On Friday, May 15th, Denise Einkauf will be sharing information about Ballard House in Katy. Here is the Ballard House story, which I unabashedly stole from the website:
The dream started in 2006 when the CEO of Keller Williams Realty issued a challenge to Keller Williams market centers around the country to “leave a legacy” in the communities in which they live and work. The associates of Keller Williams Premier Realty in Katy took that challenge to heart. Construction of The West Houston Medical Center had just started and it was evident that people would be travelling to the area for their treatments and would need housing. Cinco Charities, Inc. was birthed with the mission to provide temporary housing for patients and their caregivers coming to the Katy/West Houston area medical facilities for treatment of life threatening illnesses.
For several years, while working toward their ultimate goal to build a hospital hospitality house for guests which would be free of charge to patients going through treatment and open to patients of any age, Cinco Charities continued housing families in nearby hotels. This was accomplished because of the generosity of sponsors and friends of Cinco Charities who attended the fundraising events and supported the mission wholeheartedly.
In 2011, Erin Ballard, a cancer patient herself heard about Cinco Charities from her oncologist, Dr. Sunil Patel at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Katy and was inspired to donate the use of one of her rental properties to Cinco Charities to expand their outreach. That home became known as Erin’s House. Erin’s House was loved by all of the families who found it be their “home away from home” during their loved ones treatment.
Erin’s husband, Monty was touched by the charities mission as well and started The Ballard Foundation to advance Cinco Charities goal to build their hospitality house in Katy. “We live in Katy, not far down the street from MD Anderson,” Monty Ballard said, “We started thinking about people that live in other states who wanted the best treatment they could get and just couldn’t afford the other parts of the puzzle. They might have great insurance, but still couldn’t afford to come here to stay and get treatment. We thought we could make it possible for Cinco Charities to move forward.”
n December 2013, a huge crowd of supporters celebrated the grand opening of The Ballard House which boasts 20,000 square feet of livable space and is located on three acres in the heart of Katy. A few days later, our first five families were moved in. And they keep arriving from other countries, all over the US and from the four corners of Texas. The Ballard House has experienced the generous support from our community in so many ways and we are so thankful for each and every one of you. We have the very best volunteers in the world who show every day with open hearts and big smiles to welcome everyone who enters our doors with a happy greeting, “Welcome to The Ballard House.”
Rescue missions and emergency aid continue to arrive in Nepal after a massive earthquake hit the country on 25 April, killing at least 7,500 people and injuring thousands more. The 7.8-magnitude quake, the worst to hit Nepal in more than 80 years, has affected 8 million people in the country's 39 districts, including 1.4 million needing food assistance, according to government officials.
"Rotarians worldwide stand together in expressing a profound sadness at the devastation resulting from this weekend's deadly earthquake in Nepal," says RI President Gary C.K. Huang. "As we mourn the thousands of lives lost, Rotary joins other international agencies in providing immediate relief to survivors and mobilizing our expertise to support long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts throughout the country."
Rotary District 3292 in Nepal set up a disaster relief fund to help victims in the hardest hit areas. Immediate funds will go towards food, water, medical supplies, and shelter. For information on how you can help, contact District Governor Rabindra Kumar Piya.
Rotary partner ShelterBox is sending a response team to the affected areas to determine immediate needs. Because of previous disasters in Nepal, the group already has tents and other nonfood items ready for deployment.
The Memorial-Spring Branch Rotary is hosting our 2nd annual golf tournament on Tuesday, August 4 at Clear Creek-Bass Park in Pearland. The start time will be 8am.
There will be opportunities to play golf, volunteer time, donate auction items, buy auction items, and obtain sponsorships. The proceeds support literacy for children and adults, college scholarships, health and safety programs, and other charitable causes in the Spring Branch area. Carter Franklin has the details you need at 713.882.7444 or Carter.Franklin@SBCGlobal.net.
To get on the club website, go to: http://portal.clubrunner.ca/3941 Click on the Member Area button, and enter your user id which consists of your first name, a period, your last name, a period and 3941. (gwen.corolla.3941)
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