The 8th Annual Women of Substance Luncheon was held on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at the Post Oak Hotel to celebrate this year’s Women of Substance honorees. April McGee and Paula Sutton were the cochairs of the event. Sippi Khurana, MD and Amy Pierce were the honorary chairs. The masters of ceremonies were Deborah Duncan of KHOU’s Great Day Houston and Michael Garfield, “The High-Tech Texan.”

 

Supporters and guests were in attendance to celebrate the women chosen to be the Women of Substance honorees for 2024. To begin, participants enjoyed a Champagne raffle and mixer that offered them three chances to win fabulous prizes. Up for offer were a treatment at Renew Body Contouring and Med Spa; a CKW LUXE natural Baroque freshwater pearl necklace; and an exquisite handbag creation by Nikki Lassiter.

 

Creator and producer Paul-David Van Atta delivered the rousing welcoming remarks, then introduced Reverend Trent Pettit of the Church of St. John the Divine who gave the invocation. This was followed by remarks from McGee and Sutton, who then presented Trini Mendenhall-Royalty with the Lifetime of Substance Award and Jacqueline W. Bostic with the Spirit of Substance Award. 

 
Houston reVision, whose mission it is to break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement and homelessness among youth in Harris County, will be the beneficiary of all Women of Substance event proceeds for the next three years. Charles Rotramel, CEO of Houston reVision, addressed the audience and spoke about the group’s mission and his gratitude to the Women of Substance organization.

 

“Women of Substance Creator and Producer, Paul-David Van Atta has gone above and beyond in his support,” Rotramel continued.  “Not only has he named Houston reVision as the benefactor of this event, but he has also personally made a significant impact on our homeless youth program. He has purchased new iPads, made clothing donations, provided games for the drop-in center, and quietly raised substantial emergency funding, saving a family from eviction.  He also went out of his way to personally cook incredible Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in his home that were delivered to all of reVision’s homeless youth.

 

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Sippi and Ajay Khurana, Woman of Substance Jordan Seff, and Melissa Juneau, reVision House was launched, a place of hope and transformation.  During the past year, reVision provided emergency housing for 48 young people, permanent housing for 45, and reconnected 26 with supportive family members. They have also given out 7,300 hot meals and 540 free haircuts.

 

Thanks to the 2023 sponsorships of Woman of Substance Susan Boggio, Andrea Bryant and Bobbi Nau, reVision was able to create its first girls' soccer team.   Continuing to support this program in 2024  Boggio, who could not attend as she was in Switzerland representing UNICEF USA, provided a  $10,000 gift that will assist reVision in keeping this team funded throughout the season.” 

 
The 2024 Women of Substance were then elegantly presented amidst a backdrop of their Pop-Art, WARHOL style portraits photographed by GITTINGS under the leadership of Andrew Cordes. Special thanks to Announcement Reception hostess Heidi Turney, General Manager of SAKS Fifth Avenue, for hosting the unveiling of this exhibit in tandem with Gittings.  They are: Lara Bell, Chree Boydstun, The Honorable Theresa Chang, Tena Faust, Melanie Lawson, Tama Lundquist, Marian McClendon, Sneha Merchant, Edna Meyer-Nelson, Leila Perrin, Heidi Rockecharlie, and Jerre Williams. Bella Chramosta was the Youth of Substance Honoree.

 

After the award ceremony, the event raised extra donations with a spirited live auction featuring such unique items as a 1914 Galveston Historic Homes Tour, tickets and passes to a performance of Disney’s Frozen by Theatre Under the Stars, a Gittings Pop Art Photo, a Saks 5th Ave. Andrew McQueen beaded clutch, an Astros VIP package for 30, and a vintage Rolex Datejust in stainless steel. A gallery wrapped painting with resin gloss finish using mixed media, acrylic paint, and spray paint techniques, titled Karl Who, by Woman of Substance Honoree Sneha Merchant sold for $5,000  and two Martha’s Vineyard vacations generously donated by Gregg Harrison, were sold for $8,600 each for a combined total of $17,200. One of the lucky purchasers was CKW LUXE Magazine & Friends.

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The event ended with a special vocal performance of Thankful, by Kenneth Gayle, which captivated the audience, and Jeffrey Bboyjeffro, a U.S. 2024 Olympian, delivered an uplifting testimonial to Houston reVision.

 

The successful event raised $300,000 for Houston reVision.

 

Guests: former Women of Substance Honorees: Leela Krishnamurthy, Debbie Festari, Kristina Somerville, Jordan Seff, Brigitte Kalai, Sherry Zucker, Donae Chramosta, Laura Davenport, Sidney Faust, Betty Tutor, Leisa Holland-Nelson Baumann, Beth Wolff, Cheryl Byington, Elsie Eckert, Elizabeth Stein, Eileen Lawal, Anita Smith, Rose Collen, Betty Hrncir, CeCe Ensell, Diane Gendel, Conie Kwan-Wong, Rini Ziegler and Phyllis Williams as well as Laura Ward, Regina Rogers, Tammy Tran Nguyen, Teresa Cox Reading, Flora Choy, Dr. Peter Chang, Anne Neeson, Flo McGee, Judy Nichols, Cindy Burns, Hillary Hart, Bruce Padilla, Aimee Snoots, Sandra Cooper, Alex Blair, Niki Lassiter, Roslyn Bazelle, Philamena Baird, Angela Bryant, Mandy Kao, Marge Lundquist, Kim Padgett, Rosann Rogers, Ellie Francisco, Franelle Rogers, Zane Curruth, Chris Kase, Renee Logans, the honorable Tryra Jones McCollum, the honorable Toni Wallace, Duke Ensell, Suzanne Ebrahimi, Astrid Van Dyke, Kathi Rovere, Marian Harper, Dejon Hawthorne, John Guess, Cheryl Lawson and Dr. Monica Williams.

 

About Houston reVision 

Houston reVision is a community of kinship, connecting caring adult volunteers, case managers, mental health professionals, and faith communities with disconnected youth. It is located in the Gulfton neighborhood of Houston, which is the most densely populated area in Texas. It is also home to the highest number of refugees and immigrants compared to other places in the United States. Referrals to the program come from partner agencies, including HISD, Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and other agencies in the community. As the primary partner of Harris County Juvenile Probation, reVision has contributed to the steep decline of youth incarcerated in Harris County since its inception in 2011.