Sunday morning: Dec. 15, 2019; Helen Ford Wallace
COCKTAILS & CANDY
Party: Amy Bankhead and Elyse Hatcher celebrated the holiday season at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. They were hostesses for their annual “Cocktails & Candy” party. A table filled with every kind of candy imaginable was set up in Harry’s Bar. There were chocolate candies, peppermint candies, peanut butter cups, Hersey’s kisses, Snickers, bubble gum, suckers, packages of Nerds, gum drops, Hershey bars, Kit Kats and M&M’s.
Party favors: Guests filled festive party sacks to take the candies home. Cocktails were “poinsettias,” cranberry juice and Champagne with crushed candy around the rim.
Also: Guests brought new toys to the party for Oklahoma Lawyers for Children and the Candy Cane Village run by Terri and John Bloomberg. Both organizations hand out toys to children in foster care.
POSITIVE LUNCHEON
Event: The Positive Tomorrow’s Gold Star Luncheon featured a crowd of 500 people. They gathered to celebrate the new elementary school and to give to the organization’s operating fund. Positive Tomorrows is Oklahoma’s elementary school and social services agency serving children and families who are homelessness. The luncheon raised $365,000 for the operating budget.
The program: Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt gave a talk before welcoming Positive Tomorrows students onstage for a musical performance. The students created party favor Christmas tree ornaments for guests made from popsicle sticks and buttons.
Other guests: Also at the event were Oklahoma’s First Lady Sarah Stitt; senators Greg Treat, Stephanie Bice and Jason Smalley; representatives Cyndi Munson and Sherrie Conley; Director of DHS Justin Brown; County Commissioner Carrie Blumert; Nissa Richison-Willis, Derrick Willis, Nedra Funk, Nathanial Harding, H.K. Hatcher, Gene Rainbolt and Travis Mason.
Pledge form: On a sheet for gift giving, guests could check a box to volunteer at Positive Tomorrows or check a box to tour the facility.
18th ANNUAL LUNCHEON
Luncheon: The 18th annual luncheon for the Heart Rhythm Institute at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center was held at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. Anita Crites Milam was chairman. Honorary chairman was Sharlene Branham and the patron chairman was Sandy Meyers.
The jewelry: Valerie Naifeh brought jewelry designer Meira T. and her jewelry to the event.
The program: Heather McGee, former HRI patient, shared her story with the guests.
TOP VOLUNTEER
Occasion: Molly Wehrenberg, of Edmond, received the William O. Perry Volunteer of the Year by Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. Molly and her husband, Paul Wehrenberg, are members of the Foundation’s Oklahoma City chapter. They were at the foundation’s campus in October for the 51st annual Chapters and Partners Conference when she was honored.
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS
Party: Members of Gamma Zeta of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, an international service organization, met for a Christmas event in the home of Ruth Simpson. Members decorated Christmas hats. Laura Howells won the contest for “best decorated hat.” Margarita Woll guessed how many decorations were on the Christmas tree and won a prize. A Christmas frame was available for group pictures. Party favors were bags filled with Christmas items.
WADE TOWER EXTRA!
Parties extra!: Check out our web cast about Wade Tower. He sings Christmas songs and talks about his career and love of music. Find it online at https://youtu.be/v3_ehdWrVU8.
SETTING IT STRAIGHT
In the Bachelor’s Club debutante announcement on Dec. 8, a name was misspelled. The correct spelling is Claire Alexander Chesher, daughter of Mary and David Chesher.

















Helen Ford Wallace is a columnist covering society-related events/news for The Oklahoman. She puts local parties online with daily updates. She creates, maintains and runs a Parties blog which includes web casts. She is an online web editor for... Read more ›