By Monica Green/features@trcle.com
A new location was one of many things that made the 17th annual Black & White Gala a success.
The gala was held Saturday at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, a change from previous years when it was held at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth.
About 700 people attended the gala, and many commented on the spaciousness of the new location, as well as the architecture of the building.
Guests began arriving at 6 p.m. for cocktails and the auction preview. Brendan Higgins, NBC 5 Today anchor, served as emcee for the evening, and gala chair Lori Lummus and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne President Blake Kretz addressed the crowd before dinner was served.
The silent and big board auctions featured items such as a rug donated by Capel Rugs, a Capitol day package donated by Congressman Chet Edwards, D-Waco, and a baseball autographed by seven-time batting champion and former major league MVP Ichiro Suzuki donated by Lori and Mark Lummus.
The live auction, auctioneered by Luther Davis, featured items such as a 6-month-old homozygous black and white registered paint horse colt donated by Mission Hospice, Lasik surgery and a pair of designer sunglasses donated by Dr. Joe Martin, Cleburne Eye Clinic and Texas Eye and Laser Center, and a NASCAR weekend package donated by DeWayne and Jennifer Burns and RV Rental USA.
The Black & White surprise auction this year was a Labrador puppy donated by Lori and Mark Lummus.
Two raffle items were given out, one a six-piece furniture set from the Better Homes and Gardens “Lake in the Woods” collection donated by Cleburne Walmart. The other was a David Yurman sterling silver black onyx and diamond new albion ring donated by the gala committee.
After the live and big board auctions closed, the guests hit the dance floor and danced the rest of the night away to The Wonders.
The silent auctions closed at 10:30 p.m.
The gala benefits Johnson County health-related causes such as Shots for Tots, Mammograms Are a Must!, Know Your PSA and HOPE Clinic. This year, they also added the Ladders in Nursing Careers program as a beneficiary.
