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!