On October 15, 2012, more than 600 people attended the 11th annual Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation Luncheon at the Westin Galleria. This was a very successful luncheon, enabling the foundation to impact the community with energy and enthusiasm and raise awareness about breast cancer.
At the luncheon, the foundation donated $100,000 to the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas MD Anderson. Doctor Kent Osborne and Dr. Eric Chang from the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at BCM and Dr. Anthony Lucci from the University of Texas MD Anderson accepted the generous check on behalf of their organizations. This brings the grand total of monies donated to more than $1.1 million.
The luncheon opened with a commemorative video, which celebrated the life of Owens and the continued success of the foundation that was created in Owens’ name and honor. Vocalist Yvonne Washington performed a rendition of the song, “I Will Always Love You,” as the video played.
Ilona Carson with KTRK-TV (Ch. 13) hosted the event as the emcee, and announced the foundation’s success in its continued commitment to raising additional funds throughout the year through the foundation’s annual “Swing for the Cure” Golf Tournament, and the Opening Night performance of “Girls Only, The Secret Comedy of Women” benefit.
The foundation is fortunate to have community-wide support and during the luncheon, and several accolades were given, including Mike Huff with Prudential Anderson Properties for his generosity at the Diamond level sponsorship (a $15,000 contribution) this year. Also thanked was The Jennifer Hernandez Team with Patriot Bank Mortgage, who donated at the Platinum level (a $10,000 contribution). The foundation is also appreciative of the Houston Chronicle, the Media Sponsor and to the Houston Association of Realtors, the Professional Sponsor, for their continued support.
Year to date, the foundation has presented 17 companies with the “Spirit of Giving Award” to honor contributors who have shown philanthropic commitment to the foundation, with each donor giving more than $20,000 during the past eight years. The recipients included Alamo Title Co. – Post Oak & Bering, Bernstein Realty, Prudential Anderson Properties, Chicago Title Insurance Co., Fidelity Title Co., Greenwood King Properties, Heritage Texas Properties, Houston Association of Realtors, Houston Chronicle, John Daugherty, Realtors, Katherine Stewart, Mark Cady with Flagstone Lending, Martha Turner Properties, Maxine Myers, Old Republic Title Company of Houston, The Jennifer Hernandez Team with Patriot Bank and Stewart Title.
Prior to the event’s guest speaker, the audience viewed an inspirational video from the 1992 Olympic Games to kick off the Olympic theme and how it relates to the foundation working as a team toward its goal and the belief to never give up, no matter how long it takes to reach the finish line.
Guest speaker was Shannon Miller, who remains the most decorated American gymnast, male or female, in history. She is the only American to rank among the Top 10 all-time gymnasts and is the only female athlete to be inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame – twice. In January of 2011, Miller was diagnosed with a malignant germ cell tumor, a form of ovarian cancer. She spoke about her journey as an Olympian and how the lessons she learned carried her through her journey with cancer. Miller is currently cancer free and continues to be a strong advocate for making health a priority and sharing her message with regard to annual exams and screenings: “Do not delay, do not reschedule; early detection saves lives.”
The foundation also has cultivated a relationship with BCM, and Dr. C. Kent Osborne provided the annual “Update from the Lab” for luncheon guests. Dr. Osborne is a physician scientist whose research has focused on understanding the mechanisms of resistance to therapies targeting ER and HER2, and the cross-talk between these pathways.
For 10 years, Dr. Osborne was chairman of the Breast Committee of the Southwest Oncology Group, where he oversaw numerous nationwide clinical trials investigating new treatment strategies. He has been the principal investigator of the Baylor Breast Cancer SPORE grant for 20 years. Among his previous awards are the Komen Foundation Award for Scientific Distinction and the Brinker International Award.
Eric Chang, Ph. D. at BCM, will receive a portion of the 2012 proceeds for his research that aims to verify a novel therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer, a very aggressive form of breast cancer that is responsible for approximately one-third of diagnosed cases.
While targeted therapies are available for the most common types of breast cancer, chemotherapy – which destroys healthy as well as cancerous cells – remains the primary treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. In preliminary studies, Dr. Chang has found that the protein N-Ras in combination with particular genes leads to the growth of triple-negative breast cancer and that blocking N-Ras action inhibits cancer cell growth. Anthony Lucci, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S., associate professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson, will receive the remaining portion of the 2012 proceeds for his research in developing ways to identify, characterize and eradicate breast cancer micrometastases. Despite improvements in diagnosis, surgery and systemic therapy, most deaths from breast cancer still occur due to metastasis, the spread of the disease to a site distant from the primary tumor, often affecting bone, the liver and brain.
About one-third of patients with breast cancer have metastases that are too small to be detected by current diagnostic tests. These micrometastases are generally resistant to conventional systemic therapies and will grow even after local treatment of the primary tumor.
This occurs because metastatic cells can lie dormant in bone marrow, allowing them to survive standard chemotherapy, which is designed to kill rapidly proliferating cells. Thus, the impact is deadly. 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 community who has fought the battle against cancer and won. This year’s award was presented to Lance Sims. Sims received a Waterford Guardian Angel. Several of the past award recipients were in attendance.
Attendees had several opportunities to support the foundation by purchasing raffle tickets, bidding on silent auction items and/or purchasing Bravelets.
A special thank you was given to those who donated items and their services:
Alley Theatre – ECE Department; Andrea Warner Boutique; Ben Bridge Jeweler; Blue Mambo Salon – Sharon Dewitt; Bubbles Car Wash; Built-In Appliance Center; Bulls Eye Storage; Canvas on Demand; Carew Photography; Carrabba’s; Ciro’s; Cornerstone Mortgage; Corner Bakery Café; Cutco Closing Gifts; Define Body & Mind; Dimensions; Distinctive Details; El Meson Restaurant; Fairfield Nodal; Frank’s Chop House; Gallas Plastic Surgery & Vein Center; Green Mountain Coffee Roasters; Houston Association of Realtors; Houston Chronicle; Houston Dynamos; ISB Insurance Services; Ilona Carson, emcee; Investment Insurance Consultants; It’s All About You; Jason Castro, Astros; Karen’s Kloset; Katherine Aguilar – event coordinator; Kelly Towncar & Limo; Ken Jocobson with Hometrust Mortgage; Kroger; Messina Hof Winery; Main Street Theatre – Chelsea Market; Mia’s; Michael Rubenstein, partner, Schlanger, Mills, Mayer & Silver L.L.P.; Moody Gardens Golf Course; Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation; Nothing Bunt Cakes; Nit Noi; Paris Style Hair & Beauty; Patio on Mercer; Perry’s Steakhouse & Grill; Prime Lending; Rioja Restaurant; Riverstone; Robert’s China; Roland Cardner – Texas Insurance Agency; Salon E; Samantha Piper; Shannon Miller; South Coast Film & Video; SOK – Salon on Kirby; Stretch Houston; Sweetwater Country Club; Tara Sondock; Taste of Texas Restaurant; Terry Pasternak Designs; Texas Professional Mortgage; Theatre Under the Stars; The Finishing Touch @ Norris of Houston; The Gallery at Mid Lane; TK Images Real Estate Photography; Villagio’s Italian Grill; Vince Ford Custom Shirts; Willow Bend Mortgage, Chris Kelso; Yvonne Washington, vocalist; and Zaaz Studios.
2012 Luncheon Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
The Jennifer Hernandez Team/ Patriot Bank Mortgage
Diamond Sponsor
Prudential Anderson Properties
Media Sponsor
Houston Chronicle
Professional Sponsor
Houston Association of REALTORS
Gold Sponsors
Bernstein Realty
Legacy Mutual Mortgage
John Daugherty, Realtors
Nordstroms, Inc.
Silver Sponsor
Alamo Title Company – Post Oak & Bering
Bronze Sponsors
American Title Company – Galleria Office
Appraisal MC
Bernstein Realty Angel Table I
Bernstein Realty Angel Table II
Bridgeland
Brubaker AMC
Carol Desenberg – Wells Fargo Private Mortgage Bank
Champions School of Real Estate
Charter Title Company
Chicago Title
Cornerstone Mortgage
Debbie & Steve Pfeifer – PO&G Resources
Dick Flynn/Cadence Bank, Mortgage Division
Fidelity National Title
Greenwood King Properties
Heritage Texas Properties
Houston Capital Mortgage
Investment Insurance Consultants
John Daugherty, Realtors Angel Table I
John Daugherty, Realtors Angel Table II
John Daugherty, Realtors Angel Table III
John Daugherty, Realtors/Lynn Mather
Katherine Stewart
Keller Williams Metropolitan
Keller Williams Realty
Ken Jacobson – Hometrust Mortgage
Martha Turner Properties I
Martha Turner Properties II
Maxine Myers
Old Republic Title
PURE Insurance – Agency Yu, Inc.
Reliant, an NRG Company
StarTex Title Company, LLC
Texas Insurance Agency
Texas Professional Mortgage, L.L.C.
TK Images Real Estate Photography
Tradition Title Company
UBS Financial Services – The Selzer-Katz Group
Vicki Fullerton – RE/MAX The Woodlands & Spring