True Friends:

In 1980, Mike Meagher was indeed a “friend of the CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation,” but simply as an individual — there wasn’t an organization to back him up. Mike had been a frequent tennis partner and friend of Dr. John Stehlin since 1972, the early days of the Stehlin Foundation.

One day, Mike showed up to play tennis after a surprisingly fun charity event and said, “John, we should do something like that for your group.” Several years later, Mike did. The first Friends of the Stehlin Foundation gala was held at the Houston Country Club in 1981. “We were young and nervous,” said Mike, “but in the end we handed over $96,000 to the Foundation.”

By 2004, the evening’s proceeds were $650,000, to be used in the Foundation’s research and clinical battle against cancer. In total, the Friends have netted over $8 million from fundraising efforts over the past 25 years.

Putting the “Fun” Back in Fundraising

Today, the Friends of the CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization with a rotating chairman. Its sole purpose is to raise funds to support research, treatment and educational programs conducted by the CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation.

Over the past 25 years, the Friends gala has grown in popularity, featuring spectacular entertainers as diverse as Chuck Berry, Dionne Warwick, Super Diamond, The Smothers Brothers, Gary Shandling, Marvin Hamlisch, Suzanne Sommers, Vic Damone, Wilson Pickett and the Count Basie Band.

At every gala, the combination of a headliner, a dance band and a host of great auction items guarantees guests a good time and good company for a good cause. Shelby Hodge of the Houston Chronicle used the Friends formula as the antidote for dull parties: “Each year, the gala draws a sellout crowd of 1,000-plus who come for buffet dinner and entertainment that begins with a dance band and climaxes with a knock-‘em-dead Motown or rock band that plays until 2 a.m. The secret to their success is the underwriting and gifts that provide funds enough to pay for the big-name entertainers as well as impressive funding for Stehlin research.”

While Mike Meagher is pleased about the fun-loving reputation the Friends continue to enjoy, he remains very serious about the cause: “The Foundation does so much for so little. When you compare its budget to those at other institutions, the landmark achievements become even more impressive.”

Mike also senses the challenges ahead: “There’s excitement about the new drugs and projects on the horizon, but it takes a lot of money to make these possibilities come true. That’s why we’re here – to raise money. We just always have a good time doing it.”