July Volunteer of the Month

Heroes for Children is really expanding our efforts in the Houston area. With the addition of our newest staff member, Mimi Bates, and our Texas Hold'Em event, Hold'Em for Heroes, we're adding some of the things we already do in Dallas. An Advisory Board made up of Houston individuals ready to work for Heroes for Children is also making a big difference. Cristina Baez and her husband Mauricio are member's of the Advisory Board. She's a Cordon Bleu trained chef who treats us during Advisory Board meetings with her amazing cooking.

Cristina is also taking on a big project this fall--introducing Heroes for Children to the Hispanic communtiy through an evening called "Celebra Una Nocha Hispana." Cristina's goal is to introduce our mission and services to the Hispanic community in Houston to show how our organization supports these families in their time of crisis. We are so lucky to have volunteers like Cristina who think outside of the box for new ways to involve others with Heroes for Children!

With that, I turn it over to Cristina!

Name, Occupation:

Cristina Baez, Owner Bleu Bites LLC--Private Chef Service

How did you get involved with HFC:

Through my friend Mary Lou Fernandez, who successfully chaired Heroes and Handbags Houston in 2008.

Do you have any kids and/or pets?

One daughter, Victoria, age 5 and one Russian Tortoise

From looking at you, no one would guess....

That I practice Tae Kwon Do.

Favorite place to eat:

My kitchen.

What's on your book shelf?

The Twilight Saga is my most recent addition.

What's in your iPod/CD changer?

ABBA, Brazilian music, Tibetan music among others

Who's your hero?

My mom.

New Houston Manager, Mimi Bates

Hi everybody, I just wanted to introduce myself as the new Houston Manager at HFC!
I am soooo excited to be a part of this amazing organization and to be able to work for such a wonderful mission! I am going to be serving the Houston area as we grow the awareness of HFC through this charitable community. I am a native Houstonian and graduated from Texas A&M University in 2006. I worked as a teacher for the two years following college at a school for families in poverty, called Yellowstone Academy. There, I was able to forge lasting relationships with children and friends that touched my heart forever. I gained experience managing dedicated volunteers and realized how vital they were to our school's success! This is a fact that I know is true at HFC as well. I also have experience with non-profit event planning as a volunteer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. My mother was diagnosed with MS about 10 years ago and my family and I have been involved in the MS150 ever since. Every year at the MS150 finish line, my mom would wait for my family to cross and blow bubbles so they could easily recognize her. One scorching hot year she collapsed from her sensitivity to heat and had to be cared for in the ambulance on location. This incident sparked an idea in her creative mind. For 3 years now, "The Bubble Bistro" has grown into a sparkling success! What started out as a collection of a few MS patients blowing bubbles in the shade at the finish line has now evolved into a big tent with blowing fans, misting machines, cool beverages, and is a safe place for MS patients to watch and cheer on riders pass the finish line!
With these experiences driving me, I look forward to carrying out HFC's mission to help pediatric cancer patients and their families. I am already so impressed with the people who support HFC and know that together we can make great strides towards our goal!
Thank you for your support and encouragement!
Mimi Bates

My Very Own Superhero

Last month, my oldest turned 6. Brayden knows where I work and what I do at Heroes for Children. I get him involved with different programs, such as Heroes Milestones, as much as I can. Brayden’s favorite Heroes for Children event is the 5K. He is already bugging me about when it will be again and counting down the months until September 13th.

Brayden

When it came time to plan Brayden’s birthday party at the bowling alley, I brought up one more program that Heroes for Children does…Superhero Birthday Club. He wasn’t sold at first. He was perplexed about not getting any presents but I did remind him that Mommy and Daddy would still give him gifts, as well as our family. I told him he would get a Superhero Birthday Club award, free entry into the 5K and a special button to wear showing that he is a Superhero. It took about all of 3 seconds for him to decide that yes, he was going to be a Superhero. Instead of his friends bringing him gifts, he was going to ask them to bring monetary donations for Heroes for Children and kids battling cancer.
It was a proud moment for me as a mom. But I wasn’t the only proud mom. One of Brayden’s friends made a sacrifice for HFC as well. Cole, age 6, donated his week’s allowance to Heroes for Children in honor of Brayden’s birthday. Cole’s donation touched our family and Brayden. Tears filled up my eyes when Brayden told my husband and I that he, too, wanted to donate money from his piggy bank to kids battling cancer.

Logo drawn by Cole, age 6

Brayden is looking even more forward to the 5K this year to show off his button and I am confident that next year he will be a Superhero once again. I’m one proud mommy!

June Volunteer of the Month

You know those people that you can't wait to see again because you love being around so much? For me, Chay Taylor is exactly that type of person. Chay is loving and sweet with a huge heart. She is one of the funniest people I know, keeping me in stitches with her expressions or stories. She's not afraid to be silly (as you will see from her picture below!) and even make fun of herself.

This coming year, Chay has a big role in our success in the Houston area. She is accepted the position as the President of HFC Friends Women's Auxiliary and she's running with it. Our first membership coffee was held in Chay's gorgeous backyard, introducing Houston ladies to HFC Friends and the programs (Holiday Heroes, Heroes Milestones, and the Valentine's Dinner) they will support at MD Anderson and Texas Children's Hospitals for 2009-2010.

If you are interested in joining Chay Taylor and the Houston ladies, please be sure to visit the HFC Friends page and sign up to be a member! Membership helps support the various programs that HFC Friends members do for cancer families throughout the year.

Name, Occupation:

Chay Flores Taylor, stay at home mom and part time go to girl.

How did you get involved with HFC?

Met Jenny at a meeting and knew I had to be involved!

Do you have any kids and/or pets?

One precocious 4 ½ year old named Sam and two labs, Doc and Pancho.

From looking at you, no one would guess that…..

I’m really shy.

Favorite place to eat:

Anything Mexican

What’s on your book shelf?

Tons of historical fiction!

What’s in your iPod/CD changer?

Florida to George Strait to Michael Buble! I love all kinds of music.

Who’s your hero?

My parents, Sally and Rigo Flores, are my heros. I know it is so cliché to say that your parents are your heroes, yet mine have overcome incredible odds and obstacles to live the life they have today. My mother grew up painfully poor in Spain and came to the US at 17 with only one small suitcase and one extra dress. My father grew up as a migrant farm worker in South Texas. Both have worked hard and did they best they had with the cards they were dealt and made an amazing life for our family. They didn’t always do things right but they constantly tried! They were amazing parents and always loved us unconditionally! Only now that I am a parent myself, do I understand and appreciate the sacrifices they have made for our family. They are my heroes, in fact, I’d choose them as friends, which you don’t hear very often!

Double your donation on 5/20!

Want to see your donation double? Make your donation on MAY 20 through DONORBRIDGE (http://www.donorbridgetx.org) and they will match dollar for dollar! Minimum donation is $25. Maximum is $2,500 (for match). They have $200,000 to match for 300+ agencies.

CLICK HERE - Be sure to designate Heroes for Children!

DonorBridge opens at 12:01 am on May 20 - so stay up late Tuesday night, or get up early to have your donation matched! HFC will receive all donations so feel free to donate all day long!

We are very excited for this opportunity! Each charity can receive up to $25,000 in matching funds! Easy way to double your efforts... If you have been waiting to donate, MAY 20 is the day to give!!

Thank you so much for your support of Heroes for Children.

May Volunteer of the Month

It is with great pleasure that we introduce our first company as the Volunteer of the Month! Duncan / Day Advertising has been working hard on Heroes for Children's behalf since they received the call to see if they could help with the Heroes and Handbags invitation. Not only did they create the concept and design of the invitation, they were recruited to do "Snag the Bag" cards and the program too! But they didn't stop there! They have designed most of the banners, icons, and graphics on the newly designed HFC website. Plus, they have created logos for the High Five Club and HFC Kick-a-Thon (two of HFC's newest ventures).

They go above and beyond (and they do it for FREE!!!). THEY VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME to help Heroes for Children. We appreciate all of their support and look forward to continuing to work with Duncan / Day in the future!

1. How long have you been in business? 23 yrs

2. What type of work do you do? We’re a full service women-owned (certified by NCTRCA, certification number WFWB40512N0310) advertising and marketing firm. Our services include advertising, brand development, copywriting, credit card marketing, corporate identity, design, direct marketing, event planning, interactive marketing, logo design and development, marketing media planning and placement, national retail in-store promotions, newsletters, print collateral development, promotions, public relations, trade show planning and marketing, strategy development and web development. We’re also members of the Advertising Specialty Institute, which means we have access to the latest in innovative promotional items and awards. This allows us to quickly research, develop, and fulfill impactful promotions and incentive programs for our clients.

3. Employees/titles who volunteer: Leslie Duncan – COO and managing partner, Stacey Day – Creative Director and managing partner, Sabryna Lugge – Art Director, Chris Turman – Director of New Business

4. As a business, why do you choose to volunteer with HFC? We have always felt strongly about donating our time and services to various organizations over the years. We love the fact that the money raised by HFC goes directly to the families to help out with day-to-day expenses. We also think Michelle Peacock is great!

5. We love your logo, what is the story on the old ladies? Shortly after we started the business in 1986, we were doing a lot of work for some big corporations that weren't completely comfortable giving their large budgets to two young "girls" working out of a house. That’s when we decided that we needed maturity. Fast. Thus, the Old Ladies were born. What started out as a tongue-in-cheek way to create the perception of years of experience, soon became a hit with both clients and vendors, and the alter egos stuck.

6. Tell us a funny story about Duncan Day… Back in the early days we were working out of a house before it was cool. We had been in business almost a year and decided to hire our first intern. We contacted the area colleges with advertising programs and started the interview process. Leslie had to be out of the office so Stacey agreed to interview the next intern on her own. The doorbell rang and Stacey picked up Leslie’s Llaso Apso Tasha, to keep her from running out. Then, just as she was opening the door, Stacey stepped backward and tripped over her Old English Sheepdog, Marge. She fell flat on her back in the entry way in her dress and high heels. Marge yelped and Tasha ran out the door. Stacey was laughing so hard that she couldn’t get up. The poor intern was left standing in the doorway with her giant portfolio case not knowing what she was suppose to do. Should she chase after the dog or help the crazy woman up off the floor. Stacey finally composed herself, interviewed and wound up hiring the young lady.

7. Favorite places to eat: Mi Cocina, Buca di Beppo, MexiGo, Steve Fields

8. Who are your heroes? Carole Burnett, Dolly Parton, Oprah, Katherine Hepburn

Heroes and Handbags makes big bucks for Heroes for Children!!

Heroes and Handbags in both Dallas and Houston raised an incredible amount of money for Heroes for Children this year. The combined net revenue of these events was $450,000!! This money will go a very long way in providing much needed financial assistance for children with cancer. We had handbags sell for as high as
$2000.00-$3000.00!! All of the bags were donated by retailers, committee members, and individuals that support HFC. Elaine Turner, a Texas handbags designer,donated 38 beautiful handbags!! Thank you to all the retailers and individuals who donated over 400 handbags to these events! We were so blessed to have Kate Rose Marquez as our chair in Dallas and Rebecca Rochon as our chair in Houston. These ladies and their hardworking commitees did an incredible job. We also had amazing honorary chairs that were very involved in making these two events successful. Dee and D'Andra Simmons in Dallas and Ursaline Hamilton in Houston. Heroes and Handbags would not be where it is today without the work of so many wonderful women pulling together!! The first annual Spirit of Allie and Taylor award was also given this year to three beautiful women. In Houston it was awarded to Elizabeth King, who chaired the 1st Heroes and Handbags in Houston in 2007. Her vision and drive helped put HFC on the map in Houston! In Dallas, Allison Doherty and Cameron Smith were awarded. Cameron and Allison hosted a luncheon in 2005 that introduced over 100 women to Heroes for Children. The majority of these women served on the committee of the first Heroes and Handbags in Dallas with Cameron chairing the event, and Allison and her mother, Linda Barlow as honorary chairs. Thanks to all of these women who helped put HFC where it is today!