About this Event
The Chrysalis Luncheon is a celebration of healing, growth, and new beginnings. Just like a butterfly’s transformation, the Hope and Healing Center & Institute helps individuals move from a place of struggle to a place of strength. This event honors the courage it takes to heal and the power of community to support lasting change.

Our Keynote Speaker
Elizabeth Smart was abducted at just 14 years old. As a survivor and mental wellness advocate, she understands the importance of accessible mental health care through her own lived experience. Her harrowing journey and continued path to recovery illuminate the critical and multifaceted issues surrounding the long-lasting mental health effects of trauma. Smart’s book, My Story, serves as a beacon of hope for countless individuals navigating their own challenges.
Read more about Elizabeth
The abduction of Elizabeth Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. She was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape. Fortunately, the police safely returned her to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held for 9 months.
Through this traumatic experience, Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and national legislation. She testified before her captor and the world about her ordeal, leading to conviction. Her courage underscores the necessity of addressing mental health and the impact of trauma, proving that it is possible to grow and find renewed strength after devastating events.
As the founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, she has helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Her advocacy emphasizes the importance of mental health resources and support systems for survivors.
Smart chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, My Story. She and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor’s guide, You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment, which encourages those who have experienced trauma to know that there is hope for a rewarding life. It serves as a reminder that healing is possible and that anyone can reclaim their life.
She attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major, and later married her husband Matthew in 2012.
Become a Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
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- Two seats at head table
- Two tables of ten
- Premier seating at the event
- Prominent recognition in all event materials
- Premium parking passes for two cars
- Exclusive meet & greet experience with Elizabeth Smart for table hosts and guests
- Invitation to the Annual Underwriting Party in the fall
- Estimated fair market value: $3,200
Holly Blue Sponsor
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- Two tables of ten
- Premier seating at the event
- Prominent recognition in all event materials
- Premium parking passes for two cars
- Exclusive meet & greet experience with Elizabeth Smart for table hosts and guests
- Invitation to the Annual Underwriting Party in the fall
- Estimated fair market value: $3,200
Red Admiral Sponsor
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- One table of ten
- Premier seating at the event
- Recognition in all event materials
- Exclusive meet & greet experience with Elizabeth Smart for table hosts and guests
- Invitation to the Annual Underwriting Party in the fall
- Estimated fair market value: $1,600
Papillon Sponsor
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- One table of ten
- Priority seating at the event
- Recognition in all event materials
- Exclusive meet & greet with Elizabeth Smart for table hosts (2) and 4 guests (6 passes total)
- Invitation to the Annual Underwriting Party in the fall
- Estimated fair market value: $1,600
Chrysalis Sponsor
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- One table of ten
- Preferred seating at the event
- Recognition in all event materials
- Exclusive meet & greet with Elizabeth Smart for table hosts (2) and 2 guests (4 passes total)
- Invitation to the Annual Underwriting Party in the fall
- Estimated fair market value: $1,600
Monarch Sponsor
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- One table of ten
- Recognition in all event materials
- Invitation to the Annual Underwriting Party in the fall
- Estimated fair market value: $1,600
Meet our Luncheon Co-Chairs

Joan Douglas McLeod
Joanie is a native Galvestonian, UT graduate, and licensed Texas attorney. She works in real estate development and is a proud mother to her daughters, Bennett and Lindley.
Her passion for service began with the Junior League of Houston and continued through leadership roles in the National Charity League and involvement with…
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the Krewe of the Knights of Momus and Kappa Kappa Gamma. She has also served on medical mission trips to Guatemala with Faith in Practice. In recovery since 2011, Joanie is dedicated to mental health advocacy and has served on several boards at The Council on Recovery. She is honored to chair the Chrysalis Luncheon, supporting the mission of the Hope and Healing Center & Institute. Joanie is also active at St. Martin’s and St. Francis Episcopal Churches and is a proud EHS alum and Kinkaid mom.
Through this traumatic experience, Smart has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and national legislation. She testified before her captor and the world about her ordeal, leading to conviction. Her courage underscores the necessity of addressing mental health and the impact of trauma, proving that it is possible to grow and find renewed strength after devastating events.
As the founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, she has helped promote The National AMBER Alert, The Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions. Her advocacy emphasizes the importance of mental health resources and support systems for survivors. Smart chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, My Story. She and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor’s guide, You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment, which encourages those who have experienced trauma to know that there is hope for a rewarding life. It serves as a reminder that healing is possible and that anyone can reclaim their life. She attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major, and later married her husband Matthew in 2012.

Lis Purdy
Elisabeth (Lis) Purdy, originally from Zionsville, Indiana, attended DePauw University on an ROTC scholarship and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. While stationed at Fort Hood, she met and married her husband, Ryan, a Black Hawk pilot. After leadership training, they relocated to Hawaii, where Lis served as a Headquarters Company Commander before transitioning to civilian life and moving to…
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Houston. Lis launched a family photography business and volunteered as a docent at the MFAH. With a lifelong appreciation for mental health programs, she has spent the past seven years supporting wellness initiatives at The Kinkaid School and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Arbor School. She is honored to support the work of the Hope and Healing Center.
Our Generous Sponsors
Holly Blue – $50,000
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- Phillips Family Foundation
- Zorich Family Foundation
Chrysalis – $10,000
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- Marilyn & Bolivar Andrews / Minnie & Ed Cappel / Carol Ann & Bob Paddock / Kathy & John Pipkin / R. John Stanton
- Mary Balagia / Suzanne Johnson
- Minnie and Ed Cappel
- Elizabeth Dukes / Elizabeth Montgomery
- Shari & Thomas Fish / Kelly & Bill Montgomery
- Harbour View Foundation
- Charlotte and David Hedrick / Francis and Wynne Sharpe
- Lisa and Robert Heston
- InduMar Products, Inc. / Cuenod Families
- The Jackson Foundation
- Leila and Walt Mischer
- Susan and Michael Padon
- Susan and Will Penland
- Petersen Family Foundation
- Elizabeth and Robert Reeves
- Renee and Scott Rice
- Laura and Paul Riddle
- Aimee and Wynne Snoots
- Courtney and Frank Vandiver/Title Houston Holdings
- White & Case LLP
- Mary and Bowman Williams
Red Admiral – $25,000
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- Cathy and Joseph Cleary
- Karey and Phillip Dye
- Lisa and George Francisco IV
- Hildebrand Foundation
- Lis and Ryan Purdy
- Williams Way Partnership Ltd.
Monarch – $5,000
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- Melinda and Joseph Abell
- Joan Alexander
- Amegy Bank
- Merrell and Chris Athon
- Michelle and Lorne Bain
- Judith and David Beck
- Kimberly and James Bell
- Shannon and Shaun Benesch
- Brazelton Family Foundation
- Deborah Brown
- Grace and Keith Cartwright
- Virginia & Jack Chandler / Carol & George Dehan / Barbara & Charles Kraft / Jacque & Buck Ogilve / Daisy & Bill Quayle
- Julie and Casey Doherty
- Eliza and Johnny Duncan
- Joan and David Dunlap
- Amy Ferber / Amy Goldstein / Betsy Goldstein
- Friends of Joanie McLeod
- Maarit and Russell Harp
- Casey and Will Hedges
- Houston Methodist
- Kinkaid Friends of Joanie & Lis
- Klinka Lollar
- Kristine and John Maclay
- Lucinda and Tom Marinis
- Emily and Kevin McAndrews / Strategic Financial Group
- Lisa and Downing Mears
- Memorial Hermann Foundation
- Wendy and W. Benjamin Moreland
- Paula and Jeffrey Paine
- Susan Chandler Ragland
- Drs. Mary Katherine and John Roff
- St. Francis Episcopal Church
- Kelley and Jeffrey Scofield
- Judy and Charles Tate
- Texas Children’s Hospital
- Laurie and Doug Vander Ploeg
- Cornelia and Daniel Vellenga
- Kelly and James Whitcomb
Our Generous Corporate Sponsors
- Goldman Sachs
- H-E-B, LP
- Houston Methodist
- InduMar Products, Inc.
- Memorial Hermann
- Strategic Financial Group
- Texas Children’s
- Title Houston Holdings
- White & Case LLP
- Williams Way Partnership Ltd
DATE & TIME
Thursday, October 9, 2025
11:15 am – Registration Opens
12:00 pm – Luncheon Begins
LOCATION
River Oaks Country Club
1600 River Oaks Blvd, Houston, TX 77019
Valet parking only
