Home"The AZ Insider" with Kathy Shayna Shocket › AZ Insider: Why This Chic Cowboy Party Was a Major Hit!
 
 
 

Kathy Shayna Shocket has the inside scoop on the people who make a difference.

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Kathy tells us which Phoenix influentials turned out for the charity bash. 

 A crowd of partygoers (lots of Phoenix influentials) donned in chic jeans, boots, buckles and bangles. Yes, the cowboy chic party benefitting UMOM homeless shelters, was quite the shindig!

Party planners created an elegant cowboy ambiance on the lawn of the Arizona Biltmore Resort. (Emphasis on the ambiance under the stars on the lawn of the Arizona Biltmore Resort which was a new venue for the five year old fundraiser.) 

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(Picured above are Bob and Renee Parsons, Darlene Newsom, Jennifer and Ben Fusco and Bob and Karen Hobbs.)

Big buckaroos were raised. That’s because philanthropists Bob and Renee Parsons, continuing their major donations to Valley charities, matched the net amount raised from the eveing of $472,021. 

 Guests celebrated by kicking up their feet on the dance floor to The  the Mogollon band who can play everything from Hank Williams to Pink Floyd.

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(Pictured above: Tom and Kristi Roskos and friends and Karen Johnson and Dave Pratt.)

The auction boasted high priced trips and dinners, a few which fetched at least $10,000 each, but there were also items that reminded guests of the benefits of the worthwhile cause. 

A case in point were the boxes of diapers and school supplies on the silent auction table during the cocktail hour. “We asked people to sponsor payments of $25 each for the boxes of diapers and school supplies to be donated to the children in UMOM’s shelters,” said Karen Johnson, vice president of university relations for Midwestern University, who chaired the event. “We wanted the guests to connect to the spirit of UMOM’s mission to break the cycle of homelessness and keeping families together,” she adds.

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Kathy Shayna Shocket is a freelance Writer and TV-Field Producer based in Phoenix, AZ. She’s a former TV Reporter who’s also written for national publications such as    TIME Magazine, MONEY Magazine, PEOPLE Magazine, the Hollywood Reporter and The NEW YORK TIMES. You can reach her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it