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Fall/Winter 2012Volume 4, Issue 3

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Come meet our new stylists!Photos ©2011 Randy Koslovsky/Ohana Photography

Memorial Hermann – A traditional of excellence

in Fort Bend County. u Page 37

contents Volume 4, Issue 3 • Summer/Fall 2012

features

departments

Inside Lineage and Legacy – Jess Stuart receives a prestigious heritage award.u Page 29

editor’s note u Page 7

area news u Page 8

inside law u Page 25

lineage & legacy u Page 29

school break u Page 34

inside fitness u Page 50

Solari Hospice – The new standard bearer of long term care facilities. u Page 22

Legacy Ford – Putting Community First. u Page 26

Cover Photo © 2012 Larry Pullen Photography

Publisher/Founder/Editor-in-Chief: Leslie C. Ferdinand

A publication of Rose Rich Media, LLC. Printed in the USA ©2012. ISSN: 1942-4477. 24200 Southwest Freeway, Ste. 402, PMB 360, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Tel: 281-769-8321. Online at: www.RoseRichMagazine.com. Inside Rose Rich Magazine is published quarterly by Inside Rose Rich Magazine. Inside Rose Rich Magazine is distributed free of charge. Additional or back issues are available at the office for $4.00 per copy. Annual subscriptions are $16.00. Reproduction in whole or part without express permission is strictly prohibited.

Graphic Designer Katey Arnold

Photographers Randy Kozlovsky

Alex Labry

PrintingPublication Printers

AccountingThomas Crayton, CPA

Sales ExecutiveCyndia Rodriguez

Contributing WritersDiane Elko

Melissa Martin GarciaCyndia Rodriguez

Jess StuartTom Wilson

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Dear Reader,(Johann Christoph) Friedrich von Schiller is quoted as saying Keep true to the dreams of thy youth. Born in 1759, he was a poet, dramatist, writer, historian, and philosopher.

When we remember our youthful dreams, some of us smile, some of us grimace, and some of us can say, as I transitioned from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood, I adhered to and achieved those dreams.

Life is about dreams and transitions. Many times, as we transition from one phase of our lives to the next, our dreams transition with us. As children, we believe in the impossible and the fantastical. Maturing may remove most of the idealism from us, but without our youthful and idealistic dreams, how can we learn practicality and develop the ability to set goals, live strong, and believe in ourselves? Our youthful dreams are predecessors of our adult accomplishments.

2012 is no different than the beginning of each new year that dawns. It is bringing the promise of a fresh start. Transitioning from the old to the new requires letting go of the past, but never letting go of our dreams. It doesn’t matter if the dreams we have at whatever point we are in our lives are our youthful ones and new ones that have evolved over the years. Without hope, we give up and, without dreams, we have little reason to dream.

Embrace 2012 with everything you have to give. Remember your dreams and set a course to achieve them. Live free and brave, stay your course, and remember the cornerstone of all dreams—anything is possible if you work hard.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Addison Marshall on winning the 2012 High School Rudy Award. I would also like to congratulate my graphic designer, Katey Arnold, on the birth of her beautiful baby girl, Ella Janelle.

Wishing you much peace, love and happiness,

editor’s note

Ella Janelle November 15, 2011 ■ 12:43 p.m.

8 pounds, 7 ounces ■ 19 inches longProud Parents Rob & Katey, and Big Sisters Cora & Hanna Arnold

Photo © 2012 Works of Art Photography


Ft. Bend Aggie Moms’ Club Scholarship Information

The Fort Bend Aggie Moms’ Club college scholarship applications for 2012-2013 are now available for Fort Bend County students currently attending Texas A&M University College Station, Galveston and Blinn TEAM. Completed applications including transcripts with Fall 2011 grades must be received by Feb. 13, 2012.

Scholarship amounts ranging from $500 to $1500 will be awarded in May 2012.

Electronic applications can be found online at fortbendmoms.aggienetwork.com. For more information contact [email protected] or Mary Beth Morris at 281-799-1054.

Scholarship Winners 2011 (Alphabetically Listed): Karalyn Apperson, Blair Banker, Christine Cortez, Jennifer Croft, Kristen Dang, Rebecca Ledoux, Mariah Mackay, Peter Masaki, Cristina Muko, Chase Murphee, Gregory Nachlas, Chelsea Nelson, Tracy Osina, Alec Palmer, Caitlin Papso, Kyle Papso, Ashley Peoples, Kaitlin Porter, Kristen Porter, Ashley Riley, Amanda Robichau, Bryan Sheppard, Garrett Washington, Albert Yen.

JoAnna JonesJoAnna Jones, a Board Certified assistant Behavior Analyst with the Texana Children’s Center for Autism, recently competed in a state-wide Texas Association for Behavior Analysis Autism Research

competition. Ms. Jones, a native of Rosenberg, is completing her masters degree at the University of Houston-Clear Lake in Behavior Analysis. She is conducting research on evaluating generalization and the role of stimulus control in social skills training. This research focuses on teaching social skills to children with autism. As one of the three winners of this competition, Ms. Jones received a monetary award and an

opportunity to present her research at the state-wide behavior analyst conference in May.

FBJSL and The Fred & Mabel R. Parks Youth Ranch Dedicate

New Recreation CenterThe Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) and The Fred & Mabel R. Parks Youth Ranch held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 dedicating the new recreation center made possible by the 2011 FBJSL Charity Ball’s proceeds. Parks Youth Ranch was established to address an identified gap in services for abused, at risk and homeless youth in Fort Bend County. In February 2011 the 90-day emergency youth shelter and counseling center opened and is serving youth between the ages of 13 to 17 years of age. The ranch houses three facilities: The George Counseling Center, a temporary shelter and a new recreation center. Referrals come from Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Juvenile Probation or the community.

Located on 8 acres of land in Fairchilds, Texas, the Parks Youth Ranch provides a multitude of services to the children. Services include: food, shelter, clothing, individual, group and family counseling, life skills, tutoring, medical and dental needs, transportation to appointments, recreational activities and outings. “Thanks to the generosity of the FBJSL, youngsters staying at the Fred & Mabel R. Parks Youth Ranch opened their presents Christmas morning in the brand new recreation center. The kids love playing basketball on the new outdoor court as well as working out, playing table games and watching movies in the recreation center,” said Executive Director Linda Shultz. For more information on the Fred & Mabel R. Parks Youth Ranch, please visit their website at www.parksyouthranch.org.

FBJSL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, to developing the potential of women and to improving the Fort Bend County community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. For more information on FBJSL, please visit our website www.fbjsl.com.

(Left to Right) FBJSL 2011 Charity Ball Co-Chairs Shayne Newell and Jenn Marker; Parks Youth Ranch Board President Richard Hogan; Parks Youth Ranch Executive Director Linda Shultz; FBJSL 2011 Charity Ball Co-Chairs Shannon Bloesch and Robin Alston.

FBJSL Announces Sugar Plum Market Record-Breaking

Proceeds to Fort Bend County Beneficiaries!

The 2011 Sugar Plum Market presented by the Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) and Methodist Sugar Land Hospital (MSLH) is proud to announce the proceeds and beneficiaries of another successful year in sponsorship and attendance. Total proceeds from this year’s Market are a record-breaking $200,000 and were presented to local Fort Bend County charities on December 14th at an Encore Party held at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. The following beneficiaries each received a portion of the event proceeds: American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club of Fort Bend, Child Advocates of Fort Bend, Dewalt Heritage Center, East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry, Fort Bend Community Partners Rainbow Room, Fort Bend County Women’s Center, Fort Bend Family Health Center, Fort Bend Family Promise, Fort Bend Habitat for Humanity, Fort Bend Theatre, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, Houston Museum of Natural Science -Sugar Land, Literacy Council of Fort Bend County and Texana Center. FBJSL’s Community Assistance Fund also received a portion of the proceeds.

This year’s Market was a huge success with over 6,000 patrons in attendance and more than 100 vendors. “We are thrilled with the proceeds raised from the Market which will allow us to contribute to so many worthy agencies in our community,” said FBJSL President Catherine Kubala. FBJSL is proud to announce that Methodist Sugar Land Hospital will return as the title sponsor for the 2012 Sugar Plum Market.

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FBJSL is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, to developing the potential of women and to improving the Fort Bend County community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable as well as providing an atmosphere of friendliness, goodwill and camaraderie for all members. Over the past 11 years, FBJSL, through the League’s many projects and events, has contributed more than $2 million to various charities in Fort Bend County. For more information on FBJSL, please visit www.fbjsl.com.

Representatives of the organizations receiving proceeds from the 2011 Sugar Plum Market joined members of FBJSL and representatives of Methodist Sugar Land Hospital on December 14th to celebrate the Market’s success.

Now Open and Accepting Patients – Houston Solari Hospice Care Awarded

Accreditation by The Joint Commission

After successfully completing a comprehensive on-site evaluation and demonstrating compliance with nationally developed standards for quality care, Houston Solari Hospice Care’s home care program and newly opened Inpatient Hospice Home at 9714 S. Gessner Road in Houston have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ effective Dec. 8, 2011.

“We are honored to receive this highly respected certification,” says Gary W. Polsky, founder, president and CEO,

Solari Hospice Care. “The Joint Commission is widely recognized as a symbol of quality. Getting this stamp of approval demonstrates Solari’s compliance with TJC’s national standards for providing safe, high quality, cost-effective hospice care and shows our commitment to be continually measured against rigorous standards of performance.”

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care and considered the world leader in evaluating quality and safety of care delivered in all types of healthcare settings.

“Our initial survey was conducted Nov. 29 through Dec. 2 for the purposes of assessing compliance with the Medicare conditions of participation for hospice agencies,” says Carole Goins, vice president of clinical operations, Solari Hospice Care. “The staff and processes that are in place have proven that Houston Solari Hospice Care provides safe, high-quality care, treatment and services to our hospice patients and families. The Joint Commission accreditation for Houston Solari Hospice Care further makes a strong statement to the community about our hospice’s efforts to provide the highest quality hospice services.”

Operated as an independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. TJC standards are developed with input from doctors, nurses, medical directors, providers, subject matter experts, consumers, government agencies and employers.

“Most hospices have the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) as their governing body, which is a great program,” says Brenda Hingle, executive director of Houston Solari Hospice Care. “However, in Houston, the hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission, and so we wanted our program to be measured against those same standards. With this distinction, both physicians and patients alike can have great confidence in our facility and the care we provide.”

Officially completed on May 18, 2011, Houston Solari Hospice Care’s Medicare-

certified, 12-bed freestanding Inpatient Home was specifically designed as a home away from home for hospice patients who require short-term acute care. It is the first facility in Houston to be built – from conception to completion – as a hospice home. As a result, hospice patients have the opportunity to receive professional, comprehensive and compassionate care specific to their unique needs in a state-of-the-art facility that is 100 percent focused on them.

“Our facility is like none other in the Houston area,” says Hingle. “It was created with comfort and dignity foremost in its design. From our lush landscaped grounds to the beautifully appointed patient rooms, everything possible has been done to facilitate a tranquil atmosphere.”

The 8,000-square-foot building, designed by Houston-based Wilson Architectural Group, has a “Texas/Tuscan feel” with Austin limestone, a rich terra cotta tile roof and numerous high-arched windows to let in warm natural light. The hospice home features private rooms equipped with comfortable beds, loungers for family members, a soothing family gathering room, flat-screen TVs with cable access, a spacious common living room and a serene chapel for spiritual meditation. Other amenities for patients and families include a commercial kitchen, a family laundry facility and wireless Internet access. In addition, the sprawling and well-manicured grounds feature a meditation garden, pergola and conversation areas.

“This facility is a place for people to come to achieve comfort and peace in a crisis, during their illness or when they are eminent,” Hingle explains. “We have a wonderful team of compassionate caregivers whose first and only priority is the patients and their families. Our desire is to make all patients under our care – whether they are at home or in our Inpatient Home – as comfortable as possible and to create a warm, friendly atmosphere that facilitates trust. With trust comes rest, comfort and a sense of well being. Quality of life is the absolute best gift we can give a patient, and that’s our foremost goal.”

Concludes Polsky, “Now hospice patients who are too sick to be at home can come

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Area News — Rosenberg, TX Richmond, TXto our small, highly personalized Inpatient Hospice Home and rest assured that it carries the same accreditation by The Joint Commission as the larger metropolitan hospitals. This is just one more way that Solari Hospice Care is setting itself apart as the true hospice of choice for the medical communities and residents of the Houston metropolitan area.”

About Solari Hospice Care

Solari Hospice Care is devoted to helping people live with dignity and comfort by providing trusted and professional hospice care in the Houston and Las Vegas communities. Focused on enhancing the quality of life for patients and their loved ones, Solari’s exemplary team of physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, certified nursing aides, social workers, administrative staff and counselors are specially trained to offer the most compassionate and comforting care designed for each patient’s unique needs. To learn more about Solari Hospice Care, please visit www.solarihospice.com, e-mail [email protected] or follow @SolariHospice on Twitter or Facebook.

Fort Bend County Alumnae Panhellenic 2012 Recruitment

WorkshopFort Bend County Alumnae Panhellenic is preparing for its annual Sorority Recruitment Workshop for girls who are high school seniors or collegiates and their parents. The event will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, 3300 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land on Saturday, February 25 from 10:00 a.m. til noon. Attendees will learn about membership in one of the 26 National Panhellenic Conference Sororities. Information will be provided covering the “how to’s” of participating in Recruitment. In addition, door prizes will be awarded. For those unable to attend the workshop, you may refer to our website at www.fortbendpanhellenic.org for information. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter as well. This year we are having three “Packet Turn In” events. This will allow opportunities to meet with alumnae and provide them with your packets. See our website for dates and locations as well as information regarding our scholarship program.

Above, Collegiates who have benefited from information received at the workshop are (top row, L to R) Kaitlyn Engle, Texas A & M Univ., Delta Delta Delta; Taylor Nielson, Univ. of Alabama, Alpha Gamma Delta; Hannah Mougel, Univ. of Kansas, Delta Gamma; Haley Ostrander, Texas Tech University, Chi Omega; (bottom row, L to R) Shannon Profy, Univ. of Alabama, Phi Mu; Kayliegh Wong, Texas State, Zeta Tau Alpha; Megan Greene, Univ. of Georgia, Delta Zeta; Eryn Roche, Oklahoma Univ., Pi Beta Phi.

Fort Bend Aggie Mom’s Club Car Raffle

The Fort Bend Aggie Mom’s Club is selling raffle tickets for a 2012 Chevy Malibu LT furnished by Classic Chevrolet-Don Kerstetter. The tickets are $100 each, and only 500 (maximum) will be sold.

The drawing will be held on March 31, 2012 during Parent’s Weekend at Texas A&M University (the winner does not need to be present to win).

There is a 2nd place prize: a guided fishing trip for 2 in Rockport; and a 3rd place prize: Sugar Land Skeeters baseball tickets (11 games total) which include the inaugural season opening day.

The proceeds from the raffle will be used to help fund scholarships awarded by the Fort Bend Aggie Mom’s Club in May to Fort Bend Aggie students.

For information regarding purchasing raffle tickets, please contact Stephanie Rammrath at [email protected].

Front row left to right: Anne Pencak, Sharon Jamison (in car), Debbie Cortez, Suzette Peoples, and Elizabeth Alexander. Back row left to right:Pam Dishberger, Linda Casey, Krista Smith, Jan Myers, Jeree`Nelson, Stephanie Rammrath, and Denise Burger-Garton.

January Beautification Awards Presented: Landscaping Excellence Recognized at

Council MeetingAt its regular meeting on January 3, 2012, City Council recognized Rosenberg citizens for their efforts to enhance and beautify our community.

Jorge and Sandra Ancheyta (1204 Ward Street), and the U.S. Washateria (1229 Avenue I) were recognized with landscape awards, and Hunan Garden Chinese Restaurant (4601 Avenue H) was recognized with a renovation award on behalf of the Rosenberg Image Committee.

Certificates were presented at the Council meeting by Mayor Vincent Morales and Councilor William Benton, Image Committee Chairman.

Properties are selected for the monthly beautification awards by the City’s Image Committee which works to develop community pride by promoting activities that improve Rosenberg’s image and positively influence public perception. The recognized residents, community groups and businesses have worked to beautify their properties through renovation and/or landscaping projects and improvements. Citizens are invited and encouraged to nominate fellow citizens or local businesses by contacting the Citizen Relations Coordinator at 832-595-3301, or via the website contact form available from the City website (www.ci.rosenberg.tx.us).

The Image Committee meets regularly. Meeting agendas may be obtained from the City website by clicking here, or by contacting the City Secretary’s office at 832-595-3340.

Pictured, from left to right, are: Mayor Vincent Morales; Elaine Wang (Hunan Garden Chinese Restaurant), Al Bhimjee (U.S. Washateria), Sandra and Jorge Ancheyta, and Councilor William Benton.


2012 Citizens Police Academy Applications Now Being

AcceptedChief Robert Gracia and the Rosenberg Police Department would like to invite you to attend the 18th Rosenberg Citizens Police Academy. The purpose of the Academy is to provide Rosenberg citizens with a better understanding of the daily operation of the Police Department, through educational sessions about different aspects of law enforcement.

Classes will begin Monday, February 6, 2012, and will be held every Monday evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for 14 weeks. During the course participants will learn about and be exposed to many different areas of law enforcement. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Ride with an on-duty Patrol Officer

• Witness how emergency calls are received and dispatched

• Experience how Detectives investigate crimes, and

• Observe how Crime Scene Technicians collect and analyze evidence

Join the more than 320 citizens who have graduated from the Rosenberg Citizens Police Academy in years past by completing the application available at www.ci.rosenberg.tx.us, and submitting it electronically, or in-person at the Rosenberg Police Department, 2120 4th Street, Rosenberg, Texas, 77471. The deadline for applications is Monday, January 30, 2012.

Please contact Lieutenant Colin Davidson at (832) 595-3726 for further information.

Houston Solari Hospice Care Seeks Compassionate

VolunteersHouston Solari Hospice Care is seeking special individuals to help brighten the lives of terminally ill patients and their loved ones in the Greater Houston community through unique volunteer opportunities. Volunteers can serve in a variety of capacities, including providing smiling companionship to patients, sharing their favorite hobbies (such as reading and playing music), running

necessary errands, and offering respite to family caregivers.

Houston Solari Hospice Care especially needs compassionate caregivers for patients in North Harris County, the Clear Lake area, and the beautiful new inpatient home in Bellaire. Designed for short-term acute care, this 8,000-square-foot, 12-bed facility at 9714 S. Gessner Road features private rooms equipped with comfortable beds, sofa sleepers for family members, a soothing family gathering room, a spacious common living room, a serene chapel for spiritual meditation and tranquil landscaped grounds. The inpatient center is designed as a home-away-from-home for terminally ill patients when their pain and symptoms cannot be controlled within their own homes.

Solari Hospice Care is devoted to helping people live with dignity and comfort by providing trusted and professional hospice care in the Houston and Las Vegas communities. Focused on enhancing the quality of life for patients and their loved ones, Solari’s exemplary team of physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, certified nursing aides, social workers, administrative staff, counselors and volunteers are specially trained to offer the most compassionate and comforting care designed for each patient’s unique needs.

To volunteer or for more information, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Daphne Hennessey at 713-664-7120. For information about Houston Solari Hospice Care, please visit www.solarihospice.com or follow @SolariHospice on Twitter or Facebook.

Literacy Council of Fort Bend County Presents the 12th

Annual Book & Author Dinner: Warm Up With a Good Book

Warm Up With a Good Book at the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County’s 12th Annual Book & Author Dinner on January 29, 2012 at Safari Texas. Just as the winter months are becoming unbearably cold and chilling, discovering a new book will warm your heart.

As one of the signature events of the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County, Book & Author

allows guests the opportunity to mingle with and purchase books by their favorite authors. Attendees have the privilege of listening to all of the authors introduce themselves and their books. In addition, speaking authors will share an in-depth look at their book(s) as guests enjoy a delicious dinner catered by Safari Texas. Following dinner, guests may continue to purchase autographed books from the featured authors.

Author highlights for this year’s event include Jeff Abbott and Lester Smith. Jeff Abbott is an international-bestselling, award-winning author of thirteen mystery and suspense novels. His latest novel, Adrenaline, has been featured on The Today Show and Good Morning America and was named one of the “Top Reads” for summer 2011. Lester Smith is more than an author; he is a survivor. His memoir, You Gotta Dance Like No One’s Watching, sums up Smith’s outlook on life. As a featured author at Barbara Bush’s Celebration of Reading 2011, Smith was the highlight of the event with his humorous and inspirational speech. In addition to Abbott and Smith, authors attending include Chitra Divakaruni, One Amazing Thing; Kristin Finan, Food Lover’s Houston; Ron Franscell, The Deadline; Karleen Koen, Before Versailles; DiAnn Mills, Pursuit of Justice; Kyle & Jennifer Solak, Goodnight Houston and Rodney Walther, Broken Laces.

Every year, the Literacy Council’s Book & Author Dinner brings together readers and writers for a unique event. This year’s theme, Warm Up With a Good Book hopes to highlight a love for literacy and the warmth that it brings to the soul. Through the county’s participation in the event, the Literacy Council is able to help determined adults change their lives by improving their reading, writing and conversation skills.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the event and they range in price from $7,500 to $250. Sponsorship opportunities include choice of author and their guest at your reserved table, special recognition on the Literacy Council’s website, in the event invitation and in the event program, complimentary program advertisements and much more. Individual tickets to the event are $75. For tickets or sponsorship



Important Phone Numbers ROSENBERGCity of Rosenberg—832-595-3300Rosenberg Police Department Non-Emergency*—832-595-3700Rosenberg Fire Department Non-Emergency* —832-595-3600Rosenberg Animal Control 832-595-3490Rosenberg Civic Ctr—832-595-3520Rosenberg Municipal Court 832-595-3450Rosenberg Public Housing Authority—281-342-1456Rosenberg Garbage/Recycling Pickup—832-595-3500Rosenberg Deaf Community 832-595-3322Rosenberg Post Office 281-342-3388

RICHMONDCity of Richmond—281-342-5456Richmond Police Department Non-Emergency*—281-342-2849Richmond Fire Department Non-Emergency*—281-232-2828City of Richmond Municipal Court 281-342-0578Richmond Post Office 281-633-0386

NEEDVILLECity of Needville—979-793-4253Needville Area Chamber of Commerce—979-793-5700Needville Police Department Non-Emergency*—979-793-4255Needville Fire Department Non-Emergency*—979-793-4236

Needville Post Office—979-793-4427Needville Tax Office—979-793-4254

LIBRARIESGeorge Memorial Library, (Richmond)—281-342-4455Bob Lutts Library, (Fulshear-Simon-ton)—281-346-1432Alfred George, (Needville) 979-793-4270

FORT BEND COUNTYMain Line—281-342-3411Auto Registration—281-341-3709County Clerk Dianne Wilson 281-341-8685D.A. John Healey—281-341-4460Fairgrounds—281-762-8818Health Department: Clinical Health—281-342-6414,

Environmental Health 281-342-7469Senior Citizens-281-633-7049Social Services-281-342-7300Tax Assessor & Collector’s Office 281-341-3710Veteran Services—281-341-4550Voter Registration—281-341-8670

OTHER NUMBERSLamar Consolidated ISD 281-223-0000 Rose-Rich Chamber of Commerce 281-342-5464Small Business Development Ctr 281-341-5027TX Dept of Public Safety (Driver’s Licenses)—281-232-4334TW Davis YMCA—281-341-0791

*IMPORTANT: PLEASE DIAL 911 FOR EMERGENCIES

information, or to learn more about the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County and the 12th Annual Book & Author Dinner, please call 281.240.8181 or visit our website, www.ftbendliteracy.org.

About the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County

Since 1987, the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County has been Changing Lives Through Literacy. The mission of the Literacy Council is to end intergenerational cycles of illiteracy by improving adult literacy skills and generate community-wide literacy awareness. The Literacy Council provides several programs for its students: Basic Literacy, English as a Second Language, GED Preparation, U.S. Citizenship Preparation, Computer Skills and Job Readiness Skills.

Sitting (L to R): Co-Chair Gail Neese and Co-Chair Becky Pruett. Standing (L to R): Lauren Dante, Cherie Young, Jolene Maurer, Brenda Bowman, Executive Director, Literacy Council of Fort Bend County, Marilyn Davis, Yvonne Jackson, Abby Grobe and Mary Brewster. Not pictured: Karen Harding and Kathryn Lilly.

Local Non-Profits Working Together

Why is it that non-profits don’t collaborate and work together for their common good? Often, non-profit organizations are not comfortable about even talking about partnering. However, this is not the case with Texana Center and Fort Bend Seniors - Meals on Wheels; a few weeks ago the two Fort Bend County non-profit organizations did exactly that and began, what they hope will be, a long-term partnership to benefit both agencies.

During a casual conversation at a breakfast meeting Susan Whitacre, Volunteer Manager at Fort Bend Seniors mentioned the challenge in recruiting volunteers to Kevin Barker, Texana Director of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services. When Barker heard that Whitacre needed volunteers to clean the center where the Fort Bend Seniors meet and that they also needed help in packing meals, ready for delivery to the homebound seniors, he immediately knew Texana Center could provide the answer.

In May, Barker put Whitacre in touch with Manuel Lopez, Manager of the newly opened Texana Learning Center at Rosenberg. Soon the two realized there was a real opportunity for both agencies to benefit each other. Texana clients were already hired to provide janitorial services

at Texana Center’s facilities in Rosenberg, so doing this at Fort Bend Seniors would be an easy transition. As far as the packing of the meals for the homebound seniors - the Texana clients already had a contract with Alcove Medical Inc. to assemble medical kits, so how hard could it be to pack lunch, as it turns out no problem at all?

The benefits of partnering soon became obvious -Texana’s clients would gain work experience by volunteering at Fort Bend Seniors, they would also develop a sense of pride, while also learning about giving back to the community. In turn, Fort Bend Seniors would benefit in having a clean facility, help in getting meals out at no extra cost, and both non-profits’ clients would also have an opportunity to socialize.

At the first formal meeting with Fort Bend Seniors’ staff there was some concern about the seniors interacting with Texana’s clients. So it was suggested that two non-profits have a joint social; Texana offered to bring the ‘Dream Team’ - a drill team made up of clients - to perform for the seniors, this would be followed by a meet and greet. The event was a great success and by early September Texana’s trainers and clients had been through the volunteer orientation program, were issued their name badges, and were ready to start.

In mid-September six Texana clients turned out for their first day of volunteering and



reported to Mary Valdez, Site Manager at Fort Bend Seniors. They were soon put to work; packing meals, wiping down tables, sweeping. vacuuming, and cleaning windows. Valdez said, “I am very glad to have the help and I am looking forward to interaction between the seniors, who attend the center daily and the Texana volunteers. The seniors will enjoy meeting these young people and I am sure they can share lots of stories together”.

Although Texana and Fort Bend Seniors serve different populations they do have some similar needs and believe that with mutual respect, understanding and trust this collaboration will be a win-win for both. Perhaps the two non-profits are setting an example for Washington!

American Red Cross Super Ball XI Signs Up Sponsors for Food,

Football and Fun! The American Red Cross Super Ball XI scheduled for Saturday, January 28th at Safari Texas in Richmond, promises to be the biggest – and best – indoor tailgate party in town! The eleventh annual event, Super Ball XI benefits the American Red Cross Southwestern Branch located in and serving Fort Bend County, and this year’s proceeds will support program operations, service delivery to our community and general operating needs.

Sponsorships are currently available for the tailgate party themed event, and they range from $500 to $10,000. Sponsorship opportunities include tickets to the event, recognition in the program and invitations, and on-site recognition at the event. Sponsors who have already joined Team Super Ball include: Quarterbacks - Pamela

Printing and Safari Texas Ranch; Kicker – Legacy Ford; Fans – County Judge Bob and Pat Hebert, bob Leared Interests, Gurecky Manufacturing Service, Inc., Shadow Creek Ranch Development, L.P., May W. Tape, DDS, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wendt and Whitney Bank; Cheerleader – Robert C. Brown, III and Mascot Schultz Trucking Brothers, Inc.

The event features a tailgate-themed buffet full of football food favorites, a Half-Time Dance with music by The Spiffington’s and a midway with games for guests to enjoy. The American Red Cross Super Ball XI’s auctions are always a crowd-pleaser, and this year’s live auction is no exception. The live auction will feature an exclusive item courtesy of Legacy Ford: a new car each month for an entire year to kick off the live auction. Also featured in the live auction are a Girls’ Night Out Bunco Party hosted at Southern Sister Designs, sports’ packages and rodeo package including tickets to the hottest show and to the BBQ Cook-Off.

“The American Red Cross provides such a vital service to our entire community,” said Honorary Co-Chairman Steve Hoffman. “Marian and I, along with Terry and Kandee McGill, are thrilled to lend our name and support to such a worthwhile organization.”

Leading the Super Ball team to victory for this year are Head Coaches Eileen Akerson, Goldie Leinweber and Terri Stuart. “This year’s event is shaping up to be our best ever,” said Charlie Davis, Executive Director of the Southwestern Branch of the American Red Cross. “Because of the generous support of our committee members, sponsors and our community, we are looking forward to hosting a fantastic evening of tailgating fun!”

Heading up various committees and serving as Coaches for the American Red Cross Super Ball XI are: Dana Benoit, Mandi Bronsell, Cheryl Herrington-Foster, Janet Hilton, Roxanne Johnson, Cynthia Liska, Kayla Matthews, Katrina Nutt, Ernest and Debra Sharp, Karen Slavinski,

Tickets to Super Ball X are $75 per person or $150 per couple and are available by contacting the American Red Cross Southwestern Branch at 281.342.9480. For more information about the American Red Cross Super Ball XI event including

underwriting opportunities, call 281.342.9480.

American Red Cross Super Ball XI Co-Chairmen Steve and Marian Hoffman kick off the January tailgating event with Charlie Davis, Executive Director of the Southwestern Branch of the American Red Cross.

Chamber Corporate Sponsor of the Year

Fort Bend Toyota was named the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance’s Corporate Sponsor of the Year for 2011.From left: Mike Shaw, General Manager, Fort Bend Toyota; Shanta Kuhl, Chamber President/CEO, and Tom Crayton, Chamber Board Chair.

FBJSL Announces KPRC Local 2 News Anchor Iain Page As 2012

Charity Ball EmceeDiamonds, diamonds, diamonds! Come experience the glamour and glitter of the Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) 2012 Charity Ball and Casino ~ “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square. This elegant gala, presented by Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, will be an unforgettable evening enhanced by a sumptuous dinner, sensational music and dancing to Password, casino games, a fabulous live auction, as well as a bid board and silent auction.

FBJSL is pleased to announce that KPRC Local 2 News Anchor Iain Page will be the Emcee for the evening. Iain recently joined KPRC Local 2 as an anchor in October 2010. He moved to KPRC from the Golf Channel, where he was an anchor for six years. Before that, he was an anchor at ESPN, where he hosted SportsCenter and NBA 2Night. Iain


Wesley Kocian smiles as he packs his first meal ready to go out.

Rachel Terraza vacuums at the Fort Bend Seniors.


has enjoyed his transition from sportscaster to news anchor. “Being a news anchor is a new challenge for me – what’s great about it is that there is something new each and every day. You never know what will happen during any given day in Houston and there is no shortage of news in H-town. I am thrilled to Emcee the FBJSL 2012 Charity Ball. I love giving back to the community and supporting those organizations that strive to make our community better,” said Iain Page.

Presenting sponsor, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, has led the way for a growing number of individuals and businesses eager to join our team. Top sponsors include Ameriprise Financial Services, Texas Direct Auto, Shayne & David Newell, and Sweetwater Radiology. Other committed sponsors to date include Amegy Bank of Texas, Beth & Phillip Butler, Brigit & Andrew Engleman, Fort Bend Focus, Hartmann Properties, Trish Kogan & Family, Catherine & Brent Kubala, Kathy & Gary Minter (American Plating Company of Texas), Lisa and Darrell Reese, Raquel & Christopher Smith, M.D., M.B.A, Laura & Rob Thompson, Shannon & Michael Bloesch, Debbie & Phillip Buckner, Finnegan Auto Group, Kevin Patton (State Farm Insurance) and Kavita & Sean Self.

A variety of sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are still available ranging from $500 to $7,500. For more information on sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets, please visit www.fbjsl.com or contact Charity Ball Co-Chairs Mandy Boudreaux, Debbie Buckner, Jessica DeMarr or Audra O’Neal at [email protected].

(L-R): FBJSL Charity Ball Co-Chairs Mandy Boudreaux and Jessica DeMarr; Darrell Reese, Ameriprise Financial Services; FBJSL Charity Ball Co-Chairs Debbie Buckner and Audra O’Neal.

Chamber Business Person of the Year

Joe Freudenberger, CEO of OakBend Medical Center, was named the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance Business Person of the Year for 2011.

From left: Shanta Kuhl, Chamber President/CEO; Chamber Board Chair Tom Crayton, Thomas J. Crayton, CPA; award presenter Joe Gurecky, Gurecky Manufacturing Service, Inc.; and Business Person of the Year Joe Freudenberger, CEO of OakBend Medical Center.

Chamber Award Winner PhotosThe Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance held its Annual 2011 Awards Banquet Friday at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond.

2011 Award Winners, from left: Outgoing Board of Directors Chairman Kamal Ariss, JE Dunn Construction; Public-Private Community Service Award winner Joe Gurecky, Gurecky Manufacturing Service, Inc.; Board Member of the Year, Melissa Garcia-Martin, Garcia-Martin & Martin, L.L.P; Business Person of the Year, Joe Freudenberger, OakBend Medical Center; Committee Member of the Year, Andi Wallis, Texana Center; Corporate Partner of the Year,

Mike Shaw, Fort Bend Toyota; Volunteer of the Year, Gilbert Limones, First Victoria National Bank, and Ambassador of the Year, Tom Wilson, Reading Road Self Storage.

Kempner High School Market Day

The KHS MARKET is a good old fashioned garage sale. STARS - The KHS Theatre Booster Club is organizing a parking lot sale to be held in the teacher’s parking lot on Saturday, February 11th from 7:00AM until 1:00PM. Sales spaces will be rented to individuals, families, school groups, students, and faculty. Independent vendors are welcome and do not need to be affiliated with KHS. This is a great opportunity to sell just about anything, rid your home, garage, or office of unwanted items and make money in the process. Crafters and independent retailers are welcome.

The cost for one space is $25.00 or $20.00 for groups affiliated with KHS i.e. Pro Grad, Band, etc. Parking spaces will be sold on a first come/first served basis. Checks are to be made payable to Kempner STARS.

The day starts at 7:00AM, you may begin setting up your items at 6:00AM. The pedestrian area will be closed to traffic at 6:50AM.

***THE THEATRE BOOSTER CLUB IS ALSO ACCEPTING ITEMS FOR DONATION TO BE SOLD IN THE STARS BOOTH***

For more information, contact Cindy McCroskey 832-473-7834 /[email protected] / [email protected]


To advertise in our next issue, contact us at

(281) 769-8321.


CFBCA Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt - Richmond (7975 W. Grand Pkwy. S, Ste. 130, Richmond)

Russo’s New York Pizzeria Greatwood (6560 Greatwood Pkwy., Ste. 900, Sugar Land)

Grand Windows and Interiors (1405 Avenue I, Rosenberg)

Reliable Oaks Personal Home Care (11750 Padon Road, Needville)

Hunan Garden Restaurant’s interior remodel (4601 Avenue H, Rosenberg)

Recent Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance Ribbon

Cutting Photos


women’s apparel / home decor / baby clothes / doggie clothes

Tuesday — Saturday / 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

1100 3 rd St . , Rosenberg, Texas / 281-341-NINE (6463) / www.broken9boutique.com


Last week one of my relatives, who we call Bubba, came over and joined me on the porch. He was telling me abut his adventure to the Animal Control

Center in order to adopt a pet. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, because of the trauma he suffered as a child. You see, Bubba is not much to look at. As a child, he was rather ugly and had no friends. In fact, his parents had to tie meat scraps around his neck so the family dog would play with him. With this background, I would have bet against a dog, but was surprised to see what he brought home. Bubba was the proud owner of a dog! Not just any dog, but a deaf dog. The reason he came over was to enlist my help in naming his new pet. Being hearing impaired myself, I pondered on the question of what to name a deaf dog. After some thought, I con-cluded…what difference does it make?

I can tell you what does make a difference! Accepting the challenge of change. There is massive and radical transformation taking place in the business world. The advent of the computer age has certainly contributed to change. The buzz words of today include mergers, downsizing, budget crunch, lay-offs, readjusting busi-ness focus, and closings. The current economic environ-ment in which we live currently offers challenges and will continue to plague business decisions. We can cuss and discuss what is happening, but “the good old days” of stability have been left behind. Each of us, due to this change I speak of, must rethink our lives, careers, futures, and the way we do business. The fact is that we must accept this change and adapt. Acknowledge that there is not much we can do about the changing world. The difference comes in the manner in which we respond to it. How change affects us depends largely upon our attitudes and beliefs. Instead of criticizing and resist-ing the change, it seems to me that energies are better served developing a new mindset about our work and us as individuals. Consider restructuring your business and personal life by deeper, more creative, and innova-tive thought. Use this opportunity to develop improved business and life plans to accommodate the evolving conditions.

The good advice that I can pass on to you is that it is wise to shift thinking to acceptance of the change and empower yourselves to work within that change. Some succumb to the feeling of fearing change. Embrace it as a given opportunity to advance to a higher level of what you are doing. Some like the status quo because it takes little effort to remain doing the same thing in the same way. As it has been said, if you keep doing what you have been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting. This may cause you to miss the chance to improve. Do not let change defeat you, but instead use change to your benefit. Here is how I think that you can accomplish that…..

See change as an opportunity to grow and learn new things. The true winner thrives on tough challenges. The loser? It doesn’t make any difference.

We are all responsible for ourselves. You know what needs to be done to operate a successful business or lifestyle. Don’t wait another moment. Be proactive.

Expect good things to happen. Most good things come about due to the positive actions you take. If you want good things, then make them happen.

Give consideration to the feeling that change keeps life interesting and dynamic.

Have a vision of success. Set goals and put forth the effort to achieve them with constant smart decisions and work. Believe in yourself, in what you are doing, and be committed to improving each day.

Keep negativism out of your life. Focus on the positive things in your life and build upon that foundation.

Wake up each day with a smile and a thought that you must live in the present.

It has been said that that the prudent person simply must change their way of looking at what is going on. Be positive in your actions and success will follow. If you do whatever it takes to perform your job well and live your life appropriately, the future will take care of itself. The past? It’s just like trying to name a deaf dog. It doesn’t make any difference.

Adapting to Change by Tom Wilson, Reading Road Self Storage &

Reading Road Professional Office ParkTom is a marketing consultant who has been involved in local groups as a volunteer and sponsor: Fort Bend Women’s Center; Convoy of Hope Medical Services Team; WCJC Advisory Committee on Continuing Education; Ambassador for the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance; 2010 YMCA Board of Directors.


Managers often ask, “How do I motivate my staff?” Motivation seems to be more elusive than most other aspects of management. People are baffled when this question is asked whether it be for staff, children, students or teams who must learn to work together to achieve results for any cause. People often ask consultants like me to provide motivational sessions or courses for their teams.When all is said and done, good leaders do not really need to motivate. Why? It is not your job. This may sound wrong to all of us because we all grew up hearing that motivation of the workforce is part of great leadership.People want to be successful. We work hard to achieve results that are expected. We all really want to perform in a manner that screams out the words: QUALITY, HARD WORK, and DEDICATION. Ask yourself if you need someone like a boss to motivate you. Most likely, the answer is no. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we strive to reach self-actualization or in simple terms, become the best we can be.This level of need pertains to what a person’s full potential is and realizing that potential. Maslow describes this desire as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming. Even at work, we strive to do our very best and reach our full potential.If an employee is truly unmotivated, they may be the wrong person for the job. So then we have to make some tough decisions. Do we keep them or let them go? So now we must ask if motivation is not our job as managers and leaders, then what is. How do you prevent

people on your team from becoming demotivated? Now that is a good question.If employees begin a new job with all good intentions to perform in a manner that is expected and documented on their job description, then why would they lose this attitude that promotes successful results? What really happens? Did something change? Did the work environment demotivate them?Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it getting a drink of water to satisfy thirst or getting the resources we need to get the job done right the first time. When work environments consistently fail to provide what employees need, the desire to achieve is suppressed or redirected. They experience frustration and helplessness, and become demotivated. Instead of trying to reach their full potential, they act in ways to just keep their jobs. They do not perform in a way that delivers optimal value to the organization. Either the boss dismisses them or they may leave and take on a new job.Motivating a group is even harder than motivating an individual. When you lead a team, there’s an entirely different dynamic. What you do for one employee can easily demotivate others.When you set out to recognize employees, make certain that your program does not motivate only a few and demotivate many. Your team needs to fully understand what is expected of them and why anyone is recognized. Otherwise, the recognition does not work to motivate at all.

If you decide to address demotivation, you will see that everyone on your staff wants the following from you: (1) clear direction, (2) the resources to perform as required and (3) never to be treated unfairly. A work environment structured to provide these three things should never demotivate because you are practicing what everyone generally wants in life:

(1) Honest and clear communication(2) Tools and resources that enable you to do the job right(3) Respect for all people

In conclusion, demotivation should not be an issue if you hire the right people who are motivated to do their jobs well, and you understand that if they become demotivated, it is because of the environment in which they work. Good leaders recognize that the environment could be their own issue and it must be addressed or failure results. You will also recognize that unnecessary efforts to motivate staff could actually be demotivating.If you communicate regularly with the people who work with you, you will learn how they feel about the work environment. Then you may modify it and develop the work environment that provides the 3 things we mentioned above—and you will protect your employees from the “demotivation disease” that seems to impact business.

How Do I Mot ivate Other s? Diane M. Elko, President of Improve It! Consulting &

Training in Fulshear, Texas, assists organizations with team building, process improvement, quality, and

creative strategies. She is a licensed representative for Insights Personality Profiles and designs effective management systems that improve productivity and

performance. Diane may be reached at 281.799.0930, [email protected], or visit www.improveitsolutions.com.

by Diane Elko

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Houstonian Frances Coronado had always defied the odds, remaining relatively energetic and spry despite being in her 90s. “She was the cornerstone and glue that held our family together,” says her daughter and caregiver, Maria Coronado. “She was the one who took care of all of us.” So, when a series of mini-strokes weakened Frances’ immune system and began to compromise her health, Ma-ria and her brother, Isaac Coronado, weren’t sure where to turn. Frances’s doctor recommended plac-ing her on hospice through Houston Solari Hospice Care.

“When I first heard the word hospice, all I could think was that I was getting ready to send my mother to the cemetery,” Maria recalls. “I had a false concept of what hospice is. Now, I’ve come to realize that hospice isn’t about dying, but about liv-ing. It’s about helping individuals like my mother live the best – and longest – quality of life possible.”

According to the National Hospice and Pallia-tive Care Organization, approximately 1.5 million people in the United States receive hospice services each year. Considered the model for quality com-passionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness, hospice provides expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the needs and wishes of pa-tients and their loved ones.

Prior to entering hospice, “I was constantly tak-ing mother to the doctor’s office,” explains Maria. “Because she was wheelchair bound, transporta-tion was difficult. Plus, it was tough on my mother mentally. It made her agitated. She really loved her house and didn’t like being shuffled from place to place. Placing our mother on hospice was the best decision my brother and I could have made.”

Maria notes that Houston Solari Hospice Care provided Frances with medications to keep her comfortable, aides to help bathe her, caregivers to

provide comfort, and a variety of equipment includ-ing a hospital bed, a special adaptive chair, and a table on wheels that made it easier for her mother to eat in bed.

“Now, looking back, I don’t think I could have made it without their help,” says Maria. “It gave me a lifeline that I so desperately needed. Having hospice involved made everything so much easier for Mother and our entire family.”

Although hospice is designed for people in the last six months of life, Frances once again defied the odds and lived for over a year and a half on hos-pice. Best of all, she was able to stay home during that time, surrounded by the people she loved and who loved her. When Frances passed away on Au-gust 5, 2011, she left behind two children (two other children predeceased her), 15 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and many others who affectionately called her “Tia” or “Doña Panchita.”

“Psychologically, it was hard for me to let go,” ad-mits Maria. “Toward the end, I literally poured my heart out to the hospice staff. The nurses and care-givers were amazing – very understanding and full of warmth and compassion. They really listened. They are very special people to do the work they are doing.”

Maria has been so inspired by the staff at Houston Solari Hospice Care that she hopes to become a vol-unteer there one day. “I can really see the need and I want to give back,” says Maria, who has worked full time in retail sales with Macy’s since 1972. “It’s so important to give the caregivers a reprieve. When you take care of someone day in and day out, you need a break. I feel like I’ve learned so much through this experience that I could pass along to others. I could let them know that someone else has been there.”

Houston Family Discovers that Hospice

Celebrates Life with Compassionate Care

article by l Nancy Prenzno

When There’s NO CURE,There’s Care


Comfort & DignityUntil the Last Breath

Solari Hospice Care Strives to Improve Quality of Life for Terminally Ill Patients and Their Families in the Greater Houston Area

With the

newest free-standing hospice inpatient home in Houston and a solid reputa-tion for stellar inter-disci-plinary

care, Houston Solari Hospice Care continues to distinguish itself in the Greater Houston area. “So-lari’s interdisciplinary team of caregivers — including board-certified hospice physicians, registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers, bereave-ment counselors and volunteers — share a passion for providing high-quality, compassionate care to our patients and their families,” says Solari Hospice Care Founder, President and CEO Gary W. Polsky. “Our strong leadership, superior palliative healthcare team and new inpatient home make Solari Hospice Care the provider of choice in the Houston community.”

Home-like hospice inpatient centers such as Solari’s new facility in Houston crown Polsky’s vision for improving the quality of life of terminally ill patients and their families. “Our goal is for our patients to experience their final days surrounded by their loved ones, their pets, whomever and whatever brings them the greatest joy and peace, in their home or the home-away-from-home that is our inpatient center,” Polsky says, “rather than in the cold hospital environment.”

Home Away From Home

Solari’s new 8,000-square-foot inpatient hospice home at 9714 S. Gessner Road “is the first facility of its kind in Houston,” adds Brenda Hingle, executive director of Houston Solari Hospice Care. “It was designed and built from the ground up to address the unique needs of patients facing complex end-of-life issues — such as pain management, symptom control and medical procedures.”

With high arched windows to bathe the interior in warm natural light, the hospice home features 12 spa-cious private rooms equipped with comfortable beds, loungers for family members, and flat-screen TVs. Other amenities for patients and families include: a cozy common living area; soothing family gathering room; serene chapel for spiritual meditation; staffed commercial kitchen; family laundry facility; and wire-less Internet access. In addition, the sprawling and well-manicured grounds feature a meditation garden, pergola and conversation areas.

article by l Andrea Rowland

Houston Solari Hospice Care’s new Inpatient Home is

the first facility in Houston to be built from the ground up

as a hospice home. Photo by Craig Hartley

This signage welcomes the public to Houston Solari Hospice Care’s Inpatient Home, located at 9714 S. Gessner Road. Photo by Craig Hartley


The inpatient home is conveniently located near Houston’s bustling medical core. “Many doctors and nurses in Houston’s renowned medical community recognize the tremendous benefit of a local inpatient hospice home that’s in close proximity to the area’s numerous hospitals, clinics and medical facilities,” Pol-sky says. “Their advocacy for Solari Hospice Care’s new inpatient hospice home in Hous-ton will help educate area residents, patients and their families to its importance as a valu-able community resource.”

Passionate Hospice Professionals

While Solari’s new inpatient home enables the company to provide a more immediate response in acute-care situations — leading to a much higher standard of care for patients and families — Polsky emphasizes that “it’s not all about the bricks and mortar of a shiny newly constructed building, but what takes place within its walls — passionate hospice professionals giving all they have every day to alleviate pain and suffering and help patients and families find joy in the time they have left together.” He continues, “Hospice is more of a philosophy of care, than a place. Hospice takes a holistic ap-proach to the care of each patient, encom-passing all aspects of the patient’s needs. It’s the best way to help dying patients

and their families to spend more quality time together, preserving one of our coun-try’s most important social values—keeping families together.”

With its new inpatient home open and its home-care program thriving, Houston Solari Hospice Care looks forward to improving the quality of life for a grow-ing number of terminally ill patients and their families in the years to come. “We are growing because our repu-tation for superior hospice care is spreading throughout the professional and private community,” Hingle says. “Our goal is to serve all of the community by providing comprehensive and com-

passionate care both in our patients’ own homes and at the best inpatient hospice in their neighbor-hood.”

Did you know that Medicare covers the vast majority of hospice care costs? Here are some more helpful (but often misunderstood) facts about hospice care:

• Hospice benefits are paid by Medicare Part A. To learn more, call 1-800-MEDICARE or go to www.medicare.gov.

• Medicare regulation states that any beneficiary with a terminal illness can elect the hospice benefit.

• Your doctor and hospice medical director must certify that you’re terminally ill and have six months or less to live if your ill-ness runs its normal course.

• You must sign a statement choosing hospice care instead of other Medicare-covered benefits to treat your terminal illness.

• You get care from a Medicare-approved hospice program.• You do not need to be hospitalized to receive hospice care. The

majority of hospice services — including delivery of medications — occur within the patient’s own home.

• You do not have to give up your family doctor while on hospice. Hospice physicians provide care related to the terminal diag-nosis. If the family doctor is not associated with the hospice program, the patient can seek treatment and the physician bills Medicare directly, as usual. The bill must indicate that they are not part of the hospice so that they may be reimbursed.

• If your hospice program or doctor believes that you are no longer eligible for hospice care because your condition has improved, and you don’t agree, you have the right to ask for a review of your case.

Shedding Light on Hospice Basics: Understand the Facts about Hospice Care

are some more helpful (but often misunderstood) facts about hospice care:

Hospice benefits are paid by Medicare Part A. To learn more,

Shedding Light on Hospice Basics

The Inpatient Home’s central nursing area is the hub for the Solari professionals who work to keep patients comfortable 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Houston Solari Hospice Care’s Chaplain pro-vides spiritual guidance for patients and their families in this serene room where families can pray or meditate.

The pergola overlooks the sprawling and well-mani-cured grounds at Houston Solari Hospice Care’s newly opened Inpatient Home.


Melissa Garcia-Martin is a shareholder with Garcia-Martin & Martin, P.C., a full service law firm in Sugar Land, Texas. She works with businesses and individuals in all types of business, employment, and family matters. She can be reached at 281-277-3066. You may also visit the website at www.mgmartinlaw.com for additional information and practice areas.

law by melissa garcia-martin

The July 4th holiday prompts us to reflect on our lives as Americans. Our lives are filled with many rights-free-dom of speech, freedom of religion, our right to due process and the list goes on. We enjoy life as we know it because of the sacrifices of our service-members.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides relief to servicemen and servicewomen against certain civil liabilities and obligations. In deter-mining their rights under the law, the United States Supreme Court ruled the SCRA must be read with an “eye friendly to those who dropped their affairs to answer their country’s call.” This article will provide a brief overview of some of the more common issues warranting protection by the SCRA.

Soldiers who come to active duty from the reserves are allowed to terminate their residential, professional, business or agricultural leases. This only applies to leases entered into before active duty. The notice to terminate must be in writing. The termination is effective 30 days after the first date on which the next rental payment is due and pay-able and after notice has been deliv-ered. The period of active duty must be for a period longer than 90 days.

Similarly, a soldier may request termi-nation of an automobile lease when he/she goes onto active duty if the lease was entered into before active duty. This provision applies only if the active duty is for at least 180 continu-ous days.

Soldiers may seek protection from evic-tion as long as the property is occupied by the soldier and/or his/her depen-

dents for the purpose of housing and the rent cannot exceed $2615.16. This is the maximum rental rate as of Janu-ary 2006, which is adjusted annually. A solider or dependent who has received notice of an eviction may request pro-tection from the court under the Act. If the court finds that the soldier’s military duties have materially affected his/her ability to pay the rent, the judge may order a stay or postponement of the eviction proceeding for up to three (3) months or make any other just order.

With respect to credit cards, loans, mortgages, or other financial obli-gations, a solider ordered to active duty may have his/her interest rate capped at 6% for the duration of the soldier’s active duty military obligation. Qualifying debts are debts incurred by the soldier or the solider and his/her spouse, jointly, before coming on active duty. Debts entered into after entering active duty are not entitled to this protection.

Title II of the Act provides for protec-tion against default judgments, stays (delay) of civil and administrative proceedings and stays of judgment. This includes child custody or paternity suits, bankruptcy proceedings, and civil suits such as breach of contract or personal injury suits. With respect to default judgments, which is a judgment against the soldier without his/her presence to defend his/herself, upon request by the soldier, the court must re-open the case to allow the soldier to defend the action provided that 1) the soldier has a legal defense to the action, and 2) the soldier’s military ser-vice affected his ability to defend the action. For stays of civil and adminis-

trative proceedings, if a soldier is a de-fendant in such a proceeding, the court may, on its own motion, grant a 90-day stay in the proceeding. If the soldier asks for a stay, the court must grant a minimum 90-day stay, if: (a) the soldier submits a letter that factually states the manner in which current military duty requirements materially affect the his/her ability to appear and states a date when the soldier will be available to appear; and (b) the soldier submits a letter from his/her commander stating that the soldier’s current military duty prevents appearance and that military leave is not authorized for the soldier at the time. A soldier who is granted a 90-day stay may request an additional stay, if he/she can show that military requirements affect his/her ability to appear. The court, however, is not ob-ligated to grant the additional stay. If the court refuses to grant an additional stay of proceedings, the court must ap-point counsel to represent the soldier.

There are many other protections not mentioned here under the SCRA. Thus, it is important soldiers under-stand their rights under the Act. It is equally important for those seeking to enforce or impose liability against soldiers to understand the limitations of enforcement while the soldier is serving active duty.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act


Legacy Ford Supporting Community… Tradition… Excellence

Legacy Ford recently celebrated its sixth year of doing business in Rosen-berg and serving the Fort Bend com-munity. Community involvement has been a top priority for Legacy Ford from the very beginning. The dealer-ship believes in supporting an extensive range of organizations and causes in Fort Bend and the surrounding area.

Legacy Ford has made many commu-nity partners in the Fort Bend area and made a difference in the lives of many children. The community partnerships Legacy Ford made with the Rainbow Room of Fort Bend, Toys for Tots-Fort Bend, Texana Center, and Kids & Cops/Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office allowed them to be able to put a smile on underprivi-leged children’s faces this past Christ-mas.

Tradition and Excellence is the Legacy Ford way. The dealership has recently won the 2011 Presidents Award by Ford Motor Company for the fourth year in a row; truly setting them apart to be in an elite group of Ford dealerships. This is a great accomplishment for the dealer-ship which proves what a winning team Legacy Ford has.

What makes Legacy Ford unique in the automobile industry is that they are family owned and operated and believe in giving back to the community. They derive strong commitments to the com-munity through family driven values by building long term relationships.

Legacy Ford believes in “paying it for-ward” building a Legacy One Customer at a Time.

Legacy Ford teamed up with Kids & Cops Division to donate toys in hope of bringing a smile to children’s faces this 2011 holiday season.

Tonya Lewis with the Rainbow Row of Fort Bend enjoying Legacy Ford’s Children’s Christmas Party.

Patrick and Emma Sexton helping Santa distribute toys to the children.


Legacy Ford recently hosted the Fort Bend Rainbow Room’s Staff Luncheon for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (CPS and APS). Legacy Ford is part-nering with the Rainbow Room to help provide emergency and transitional supplies to children and adults being served through the TDFPS.

Legacy Ford proudly sponsored the Texana Trot to help raise Autism awareness. Pic-tured left to right: Ron Ewer, owner of Legacy Ford; Mr. and Mrs. George Patterson, Texana Center .

Santa Claus sharing some holiday cheer at Legacy Ford’s Children’s Christmas Party.

Legacy Ford was able to help Toys for Tots-Fort Bend by donating toys to under-privileged children for the 2011 holiday season. Pictured left to right is Patrick Sexton, General Manager/Operating Partner of Legacy Ford; Ron Ewer, Owner of Legacy Ford; Santa Claus.


Daryl Se-gura an-nounces his can-didacy as a Re-publican nominee for the Office

of Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Constable, in the March 2012 Primary Elections. Currently a Rosen-berg Police Officer, Segura has a wealth of knowl-edge from his broad range of positions held in law enforcement, which include Civilian Jailer, Deputy Sheriff, Deputy Bailiff, Deputy Corporal, Patrol Of-ficer and School Resource Officer.

“I am very excited to have an opportunity to run for Constable in the precinct where I was born and raised and where my wife and I choose to raise our two children. With your support, I hope to be elected as the Constable of Precinct 1. I have served the citizens of Fort Bend County as a Certi-fied Peace Officer for over 15 years, which has allowed me to witness firsthand the needs of our growing community. I believe it is time for a new leader with new visions that can improve the fu-ture direction of the office. I am capable of bring-ing these changes to our communities. Under my leadership, the Precinct 1 Constable’s office will work tirelessly to help create an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect among our ethnically and economically diverse citizens of Fort Bend County.”

Fort Bend County Libraries’ eBooks are now avail-able for use on the Amazon® Kindle eReader. Library patrons can download popular and classic eBooks to a Kindle device or any mobile device running the free Kindle app, such as iPhone®, iPad®, Android™, and more.

Kindle users can browse the library’s OverDrive digital collection of bestselling and classic eBooks from a PC or Mac computer, check out titles using a library card, and select “Get for Kindle” to de-liver eBooks to their Kindle device or any device running the free Kindle app. Amazon’s Whisper-sync technology synchronizes notes, highlights,

and last-page-read between the Kindle and other eReader devices.

Visit the library’s website, www.fortbend.lib.tx.us, and click on the OverDrive link to select and download eBooks for your Kindle. Fort Bend County Libraries partners with OverDrive, Inc., a leader in eBook distribution for libraries and schools, to offer this service.

For more information, call the library’s Public Information Office at 281-341-2677, or ask at any of the libraries in the Fort Bend County library system.

LIBRARY EBOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE


lineage & legacy

Richmond residents Jess Stuart, Julius Stuart Jr., and Clark Stuart received the Family Land Heritage Award from the State of Texas De-partment of Agriculture on behalf of the Stuart Ranch. The Family Heritage Program recognizes farms and ranches that have been in continuous agricultural operation by the same family for 100 years or more and the Stuart Ranch is

being honored for being in operation for more than 150 years. To be exact the Stuart Ranch has been operating by the same family for 187 years. Very few ranches remain under the same family owner-ship for this many years, due to inheritance taxes and the financial drain to maintain the land properly.

Family ranches and farms are the embodiment of the Texas legend. For many, working the land is a family tradition and these ranches and farms are living Texas treasures. To qualify for the Family Land Heritage Program, the own-er must be a Texas resident who can trace the ranch’s

line of owner-

ship from the first landowner to the present. The program began in 1974 honoring fami-lies with 100 years of farming heritage. The Stuart Ranch re-ceived the 100 year award in 1976. So, in the year 2000 the State of Texas began honor-ing families with the 150 and 200 years or more of farm-ing/ranching heritage. Award winners receive a Texas Cen-tury Farm or Ranch sign for display on the property and documentation of the fam-ily’s history in the Family Land Heritage Registry.

The history of the Stuart Ranch began on July 9, 1824 when John and Randolph Foster arrived in Texas with Stephen F. Austin as Mem-bers of the Old 300. The Old 300 were the first 300 Families to settle Texas back before it was a Republic. Jess Stuart’s Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfa-ther was John Foster and his Great, Great, Great, Great Uncle was Randolph Foster. Randolph Foster was here as early as 1817 and was a scout in Austin’s Colony. He was instrumental in the Run-

Descendant of John and Randolph Foster Receives Texas Family Land Heritage Award

from State of Texas Department of Agriculture

by jess stuart


away Scrape and the Texas Revolution as he supplied wild game to Sam Houston’s Army as they retreated to the Battle of San Jacinto. A portrait of Randolph Foster hangs in the State Capitol just behind the Speakers Stand in the State Representative Chamber. These are the two gentleman that today’s Foster High School is named after in LCISD. The School is located near the small community of Foster, Texas(FM 359 and FM 723) which is where the Stuart Ranch is located to-day. The Original Land Grant had 12,600 acres in 1824 and today the Stuart Family has

128 acres left that they are still ranch-ing on. The Fam-ily lineage went from John Fosters Daughter Hettie Foster who mar-ried Francis Mayes. Then their daugh-ter Martha Mayes married Benjamin

Stuart and that is how the land has been able to stay in the same family all these 187 years. Stuarts Great,

Great Grandfather Burienne F. Stuart was Fort Bend a Coun-ty Commissioner in the 1890’s and Fort Bend County’s first Tax Collector in 1900. Today, Stuart says we are proud of our Families history on the land and being able to help start a great foundation to build the Lone Star State of Texas.

The Stuarts look forward to 2024 as they will be making a third trip to Austin to receive the 200 years of continuous ownership by the same family award. Jess Stuart says “he looks forward to forcing the State to hand out the 225 or

250 year award” as he says “we are carrying on Tradi-tion and Legacy for the long haul”. The Stuarts will con-tinue with the family history of operating the ranch as a cow-calf operation for many years to come. Stuart ends by say-ing “To the Dedication and Perseverance of the Found-ers and Heirs of these lands, we owe the basic wealth of Texas”.

Foster History The Foster community began in the fall of 1821 as a per-manent campsite settled by Randolph Foster (1790-1887) on what was then one of the largest single land grants in Texas (11,601 acres). The John Foster grant, deeded by Stephen F. Austin, came from the relationship between Foster, his father John (1757-1837) and Austin. John was one of Austin’s “Old Three Hundred” colonists, and Foster family members partic-ipated in the Texas War for In-dependence. Sugar cane was the area’s dominant industry in the 1840s, and Foster community thrived from its production and export. Other crops that benefited the com-munity included pecans and cotton. Local residents tamed wild horses found on the up-land prairies for domestic use and trade. The community’s first school, which offered

Photo © Alex Labry

Photo © Alex Labry


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up to grade five, was held in Randolph Foster’s home before construction of a one-room schoolhouse also used for early community religious services. African American students studied at Jones Creek School. The commu-nity’s first post office initiated mail service from the area’s general store in 1882. In 1884 Foster had semiweekly mail delivery, a steam gristmill and cotton gin, a physician, and a population of sixty. By 1896 a general store and a flour mill had been added. By 1897 the community had two schools, one for white stu-dents and one for black. This is the current school that is onsite as our Museum today. The volume of local sugar-cane production was so great that in the 1920s, Imperial Sugar Company built a rail-

road between Foster community and mills in Sugar Land. In 1928, Sugar Land Industries bought acreage in this area and named it Foster Farms. By the end of World War II, several factors led to the community’s decline: the end of area sugar crops; the closing of the railroad; the Great Depression; and changes in owner-ship and farming techniques. In 1944, the com-munity’s schools, post office, and general store closed. Today, adjacent to Houston, the state’s largest urban area, Foster exists as a pioneer

Texas community. This is the reason we are preserving this historic past thru our Mu-seum.


Fluor Foundation Supports Math and Science Innovation in

Lamar CISDThe Fluor Foundation has donated $15,000 to the Lamar Educational Awards Foundation to underwrite in-novative math and science grants.

“We are always looking for talented en-gineers,” said Richard Meserole, General Manager of the Houston office. “If we can help students with science and math during their elementary and secondary years, then hopefully we will see more students enrolling in college engineering programs.”

Fluor Corporation is one of the largest publicly-owned engineering, procure-ment, construction and maintenance services companies in the world.

L.E.A.F. supports creative ideas and classroom projects of Lamar CISD teach-ers that would otherwise go unfunded. L.E.A.F. also offers scholarships to graduating Lamar CISD seniors and to paraprofessionals who are working on their teaching certificate. In eleven years of existence, L.E.A.F. has invested over one million dollars into LCISD schools.

L.E.A.F. Executive Director Janice Knight (center) accepts a donation from Fluor’s Richard Meserole and Barbara Jones to underwrite math and science programs in Lamar CISD.

Eight Lamar CISD Students Honored in National Hispanic

Recognition Program Students at Terry, Foster and Lamar Consolidated high schools are among only 5,000 students identified in this year’s National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP).

Terry’s Samantha Chapa, Kristina Klock and Jose Salazar are part of the Recogni-tion Program, while Pedro Cervantes received an Honorable Mention designa-tion in the NHRP.

Foster’s Danielle Bruno is part of the Recognition Program and Juan Balderas received Honorable Mention. Lamar’s Olivia Garcia and Joyce Ozuna also are part of the NHRP.

The NHRP does not provide a financial reward, but being named is an impor-tant academic recognition. The program sends a list of all recognized students to subscribing colleges and universities that are interested in recruiting academi-cally outstanding seniors of Hispanic/Latino heritage.

THS Hispanic Scholars – Pedro Cervantes, Samantha Chapa, Terry High School Principal Vera Wehring, Kristina Klock and Jose Salazar.

LCHS Hispanic – Joyce Ozuna, Oliva Garcia and Lamar Consolidated High School Principal Michael Milstead.

Lamar CISD Students Named Outstanding in National

Achievement Scholars Program

Five Lamar CISD students are Outstand-ing Participants in the 2011 National Achievement Scholars Program.

Foster High’s Olangwa Elechi and Alishia Griffin, Terry High’s Myles Par-nell and Alec Perez and Lamar Consoli-dated High’s Ashtin Calvin are all part of this year’s program.

The National Achievement Scholarship Program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is privately funded and operates without govern-ment assistance. It was founded in 1964 to recognize academically promising black students throughout the nation and to provide scholarships to a sub-stantial number of the most outstanding program participants.

THS NASP – Alec Perez, Terry High School Principal Vera Wehring and Myles Parnell.

Lamar CISD Students Are Commended for Their Performance on the PSAT

Seven Lamar CISD students are among only 34,000 Commended Scholars in the nation based on scores on the PSAT.

Lamar Consolidated High’s Sarah Qureshy, Cara Riffe and Alexandra Thom, and Foster High’s Danielle Bruno, Neil Byers, Elizabeth Kellogg and Reed Mickelson are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.

LCHS Commended – Alexandra Thorn, Cara Riffe, Sarah Qureshy and Lamar Consolidated High School Principal Michael Milstead.

School Break


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Christy Willman, Lamar CISD’s Executive Director of Community Relations is retiring after 30 years in public education. Willman’s last day will be January 31.

A proud graduate of Southwest Texas State University, Willman began her career in education as a teacher, serving in elementary classrooms for a total of 13 years in the Cy-Fair, Austin and Lamar

Consolidated school districts. She became the Director for Communications at LCISD in December of 1996 and was promoted to Executive Director of Community Relations in July 2004.

“Christy has been, and I hope will continue to be, an invaluable asset to the District,’’ said Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Randle. “Her planning and vision have helped us to grow at a rapid rate, while maintaining a quality educational atmosphere.

“I will miss her personally,” he added. “She is a joy to work with and has made our District shine.”

“Christy’s dedication is second to no one,” said LCISD Board President Michael Richard. “I think it was her class-room background that always helped remind us to put the kids first. She has been a tremendous resource to me and every Lamar trustee in the past 15 years.”

Willman is a past president of the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) and is an active member of the National School Public Relations Association. She has served on numerous TSPRA committees, including as Vice President of the Houston Area. Willman was awarded the TSPRA Professional Achievement Award in 2011 and named Administrator of the Year for 2012 by the Texas Educational Support Staff Association.

Under her guidance, the LCISD Community Relations De-partment has received eight Crystal Awards and numerous Best of Category, Gold and Silver awards from TSPRA. The LCISD “Back to School Program,” was spotlighted in the Texas School Board Association’s Texas Express. Willman’s articles have been published in several Texas educational journals and magazines.

During Willman’s tenure, Lamar CISD passed four bond elections over the past 13 years. Willman wrote successful nominations that led to Lamar CISD being named the 2009 HEB Excellence in Education Large District Winner and the 2010 Region Honor Board and state finalist.

Willman has been a presenter at Texas Association of

School Boards conferences, the Summer Leadership Institute, the First Time Superintendent’s Academy, Texas Educational Support Staff Association conferences, Texas School Public Relations Association conferences and the National School Public Relations conference.

Active in many community organizations, Willman was a 2003 finalist for Fort Bend County Woman of the Year. She has served as a Museum Docent and on the Fort Bend Mu-seum Association Board of Directors. She also has served on boards and committees with the Lamar Educational Awards Foundation, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Bend Chamber Alliance, the Rosenberg Image Committee, the Fort Bend County Fair Association and the Fort Bend Bio-Terrorism Task Force. She is an honorary life member of the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers.

Christy and her husband, Larry Willman, have been resi-dents of Richmond since 1991. They have four grown children, three grandchildren and two Dalmatians.

The public is invited to a reception for Willman, January 24, from 4-6 p.m. in the Board Room of the Brazos Crossing Building, 3911 Avenue I, Rosenberg.

Lamar CISD’s Willman to Retire at End of January


Foster High School senior Addi-son Marshall might have been the smallest person on the stage, which featured an NFL Hall of Fame quar-terback, a former NFL running back, three college football coaches and the four finalists for the Houston Ro-tary Lombardi Trophy, which is given each year to the nation’s top colle-giate lineman.

But his words, which represented his own struggle, as well as the struggles of the other “Front Line Kids” in attendance, made him a giant in the eyes of those in attendance.

“Addie” spoke to the audience at the 42nd Rotary Lombardi Award, December 7, in the Reliant Center. He was among about a dozen young cancer survivors in attendance at the ceremony. Texas Children’s Cancer Center and M.D. Anderson Children’s Cancer Center are among the charities receiving funds from the event’s proceeds.

Addison thanked the four finalists – University of Alabama stars Dont’a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin and Luke Kuechly from Boston College, who won the award – for visiting the children’s hospitals, spending time laughing and taking photos.

“These players have taught me to pay it forward and to reach out to newly diagnosed kids, as I know how scary this new reality can be,” he said.

Marshall credited Hurricane Katrina, which taught him that there can be a positive side of a natural disaster, teaching him to maintain a positive attitude.

“Cancer may steal many things in your life, but it can’t touch the power of football and what the sport has taught me,” Marshall told the audience. “This year I was blessed with the opportunity to be back on the field and practice beside my lifelong friends in the Texas sauna we call ‘two-a-days.’ This is a privilege that I will never take for granted. I’d like to thank my coaches and friends for never giving up on me and keeping my dream alive of playing (Foster) Falcon football.

Marshall closed by saying that life is good, even if it doesn’t always go as planned.

“(Life) teaches you to be grateful and have faith that there is a plan that maybe we can’t necessarily understand right now,” he said. “That’s why you should always play until the whistle blows.”

Addison closed the evening by opening the envelope and reading Kuechly’s name to those in attendance and to a national television audience. He is also a semifinalist for the High School Rudy Award, which “celebrates inspirational young athletes who embody the values of character, courage, contribution and commitment through the sport of football.”

Foster High’s Marshall delivers

speech, trophy at Lombardi Awards

Back row is Valerie Marshall, Addison Marshall, Austin Marshall and dad, Jack Mar-shall. Front row is Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama, Don’t’a Hightower, LB, Alabama,

Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College (winner) and Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford.

Foster High football coach Mark Wiatrek with Addison Marshall.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly and Addison


Sugar Land Hospital Named Among the

Nation’s 100 Top Hospitals

Photo © Larry Pullen Photography

Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital has been named among the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® as rated by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. Only 20 small community hospitals are included in the 100 Top Hospitals, thus ranking Memorial Hermann Sugar Land among the nation’s top 2 percent of small community hospitals.

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performance in 10 areas: medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; mortality; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, and pneumonia. The study has been conducted annually since 1993.Hospitals do not apply, and winners do not pay to market this honor.

“This year’s 100 Top Hospitals award winners have delivered exemplary results, despite volatility from healthcare reform,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president at Thomson Reuters. “The leadership teams at these organizations have dealt with enormous ambiguity, yet remained focused on mission and excellence, which drove national benchmarks to new highs.”

To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 2,914 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. They used public information — Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and


Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare website.

“This award is validation of our commitment to excellence and high-quality care for patients at our hospital,” said Jim Brown, chief executive officer for Memorial Hermann Sugar Land.

Patient satisfaction and Emergency Center praised by patientsIn addition to being among the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by Thomson Reuters, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land ranks in the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide in patient satisfaction according to results from Press Ganey, an industry leader in patient satisfaction measurement. This ranking places the hospital as No. 1 in the 11-hospital Memorial Hermann system.

“Our staff is focused on continuous improvement in quality care and patient safety. We regularly measure our performance and outcomes against national standards and challenge ourselves to be the very best,” said Brown.

When it comes to quality emergency care, the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Emergency Center also excels. TEAMHealth, one of the nation’s largest providers of hospital-based clinical outsourcing, recently chose the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Emergency Center among hundreds nationwide as one of its top-performing Emergency Centers.

“We are honored to be recognized for the quality of care that we provide in the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Emergency Center,” said Jin Kim, M.D., the center’s director. “It reflects the tremendous effort by our team of physicians, nurses and administrators to provide the best care for all of our patients.”

Recognition is based on patient satisfaction, timeliness, core measure compliance, community reputation, growth, staff engagement and teamwork, and physician and nursing leadership.

Fort Bend’s only nationally accredited Chest Pain CenterAnother distinguishing characteristic of Memorial Hermann Sugar Land is that it is Fort Bend County’s only nationally accredited Chest Pain Center with an onsite cardiac catheterization lab. Recently, the hospital received Chest Pain Center Reaccreditation from the Society of Chest Pain




Centers (SCPC), an international organization dedicated to eliminating heart disease as the No. 1 cause of death worldwide.

Hospitals that hold SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. A key criterion evaluated by SCPC is door-to-balloon (D2B) time for patients – the time between arrival at the facility and undergoing a balloon angioplasty to open blocked arteries. To receive accreditation, hospitals must achieve the D2B gold standard of 90 minutes or less.

For Richmond and Rosenberg residents, and those in surrounding communities, knowing there is an accredited Chest Pain Center nearby should certainly answer the question of where to go if you or a loved one is experiencing chest pain or possible heart attack. Simply put, this SCPC accreditation means the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Emergency Center meets or exceeds national standards of care in diagnosing and treating cardiac patients.

New technology leads to early breast cancer detectionTomosynthesis, a highly focused 3-D breast imaging technique, is now available at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land. The hospital is the only one in Fort Bend County offering this new FDA-approved technology.

When Stephen Rose, M.D., a dedicated breast radiologist, was serving as a principal investigator for the national clinical trial for tomosynthesis, he knew he was on to something big. That’s because with tomosynthesis he found tiny tumors in the breasts of study participants that went undetected with traditional mammograms.

Dr. Rose says tomosynthesis looks and feels like a regular digital mammogram but instead makes a three-second, arc-shaped sweep of the breast, quickly creating multiple images from different angles. This eliminates overlapping breast tissue, found in traditional 2-D mammograms, where potential cancers can hide.

One clinical trial participant, Jeanne Parker, credits tomosynthesis with saving her life. Her regular mammogram showed no signs of cancer, while tomosynthesis detected what biopsies later confirmed – tiny tumors in both breasts. One was 8 millimeters, the size of a screw head on a light switch. The other was 4 millimeters. Both were too small to be detected through breast self-examination.



“It would have been two or three years before we could have seen these tumors with a traditional mammogram,” said Dr. Rose, who has been in private practice for 25 years.

This earlier detection is just one reason the nationally known breast radiologist is so enthusiastic about tomosynthesis. The other is the reduction in patient recall rates. Clinical trials using the Selenia® Dimensions® digital breast tomosynthesis system (Dimensions 3-D) showed such clear 3-D images that there was a 30 percent reduction in the need for additional tests.

The addition of tomosynthesis is just one element in the expansion of breast services at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land. Dedicated breast radiologists are on site at the hospital to read these important tests and meet the needs of breast patients. Studies show that imaging centers staffed with these breast-imaging experts, who read and interpret only breast mammograms, are better able to detect cancer in its earliest stages.

For more information about breast tomosynthesis or to schedule an appointment, call 1.877.40.MAMMO or visit www.memorialhermann.org/imaging..

Serving a growing community with one-stop setting for cancer treatmentsTo make comprehensive cancer care more convenient and accessible, Memorial Hermann, Texas Oncology and US Oncology entered into a joint venture. This means area cancer patients no longer need to navigate a confusing patchwork of fragmented care spread miles apart to receive care from a surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist. A new surgical oncology office and a treatment center are located within minutes of each other to deliver comprehensive cancer care right here in Fort Bend County.

The surgical oncology office in the Memorial Herman Sugar Land Professional Medical Plaza One is the first stop for patients to discuss their preliminary diagnosis and treatment options with affiliated surgeons, including specialists in breast, urological and gynecological cancers.

Once cancer treatments begin, patients can visit their medical oncologist and radiation oncologist, receive chemotherapy and radiation therapy, complete blood work and fill prescriptions, all at the Texas Oncology Cancer Center located at 1350 First Colony Blvd.

“What is unique to Texas Oncology-Sugar Land is that



we’re the only truly integrated group providing all cancer care services in one setting,” said Vivek Kavadi, M.D., a Memorial Hermann-affiliated radiation oncologist with Texas Oncology who also serves as medical director of radiation oncology for US Oncology.

The joint venture also affords cancer patients the opportunity to participate in national clinical cancer trials conducted through the US Oncology network. Because these are offered in community centers like Texas Oncology-Sugar Land, patients have the benefit of participating in these cutting-edge treatments without driving to a major medical center. Texas Oncology-Sugar Land is the only Houston-area center outside the Texas Medical Center conducting national clinical trials in radiation therapy.

Since 1992, more than 47,000 patients have participated in clinical trials managed by US Oncology Research. As a result, practices affiliated with the US Oncology Research Network have contributed to the development of 43 cancer therapies approved by the Federal Drug Administration.

Skeeters partnership to benefit area youthAlways ready to serve area sports enthusiasts,Memorial Hermann Sugar Land entered into a founding sponsorship agreement with the Sugar Land Skeetersminor league baseball team that makes Memorial Hermann the official healthcare provider of the Sugar Land Skeeters. Highlighting the agreement is Memorial Hermann Sugar Land’s title sponsorship of the “Kids Get in Free” program, which will allow every child wearing a youth sports jersey to receive free admittance to the designated general admission area of StarTex Power Field.

“We are excited to be joining forces with such a community-minded organization that also is one of the top hospital systems in the nation,” said Christopher Hill, vice president of business development for the Sugar Land Skeeters. “Their ability to provide the highest level of care to the Sugar Land community as well as our professional athletes makes them an ideal partner.

Also included in the agreement is Memorial Hermann’s sponsorship of the Children’s Playground area at the stadium, as well as a minimum of eight Area Youth Baseball Clinics to be conducted by the Skeeters throughout Fort Bend County. In addition, the agreement includes a joint sponsorship of Regional Youth Baseball Skills Program and premium video board signage on the Skeeters’ state-of-the-art scoreboard.


“This sponsorship complements the hospital’s emphasis on orthopedics and sports medicine outreach and our commitment to community engagement,” said hospital CEO Jim Brown. “We are confident that the Sugar Land Skeeters will become a vital part of our community.”

Opening day for the Sugar Land Skeeters is set for April 2012. The team will play 70 regular season home games annually in the $35 million StarTex Power Field under construction at U.S. Highway 90 and State Highway 6. Total stadium capacity is approximately 7,500 for baseball with the capability to expand to 10,000-plus for a concert configuration.

Quality care with a deep commitment to Fort BendWith an unrelenting focus on quality and compassionate care, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land continues to make advanced healthcare more accessible than ever to residents of Fort Bend County and surrounding areas. Plus, the hospital is backed by the extensive resources of the nationally recognized Memorial Hermann system. With this unique combination, it’s easy to see why Memorial Hermann Sugar Land stands apart. Learn more at memorialhermann.org/sugarland or call713.222.CARE (2273) for a physician referral.

Angie Sanders Alica DavisJeremy Heath Yazmin Garcia Brian Lee

Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance Staff(281) 342-5464 — www.CFBCA.org

4120 Ave. H (Hwy. 90) — Rosenberg, TX


Auto-Related Businesses Growing Their Own Employees

With LCISDArea businesses, including automobile dealerships, independent repair facilities and tractor service facilities have dis-covered a way to find the highly-skilled technicians they need at Lamar CISD.

“We are hiring quality auto technicians by partnering with Lamar Consolidated ISD’s Automotive Technology program,” said Troy Schroeder, Service Manager for Gillman Honda.

Students are getting experience working on more than just cars.

“This is a win, win program. Businesses win and the students win,” said Gary Allred, Manager with Rosenberg Tractor. “The Lamar Consolidated Automotive Youth Education System (AYES) pro-gram gives businesses the opportunity to help mold their future employees.”

Students who are in their second or third year of taking the Automotive Technol-ogy courses in LCISD begin the process by shadowing current employees at the business. Students who have a passion for the industry are then interviewed by the businesses for paid internship positions. The students who are selected work full-time at the businesses during the summer between their junior and se-nior year of high school, continue part-time during the school year and commit to work for the employer for two years after high school graduation.

“Good technicians are hard to find, so we’re growing ours through the Lamar AYES,” said Crystal Anderson, Service Manager at Southwest Kia.

“We are proud to participate in this pro-gram that helps students enter automo-tive careers and addresses our need for technicians,” said Luis Hidalgo, Service Manager at Legacy Ford.

Legacy Ford, Southwest Kia, Rosenberg Tractor and Gillman Honda are all mem-bers of the Automotive Business and

Education Partnership, which is seeking additional businesses to join and help grow the program.

“LCISD needs more businesses to ac-commodate the growing interest of young people in automotive related ca-reers,” said Deon Wilson, LCISD Auto-motive Instructor. “These students have the interest and enthusiasm and the business can help mold them into the highly skilled, highly paid employees who are currently in high demand.”

Interested businesses should contact Wilson at 832.223.3187 or LCISD CTE Director Tracie Holub at 832-223-0128

Back row: Curtis Cline, Wharton County Junior College; Gerald Powell, Legacy Ford; Crystal Ander-son, Southwest Kia; Ric Menard, Automotive Youth Education System; David Castillo, San Jacinto College; Val Martinez, City of Rosenberg; Kevin Dillard, Dil-lard’s Mechanical Specialists; Front row: Deon Wilson, LCISD; Tim Dutner, Southwest Kia; Luis Hidalgo, Legacy Ford; Troy Schroeder, Gillman Honda; Romulo Vela, Jr., San Jacinto College; Humberto Ocampo; for-mer LCISD student; Aubrey Cook, Fort Bend Toyota; Gary Allred, Rosenberg Tractor.

Lamar Consolidated High Students Pink Out for Komen

FoundationLamar Consolidated students and staff raised $630 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation during “Pink Out” Week.

Students paid $1 for the privilege of wearing a hat to school October 20, and could purchase pink “Mustangs for the Cure” t-shirts for $10.

The Lamar CHS Student Council, Cheer-leaders and Fillies dance team headed up the efforts to raise money.

Front Row, Celina Lerma, Nina Vasquez, Emily Cun-ningham, Janay Goodson and Taylor Cisneros; 2nd Row, Ashley Orsak, Miya Wallace, Krystal Chan, Morgan Pierce and Ashley Crittenden; 3rd Row, Kylah Ritchey, Katie Jackson, Fillies Team Director Erica Sury , Courtney Henderson, Cellie Foster and Juliana Londono.

Ray Students and Staff Walk and Raise Funds for Diabetes Research

Ray Elementary students participated in the annual, “School Walk for the Ameri-can Diabetes Association” October 14, collecting $3,487 for diabetes research.

Diabetes is the 7th-deadliest disease and more than 23.6 million Americans chil-dren and adults have this disease that affects the way the body uses food.

Walking at Ray Elementary to help end diabetes are Mindy Kucera, Malerie Badillo, Holly Padilla, Tylor Padilla and Jackson Barta.

School Break


Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land and the Fort Bend County Women’s Center invite you to “See the USA in Your Classic Chevrolet” at the Women’s Center’s annual 50’s and 60’s bash, Boogie 2012! Get your engines revving because this year is guaranteed to be the best yet (We know we say that every year. Have we ever let you down?)! This year’s event will be held at the Stafford Centre on Saturday, March 31, from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Join us for the night and take a road trip back in time to the days of poodle skirts, leather jackets, classic Chevys and white picket fences. Attendees will enjoy:

• Getting down to the sounds of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s with Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes

• Delicious catered dinner• Live and silent auctions• Dance and costume contests• Sundae station by Rosenberg’s own Another

Time Soda Fountain

Get in on the action by becoming a sponsor, do-nating to the auctions and/or placing an advertise-ment in the program guide. Individual tickets are also available for $75 each. For more information

on any of these opportunities, please visit www.fortbendwomenscenter.org , email [email protected] or contact Annette Howe at 281.344.5757.

About the Fort Bend County Women’s CenterIn more than 30 years of serving the community, the Fort Bend County Women’s Center has helped more than 35,000 women and children achieve violence-free lifestyles. Our mission is to assist survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their children while striving to prevent violence against women. For more information about the Center or the services it offers, call 281-344-5750. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, please call the Center’s 24-hour Hotline at 281-342-4357 (HELP).

Captions for photos, left to right: Boogie Co-Chairs Betsy Lewis and Nancy Colmenares and Title Sponsor Don Ker-stetter of Classic Chevrolet at the Boogie 2012 Kick-Off Reception.

Women’s Center Board President-Elect Manny Reyes and Rosenberg Police Depart-ment Asst. Police Chief Dallis Warren at the Boogie 2012 Kick-Off Reception.

Cee Cee Parker, Crissy Nolen and Joy Dowell enjoy Boogie 2012 Kick-Off

Silent Auction Chair Carole Albers shares a moment with committee member Roberta Avery at the Kick-Off Reception.

Announcing Boogie 2012 at the Fort Bend County Parade.

“See the USA in Your Classic Chevrolet” at Boogie 2012


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While it will change some during the summer, the sun will set behind the stadium so the lower bowl should be in the shade at game time.

Skeeters Release Inaugural 2012 Schedule Fans Can Circle Thursday, April 26, 2012 As Opening Day

The Sugar Land Skeeters will throw the first pitch on Thursday, April 26, 2012, as minor league baseball comes to Houston. The Skee-

ters will open its inaugural season by playing host to the two-time defending Atlantic League cham-pion York (Pa.) Revolution in a four-game series spanning April 26-29, according to the AL schedule released this week.

Sugar Land will reside in the Freedom Division along with the Somerset (N.J.) Patriots, Lancaster (Pa.) Barnstormers as well as York. The last four AL champions (2010-11, York; 2008-09, Somerset) reside in the Skeeters division. The Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish, the Long Island (N.Y.) Ducks, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and Camden (N.J.) River Sharks make up the Liberty Division.

The Skeeters balanced schedule includes 70 home games at StarTex Power Field, and 70 road games

at the other seven members of the Atlantic League. After opening the season at home against the Revo-lution, the Skeeters hit the road for the first time the following week, traveling to Southern Maryland, Lancaster and Somerset for 10 games in 10 days.

After hosting Long Island for six games in mid-May, the Skeeters will host its first multi-team homestand later in the month, when both Lancaster and South-ern Maryland visit StarTex Power Field. Somerset, led by former Yankee relief pitcher Sparky Lyle, makes its first appearance in Sugar Land in early June, while Camden arrives in late June for its first visit to Texas and Bridgeport rounds out the AL first-time visits to Sugar Land with an early July ap-pearance to close out the first half of the season.

The Skeeters will visit Bridgeport and its manager Willie Upshaw for the initial time on May 18, and Sugar Land for the first time will take on Camden in


the Garden State and York in Penn-sylvania in a two-team, six-game road series on June 14-20. Finally, in late June, the Skeeters will travel to the Big Apple, squaring off against Long Island for the first time on the road.

The first half of the seasons ends on Sunday, July 8, while the second half concludes on Sunday, Sept. 23. Winners of each half will square off in the opening round of the playoffs, with the victors advancing to play for the Atlantic League championship. The 2012 playoffs are slated to begin on or before Sunday, Oct. 7.

The All-Star Game, scheduled for Campbell’s Field in Camden, serves as the mid-point of the season.

The Skeeters are slated for two day-night double-headers, both of which will be on the road: July 24 at Somerset and Sept. 15 at Bridgeport. Also, Sugar Land will play at StarTex Power Field for both Mother’s Day (May 13 versus Long Island) and Memorial Day (May 28 against Southern Mary-land), while playing on the road for Father’s Day (June 17 at Camden), Fourth of July (Bridgeport) and Labor Day (Sept. 3 at York.)

Sugar Land will conclude its first season the same way it started: hosting York for a six-game series on Sept. 18-23.

The full 2012 schedule can be seen online at SugarLandSkeeters.com by clicking the schedule tab on the home page. Game time for home and road games will be released at a later date.

About the Sugar Land Skeeters: The Sugar Land Skeeters minor league baseball team, led by Manager and former Major League All-Star Gary Gaetti, will play in the $35 million-dollar StarTex Power Field, which is being constructed by the City of Sugar Land and the Skeeters at the intersection of State Highway 6 and U.S. High-way 90A. The Sugar Land Skeeters will play 70 regular season home games annually, starting with the 2012 season which begins in April, 2012. StarTex Power Field will play host to a multi-tude of other sporting events, including football, soccer, lacrosse, cheerleading and band compe-titions, as well as concerts, group outings and

scout sleepovers. Fixed-seat stadium capacity is approx-imately 6,200 for baseball, plus ad-ditional lawn and standing-room-on-ly tickets. StarTex Power Field has a capacity of 10,000-plus in concert configuration.

The Sugar Land Skeeters offices are presently locat-ed at 16160 City Walk in Sugar Land Town Square, Sugar Land, TX 77479 where additional informa-tion, tickets and Inaugural Season merchandise are available. The Skeeters may be reached at www.SugarLandSkeeters.com or by calling 281.240.HITS (4487), and on Facebook (facebook.com/sugarland-skeeters) and Twitter (@SL_Skeeters).

Article Written by 1st Global Capital Corp.


fitness by cyndia rodriguez[Zumba Instructor & Personal Trainer at the TW Davis YMCA]

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I am a motivational speaker and a Zumba Fitness Instructor who aspires to make a difference in people’s lives by sharing with them the possibilities in seemingly impossible situations. I have a brittle bone condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. I have spent my life confined to a wheelchair physically, but never in my heart, mind, and soul. I’ve realized that my biggest disability was not that I was unable to walk, but it was not walking in my purpose. I am on a mission to inspire and encourage people to be secure in who God created them to be.

The one thing I want people to take from my messages is to know that they are great and have a purpose! They were created to change the world and leave a legacy behind, but it’s ALL up to them to individually walk it out. The only limitations we have are the ones we put on ourselves. Love yourself. Embrace live & live outside of your comfort zone.

Bio: Corina Gutierrez


Smith Beating a Happy Tune Thanks to L.E.A.F. Grant

The Smith Elementary Rhythm Club is beating a happy cadence thanks to their new steel drums, courtesy of a grant from the Lamar Educational Awards Foundation (L.E.A.F.). The grant provides Smith music teacher Malory Waldo and her students an opportunity for students to make high quality music in a socially safe and positive environ-ment.

Men Who Cook, L.E.A.F’s major fund-raiser, is scheduled for Saturday, Febru-ary 18. To receive Information on how to get tickets for this event, underwritten by Andy Sanford and Diana Alexander of RBC Wealth Management, call Janice Knight at 832-223-0334 or www.leaf-grants.org.

Foster’s Beltz Makes it Three in a Row as Best in Show at

LCISD Art ShowFor the third straight year, Foster High’s Christy Beltz took home top honors at the Lamar CISD Art Show. Her painting, “In Perfect Sync,” now goes for judg-ing at the Houston livestock show and rodeo. Kim Henry is Beltz’s art teacher at Foster High School.

Also going to the Rodeo are:

• Joseph Macas, a senior at Foster, who took a Gold Medal with his colored drawing, “Morning Glory”;

• Jennifer Eaves, a senior at Foster, who earned her second Gold Medal

with her colored drawing “Pretty in Pink;”

• Natalie Parsons, a junior at Fos-ter, earned Special Merit with her mixed medium work “Ms. Pickles;”

• Jose Galicia, a senior at Foster, earned his second Special Merit for his colored drawing “Peaceful Companions;”

• Fariha Rashid, a Terry High School senior, earned Special Merit for col-ored drawing “Morning Sunshine;”

• Annie Morelli, a Foster junior, who earned Special Merit for her col-ored drawing “Get Your Kicks;”

• Janet Ajasa, a Foster junior, who earned Special Merit for her mixed medium piece “Of Plaid and Horses;” and

• Kelsei Wright, a Foster junior, who earned Special Merit for her mono-chromatic drawing “I’m Ready For My Close Up.”

All the Foster High School students are taught by Kim Henry. Joan Batts is Fariha Rashid’s art teacher at Terry High School.

The works by these students will be judged at the rodeo and could possibly advance to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Art Auction. Because Beltz was in the 2010 Auction (her painting brought $190,000), she is not eligible to participate again. She won Best of Show that year. Beltz’s work will, however, be part of the judging contest.

Reading Junior High 8th-grader Ales-sandra Jara won Best of Show in the Junior High Division with her colored pencil drawing “A Lifelong Friend.” Reading 8th-grader Lauren Millard won the Gold Medal for her colored pencil drawing “A Kind Friend.” Monica Ar-ratia is the art teacher for both students.

In the Elementary Division, Hutchison Elementary 5th-grader Christina Zhang won her second Best of Show with her colored pencil drawing “Rodeo Memo-ries.” Karen Downey is the art teacher at Hutchison. Meyer Elementary

2nd-grader Jolie Peloquin was the Gold Medalist for the Elementary Division, with her painting “A Sunday Rodeo Afternoon.” Judy Fang is her art teacher at Meyer.

The works by the junior high and elementary students will not be judged at the Rodeo, but will be featured in the Hayloft Gallery during the Rodeo’s run.

Front row: Lauren Millard, Alessandra Jara, Christy Beltz, Christina Zhang, Jolie Peloquin. Second row: Fariha Rashid, Annie Morelli, Lamar CISD Superin-tendent Dr. Thomas Randle, Janet Ajasa, Jose Galicia, Kelsei Wright, Lamar CISD Director of Fine Arts Ram Estrada, Jennifer Eaves, Natalie Parsons. Not pictured is Joseph Macas.

Velesquez Elementary Nominated for National

Blue RibbonLamar CISD’s Velasquez Elementary is a nominee in the 2012 National Blue Rib-bon Schools Program.

The award honors schools across the nation for academic excellence and for significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

Velasquez is one of only 13 Texas schools in the High Achieving category and the only Fort Bend County school to be nominated in either category.

Schools nominated for the award serve as models of best practices for schools across the state.

The nominated schools will now com-plete a rigorous application process through the U.S. Department of Educa-tion, and announcements of the award winners will be made in September 2012.

School Break


The Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance held its 2011 Celebration Ball on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond.

The black-tie gala, which was presented by Kevin Patton State Farm and Legacy Ford, celebrated the relationships the Chamber has with its membership and the local business community. Kevin Patton State Farm and Legacy Ford again cast the winning auction bid to present the 2012 version of the event, which is themed Cirque Du Chambre.

An ensemble from the Lamar Consolidated High School Jazz Band performed during the cocktail hour, and the Texas Twisters entertained after the live auction. Gifts, plaque and a presentation were given to Safari Texas Ranch owners Allison and Cassandra Wen, honoring them for their generosity and commitment to Fort Bend County businesses and non-profit organizations. Outgoing Chamber Board Chair Kamal Ariss, JE Dunn Construction, also passed the Board gavel to incoming Chair Thomas J. Crayton, CPA.

Gold Sponsors were: Safari Texas Ranch and Silver Eagle Distributors. Silver sponsors were: Aliana Development, Amegy Bank of Texas, AT&T, CenterPoint Energy, City of Fulshear, Cross Creek Ranch, DHK Development, Inc., Elge, Inc., First Victoria National Bank, Fort Bend Herald, Fort Bend Toyota/Sterling McCall Lexus, Greater Fort Bend EDC, Gurecky Manufacturing, Inside Rose-Rich Magazine, JE Dunn Construction, Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, OakBend Medical Center, Post Oak Bank, Rice & Gardner Consultants, Inc., SouthWest Water Co., and TaxTech, Inc. Twelve additional companies signed on as bronze sponsors.

Silver Eagle Distributors/Bud Light was the evening’s Beverage Sponsor, and professional photography was provided courtesy of Inside Rose-Rich Magazine.

A Great Time Was Had by All at Chamber Celebration Ball Kevin Patton State Farm, Legacy Ford Commit to Present 2012 Cirque Du Chambre

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Lois Gremminger, Elge, Inc., Thomas J, Crayton, CPA, and Denise Crayton.

Shanta Kuhl, Chamber President/CEO, and Cheryl Stalinsky, City of Fuls-hear.

Jennifer Raymond, ICO Commercial, Kay Beard, and Jackie Baly Chau-mette.

Joe Gurecky, Gurecky Manufacturing, Billy Frank Teague, and Rosenberg City Councilman Tom Suter.

Leadership Fort Bend 2012 members Gilbert Limones, First Victoria National Bank, Melissa Garcia-Martin, Garcia-Martin and Martin, P.C., Chuck Bucek, Null-Lairson, P.C., Angie Sanders, Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance, Jake Messinger, Portmasters, Lisa Matthews, Servpro of West Fort Bend County, Nick Landoski, Fort Bend Toyota, Patrick Sexton, Legacy Ford, Lois Gremminger, Elge, Inc., Billy Frank Teague, and Greg Gremminger, Elge, Inc.

Rosenberg Mayor Vincent Morales, and Fulshear Mayor Tommy Kuykendall.

Kevin Kohl, Silver Eagle Distributors, Barbara Kohl, Christy Hill, and Chris Hill, Sugar Land Skeeters.

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Dr. Margaret Patton, Kevin Patton, Kevin Patton State Farm, Ron Ewer, Legacy Ford, and Juliana Ewer.

Thomas J. Crayton, CPA, and Kamal Ariss, JE Dunn Construction.

Allison and Cassandra Wen, Safari Texas Ranch, and Shanta Kuhl, Chamber President/CEO.

Bruce Gingrich, LifeChek Drug, and Barry Beard, Post Oak Bank, celebrate Bruce casting the winning bid for the Chamber’s 2012 Mardi Gras Party.

Richmond First Lady Evalyn Moore, Shanta Kuhl, Chamber President/CEO

Presenting sponsors Kevin Patton, Kevin Patton State Farm, and Ron Ewer, Legacy Ford, cast the winning bid to present the 2012 Celebration Ball, Cirque Du Chambre.

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Prepare to go around the world as the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra presents Far Away Places on Sunday, Feb. 19. The concert, part of FBSO’s 20th anniversary Season of Surprises, begins at 2 p.m. at the Stafford Centre and features the works of composers from across the globe.

Step back in time to the magical romance captured in “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Richard Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin.” Or imagine yourself grace-fully dancing during “Emperor Waltz” by Johann Strauss.”

FBSO will also perform “Hungarian March,” by French composer Hector Ber-lioz. He was inspired to produce the work after reading “Faust,” the dramatic literary work by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Other selections include “Irish Tune” by Percy Grainger and “Symphony No. 8 (Finale)” by Antonin Dvorák that was inspired by Bohemian folk music. Far Away Places also features the talented winner of FBSO’s 11th annual Young Artist Concerto Competition.

Reserved adult tickets for Far Away Places are available for $10 and $15. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult, but need a reserved ticket. Dis-counts are available for seniors, students and military, as well as groups of 10 or more.

Tickets may be ordered at www.fbso.org or by calling 281.276.9642.

ALL ABOARD FOR ‘FAR AWAY PLACES’ WITH THE FORT BEND SYMPHONY

Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra musicians prepare to transport concertgoers around the world during their February 19th Far Away Places concert. Standing on the platform of the historical 1879 rail car at the

Rosenberg Railroad Museum are Andrea Cope, percussion, and Fangming Zhu, violin. At ground level are Katherine Leskin, cello, and Ashley Clift, clarinet. Serving as conductor is FBSO patron Tom Chapman.


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Terry High Graduates Earn Highest FFA Degree

Zachary Barta and Matthew March (both Terry High School Class of 2010) recently received their FFA

American Degrees during ceremonies at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis.

The American FFA Degree is the highest level of achievement available to an FFA member. Before submitting an applica-tion for the American FFA Degree, a student must have received the preced-ing FFA degrees: Greenhand, Chapter FFA Degree and State FFA Degree. Only a small percentage of FFA members ever earn the degree (the greatest percentage of members ever to receive the degree in one year was less than one half of one percent).

March attends Texas A&M University and Barta has been accepted to Texas A&M.Photo Caption: Zachary Barta and Matthew March with the FFA American Degrees in Indianapolis.

Lamar CISD’s 2011 NCEA Higher Performing Schools

RecognizedThe National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA), a department of ACT, Inc., recognized Lamar CISD for having four schools make the 2011 NCEA Higher Performing Schools List.

Ray Elementary is ranked Higher Performing in four out of four possible subjects. Ray is Higher Performing in Reading based on “growth” and Higher Performing in Math, Science and Writ-ing for both growth and Commended Performance.

Austin Elementary is Higher Performing in Writing Wertheimer Middle School is Higher Performing in Math and Wessen-dorff Middle School is Higher Perform-ing in Reading. All the designations are based on growth.

Higher Performing Schools (formerly known as Just for the Kids Schools) are identified by two measures: consistent improvement in student achievement from previous years (growth) and/or

absolute student achievement using the school’s Commended Performance results on the spring 2009-2011 TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test. NCEA’s higher performing methodology controls for school and student demographics to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison of school achievement and to demonstrate that with the commitment of educators, all schools can have success no matter the zip code.

School Break

Ray Elementary Austin Elementary

Wertheimer Middle School

Wessendorff Middle School

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