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Welcome to the newest feature of the Heroes for Children website! Be sure to check back each month for information regarding the Volunteer of the Month, a highlight of a committed volunteer making a difference for Texas families. Who knows, next month's volunteer could be you!
January 2008 Volunteer of the Month--Mary Lou Fernandez
Name: Mary Lou Fernandez How did you get involved with HFC? I met Elizabeth King (last year’s Houston chair) when I moved to Houston about a year and a half ago and she got me involved with Heroes and Handbags Houston. Do you have any kids and/or pets? My husband and I have one son, Alex who is 4 years old. No pets at the moment, I sadly lost my wonderful 15 year old English Springer Spaniel “Gretchen” this past October. She was the first dog I ever had! We love dogs, so hopefully we will get another dog before the end of the year. From looking at you, no one would guess that: Hmmm, tough question! Who knows what people think…it could be scary! Seriously, I guess I would have to say that my hobby (prior to moving to Texas a little over 3 years ago) was sailing and sailboat racing while living in Los Angeles. I was pretty competitive and used to race every Thursday evening and every Saturday/Sunday. I guess I had the need for speed! I thoroughly enjoy being out on the Pacific ocean and the feeling of peace that you experience from being a part of something so beautiful, serene and vast. One year, I also had the opportunity to cover the Newport to Ensenada International Yacht race kick off for ESPN, which was a lot of fun. I was also just starting to take surf lessons when we moved to Austin…but believe me, sailing has much less of a risk of being attacked by those “lovely” great whites that frequent the So Cal coastline…so not that much of a loss for me there! Favorite place to eat: My…so many great restaurants in Houston! I would have to say two places. Lupe Tortilla when I am with my husband and son, and when it is just myself and my husband, Antica Osteria, a fabulous little Italian fine dining restaurant in West University. What’s on your book shelf? Well usually I read the current spy/ thriller best sellers, but currently I am reading a book describing “4 year olds” which has the subtitle of “Wonderful and Wild”. Now of course I am reading this “self-help” book because my child leans more toward the “wild” part of the title! My father -in- law just recently gave me a book called “The Truth About Hillary” (yes, you know which Hillary) that I am going to start reading. I don’t think it is meant to be a flattering book….we’ll see! What’s in your iPod/CD changer? Everything! Too many artists to name! Top 40 for working out, classical music for unwinding and a bit of country…I have to work hard at establishing some southern roots while living in Texas! Who’s your hero? Definitely Jenny and Larissa. Their strength amazes me! One cannot imagine what losing a child feels like and I am amazed that in spite of everything that they have been through, how much they have done with Heroes for Children and continue to accomplish in their daughters names. Also, the children and parents that I have met while volunteering for Heroes for Children. Their stories and battles truly have redefined how I look at life and how fortunate I feel.
December 2007 Volunteer of the Month--Pat Locke
Name, Age, Occupation: Pat Locke, 41, Paramedic Field Supervisor, Montgomery County Hospital District EMS How did you get involved with HFC? Randal Locke (HFC Board Member and orginal Taylor's Angels member), my husband’s brother… you know the story! He’s SOOO passionate about HFC. It’s hard not to get caught up. Do you have any kids and/or pets? I have 3 awesome children: Nathan (fantastic musician and guitarist), Seth (3.75 GPA after his first 2 semesters in college – yeah!) and Hanna (incredible athlete, champion of numerous causes for the weak and downtrodden and quite the free spirit). All 3 are such independent thinkers – can talk about almost any issue (politics, religion, economy). I love it! They definitely are not afraid to disagree. They are my life’s work. I am so blessed to be their mom and am amazed every day. I have 2 dogs – Dixie – Princess Dixie – the greatest dog (a flashy fawn boxer) in the world ever and Cash (as in Johnny), who is a lab PUPPY. Oh my. Love my dogs. They are inside, lap dogs. Cash: What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine and where’s the party?! And then Dixie: “Oh, you’re gonna be in touble!! I’m going to sit over here and watch.” From looking at you, no one would guess that….. I’ve climbed two 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado. Favorite place to eat: Place? As in singular…just 1? Yikes. What day is it? Chuey’s…I guess. What’s on your book shelf? I’m an avid reader so I keep lots of books around and read parts of them randomly and over and over…here are a few: Eat, Love & Pray by someone I can’t think of right now. Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado (he’s from my hometown of Andrews – great guy!), How to Talk to a Liberal if You Must by Ann Coulter, A vast array of Daniel Goleman books on Emotional Intelligence and leadership. Last, but not least, The Sweet Potato Queens! Always good for a laugh What’s in your iPod/CD changer? Oh wow. Music is a huge part of my life. James Taylor, Cross Canadian Ragweed, George Winston, Rodrigo y Gabriella (instrumental guitar), Reckless Kelly, Chris Cornell, Ben Danaher, The Eagles, Bon Jovi… Who’s your hero? My mother, who handled life, and death, with such grace, poise, wisdom and dignity. She taught by example and loved her family. I am blessed to be able to say I was truly raised by such an amazing woman.
November 2007 Volunteer of the Month--Katie Pascuzzi
Name, Age, Occupation: Katie Pascuzzi, 25, Domestic Engineer (Housewife) How did you get involved with HFC? My previous employer, Willow Bend Mortgage, was a presenting sponsor for the Golf Classic in 2006. As the Business Development Manager it was my job to oversee the operations of the tournament for our company. During that time, Jenny Scott and I became fast friends and I fell in love with HFC and their mission. That is why I agreed to Chair the Golf Classic in 2007. Do you have any kids and/or pets? I am currently pregnant with my first child; a little girl, Carmen Grace, who should be arriving sometime in December. We also have two four legged children, Kiah 5yrs, and Maverick 1yr. Both are SPCA rescues and of course the best dogs in the world=) From looking at you, no one would guess that….. I’m actually 25; I still get mistaken for a teenager-even since I’ve been pregnant. I don’t see it, but I guess I will like that someday=) Favorite place to eat: Rick Steins Steakhouse; I don’t make it there very often, but when I do it is definitely worth it! What’s on your book shelf? Lots of books about dogs, horses (I used to compete in equestrian competitions), and now, children. What’s in your iPod/CD changer? Right now I am hooked on Taylor Swift, but I also have John Mayer, Dave Matthews, and Justin. Who’s your hero? If a hero is someone who inspires you, I would have to say Beth Moore. Her passion for the Lord inspires me to be a better person and follower of God. One day I hope to be as dedicated a servant as she is.
October 2007 Volunteer of the Month--Randal Locke
Name, Age, Occupation: Randal Locke, 42, Computer Consultant in the Help Desk Industry How did you get involved with HFC? I knew Taylor Anne Brewton who was my honored hero with Team in Training for my first marathon. She actually got sick again and passed during my tenure with TNT for my first marathon. It was my first real experience with children with cancer and its effect on the finances of the family. I got to know Larissa very well and joined the Board of Taylor’s Angels several years back and then we became Heroes for Children. Do you have any kids and/or pets? I have 1 Son Steven who is 34 and 4 dogs (Chester, Yvette, Sydney and Sheldon.) From looking at you, no one would guess that….. I can sing pretty well. Mostly country songs or wedding songs. Favorite place to eat: Hooters – Love the Wings and Fried Pickles….. What’s on your book shelf? Pictures, I read and watch movies. What’s in your iPod/CD changer? George Strait….and other country tunes Who’s your hero? As a kid my hero was my Terry Bradshaw, former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I saw him always making the plays that made a difference in a game when it counted. Then after joining Heroes for Children, my hero changed. I now see that these kids that are dealing with cancer and all of the ups and downs associated with these dreadful diseases are truly Heroes. They fight day in and day out for that extra day, week, month, year of life. They keep a smile on their face, loving life and living in the moment, truly taking everything that they can from life itself. These kids are my new Heroes. Maybe someday, they can all just be kids, but, while there is cancer, there are Heroes. And while there are Heroes, there will be Heroes for Children there to lend a helping hand.
September 2007 Volunteers of the Month--Jennifer and Allan Rayson
Name, Age, Occupation: Allan: I am 31 years old, and I am in Commercial Banking at Bank of Texas. I have been in the banking industry for my entire career after graduating from Business School at Texas Tech University in 2000. I am also lucky enough to be the Chairman of Heroes for Children. Jennifer: I am 30 years old. I am CEO of the Rayson Household. It’s a very busy job – I put in a lot of overtime. How did you get involved with HFC? Despite the fact that Heroes had not yet been formed, we became indirectly involved on May 7, 2004. This was the day that we received a sobering voicemail message from Jenny Scott indicating that her daughter, Allie, who was then only 4 months, had been diagnosed with Leukemia. As anyone would if they had received this voicemail, we and several other neighbors set out to raise money to assist the Scott family with their day-to-day expenses by raising money in our neighborhood in Allen. Due to the generosity of the residents of Lost Creek Ranch, we were able to raise several thousand dollars in only a couple of days to assist the Scott family. We became directly involved with Heroes as it was being formed in late 2004. Allan was initially involved as the Treasurer for the organization in 2004 and 2005 and became the Chairman in 2007. Jennifer is also very involved with Heroes in her capacity as the Chairwoman for the 2007 Heroes for Children 5K Run/Walk. Do you have any kids and/or pets? We don’t have any pets, but we have three, energetic boys named Will (age 4), Alex (age 3) and Sam (age 5 mo.). They’re all so different, each with their own distinct little personality. We are enjoying every loud and rowdy minute of life with the Rayson boys! Will has also shown generosity to Heroes by volunteering to have his friends (actually the parents of his friends) donate financially instead of giving him a gift for his fourth birthday in March of this year. From looking at you, no one would guess that….. Allan: I enjoy running marathons for enjoyment (and the challenge, of course!). I have run the Dallas White Rock Marathon for the last three years and hope to complete my fourth consecutive race in December of this year. I started running marathons in honor of my little friend, Allie Scott, in 2004, and I have looked to her for inspiration in each of my races since. Not too many people know that I kept a copy of Allie’s memorial card from her funeral in my pocket for my first marathon in 2004 and still have that card today. Jennifer: Well, running marathons happens to be a hobby we enjoy together, but I’ll try to come up with something else – wouldn’t want to bore you folks. So, one might not guess that I also enjoy photography. Although I use the term “photography” loosely. I love my kids, I love to take pictures of them, and I love my camera that my dear husband bought me that takes great pictures of our little darlings. I’m an amateur no doubt, but I do love it! Favorite place to eat: Allan: my favorite place to eat is Luna De Noche when Jennifer and I go out to eat together. Jennifer: Yep, without a doubt, love the Luna! What’s on your book shelf? Allan: the books that I am currently reading are The Smartest Guys in the Room (a book about the Enron meltdown) and Built to Last (a book by Jim Collins about business). However, I usually find myself reading books about Curious George and other children’s topics to the boys more often than I read my own books! Jennifer: A few of my most recent reads are Boundaries for Kids and The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. Next up is Pathway to Purpose for Women. As you can tell, I don’t do fiction. Most of my books are on the topics of marriage, relationships, & parenting - I need all the help I can get! What’s in your iPod/CD changer? Allan: I can’t live without my iPod! I use it almost daily when running or mowing my lawn. It is the greatest invention ever! I hate to say it, but my iPod is loaded with everything from Jay-Z to Johnny Cash to Kid Rock to Alan Jackson…I am across the board when it comes to music! Jennifer: My what??? I don’t have an iPod and I can’t stand Allan’s. He won’t talk to me when we run together because he’s too busy trying to keep up-- I mean too busy listening to that darn iPod! And I can’t even remember the last time I bought a CD. I’m not really a big music person, I just listen to the radio and I like a little of everything with the exception of rap and heavy metal. Who’s your hero? Allan: I have several sports and music heroes, but I have to say that my one true hero is my wife, Jennifer. She is truly the cornerstone of our family (in addition to being the CEO of the Rayson Household) and I admire the work that she does as a Wife, Mother, and Volunteer. Jennifer is Superwoman and we wouldn’t be the same without her! Don’t tell anyone, but she also runs marathons faster than I do, which is quite difficult to handle! Jennifer: Well, I think you would agree there’s really only one way I can follow that answer…that is if I want to keep the peace around here! So, let me tell you about my hero – my husband, Allan. He works so incredibly hard for our family so that I can stay home with our kids, which I appreciate more than he’ll ever know. I’m sure I don’t tell him thank you often enough. He is kind, loving, and generous – and his sense of humor is what keeps me going after a long day with the kids! We are truly blessed to have him as husband and father – simply could not ask for more. I love him dearly.
August 2007 Volunteer of the Month--Megan Williamson
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