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| Houston Area Real Estate Community Supports Breast Cancer Research |
The foundation’s planning committee is made up of Nancy’s close friends, whose tireless efforts, dedication and love of Nancy has been the driving force behind the success of the Foundation.
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On October 21, more than 850 people attended the Seventh Annual Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation (NOMF) Luncheon at The Westin Galleria. This was the most successful luncheon to-date, enabling the foundation to set new fundraising records and impact the community far deeper than ever before.
At the luncheon, the Foundation donated $125,000 equally divided among the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Marjorie Landry, President of the Board of Directors for the Komen Houston Affiliate and Dr. C. Kent Osborne, Director of the Breast Center at BCM accepted the generous check on behalf of their organizations. This brings the grand total of monies donated by the foundation from 2002 through 2008 to $775,000!
The luncheon opened with a touching video, which celebrated the life of Nancy Owens and featured the continued success of the foundation that was created in Owens’ name and honor. Soprano Nancy Curtis performed a beautiful rendition of the Mark Harris song, “The Line Between the Two,” as the video played.
Amy Bernstein, Chairperson of NOMF, spoke about the Foundation’s continued commitment to raise additional funds throughout the year and how this year has proven to be one of exciting growth. The Foundation is extremely fortunate to have community-wide support and during the luncheon, Bernstein gave several accolades. The Foundation is particularly grateful to Mark Cady at Flagstone Lending Group and Mike Huff at Suzanne Anderson Properties who generously donated at the Platinum level ($10,000 contribution.) The Foundation is also appreciative of the Houston Chronicle, the media sponsor, and to the Houston Association of Realtors® for their continued support.
Earlier this year, the Foundation presented five companies with their newly created “Spirit of Giving Award” to honor contributors who have shown philanthropic commitment to the Foundation with each company giving more than $20,000 during the past seven consecutive years. The recipients included Bernstein Realty, Houston Chronicle, Houston Title Company, John Daugherty, Realtors® and Stewart Title.
In June, the Foundation held its annual “Pink & Blue Jean Day,” where an impressive 135 real estate, title and mortgage companies throughout Texas, the U.S. and internationally, including London, Tokyo and Berlin, came together to raise $10,000. Participants continued the fun with “Cocktails for the Cure,” a happy hour at Jimmy Wilson’s Seafood and Chop House.
The Foundation is also thrilled to be the beneficiary of Moving to Cure Breast Cancer, a campaign to engage Houston-area Realtors® to help raise funds and awareness for breast cancer through successful REALTOR® referrals to C&M Moving and Storage. C&M will donate 5% of each completed move to the Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation in the name of the REALTOR® making the referral. More information can be found at
www.movingtocurebreastcancer.com.
The guest speaker for the luncheon was Marcia Wallace. While Marcia is probably best known as the zany receptionist Carol on the ‘70s sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show,” her greatest success has been enduring the twists and turns of her own turbulent life. As a 20-year cancer survivor, Marcia has become a high profile advocate for breast cancer awareness. She travels around the country sharing her emotional experience about hope and survival, to promote early detection and to encourage women to view themselves as fighters rather than victims.
The Foundation is thrilled to have cultivated a relationship with BCM, and Adrian V. Lee, Ph.D., whose research has been a past beneficiary, provided the annual “Update from the Lab” for luncheon guests. Dr. Lee is widely recognized for his pioneering work in breast cancer research. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed research articles and has funding from NIH, Department of Defense, Susan G. Komen Foundation and other sources.
Steffi Oesterreich, Ph.D., at BCM will receive half of the 2008 proceeds for her research entitled: “How does the estrogen receptor really work?” Her goal is to understand how HDAC7 (histone deacetylase 7) affects estrogen receptor activity in breast cancer cells.
Another highlight at this year’s luncheon was the presentation of the “Nancy Owens Spirit of Courage Award,” which reflects the courage of an extraordinary individual in the real estate industry who has fought the battle against cancer and won. This year’s award was presented to Helen Michael, agent with Coldwell Banker United, Realtors®. Helen, very much humbled by this honor, spoke briefly about her personal journey as a breast cancer survivor. Helen received a beautifully handcrafted angel created by NOMF Committee Member James Burke of Harrisburg Financial. One of the past award recipients, Nancy Elizabeth Garfield, was in attendance.
At the conclusion, Amy Bernstein asked all cancer survivors to stand as the Foundation’s own “Stand Up to Cancer” tribute to the fact that we will find a cure.
Attendees had several opportunities to support the Foundation by purchasing raffle tickets, bidding on silent auction items and buying umbrellas with the NOMF logo. The generous items were donated by: Ben Bridge Jeweler, Keller Williams Metropolitan, Abejas Boutique, Baxter Graham Design, Benjy’s, Bliss Nail Spa, Cynthia Bussey – Stylist, D’Amico’s Italian Market Café, Dermagenix Medical Spa, Holden Custom Products, Houston Astros, Houston Title Company, Integrity Limousine, Jill & Troy Evans, JudyKool Designs, Kemah Boardwalk, Prego, Ron Merrill, C&M Moving and Storage, Sara Davis Designs, The Dump, The Palm Restaurant, Theatre Under The Stars and Westin La Cantera Resort.
The Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation was created in memory of Nancy Owens, a much loved and well respected icon in the Houston real estate industry. Owens lost her courageous 20-year battle with breast cancer in September 2001. One of Owens’ final wishes, if she had survived her battle with cancer, was to dedicate a large part of her life to the fight against breast cancer and the continued advancement of its research towards finding a cure. It is that very dream that lives on today.
The Foundation’s planning committee is made up of Nancy’s close friends, whose tireless efforts, dedication and love of Nancy has been the driving force behind the success of the Foundation. The committee members are: Amy Bernstein, Brent Blaikie, James Burke, Kimberly Davis, Gail Evans, Cheri Fama, Vicki Fullerton, Terri Guerra, Peggie Kohnert, Lynn Mather, Gloria Moorman, Robin Mueck, Nancy Nunu, Mary Piper, Irby Rozelle, Michelle Sandlin, Jennifer Stein and Katherine Stewart.
The Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation exemplifies how professionals in all aspects of the real estate community can band together for a common cause, leading to our slogan, “REALTORS® Making a Difference!” For more information or to make a donation, please call 713-932-1032 ext. 155 or visit www.NancyOwens.org.
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