Texas was a state of mind at the 2025 Jewel Charity Ball, which welcomed 1,300 guests to the Will Rogers Memorial Center’s Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall on March 1.

Jewel Charity president Peggy Sims chose the theme "The Sky’s the Limit," inspired by the beauty of a Texas sunset, for Fort Worth’s grand-dame gala - the largest fundraiser for pediatric patients of Cook Children’s.

“I truly believe the sky’s the limit when we come together to support the patients at Cook Children’s,” she said.

Sims and ball co-chairs Debbie Boudreaux, Kelly Hanley, and Lauren Harwell worked with Bill Robertson of Events by Bill to fill the extravagant evening with the sights, sounds, tastes, and spirit of Texas.

It wouldn't be Texas without cowboys.Photo by Ashley Gongora

It started with dress code: Cowboy boots and hats were encouraged - a welcome invitation that the men, especially, embraced. Most women left their basic black back home and donned floor-length gowns in vibrant blues, reds, oranges, greens, metallics, bold florals, and animal prints. (Sims led the way sartorially with a beautiful bluebonnet-hued strapless gown embroidered with Texas wildflowers.)

Guests were greeted at the door with ranch water craft cocktails and glasses of Vueve Clicquot and fueled up at a “bacon bar” featuring bacon-wrapped jalapenos, garlic-sesame bacon, thick-cut black peppercorn bacon, candied brown sugar bacon, and more.

During the cocktail reception, patrons bid on silent auction items and purchased raffle tickets. Up for grabs were unique vacations and staycations, gift cards, artworks, jewelry, autographed sports and music memorabilia, his-and-hers custom boots, and even a Jeep Wagoneer and two-year use of a Mercedes-Benz.

Part of the fun of Jewel Charity Ball is the opportunity to try on exquisite fine jewelry that most only admire through store windows. At the Collections Fine Jewelry bar, guests could try on hundreds of dazzlers on display - and buy them, of course, with a portion of proceeds going to Cook Children's.

Collections Fine Jewelry displayed with a little Texas flair.Photo by Ashley Gongora

The band Texas High Roads kept the beats country during the reception, and when the doors opened for dinner, they ushered the crowd in, fittingly, with a rousing rendition of “God Blessed Texas.”

The dining room evoked a beautiful Hill Country retreat in springtime - rustic wooden tables and chairs adorned with wrought-iron candelabras and showstopping floral centerpieces. Designed by the team at Grey Gardens, the arrangements were filled with colorful flowers from all corners of Texas - sunflowers, hydrangeas, orchids, tulips, blue thistle, red and orange roses among them.

Vestals Catering provided a buffet dinner of carnivorous bounty that included smoked beef tenderloin, salt and pepper-crusted tomahawk steaks, and garlic and chili ribeye steaks, along with spice-rubbed chicken, shrimp and scallop skewers, Hatch green chile grits, grilled veggies, and a Texas wedge salad.

The legendary Steve Miller Band got the crowd on its feet and filled the dance floor to capacity with a generous set that included their hits “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Abracadabra,” “Space Cowboy,” and more.

The crowd got up close to sing along with the Steve Miller Band.Photo by Ashley Gongora

While some chose to call it a night and head for the coffee and ginger-molasses cookies beckoning on the way to the valet stand, the party revved up for night owls. High-energy cover band The Miami Project got the dance floor rocking with their takes on contemporary hits.

All that dancing begged for some late-night snackage, and servers answered the call, passing out cones of parmesan-truffle fries, chorizo breakfast tacos, baskets of warm churros, and fried chicken-biscuits.

No one leaves Jewel Charity Ball empty handed. Courtesy of Collections Fine Jewelry, each guest went home with an exquisite party favor: a keepsake porcelain saucer hand-painted with bluebonnets by Fort Worth artist Brenda Melgoza Ciardiello.

  

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Patrick Hodges, Ashley Hodges, David Fishel, Kirsten Fishel

Spotted in the crowd, having a great time, were former Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price, Nancy Lamb, Justin Anderson, Sainty Nelson, Melissa Ice, Cassie James, Patrick Hodges, Ashley Hodges, David Fishel, Kirsten Fishel, Jimmy Davis, Sarah Davis, Paige Casey, Reagan Casey, Leigh Brown, Lynn Brown, Lindsey Sanders, Brian Sanders, Alice Phillips, Kara Starnes, Paige Epstein, Natalie Cochran, Terrance McCarthy, Kim McCarthy, Julia Bloxom, Dave Bloxom, Clark Thompson, Mollie Frances Thompson, Shelby Simpson, Rachel Armenta, Sara Parker, Ashley West, Annie Pullin, Daniel Pullin, Mel Kurkjian, Jessica McIntyre, Kit Ulrich, and nearly 1,300 more patrons and supporters. (Click through the photo gallery above for dozens of photos of the evening.)

Co-founded in 1953 by Nenetta Burton Carter and Bille Bransford Clark as a fundraiser for Cook Children's Medical Center, the first Jewel Charity Ball took place January 30, 1954 at the Texas Hotel and netted $9,000. Totals from 2025 are still being tallied and will be announced in late March, but to date, Jewel Charity has raised more than $83 million. The ball celebrates the Angel donors who generously support the patients.