What’s the old expression? Something about the apple not falling far from the tree? So, proof of that was the Great Adventure Hunt at the Perot Museum on Saturday, January 24. Orchestrating the event was ChildCareGroup CEO Tori Mannes, who had loved “The Hunt” before she ever joined CCG. Like her mother Gail Thomas, who runs the mammoth The Trinity Trust, Tori is definitely a hands-on community supporter who makes fundraising an art form.
For this year’s far-from-black-tie party, Tori arranged to have Caroline and Rick O’Brien and Cameron and Clay Smith serve as co-chairs and Micki and Mayor Mike Rawlings as honorary co-chairs. For the emcee, she tapped Kidd Kraddick in the Morning’s Kellie Rasberry.
With Alliance Data as the presenting sponsor, the CCG fundraiser broke records with 50 teams of six. It was a perfect storm of brainiacs in jeans and corporate types playing mind-boggling games with age-old dinosaurs looking on.
Like the year before, Tori arranged to have former Washington Post Magazine editor Tom Shroder to serve as Puzzle Master. But the big change this year was the location. In years past it had been held at NorthPark Center and last year at The Joule. Tori called the Perot Museum the day after the 2014 hunt because she felt the Perot was just made for the brain-teasing exercise. She’s so committed to it that she’s locked down the Perot for 2016 as well.
The lowest level of the Perot was the scene of the reception. As guests lined up to buy a precious hint for $180, it was apparent that there two types of players on hand — those having fun playing and those playing for keeps.
True blue vet and longtime champ Lyda Hill’s team was easy to spot in their orange T-shirts. There was no truth that Hill’s team had a ringer with former Perot Museum CEO Nicole Small on their team. She may have been very familiar with the surroundings but the questions were another thing entirely. Teammate Rena Pedersen was bubbling over the reviews her book, “The Burma Spring,” had received. But the team couldn’t chat long. They were off to strategize.
It appeared the Hill team had their work cut out for them. Confidence was riding high. According to Tori, “The teams love to trash talk each other.”
MIA was Jeffrey Fearon, who was in Canada where he was helicopter skiing. Wife Regen, who has “played The Hunt since it started in Dallas 25 years ago,” represented the Fearon family, joining up with Tori and her husband Joe Mannes. Because she’s not too fond of the cold temps, Regen opted to stay in Dallas. When asked if Regen was concerned about Jeffrey’s safety, she admitted that she “was a lousy nurse,” adding that she had told him, “You can come back in a coffin, or in one piece, but not broken!”
Following the reception and the dinner on the ground level, The Hunt was on. At differnt times during the evening players ran into such critters as a gigantic inflatable King Kong and mermaids.
By 10:30, the game was over and the results were in. The winners were
- 2015 Champion
- 1st Place — Team TTB (Maggie and Greg Langston, Amanda and Byron Neuhoff and Kit and Kemp Sawers
- 2nd Place — Last year’s winners Baker Botts L.L.P. (Crickett and John Lindgren, Jennifer and Kurt Pankratz and Elizabeth and Bart Showalter)
- Third place — Matthews Southwest team (Melanie Ferguson, Katherine Kunze, Ben Mackey, John Matthews, Julian Mensah and Marcus Shropshire)
- Best Rookie Team — Gardenuity team (DeeAnn and Gregg Anigian, Diane and David Laner, and Donna and Scott Letier)
- Best Team Name —“Here for the Whiskey,” was awarded to the Jack Daniel’s team (Darla Branson, Suzanna DeLeon, Dan LaPace, Michael Rasp and Cindy and Bruce Treager)
- The SAMCO Capital Markets team (Regen Fearon, Ann and Trey Fielder, Tori and Joe Mannes, and Kellie Rasberry) solved the overall End Game puzzle.
But it wasn’t all fun, frolic, friends and food. Nope. At one point in the evening “Inspired Gifts” allowed guests to sponsor children served by CCG with an anonymous donor pledging to match all funds raised.
As for the sponsors, who deserve a pat on the back for supporting CCG’s mission “to promote, deliver and expand the best early care and education programs for children, parents and early childhood professionals,” follow the jump:
- Presenting Sponsor — Alliance Data
- Puzzle Master Sponsor — Lyda Hill
- Other major sponsors — Bank of Texas, Jack Daniel’s, Smith Asset Management, and Thompson & Knight Foundation.
- $7500 sponsors — CIC Partners, Corrigan-Goddard Foundation, O’Brien/Sachs/Thomas and Tolleson Wealth Management.
- $5000 sponsors — Auction Source, Baker Botts L.L.P., Bain & Company, Lipscomb & Ligon, LOOK Cinemas, Maplewood Investments, MC Smith Interests, Tom Nynas, Pegasus Bank/Bright & Bright LLP, Roach Howard Smith & Barton and SAMCO Capital Markets.
- $2500 sponsors — Lydia and Bill Addy, BDO USA, LLP, Christy and Robby Berry/Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s, Boeckman/Koonsman/Levy, Browder/Callihan/Kastle, Buford/Denby/Mosteller, Sharon and Scott Charlton, Regina Montoya and Paul Coggins, Conversant I.P. Management Corp, Cornerstone Staffing, Betsy Edmondson, Gardenuity, Gough/Kolar/Methvin, Hohenshelt/Pickens/Scarborough, Klemchuk Kubasta LLP, Elaine and Kenneth Lindh, Mary and Jack Lowe, Matthews Southwest, Emily and Kent McGaughy, Montgomery Coscia Greilich LLP, Pony Xpress Printing, Primrose School of South Plano, The Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation, Sally and Bob Rosen, Kit and Kemp Sawers, Tonti Properties, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Weinberg/Pollock/Tribolet.