 100 homes, including 45 in Habitat’s Cedar Creek neighborhood in Conroe. Proceeds from the Gala will help support Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. For more information about Habitat for Humanity, please visit www.hfhmctx.org.