The Celebration

On Wednesday, October 18, 2023, the River Oaks Country Club welcomed over 300 guests celebrating Houston Hospice, a community based nonprofit, which has been providing compassionate end-of-life care to generations of families in Southeast Texas for over 40 years. The uplifting event was chaired by Jim Reeder, Eric Nevil, Nancy Etheridge, and Franna and Ted Litton. Devoted advocate of Houston Hospice Sue White was honored with the Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award.

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The Story

Guests enjoyed a delicious sit-down dinner surrounded by fall floral arrangements generously donated by H-E-B. Students from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music provided the musical backdrop.

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The Moments 

Introducing White as the recipient of the Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award, Reeder said, “Tonight, we celebrate a legacy of service and dedication at Houston Hospice, as we honor our beloved Sue White. Sue has led a lifetime of selflessness and service, so it makes perfect sense that much of her focus is on where life begins and also where and how it ends.” White received a further tribute from her family and was presented with an engraved Baccarat vase followed by a standing ovation.  

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The event raised over $285,000 for Houston Hospice.

Guests: Sue White, Jim Reeder and Eric Nevil, Nancy Etheridge, Franna and Ted Litton, Kelli and Eddy Blanton, Cabrina and Steven Owsley, Judy Tate, Sarita Hixon, Flo Crady, Ann Johnson, Paul Mansfield, Al Gatmaitan, Cora and Judson Robinson, Cori and Armando Perez, Rachel and Dr. Bud Frazier, Jennifer Tuttle Arnold, Sara and Don Wagner, Rana McClelland, and Aida Matic

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About Houston Hospice

Founded in 1980, Houston Hospice is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality end-of-life care to patients and their families throughout 13 counties in Southeast Texas. It offers an interdisciplinary team-led approach that includes physicians, nurses, chaplains, social workers, hospice aides, bereavement counselors and volunteers. It provides the appropriate level of comfort care in a setting the patient calls home or in a freestanding inpatient unit. Its holistic view of hospice care is enhanced by the extensive knowledge and expertise of the staff, specialized educational opportunities, and community outreach efforts. Houston Hospice is a member of the Texas Medical Center. For more information, please visit: houstonhospice.org. 

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About the Laura Lee Blanton Community Spirit Award

Laura Lee Blanton’s lifelong and selfless dedication to her family, community, and friends is celebrated by all who knew her. Houston Hospice named the Community Spirit Award in her honor – and memory – in 1999, which is the year she died. Award recipients are selected based on the personal and civic virtues that Laura Lee exemplified during her life, including leadership, continuous commitment to a wide range of charitable causes, and financial, as well as hands-on, support to organizations critical to our society.