More than 200 Supporters Attend 2026 Illumination Dinner Honoring Broadcast Veteran Melanie Lawson, Event Raises Over $100,000
NEWS RELEASE
HOUSTON, Texas (May 29, 2026) -- The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center welcomed more than 200 supporters and raised over $100,000 at its second annual Illumination Dinner. The event was held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at TMC3 Helix Park in Houston.
The Institute is an independent, interfaith organization established in 1955. A founding member of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center, it continues to make a meaningful difference by cultivating well-being for all community members. Funds raised benefit the Institute's four Centers of Excellence: the Center for Faith and Public Health; the Center for Body, Spirit, and Mind; the Center for Aging and End of Life; and the Rabbi Samuel E. Karff Center for Healthcare Professionals.
The Institute honored Melanie Lawson, an award-winning broadcast journalist and community advocate, as the 2026 Rabbi Samuel E. Karff Caring Heart Award recipient. Michele Sabino, an At Large member of the Institute’s board of trustees, accepted the award on Melanie’s behalf because illness prevented her from attending.
Melanie Lawson retired in January 2025 from KTRK ABC 13 after serving in reporter and news anchor roles for 43 years. She is a champion of underserved Houston communities, advocating for social justice, spiritual enrichment, and service to benefit others.
“Melanie Lawson is a beloved native Houstonian. She embodies the integration of spirituality and health at the highest level. Melanie models compassion and integrity in every aspect of her life. Her dedication to uplifting others reflects the very heart of our work,” commented Stuart Nelson, president and chief executive officer of the Institute. “Melanie and her father, Rev. Bill Lawson, knew Rabbi Karff personally, and they modeled the spirit of love, kindness, and service to others as did Rabbi Karff.”
Rev. Lawson was a civil rights leader and the founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston. Rabbi Karff was a respected and widely popular interfaith leader in the Houston community who served as senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel for almost 20 years. He demonstrated his empathy for others through his unwavering commitment to servant leadership, and he was a loyal friend and supporter of the Institute for decades.
Dr. Sunita Puri, an international speaker and author recognized for her compassionate work bridging medicine and the human experience of living and dying, delivered the keynote presentation. Dr. Puri is an associate professor of medicine and director of the Inpatient Care Service at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine. She is the author of the book, That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, which has garnered impressive reviews from major media outlets such as The Atlantic, NPR, and People Magazine.
Dr. Puri addressed the transformative power of language and compassion in healthcare, speaking slowly and poignantly to event patrons as though she were addressing each person individually.
“Dr. Puri’s messages resonated deeply with our mission. Some of our guests were moved to tears,” Nelson said. “Dr. Puri reminded all of us that medicine is not simply about extending life—it’s about honoring the humanity of every patient. She shared her experience of respecting the wishes of a dying patient who was in extreme pain. He could not speak, yet he was lucid enough to sign, ‘no more,’ to indicate that he wanted medical intervention to stop prolonging his life.”
The Illumination Dinner is a signature fundraising event that the Institute launched in 2025 to celebrate its 70th anniversary. Trailblazing sports broadcaster Lisa Malosky, who was also honored recently as a 2026 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Hall of Fame inductee, returned as emcee this year.
“I am pleased to see that support for our second annual Illumination Dinner has grown from its inception last year. I am especially grateful to our sponsors, our staff, the TMC3 Helix Park team, and all of our volunteers who made this event meaningful and special for everyone who attended,” Nelson said.
The 2026 event attracted philanthropists, business and community leaders, healthcare professionals, and volunteers who are committed to advancing the Institute’s mission of exploring the intersection of spirituality and well-being. All underwriters received a signed copy of Dr. Puri’s book, and all attendees received a copy of The Tale of the Three Amigos by Patricia Bernstein. Bernstein’s book is a heartwarming narrative of the deep friendship of spiritual leaders Rabbi Karff, Rev. Lawson, and Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza.
Entertainment: The Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Jazz Ensemble.
Generous underwriters: Aurora - The Kanaly Foundation; Beacon- Drs. Mary Katharine and John Roff III; Brilliance - Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein, Yvonne and Scott Ziegler, Maarit and W. Russell Harp, Dr. Lavannya Pandit and Rahul Pandit, Regina Rogers, and UTHealth Houston; VIP Reception – Hindu American Foundation; Luster – Claire Hein Blanton and Jack Blanton III, Crawford Doherty Capital Management Group of Raymond James, Lex Gillan and Cathy Nunnally, Abbot Gaelyn Godwin, Pat Graham and Dr. John Graham, Dr. Marvin O. Delgado Quay, Dr. Basem Hamid, and Memmorial Hermann; Lantern – Kelly Brassell, Congregation Beth Israel, Gayle DeGuerin, Tom Faschingbauer, Anne Moriniere, Dr. C. Richard Stasney, Bonnie Weekley; and Special Friends – Geroge Anderson, Drs. Maribel and Faiyaz Bhojani, April Hill, Holly Klenk, Fan and Peter Morris, Kate Rothko Prizel, Charles Schwartzel, Debi and Jeff Sokoloff, Nicola Springer, Ellen Susman, Laura Trachtman, and David M. Underwood Jr.
Additional supporters in attendance: Elizabeth and Drew Kanaly, Dorothy and Mark Hablinski, Nancy and David Pustka, Trini Mendenhall-Royalty and Philip Royalty, Lindy and Joe Stockdale, Susan Cooley, Y. Ping Song, Lee Lahourcade, Troy Porter, and Abdullah Antepli.
Media friends in attendance: ABC 13 general manager Mike Carr and DeAnn Carr, former KRBE DJ and Speke Podcasting founder Freddy Cruz; Natural Awakenings Magazine editor/publisher Mike Hart, and Hot in Houston Now editor and children’s book author Valerie Sweeten.
For more information, please visit www.spiritualityandhealth.org.
Media Contact:
Laura Pennino, Senior PR Consultant for The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center
mobile: 713-419-1776 | email: lp@penninoandpartners.com