Hospice and Palliative Care

Friends of Hospice San Antonio

Poinsettia Ball History
At the celebration of Hospice San Antonio’s tenth anniversary in 1993, Dorothy “Peaches” Brewer, M.D., was honored with a lovely evening of fine dining and tributes to her work. Lynn Hamby, a charter Board Member, presented a wonderful description of the first 10 years of Hospice San Antonio, which included the following history of the Poinsettia Ball:

"In 1988, Hospice San Antonio invited the community to celebrate its first Poinsettia Ball, honoring the Ecumenical Center. For those of us who attended this beautiful event, the brainchild of Anne Smith, the night was truly a magical one. The Poinsettia Ball has been one of the highlights of the holiday season, both because of the work of Hospice San Antonio, which it supports, and the beauty of the mass of poinsettias that are the hallmark of the evening."

Friends of Hospice San Antonio assumed the volunteer steering committee responsibility for the Ball in 1995. The Ball has been chaired by the following talented members of the community: Neal Krause, Beverly Smith (representing the Ecumenical Center), Anne B. Smith, Chica Younger, Millie DeAnda, Marge Johnson, Jane Phillips, Claire Daviss, Betty Parish, Diana Harris, Cecil Scanlan, Winifred Cocke, Tookie Spoor, Lynn Hamby, Vicki Richardson, Carol Canty, Lori Wright, Pauleen Netting, Lois Jones, Nancy Torgerson, Gretchen Burkholder, and Sally Owens The elegant evening of fine food, entertainment and dancing has never become complicated by an auction or raffle. It is truly a special holiday party.

Approximately 400 guests attended the first Poinsettia Ball which netted $17,900. In 1997 we reached a record attendance, with nearly 700 reservations, and in 2001 we reached our top dollar figure of $121,000. In 2003, the Ball netted $96,000.

Contact Us
Friends of Hospice San Antonio
P.O. Box 171294
San Antonio, TX 78217
210-804-5275