GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
Witte Museum Celebrates 51st Game Dinner
By Jake Gaines Photography by Kurtis Kronk Photography
THE SETTING: The 51st Annual Witte Game Dinner, an iconic event in San Antonio, was held with pandemic protocol in place, outside the Witte Museum’s beautiful eight-acre campus in the Zachry Family Acequia Garden. The event’s theme, The Lone Star Revival, celebrated the organization’s emergence from survival mode to a new revival. And, for the Witte, it was a reinvigoration of its mission to have a part in shaping the future of Texas. Fireworks rounded off the celebrations as the total amount raised was announced, adding to the already sparkling evening.
THE STYLE: Many of San Antonio’s most philanthropic donned their Western finery for a night of delicious wild game cuisine by the RK Group, live auctions, and a live country music performance by Aaron Watson at the Mays Family Center. This year, the Witte honored Kathy Mays Johnson and the Mays Family Foundation as the Texas Heritage Award recipients for their impact on the organization and across the state.
THE PURPOSE: The event chairs, Dr. Bob and Stephanie Girling, and their committee created the theme for the evening that raised nearly $1.2 million to support the Museum’s recovery fund, including $115,000 in field trip funding. The Game Dinner is the Museum’s largest fundraiser, having funded educational programs, operations, and exhibitions for 51 years.
The pandemic made this year’s event crucial to ensure the funding needed for approximately 350,000 school-aged children and families to experience all the Witte has to offer, physically and virtually. XPEL and the Mays Family Foundation were the dinner’s presenting sponsors. Additional sponsors included Valero (Scholarship Sponsor), Dr. Bob and Stephanie Girling (Entertainment), and the Tex Elliott Family (Texas Heritage Awards).
