The Bellaire Buzz - January 2019

Ruth Steinfeld, Bill Orlin and Anna Steinberger

Neighbors Remember President Bush Must Love Dogs Trapped in Disorganization

Houston’s Holocaust Survivors

Eco Resolutions for 2019

by Russell Weil

Supporting Adults with Autism Keeping Yiddish Alive Soup Days Houston, TX

Never Too Late for College

Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

Travel Buzz: Puerto Rico

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 3

EDITOR’S NOTE In my editor’s notes, I often admit shortcomings.

But this month I am coming clean with a truly mortifying admission: I had never stepped foot inside the Houston Holocaust Museum until the photo shoot for Russell Weil’s Houston’s Holocaust Survivors story.

Years ago, I recall dropping off my kids for a field trip, but didn’t go inside. I thought, I don’t want to be depressed today; I’ll go later. This is embarrassing to admit because it’s too important not to go to the museum. My first visit was powerful. I loved meeting local Holocaust survivors Ruth Steinfeld, Anna Steinberger and Bill Orlin. This month, writer Russell Weil, who’s also a docent at the museum, beautifully captures their stories. I gave Anna a ride to the museum for the photo shoot. I was white-knuckling it in bumperto-bumper traffic when it struck me that maybe giving Anna a ride hadn’t been a good idea – this brilliant woman had survived the Holocaust but possibly not my driving. Thankfully, we were fine, and Anna even invited me for lunch sometime. I can’t wait to get on that busy calendar of hers and take her to lunch. In an Uber. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter thebuzzmagazines.com Editor Publisher Associate Editors Design Manager Staff Writers

Contributing Writers Account Managers

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Deborah Lynn Blumberg Sharon Albert Brier Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Casas Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Cheryl Ursin Russell Weil Claire Petree Pooja Salhotra Andrea Blitzer Stephanie Goldfield Leslie Little

On our cover: Holocaust survivors Ruth Steinfeld, Bill Orlin and Anna Steinberger, here at Holocaust Museum Houston, share their stories and teach lessons about the Holocaust.

Cover photo by Michael Hart, hartphoto.com The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2019 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 4

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Your letters, thoughts, opinions The war to end all wars We have received an amazing number of contacts about the story of our trip to retrace my father’s footsteps in France as a soldier in World War I [In Dad’s World War I footsteps, by Tracy L. Barnett, November 2018]. People from all over The Buzz Magazines’ circulation area have applauded the depth of Tracy Barnett’s depiction of the horrible conditions faced by soldiers and what a deadly conflict WWI was.

Many readers have told us that the story has led them to investigate family members’ service in WWI and to learn more about the “War to End all Wars” that concluded 100 years ago. Vietnam veteran Richard Pena of Austin, who was on “the last plane out of Saigon,” featured your article on his Veterans Day blog to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the war’s end.

We were invited by one of your readers to attend the NSDAR annual remembrance at the Heritage Society for the Gold Star Mothers of Harris County soldiers who lost their lives in WWI. It was at that ceremony that we met Houstonian Christian Niles Seger, who displayed his great-grandfather’s watch that was used by the WWI allied commanders to synchronize the exact time WWI fighting would stop, “11:00 A M, November 11, 1918, hostilities ceased,” as recorded in my father’s diary.

Thank you for including a travel experience centered around an important moment in world history and timed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI this Veterans Day. Kelly and Carmela Frels

Fan of Cindy’s story Wow. “When I’m 64” [When I’m 64: Comfortable in my own skin, by Cindy Gabriel, November 2018] is one of the most poignant, authentic, wise, resonant pieces of expression I've read in a long time. I wish I had written it. Thank you for publishing it.

Jennifer Greenberg

November 2014] and enjoyed reading it, although I only lived in Houston for a few years in the late ’80s when I worked at the TMC. I met my husband in Houston and have many fond memories from my time visiting a boyfriend at Rice University.

Have you heard anyone talk about the fancy restaurant that I think was in the Post Oak Hotel called the Savoy Room? I have wonderful memories of eating there with my family. Incredible food and service. My niece was young when she ordered the lobster for the first time. The waiter brought it to show her before they cooked it and she started to tear up and said, “I wanted to eat it, not meet it!” We ate there once a year and it became our special place to go when we visited the Galleria from Lake Charles, LA. Joel (Jo-elle) Chamberlain Editor’s note: This 2014 article by Russell Weil is still one of our most popular stories. In response to this letter, Russell said he remembers the Savoy Room: “The Savoy Room was in the in-house dining room on the top floor of the Houston Oaks Hotel – now The Westin Oaks, at the Galleria. My brother and I gave a brunch for my parents’ anniversary there one year – it was a big deal!”

For more restaurant memories, see this story at thebuzzmagazines.com.

Send letters to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

What’s your story?

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who:

Christmas décor galore I enjoyed the article about Leslie Flynne [Wild for Yuletide: Christmas décor galore at Leslie’s house, by Cathy Gordon, December 2018]. I worked with Leslie at Gibraltar Savings (later First Gibraltar Bank), and she was a class act. I knew she loved gardening, but I never knew she loved Christmas so much though. Thanks for a great story.

Pat Roberts

More restaurant memories I saw your article on memories of long-ago restaurants in Houston [Restaurant Memories: A look back at Houston’s dining past, by Russell Weil, BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 6

• Have traveled for music, art or film festivals.

• Have Buzzworthy prom stories.

• Are passionate about being “green” and protecting the environment.

• Have compelling hobbies.

• Know an interesting neighbor to profile.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 12.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 7

NEIGHBORS

by Pooja Salhotra, contributing writer

George H.W. Bush Neighbors remember the president

G

eorge Herbert Walker Bush – the 41st president of the United States, father of six including the 43rd president, and husband to his beloved Barbara – passed away Nov. 30 at age 94 in his Houston home. Bush had been a part of the Houston community for decades, starting in the 1960s before he launched his political career and throughout his post-retirement years. As a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and a longtime resident of the Tanglewood area, Bush and his family touched the lives of many Buzz-area residents, two of whom shared some fond memories with us.

When Linda Linder worked at Sears in 1966 alongside a 20-year-old George W. Bush, she had no idea her coworker and his father, George H.W. Bush, would become United States presidents. “The head of employment kept saying, ‘You need to get to know that George W. Bush – he’s going to go places,’” Linda said.

Fast forward 20 years, and Linda was sitting in the pews at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, the same church her co-worker’s father, George H.W. Bush, attended. She saw him step up to the pulpit to deliver the sermon. By this time, he was vice president. Despite his prominence, Linda recalls the elder Bush as humble. “He was the vice president, but he was up there like any other parishioner,” Linda said. “He was not impressed with himself at all.”

In January 1993, days after Bush attended the inauguration of his challenger Bill Clinton, he was again at church. This time, he was in the activities center greeting churchgoers at his own welcome reception. “I remember vividly he shook my son’s hand,” Linda says. “To think last week he was the leader of the free world, and today he’s at church and drinking coffee like any other person.”

Linda, a retired teacher who lives in Memorial, came to admire Bush as a fatherly figure. She saw him attend church Sunday after Sunday, shadowed by a Secret Service agent but without any fanfare, even as he struggled with Parkinson’s disease. And she heard stories from her daughter Stephanie, who worked for him as the senior director of development for the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. She says he used to announce to BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 8

the office that he was taking everyone out for TexMex at Molinas or pizza at Fuzzy’s.

When Linda was a secondgrade teacher at Second Baptist School, her stu- FISHING WITH THE PRESIDENT John (at right) and Nancy Lisenby (center) had an unforgettable stay with George H.W. Bush’s family in Kennebunkport, Maine, where dents would deliv- they spent a Sunday morning on the president’s boat, Fidelity, fishing in the pouring rain. er a presentation of directors from the George H.W. Bush on a president or first lady. Those who selected Presidential Library Foundation at his farm in George H.W. Bush would write a letter to the Independence, Texas. After playing horseshoes, former president, who, without fail, would take the group shot a round of skeet. Bush didn’t perthe time to write back. “The student would form very well – John later discovered that the receive this note from the president,” says president recently had undergone surgery and Linda, “and it was like the biggest treasure in still had stitches in his shoulder. But this didn’t the world.” stop Bush from shooting another round.

For John Lisenby, a Houston home builder “I explained to him that we had different and land developer whose wife Nancy has skeet games we would play,” John said. “I told worked in Bush 41’s office for over 20 years, it’s him this one was a little juvenile, but we liked Bush’s adventurous spirit and generosity that doing it.” stand out the most. Whether it was trying a new Instead of traditional skeet shooting, where a variation of skeet shooting, fishing in the rain, fixed number of targets are ejected from two eleor rallying friends and staff to watch the Astros vated “houses,” targets would be ejected unanplay at Minute Maid Park, he said, Bush spread nounced and as quickly as possible. The shootjoy and laughter. ers’ goal, John told Bush, was to not let any skeet John and Nancy once stayed with the Bushes hit the ground. in their summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, “His eyes just lit up,” John said. and John remembers waking up there on Sunday “And I said, would you like to do that, sir?” morning. He and Nancy were getting dressed for “And he said, yes, I would.” church when they heard a knock. “Dad wants to Bush did not let any skeet hit the ground. know if y’all wouldn’t mind skipping church to John said the reality that George H.W. Bush go fishing,” called out Bush’s daughter, Dorothy was the former president of the United States “Doro.” Bush had apparently received a call from “never leaves your mind.” But, like Linda, John a friend who was successfully catching fish. admired Bush as a fatherly figure who treated his The Lisenbys were up for the adventure. Even extended network of staff, friends, family, neighrain couldn’t stop this crew – when they stepped bors and even strangers with kindness. outside and realized the weather, the Lisenbys He will be missed. followed Bush back home to grab rain gear.

Soon, they were speeding on the Atlantic Ocean, Bush at the helm, while security-detail For more, search thebuzzmagazines.com for A agents struggled to keep up in a zodiac boat.

Full Sock Salute by Cathy Gordon and Houston “Bush did not fish at all,” John says. “He just Honors President George H.W. Bush and had so much fun watching everybody else have Houstonians Celebrate the Life and Legacy of fun in the pouring-down rain.”

George H.W. Bush by Pooja Salhotra.

One year, John and Nancy hosted the board

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Aimee McCrory

NEIGHBORS

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Trapped In disorganization

I

f all the seconds, minutes and hours I have spent looking for my glasses, keys, phone, credit card, purse and anything else that doesn’t come attached were combined, enough time would have accumulated for me to actually accomplish something, like start a small business, write a novel or, dare I say, organize my house?

Any reluctance to marry again is not that I don’t want to live with someone else. It may not be fair to ask someone else to live with me.

I can never get out of the driveway in one motion. There’s always the “go back” thing for my sunglasses, the dog leash or the birthday card I just signed.

My whole life I have not known where to put anything. A Birkman personality test confirmed it. I officially have no inner structure.

It’s a family thing. My mother was not exactly Martha Stewart, but I am worse. My little brother is even worse, but he’s male, so less is expected.

I sought counseling. OK, I brought it up to my hairstylist, Brittany. Brittany has an artful way of relating her personality quirks, which frees me to make my own confessions.

Here’s the latest.

I get home from work to Annie, the anxious Yorkie/Poodle overwrought with the delight of my presence. Knowing her walk is coming, she follows my every step. I root around for the house key, venture into a pile of shoes for my walking shoes. One is on the floor. Where is the other? I never have to look for Annie, who follows me like a human/dog synchronized act. If only my stuff followed me like that. The leash?

Oh yeah, it’s in the car from a weekend walk, along with the doggie bags. Annie finds the other shoe and drops it at the front door out of self-interest.

Finally. Ready now.

Oh, my phone? Where is that? Ah, I’ll just leave it wherever I put it.

Here’s something you need to know: My front door automatically locks when it shuts. Here’s something else you need to know. There is a locked gate between my front door and the outside world, with a small alcove in the middle.

So, I open the door. Annie runs out and up to the gate.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 10

UH OH Cindy Gabriel serves time for disorganization.

Cue the wind gust.

The door slams shut with the key still in the door on the other side.

Annie and I are locked outside, between the door and the gate.

Why didn’t I bring my cell phone?

This story has three varied endings, which “work out.” That’s because it’s happened three times. One upside to my condition is my wellhoned ability to get myself out of jams. Here’s a synopsis of the protocol.

Step 1: Scream. (People do walk by my house.)

Step 2: Some stranger walking his/her dog arrives with a cell phone.

Step 3: Since I don’t know anyone’s phone number, I call a restaurant my son-in-law owns and get them to call him. Before I thought of that, I called the locksmith. But he was kind enough to let me off the hook once I reached my son-in-law.

In between: Zen pose. Pray. Pet confused dog.

Thankfully, the weather has always been mild. I didn’t have to go to the bathroom.

Let’s just say Annie and I have done quite a bit of self-imposed jail time between my front door and gate.

Brittany listens and clips in syncopation. My hair is looking better and better as I relate this story. Brittany expresses her own habit of dropping things to the floor in the creative process, but without seeming nearly as unhappy with herself. Brittany says she knows she will never change. She just accepts it.

What? I have spent the last six decades planning to change. When I get married, when I have kids, when I quit work, when I go back to work, when the kids are older, when the kids move out. I have spent decades in a perpetual mindset of procrastination.

One day later, I brought this up to my “worse” brother, Buddy, the least likely person to have the answer. But the following six words came from his mouth. “Matt’s wife is a professional organizer.”

Matt? Your best friend from high school? That kid actually grew up and got married? Then, I felt the following words come from my mouth.

“Give her my phone number.”

Within two days I had a perky text that felt like a jury summons. “Hi Cindy, are you ready to begin organizing your spaces? Would you like me come to your house Saturday?”

It sounded so immediate. Without feeling it at all, I said, “Let’s get started.”

Michelle Smithpeter forced me to notice that I had three pieces of furniture in my closet, along with files, memorabilia, picture frames and AC filters.

“Your closet is where you dress. Only what you wear should be in it.”

We set some things on the street with the words “free” taped to them. They vanished.

There was suddenly more room in my closet and in my brain.

I think I worked with Michelle one full Saturday.

The rest of a two-month period, Michelle worked around my schedule and texted me pictures and asked me to make decisions. Michelle was on a roll.

She lost 3 pounds the first week.

I knew my life was different toward the end when our helper Ronaldo needed slightly shorter screws for the paper towel holder. I remembered that there was now a bin in my garage labeled SCREWS. I went to the bin, pulled it out, and there were two slightly smaller screws that were just perfect.

A wonderful, relaxed feeling of relief entered my soul. I have not changed, but my life has, with the help of other people.

What a relief.

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BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 11

Adam Cowan

NEIGHBORS

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Going Green Eco resolutions for 2019

W

hen Joanna Smith was expecting her first child three years ago, she wanted everything to be perfect. “I wanted to have a pristine, lovely nursery; everything had to be just so. I bought all these things for my daughter; I had a baby shower with a registry, the whole hoopla,” she said. “Suddenly I looked at it all and felt sick.”

Joanna grew up in California, where she internalized an environmental ethic, and spent years in London, where she saw those ethics reinforced. She understood the impacts of Americans’ high consumerism patterns. Still, there are times she forgets – and going green is a process. So she’s decided to dial back the consumption in 2019, teaching her children to be mindful in the process.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have 12 years to turn things around so our children and grandchildren can continue to enjoy a planet with a relatively stable climate. So it’s not too much to assume that 2019 will be a definitive year for the environment.

That’s why Going Green created the Eco Resolution Challenge. We reached out to Buzz readers to share their environmentally sustainable resolutions for 2019. Joanna and many others responded, and we share their commitments below.

Shop at thrift stores. Especially for kids, who grow so fast they barely have time to use their new garments before it’s time to put them in the Goodwill bin. Joanna is pledging to do this for her new baby. She hopes it will send her kids an important message. “I don’t want them to have this expectation of new, new, new, every time they need something.”

Begin to compost. Now that Joanna’s family is moving into a place with a garden, she is planning to renew a composting practice she began when she lived in London. (See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com for a composting primer.)

Planting with a purpose. Elizabeth Cosgrove is going to upgrade her yard with an ecological mindset. She learned from a Houston Audubon presentation about what types of plants attract native Texas species, from bees to butterflies to birds. “I realized that we need the right trees/shrubs etc. in order to attract and feed a BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 12

IN THE BAG Joanna Smith uses shopping to teach daughter Aurelia Cowan about sustainability, buying organic when possible and using reusable mesh bags for produce, as well as reusable shopping bags in general.

variety of bird species,” she said. “I don't think most people know how vital our area of the country is to the North American bird population, given our migratory location.”

Keep it simple. Tamara Sell just went through a significant downsizing (from more than 3,000 square feet to 1,200), and her family’s goal for 2019 is to keep it simple, save more and spend on experiences rather than things. In renovating their new place they invested in new windows, additional insulation, LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances, so their energy usage has already dropped substantially.

Share what you’ve learned. Sandy Spears is going to keep updating her eco-friendly blog, Houston 350, which includes a column she wrote to highlight things we can all do to reduce climate change. "You can impact climate change through individual actions, engagement with environmental non-profits, purchasing choices and through policy,” she said. Her resolution is to call Texas legislators and discuss the importance of voting for clean air, plastic-bag bans and direct sales of electric cars to consumers.

Go plogging (picking up litter while jogging).

Kirby Chenkin plans to continue doing so on his own in parks and neighborhoods, and he will organize events through his KirBeBetter movement.

Adopt a Drain. Sara Speer Selber has made

the connection between trash-clogged drains and increased flooding. She’s already adopted three drains in in her neighborhood under the city’s Adopt-A-Drain program, and she monitors them as she practices plalking (picking up litter while walking). This year she plants to adopt a fourth drain and inspire others to join her.

Take the Game-Changer Intensive. This online course by the Pachamama Alliance inspires and equips you to become a gamechanging leader. Steve Stelzer of the Houston Green Building Resource Center will be re-taking this course. “I have found that re-inspiration is a good thing.” To re-inspire yourself, you might want to do what I’m doing and read some selections from Steve’s reading list (see this story online).

Compensate for the carbon you’re burning with your air travel. My personal challenge is to find the best ways to do this. Offsets are a complicated issue, and sometimes can do more harm than good. I’ll let you know what I find out – and welcome your suggestions.

Now, it’s your turn.

MORE ONLINE See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com for links and to add your own resolutions – or email them to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Individually we can do a lot – but together, we can do so much more.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 13

NEIGHBORS

by Deborah Lynn Blumberg, staff writer

Kvelling Over Yiddish Keeping an ancient language alive

D

eep in the Berkshires in upstate New York, klezmer music plays through the night, campers compete in a game of Yiddish Family Feud and cozy up around a fire roasting marshmallows and singing Yiddish tunes. Dan Weinstein is in his element.

For the last seven summers, Weinstein, 45, who lives in the Meyerland area, has immersed himself in the language his Eastern European ancestors once spoke. He packs his bags for several days of history lessons, poetry readings, a talent show, and simply chatting with other secular Ashkenazi Jews—non-religious Jews of Central or Eastern European descent—over meals from a kosher kitchen.

The one rule? Campers have to speak Yiddish the entire time.

“Yiddish had always been in the back of my mind,” said Weinstein, a former high school Spanish teacher who now works in compliance at ExxonMobil. He gestures with his hands, and his face lights up. “It was something that got lost, a part of our culture, and I wanted it back. There aren’t many places where a secular Jew like myself can go and speak Yiddish about anything and everything.”

Yiddish emerged in the 10th century and was once the everyday language of Jews in Eastern and Central Europe. That changed during the Holocaust when millions were killed. Today, researchers estimate between 600,000 to 3 million people across the globe speak the language. In

Yiddish for beginners Chutzpah (hutzpah), courage or audacity Kibitz (kibits), to offer unwanted advice Kvetch (kvech), to complain or gripe Mensch (mench), a person with integrity Meshuga (meshoegah), crazy Oy vey (oy vay), oh no!

Nosh (nosh), to snack on Nudnik (noodnick), a pain in the neck Schlep (shlep), to drag or haul Schmooze (shmooze), to make small talk Bashert (be-shert), soulmate or meant to be BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 14

ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, it’s spoken as a first language.

Weinstein remembers being curious as a boy when he heard his grandparents speaking in Yiddish. It was their first language, even though they were born in the U.S. Weinstein’s great grandparents were from Belarus, Poland and Lithuania.

The lakeside camp is run by New York-based Yugntruf – Youth for Yiddish. It has no TV and spotty Wifi. The MAMALOSHEN To keep his ancestors’ language alive, Daniel Weinstein goal: to disconnect with schmoozes once a week with fellow Jews at Rabbi Pinchas Aloof’s home. technology and connect escaped the Holocaust as a child. Nostalgia for with Yiddish. Yugntruf books space at the her childhood and the country she left behind Berkshire Hills Eisenberg Camp, a Jewish sleepdraws her. “For me, it’s like listening to music. away camp for kids. Nearly 200 campers from all Yiddish has great proverbs. It’s rich in literature. over, age 5 to 85, attend during the week.

It’s not a dead language.” Chaim Segall, from When Weinstein first decided to learn South Africa, grasps A Yiddish Word Book for Yiddish, he took beginner classes at a local English Speaking People. “Every one of us here has Jewish organization where he met native speaker grown up with an emotional feeling for the lanRabbi Pinchas Aloof. Aloof, born in Israel, guage,” he said. “We don’t want to lose it.” Also served as a rabbi in Galveston in the 1990s. a part of the group are Riva Krasnitsky from Now, in addition to camp, Weinstein regularly Russia, who escaped the Holocaust as a child, meets other Yiddish enthusiasts at the rabbi’s and the rabbi’s wife, Claire. Claire’s father, from home in Fondren Southwest. To keep up their Poland, wrote poetry in Yiddish. skills, “we schmooze in Yiddish,” Weinstein said.

Yiddish now creeps into Weinstein’s everyday On a recent Wednesday, Weinstein and a life, when texting his parents, or dropping meshuga handful of locals in their 70s and 80s gather or oy vey into a conversation with friends. around the table in the rabbi’s dining room “A lot of people ask me, why would you want noshing on a strawberry pound cake and orange to learn Yiddish?” Weinstein said. “I just always halves and cherries piled high on a plate. The felt like there was something missing in my life. men wear yarmulkes. The rabbi leads them in I wanted to learn my ethnic language.” an animated discussion about British Prince One year at camp, he spent time with regular William’s first trip to Israel. attendee Zackary Sholem Berger, a doctor and “We’re all from different backgrounds,” said professor from Johns Hopkins University who the rabbi, who also teaches Yiddish classes out translated Dr. Seuss’ The Hat in the Hat into of his home once a week. “The common denomYiddish. Weinstein bought the book for his chilinator is mamaloshen, the Yiddish language. It dren, David, 10, and Gabriel, 9, passing down the brings us all together.” language to the next generation, keeping it alive.

One regular, Sara Rozin from Lithuania,

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 15

NEIGHBORS

lawellphoto.com

by Michelle Casas Groogan, staff writer

Spectrum Fusion Supporting adults with autism

W

illiam Purdy was stuck. In his mid20s, he was living with his grandmother in Memorial, in a dead-end, part-time job at a comic book store. He had been in the gifted and talented program at school and earned a college degree in psychology. He liked to write and had ideas but didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“I would wake up in the morning and say, ‘Well, I’m awake, not that there is anything to wake up to.’ I would sit in front of the TV and sit in front of the computer, and that’s pretty much what I did for years on end,” said William.

William says anxiety was his enemy growing up.

He thought he had friends, but he never hung out with them. Then he learned about a free support group called Spectrum Fusion, and what happened next was life changing. At the age of 26, he was diagnosed with autism; as someone who always had good communication and language skills, it was an unexpected answer to his questions.

Spectrum Fusion partners with universities, organizations, employers and entrepreneurs to improve the lives of adults with autism. Its founder, Dr. Heidi Ham, earned a doctorate in psychology, specializing in autism, from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She has studied the effects of autism in the United States, United Kingdom, Africa and Australia.

“In living in different countries, I really did hear the same stories over and over, families very concerned about what their children would do after they passed away. Where would their children live? These are adults with autism who are bright and have a lot of great ideas, but are not part of a community.”

And that is why she opens the door of her West University home several nights a week, to help the 25-30 members of Spectrum Fusion find their inspiration and purpose.

“Fostering that sense of belonging is really important for the community. If they don’t feel safe or they don’t feel accepted, they won’t even share with you what they would like to do,” said Dr. Ham. “In order to have a sense of belonging, you have to have positive frequent social contact with the same people. It’s not just someone checking in, but somebody who really cares BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 16

FUSION OF FRIENDS Gathering for a Spectrum Fusion meeting at founder Dr. Heidi Ham’s house are (from left) Matthew Curran, Terrie Longworth, Syble Longworth, Ham, William Purdy (behind Heidi), Justin Moehn, Brittany McElroy, Philip Thomas and Michelle Vines.

about them day in day out.”

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, usually characterized by difficulties with speaking, socializing and or showing empathy. In more severe cases, individuals may be non-verbal, have emotional outbursts and behavioral challenges. Dr. Ham says adults on the spectrum often feel frustrated and misunderstood, and sometimes the anxiety is unbearable. She says adults with autism are five times more likely to attempt suicide, especially those who are above average intelligence.

While socializing and community-building are important values, employability is just as critical. As part of job training, the group invented Spec-Press. For sale in doctors’ offices, it is a sock filled with rice for patients to warm and use on their eyes to aid in recovery from eye surgery. Members of Spectrum Fusion assemble, market and profit from the product.

Rick Giuffre, who has an adult son in the group, is a CPA who volunteers to teach basic business skills to members. “This program maximizes individual potential, and it’s more cost effective for society and our communities,” said Rick. “The traditional state and city governments to help people with special needs are overloaded and not effective.”

The program takes entrepreneurship a step further by matching an individual’s specific

interests with a job. Once an individual is comfortable, the next phase of growth is an event called the “reactor room,” where experts tailored to that person’s talent create a plan for employment. One member is selling jewelry on her website; another is working at a place where he can showcase his filming and editing talents.

Since Spectrum Fusion started 18 months ago, there have been six “reactor rooms.” One member in his 40s, who preferred not to have his name printed, is convinced the experience is opening doors. “I always knew I had more abilities than I was using and could do more with the right support. State agencies had no real connections to help me. I was able to showcase a 3D prototype of a drawing I did in a reactor room, and it received great feedback. It was a truly rewarding experience.”

William Purdy was the first participant and the first success story of the “reactor room” experience. It led to a writing job at SEO411, a digital marketing agency based in Houston.

“A couple of years ago I could only dream of this.

All I had were dreams. What Spectrum Fusion helped do for me was give me direction,” said William. “It was that jumpstart that I needed....”

Editor’s note: Spectrum Fusion is looking for volunteers, board members and donations. See www.spectrumfusion.org.

PETS

kimhartz.com

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Must Love Dogs Neighbors who foster pups

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here’s a story called The Boy and the Starfish.

It’s about a boy who is walking along a beach, saving stranded starfish. One by one, he picks them up and tosses them into the ocean after a storm has washed them ashore.

A man approaches him with a puzzled look.

With thousands of starfish around, he tells the boy that it’s impossible to make a difference. In turn, the boy picks one up, tosses it back into the water and replies, “I made a difference to that one.”

There are Buzz residents who open up their homes to foster homeless dogs, and just like the boy and the starfish, they are saving lives, one dog at a time, from living on the streets and euthanasia in overcrowded shelters.

Self-proclaimed “dog lady” Patty Bowen, her husband Sam and their 2-year-old son, Sam, take in foster dogs through Mile High Labrador Retriever Mission. The rescue is located in Colorado, but saves labs from high-kill shelters across the country. They have a network of volunteers, including the Bowens, to offer temporary foster homes for Labs that are pulled from shelters and later sent to Colorado to find forever homes.

Patty grew up in a dog-loving family, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that she decided to foster. The Bowens have two dogs, mixed-breed Kailynn and black Labrador Nacho. They take precaution with introductions. “Once pecking order is established, everyone can roam the house without worry,” said Patty.

If you follow Patty on social media, chances are you’ll see a daily picture of her foster dogs – hanging out in their backyard that’s been transformed into an oasis for dogs, with water toys and artificial grass.

There are challenging moments, like when she found a tri-color, mixed-breed stray aimlessly wandering her neighborhood. The dog had nowhere to go, and the groups were full – and she was preparing to leave town. The options were grim for “Ojitos” if she were to take him a shelter.

So, she networked and found a temporary foster home. The feeling is all worth it for her. “[I love] getting the extra love and cuddles from a dog who realizes they have been saved,” she said.

Mother-daughter duo Natalie and Emily BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 18

SAVING PUPS Top photo: Bellaire High School senior Emily Baker and her mom Natalie Baker foster dogs for K-9 Angels Rescue. Bottom: Patty Bowen takes precautions when introducing her foster dogs – including Phoenix (middle) – to her own pets, Kailynn, a mix, and Nacho, a Labrador retriever.

Baker have fostered more than 30 dogs through K-9 Angels Rescue. They set up a “dog room” in their home with a tarp to cover the floor, puppy play pen and crates. Emily, a senior at Bellaire High School, dedicates her summers to fostering and training, and plans to foster next year in college.

“We recently had a dog that was shaking for two days,” said Natalie. Emily found anti-anxiety music on YouTube for dogs and played it each night after crating him for the night. “After a couple of days, the dog decompressed and

knew he was safe.” He was adopted the next weekend at a K-9 adoption event.

Natalie encourages anyone interested in fostering to take the plunge – it saves a life and it doesn’t require months or even weeks of commitment.

“Sometimes just a few short days,” said Natalie.

A warm, safe home is generally all that’s required. “There are many shelters and rescues that need fosters,” she said. “Most [groups] will supply a crate, food and everything you need.”

She hears a lot of people say that if they foster, they fear they will become too attached. “I

kimhartz.com

DOG HOUSES At left: Rosie Murphy, here playing with April at home, has fostered dozens of homeless dogs. At right: The Bowen family, which includes 2-year-old Sam, fosters Labrador retrievers for Mile High Lab Rescue. The dogs stay in their home from one night to a few weeks before they move on to their new homes.

encourage you to realize that in fostering, you will find happiness in saving a life.”

Buzz resident Rosie Murphy and her mom, Pat Castillo, are another mother-daughter duo into fostering. Rosie has fostered more than 30 dogs over the years, and has three “foster failures” herself (when she adopted her foster dogs).

Her 10-year-old son, Murphy Jones, is a big

helper with the dogs, too. Rosie has fostered for the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society, CAMO Animal Rescue, A Chance to Bloom, Lola's Lucky Day, K-9 Angels Rescue and the Puggle Rescue Group.

She’s a big advocate of spaying and neutering and of “adopt – don’t shop” when looking to add a dog to the family. “Everyone can get a [pure-

bred] dog if they want one; most dog breeds have a rescue,” she said.

Much like the starfish on the beach, when the foster dog moves on, there will always be another in need – looking to find its way after a storm.

A foster home is a stop along their way – but without it, their journey would most likely end before it could ever begin.

Where to foster now Are you interested in opening up your home to foster, short or long term, or volunteering to help a homeless pet? Here is a sampling of local animal-welfare groups with an immediate need for fosters and volunteers.

K-9 Angels Rescue k-9angelsrescue.org • foster@k-9angelsrescue.org K-9 Angels Rescue rescues and rehomes shelter dogs throughout the Houston area. The group takes in dogs of all ages and all breeds, and under all circumstances. Take a look at their adoptable dogs on their website, too.

Mile High Lab Rescue milehighlabmission.com • 720-989-1522 Love Labs? The Mile High Labrador Retriever Mission is a nonprofit that helps homeless and lost Labrador retrievers and Lab mixes. The dogs the group takes in are mostly from high-kill, overpopulated pet areas across the country.

Pup Squad Animal Rescue pupsquad.org Want to get your puppy fix? Pup Squad rescues orphaned puppies and nursing litters from the streets, shelters and other life-threatening

situations and matches them with permanent adoptive homes. The group also promotes spaying/neutering and humane animal care.

Red Collar Rescue redcollar.org • info@redcollar.org Red Collar Rescue is all-volunteer organization providing abused and abandoned animals with medical care, foster care, training and adoption. Take a look at their adoptable dogs and follow them on Facebook to read about their meet-and-greet events.

Barrio Dogs barriodogs.org • info@barriodogs.org Barrio Dogs is a nonprofit that has been working in Houston’s Greater East End since 2010, raising awareness about animal care and the importance of spaying and neutering. They teach residents that animal birth control and humane care will create safer, higher property-value communities.

Houston PetSet Rescue houstonpetset.org • info@houstonpetset.org • 713-960-6622 Houston PetSet is an umbrella group that provides grants to animal welfare-related nonprofits in Greater Houston. Find out many ways to get involved by visiting their website and following them on social media.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 19

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FOOD

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Soup Days Warming up the chill

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he tiniest tinge of cool in the air has those of us who like to cook looking up last year’s favorite pumpkin bread and pulling out recipes for gratins and braises.

Mostly, we start thinking soup. Because there’s nothing better on a Sunday night with a fire going, even if you have to crank up the AC. While chili recipes are always subject to debate in Texas (beans? no beans?), Amy Krasner thinks she’s found the perfect mix. On a recent Saturday night, she hosted an easy, lastminute chili party – last-minute meaning she didn’t even go to the store for ingredients until late in the afternoon.

"My family’s always made chili, and I’ve been making it since law school,” says Amy, a legal recruiter. “It’s always fun to have chili on and watch football and relax. I love having people over and grazing, and chili is an easy thing to eat around. You can add tortilla chips, Fritos, onions, queso, rice, guac – any or all. You can do a million things with chili, and it’s nice for people to be able to enjoy their own version of dinner."

entirely or stir it in to taste. (Amy finds it overpowering.) For a deeper “kick,” add jalapeños or serranos to taste. Add the onion.

Cover the skillet or saucepan and simmer 30 minutes (longer for a spicier flavor) or until the meat is tender. Add HOSTING Amy Krasner likes to invite friends over to watch football and enjoy a the remainder of the bowl of chili. beer or water and con1 pound raw chicken breast, diced into small tinue to cook the chili until some of the liquid cubes burns off. If the chili seems soupy or if you like a 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, chili powder, thicker chili, stir the masa flour into ¼ cup warm lemon pepper, salt water and pour it into the chili. Or, in place of 3 teaspoons hot sauce (Julie uses Frank’s masa, Amy likes to crumble tortilla chips and RedHot) cook them into the chili to thicken it. Simmer ½ cup flour another 15 to 20 minutes. Add a pinch of sugar 1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes to enhance the flavor ("a trick I learned from 4 10½-ounce cans chicken broth my Nanny, who was the best cook I have ever Garnishes: tortilla chips, shredded cheddar known," Amy says.) The chili is best after simcheese, diced avocado, sour cream mering or sitting for several hours.

Amy Krasner’s Chili

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"It seems like cheating to start with a 'chili kit',” Amy says, “but it makes a great baseline chili."

2 pounds coarse ground or diced meat (such as chuck, round or turkey) 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 8-ounce or 10-ounce can tomato sauce or RoTel Diced Tomatoes and Chopped Green Chiles, drained, or El Fenix salsa 12-16 ounces water – or 1 bottle of beer (Amy uses Dos Equis XX Lager Especial) and salsa (Amy uses El Fenix) instead of water 1 package Wick Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili kit Optional: jalapeños or serranos, diced 1 sweet or white onion, chopped Pinch of sugar

Julie Price’s Family Favorite Tortilla Soup

Sear the meat in a large skillet or saucepan with the garlic. Drain off fat. Add tomato sauce, drained RoTel or half a jar of salsa. Add the water or a half-bottle of beer. Stir in all of the Wick Fowler’s package ingredients except the red pepper and masa. Depending on the level of spiciness you desire, leave out the red pepper

From the old Rotisserie for Beef & Bird restaurant. ½ stick butter ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 large carrots, diced 2 stalks celery, diced

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 20

ulie Price’s teenage daughters know soup is coming “when the first real cold snap rolls through,” she says. “I think a hearty bowl of soup is the perfect meal for a chilly winter night. It warms you up on the inside; it’s easy to prep and can be made earlier in the day and warmed up at dinner. It also makes the house smell yummy and makes good leftovers.”

The Prices unanimously say that their favorite is Julie’s tortilla soup, with chicken with dumplings, chili and her vegetable soup with beef and barley following close behind.

Heat butter and oil in a large soup pot and sauté chopped onions, jalapeño, garlic, carrots, celery and chicken. Simmer 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, lemon pepper, salt, hot sauce and flour.

Stir for a few minutes until the flour is mixed in.

Add tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer for 1 hour. Top with crushed tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, avocado and sour cream.

Julie Price’s Vegetable Soup with Beef and Barley 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained 3 10¾-ounce cans beef broth 3 10¾-ounce cans of water 1 large (32-ounce) can tomato juice (Julie likes V-8, Clamato or Snap-E Tom) 1 10-ounce box frozen mixed vegetables 1 10-ounce box frozen cut okra 1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes with liquid 3 stalks celery, diced 4 carrots, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 large yellow onion, diced

lawellphoto.com

SOUPS ON At left: Chili is the perfect easy dinner for a crowd. At right: Myrna Engler has been making Caldo de Pollo, Mexican Chicken Soup, since her mom taught her the recipe years ago.

4-5 medium red new potatoes, cubed 1 box button mushrooms, sliced ½ to ¾ cups barley 1 Tablespoon salt 1½ teaspoons pepper 1½ teaspoons garlic salt 1 bay leaf ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon parsley 1 teaspoon lemon pepper 1 beef bullion cube Combine all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and simmer slowly for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. This will make a lot of soup, and it freezes well. Serve with cornbread.

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yrna Engler, a clinical social worker, has been making Caldo de Pollo – or Mexican Chicken Soup – for as long as she can remember, thanks to her mother, who is from Monterrey. “Everyone has their own take on this traditional Mexican soup,” Myrna says. “My brother adds kale and ginger, some people like to add cumin, we might use only carrots if that’s all I have.” The recipe starts with making your own chicken stock. “My mom swears, and it’s true, the bone marrow is what gives it wonderful flavor. You have to have drumsticks and chicken breasts.”

Myrna’s Engler’s Mexican Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup) 6 skinless drumsticks 2 skinless, bone-in chicken breasts 1 red onion, quartered

4 stalks celery, chopped 4 large garlic cloves, peeled 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper to taste 1 tomato, diced 1 large yellow squash, diced 1 large zucchini, sliced in ¼-inch rounds 4 large carrots, cut in ¼-inch rounds ¼ head cabbage, sliced thin 6 baby russet potatoes, quartered 4 cobs of corn, each cut in fourths Garnishes: lime, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, tortilla strips or corn tortillas For the stock: Place chicken in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add onion, celery, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper, and add enough water to cover.

Boil over high heat, then simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes. The stock is done when the meat falls off the drumsticks. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Strain the stock into a large bowl or another large pot, saving the solids, and returning them and the stock to the pot. When the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the drumsticks and shred or dice the chicken breasts.

Place the cooked chicken and the fresh vegetables back in the pot with the stock, and add chicken stock or water if needed to cover. Let the soup cook for 15-20 minutes, being careful not to overcook the vegetables. Serve with sides of lime wedges, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado and tortilla strips or corn tortillas.

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enise Smith, an executive search consultant, recently began making a healthy soup that she says is delicious. From the website That Low Carb Life, the recipe uses zucchini that have been spiralized (see the January 2018 story Veggie Noodles: Healthy Options for the New Year at thebuzzmagazines.com) – a perfect healthy “reset” soup for January.

Chicken Zoodle Soup 2 Tablespoons olive oil ½ sweet onion, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 6 cups chicken stock 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 4 large zucchini Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and chicken to the pot along with the oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Spiralize the zucchini to make “zoodles” and add them to the pot (you can also buy pre-spiralized zoodles). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, simmering and stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the zoodles are al dente. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 21

NEIGHBORS

by Cheryl Ursin, staff writer

Never Too Late You can go to college again

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ome people go to college later in life because they didn’t have the opportunity before. Others go back to finish. Some go for a degree to help them in their careers, others to change careers entirely. Some go for fun.

Georgia Polley was always embarrassed she had dropped out of college in her sophomore year. “I was a terrible student, even in high school, and I had no idea what I wanted to do,” she remembers.

“I just wasn’t ready to be off at school.”

After living on her own, working as a waitress, she decided, in her mid-20s, to go back.

This time, though she was working as well as going to school, she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors in business administration (BBA) in accounting from the University of Houston. “This time, I knew what I had to do and I had rules for myself,” she said. One was to always go to class, which was not a rule she had followed at 18. Indeed, this go-round, she almost cancelled her first date with her future husband when it looked like it would conflict with her finite math class.

Deborah Stedman had been the first in her family to go to college. “I was practical. I got through school as quickly as I could and majored in business,” she says. She went on to get an MBA at night while working.

At 30, though, she decided to do what she had always wanted: become a doctor. She spent the next four years getting up at 4 a.m. to study before work, taking the prerequisites she’d need to apply to medical school: biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and organic chemistry.

She took the 7½-hour Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). And that was all just to apply.

At age 34, she quit her job, moved to San Antonio and started medical school at The University of Texas, San Antonio, living on loans to do it. After that, came a year of internship, a five-year residency and a yearlong fellowship. “Fifteen years later, here I am,” she says with a laugh. She became a radiologist at age 44.

Tina Reynolds had gotten her bachelors in 1992 and a master’s right after, in 1995. Fast-forward to 2010, when she was living with her husband Andrew in New Orleans, working as a BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 22

development officer for Tulane University.

Andrew’s company posted him to Rio de Janeiro. At the same time, Tulane began offering some online classes for its masters program in public health, an area Tina had been interested in since she had worked for the World Health Organization in the late ’90s while living in China.

“It just all came together. Tulane introduced the online classes, we had the financial means, and I could stay in New Orleans,” she says. While she took half her classes online while living in Brazil, she also took classes in New Orleans for eight months.

Technology had changed the classroom experience, she found. PROUD GRADUATE Georgia Polley loved going back to get her degree. Plus, with her BBA in accounting, magna cum laude, her first entry-level accounting job “First day of class, I nearly doubled her salary. pulled out my pen and office hours with questions.” notepad – and everyone else pulled out their When it comes to struggling with difficult computers,” she remembers. Tina had no probclass material, Tina, like many people who go lem taking online classes, though. “Online lecback to school later in life, find their maturity tures have a rewind button, which I loved,” she helps a lot. “I was there by choice, I knew exactsays, though she admits, even for the online lecly what I wanted, and I was completely focused,” tures, she still took notes by hand. she says.

There were some minor bumps in the road.

Kelli Sullivan, a self-described “soccer mom,” “Whoo, the GRE,” Tina remembers, “that was decided to apply to the four-year master of libhorrible.” The Graduate Record Examination is eral studies (MLS) program at Rice University the standardized test many graduate schools when her daughter started high school at St. require for admission. It includes math. “I hadn’t Agnes. The Rice program is part-time; students done any math for decades,” says Tina. take one class a term, one evening a week, it is And there was more math to come. She had designed for older students with jobs and responto take a course on bio-statistics. “That professor sibilities, and those students are there for the joy came to know me,” she says. “I was always at his

of it. None of this, however, means the program is easy. The application process alone requires three research papers, three to five pages each.

(The GRE, however, is not required.)

“Going through the application process, some people self-select out,” admits Rebecca Sharp Sanchez, administrative director for the program.

“There’s a lot of reading,” says Kelli. In addition, the classes, in the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences, require papers, presentations and sometimes exams. The program then culminates in a “capstone” research project, usually a 40- to 60-page piece of writing and a presentation.

Kelli loved it.

So, if you do decide to go back, what’s involved?

It depends on what you go back for. These are plenty of options in Houston. Some people, of course, take classes here and there, as they are interested in them, without a plan to use them for credit toward a degree, by, for example, taking a class at Houston Community College (although those can be used for credit), at Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies or through programs such as Houston’s Inprint Writers Workshops.

Georgia did not need to be embarrassed to be going back to finish her bachelors. Plenty of people end up doing that, or not. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, overall, about 40 percent of all first-time, fulltime undergraduates have not graduated six years later. Indeed, the stereotypical financially dependent 18- to 21-year-old undergrad living in a dorm is decidedly not typical. According to a recent National Public Radio (NPR) report, almost 74 percent of all undergrads are “nontraditional,” with one in every five being 30 years old or older. According to Mardell Maxwell, executive director of admissions at the University of Houston, about 15 percent of all that university’s new undergrads last year were “nontraditional age.”

Plenty of people go back for graduate degrees, sometimes to programs designed particularly for older students with responsibilities. Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, for example, offers a number of different masters of business administration (MBA) programs. In addition to the full-time option, which tends to attract younger students, it offers programs held on the weekends and in the evenings, and those students tend to be in their 30s. It even offers an online MBA, which is particularly popular with active-duty military stationed all over the world and people working in unusual locations, such as on oil rigs in the gulf.

Masters of liberal studies programs have become more common over the years, with about 80 of them currently offered around the country, two of them in Houston: the program at Rice, which was founded in 2005, and another at the University of St. Thomas. While some of the Rice MLS students are younger, students tend to be in their late 40s and early 50s, accord-

MASTERING CHALLENGES To get her masters in public health, Tina Reynolds, shown in 2010 shaking hands with Pierre Buekens, then dean of the school of public health at Tulane University, split her time between Brazil and New Orleans for two years, learned to speak Portuguese and powered through classes in math.

ing to Rebecca Sharp Sanchez. There is also currently an 80-year-old student in the program.

Don’t be afraid to be older than the other students or even the teacher, though it can lead to “some interesting dynamics,” Deborah Stedman says. “You also have some advantages and life skills, like being able to get along with people,” she points out, adding she never felt discriminated against in medical school and residency for being older. “It’s the people who look younger whom the patients question,” she says.

“Personally, I think having the worldview of a 54 year old in a class of 18 year olds enriches the experience for all,” says University of Houston’s Maxwell.

“If you’re concerned about how you’ll do in class, maybe start slowly, taking one or two classes that are just interesting to you,” advises Georgia. “Things will eventually snowball.”

Taking classes at the local community college can also be a way “to repair an academic record,” Maxwell says; it gives the next schools you apply to fresh performance information to see. It is also a good way to brush up on subjects you haven’t thought about for a while and possibly get some requirements out of the way before you go all-in.

But, say these students who have gone back, you should do it.

Tina found getting her masters in public health to be “tremendously fulfilling.” She even learned Portuguese in order to do her practicum in Brazil. “It was very exciting. I was living my dream,” she says.

Deborah, though she gave up a decade of income to train as a doctor, has no regrets. “I tell my residents that that worst day in radiology and medicine is better than the best day at a job I wasn’t excited about,” she says. “Follow your heart.”

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 23

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NEIGHBORS

by Russell Weil, staff writer

Houston’s Holocaust Survivors And the museum that shares their stories

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 24

and Nazi collaborators. Six million of those victims were Jewish. Those who survived and lived through the horror, including Balbine and Hulda, are Holocaust survivors. In 1996, there were hundreds of Holocaust survivors living in the Houston area.

Today, while the numbers have become smaller, those still with us remain committed to sharing their personal stories so that others can learn from the past.

Volunteering at the Holocaust Museum Houston has lead to the opportunity to become friends with many Houston Holocaust survivors. I first met several of them when they came to REMEMBER Top photo: Ruth Steinfeld, Bill Orlin and Anna Steinberger, here (from left) speak with our at Holocaust Museum Houston, continue to share their stories from the Holocaust. Bottom: class, showing their Writer Russell Weil's great aunts, Balbine and Hulda Schwarz, at their Houston apartment appreciation for our in 1960, with a mosaic tablet of the Ten Commandments that Balbine made to thank the WWII dead of her adopted country, America. The tablet was placed in the St. Avold service and sharing Memorial Cemetery in France. their personal to their fates and journeys after this horrific time experiences. For them, the Holocaust was a part in history. They have played a vital role in keepof their past, but they wanted us to understand ing the Holocaust personal and offering the how it could affect the present. They needed us human side to a dark time, so that this history is to understand exactly what happened between never forgotten. the years of 1933 and 1945.

As visitors enter the main exhibit, Bearing Their stories are woven throughout the museWitness: A Community Remembers, they are um’s exhibits, beginning with their lives before Weil family private collection

I

gave my first tour as a docent at the Holocaust Museum Houston in 1997. Since then, I’ve given probably nearly 400 tours to thousands of people over the years. Many have asked why I do it, and others have questioned how I am able to lead tours on such a sad topic.

How could I not?

Although my family members include Holocaust victims and survivors, this subject was foreign to me through my high school years. It was not an acceptable topic of conversation, and it was not included in my class curriculum growing up. I was only aware that my surviving relatives disliked Germany back then, and I was taught at an early age never to buy them gifts that were marked as being made in Germany.

Two great-aunts from Posen (German-controlled) who were survivors, Balbine Schwarz and Hulda Schwarz, were generous to me and my older brother. When my dad was helping me buy my first car, my aunts wanted to contribute.

Their only stipulation was that if we purchased a German-made automobile, they would not ride in it. My first car was American.

The United States Congress, by unanimous vote, established the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in 1980. This moment was pivotal in permitting the Holocaust to become an acceptable topic of conversation. The same year, in another unanimous decision, Congress voted to create the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. For the 1985 groundbreaking ceremonies, Balbine and Hulda were invited to participate.

Not long after, they began to carefully share their stories in detail, and their openness would forever leave an impact on my life. Listening to my aunts’ recollections, I was mesmerized as if someone were reading from an epic novel or movie script.

The years passed, and their health declined.

Holocaust Museum Houston opened its doors in 1996. When I saw an advertisement for docent training, I knew I had to be involved. I wanted to keep my family’s story alive and honor Balbine and Hulda.

There were 11 million victims of the Holocaust murdered at the hands of the Nazis

Photo provided by Anna Steinberger

Photo provided by Anna Steinberger

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ANNA At left: Anna Steinberger, in front of a photo of Paula Hirschberg Dreyfuss on the girl’s first day of school in Oldenburg, Germany. At right, top: Anna Steinberger was 10 in this photo with her older brother, Jacob, in Poland in 1938. When she was 11, her family was forced to flee their home. At right, bottom: Anna Steinberger walking in Poland in 1938 with her father, mother and her uncle, who was a country doctor.

introduced to photos of local survivors’ families living in Europe prior to World War II. One of these has become my favorite over the years, and I always include the photo of a little Jewish girl in Germany smiling on her first day of school in my tours. This young child, Paula Hirschberg Dreyfuss from Oldenburg, Germany, could have been someone I might have known in grade school, eager to learn and meet new friends.

Three local Holocaust survivors, Anna Steinberger, Ruth Steinfeld and Bill Orlin, continue to be actively involved in educating others about lessons learned from the Holocaust.

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r. Anna Steinberger and her late husband, Dr. Emil Steinberger, endowed the docent training program at Holocaust Museum Houston. Anna is always there with a big hug and intelligent observations.

Her family fled Poland to avoid the Nazi regime in 1939, living for six years in Russia

before the war ended. In 1940, while living in Alma Ata in the Kazakh Republic, she met a young man by the name of Emil Steinberger, whose family had endured deplorable living conditions. Emil was suffering from malnutrition and was hospitalized. Once he was well enough, Emil and Anna spent time together while their parents became friends.

When the war was over, both families returned to Poland. They found indescribable devastation. Anna’s family lost everything except each other. After spending time in a camp for displaced persons in Kessel, Germany, Anna and Emil came to New York in June of 1948.

Starting over in America, Anna taught and conducted research in reproductive biology and served as assistant dean for faculty affairs at UT Medical School-Houston. Anna continues to speak to students and adults from all over the country who come to the museum to learn about

tolerance and remembering the past. I am lucky to call Anna a friend.

There is one main message Anna hopes visitors take with them after they have toured Holocaust Museum Houston. “People must learn to live with mutual respect and understanding, regardless of our backgrounds or differences in our economic situation, the color of our skin or our philosophy,” she says. “We don’t always have to agree on everything, but we must do it in a civil fashion.”

Anna strongly believes that only education can change attitudes. As the number of survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust are fewer in numbers, Anna believes that it will be up to docents and educators in the museum to carry on that legacy.

One photo in the deportation area of the main exhibit speaks directly to Anna. “There is a photo of Jewish people getting on a train, and one little girl is looking (continued on page 26) BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 25

hartphoto.com

Photo provided by Ruth Steinfeld

Photo provided by Holocaust Museum Houston

RUTH At left: Ruth Steinfeld, with her late husband, Larry Steinfeld, who was born in Hameln, Germany in 1930. He arrived in New York with his family in 1938 to escape Nazi Germany. Larry was a longtime docent at Holocaust Museum Houston. Middle photo: Ruth (left) and her sister Lea Krell Weems, with their mother, Anna, in Ladenburg, Germany, in 1936. Their mom gave them up to save them and later was killed in the Holocaust. At right: On the wall of local survivors behind Ruth are the names of friends and family members, most no longer living. (continued from page 25) back as if to question what

is happening or what is her future. Where are they taking us?” Anna says she was 11 when the war started and was wondering the same things when the Russians were evacuating her community by cattle trains. Anna always points out this little girl on her tours. “Why is this happening to us?” she says. “Why can’t I just be home and play with my friends?”

Anna remembers a tour from several years ago. Two adult men began speaking to each other in German. Anna understood enough to realize they were making negative comments about Jewish people. After the tour, she asked these men what brought them to the museum.

Answering in English, they explained they were visitors to Houston involved in oil exploration, and they came to see what lies the Jews were spreading about the Holocaust. Shocked, Anna calmly replied that they just revealed their tremendous ignorance, and she gave them her advice. “Why don’t you just go to your own museums and see all the records that the Germans kept during the Holocaust? Your own libraries and your own records were recorded by German historians and Nazis who took great pride in eliminating the Jewish population.”

After they realized she had understood what they were saying in German, they both apologized and even waited as Anna walked to her car, making sure she got in safely. “Education is certainly our greatest tool in teaching lessons from the Holocaust,” says Anna.

B

orn in Manheim, Germany, sisters Ruth Krell Steinfeld and Lea Krell Weems were among the first survivors to talk publicly about their experiences. Ruth continues to bring gentle strength sharing her story and offering wise words, traveling the world spreading hope as a BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 26

speaker. She was a seasoned docent when we first met, as was her beloved husband, Larry, who passed away in 2015.

Larry caringly took me under his wing when I was training to become a docent. As I showed up to follow one of his tours, Larry took me by the arm to have me stand beside him, rather than among the tour, so I could see the audience react. I learned so much by his small but meaningful gesture that I carry on the tradition by doing the same for docent trainees.

After the Krell family was deported to the internment camp of Gurs in the French Pyrenees, Ruth’s mother, Anna, made the selfless decision to entrust Ruth, age 7, and her sister Lea, age 8, to a Jewish philanthropic organization called the Oeuvres de Secours aux Enfants (OSE). As they left the camp, Ruth and Lea never saw their parents again, as both perished in the Holocaust.

The two sisters lived first in a group home and later with a foster family in a small farming community in France. Posing as Catholics, Lea and Ruth were safe only until the villagers began to suspect their true identities. Both were moved to another orphanage, where they remained until war’s end. At 13 and 14 years old, Ruth and Lea came to the United States in 1946 after her remaining grandfather Jakob Kapustin, who was living in the United States, saw their names among a list of war orphans and brought them over.

Ruth Steinfeld became involved with Holocaust Museum Houston during its planning stages, with just five people sitting around a table. For each of these survivors who were not used to speaking publicly about the Holocaust, their belief was that a museum would be a great place to learn. Ruth had much to tell, yet she was not used to sharing her story, even going as

far as not discussing the Holocaust with her children, avoiding questions about what had happened to their grandparents. However, during the first meetings when so many showed up in support of the museum, many of whom who were not Jewish, Ruth realized that others cared and wanted to learn.

Through the years, this space has come to represent much more than a museum to Ruth.

She has a special connection to the Memorial Room. This peaceful place is adorned with a wall of plaques to honor local Holocaust survivors who have died since the museum opened. “With all the names of the people who were survivors that passed away, it’s like a cemetery we never had,” Ruth says. The remaining walls in this room are highlighted by art installations with messages of remembrance, tears and hope.

The main message that Ruth has learned herself through the years is forgiveness. During this journey, she faced her past by returning to Germany after a 1981 visit to Israel, making her way back to her childhood home. After holding everything inside, she says, she had a powerful experience of forgiving. “Ever since that happened, I have felt like a new person. I don’t have any anger.” When she knocked on the door of her childhood home, an older German-speaking woman answered the door and invited Ruth inside. As she walked in, the two women began to cry, and they instinctively hugged each other.

When Ruth came to America, she says, everyone kept quiet. “If you had a problem, you were told not to talk about it. Silence is not the way to go. We have to talk. Docents are here to show the museum and to tell the stories. It’s important.” Ruth assumes that same responsibility as she continues to share her story at schools and organizations.

hartphoto.com

Bill Orlin Bill Orlin

BILL Top, left photo. After the Holocaust ended, Bill Orlin and his family were sent to a displaced persons camp in Germany. Here, Bill is with his brother Boris and their friend Lou Kerschberg inside the camp in 1948 shortly before Bill and his family left for Canada. Left, bottom: This 1954 photo of Bill Orlin was taken in Germany while he was serving in the U.S. military during the Korean War. At right: Bill was 7 when Nazi troops invaded. His entire village was forced into a 50-mile march, suffering abuse along the way.

B

ill Orlin, originally from the east Poland village of Brok near Warsaw, was forced from his home with his entire family as the Germans took control of Poland. They were forcibly marched to Ostrow Mazowiecka approximately 50 miles northwest of Poland, suffering abusive humiliation. “We walked all day,” says Bill.

Their journey took them through Bialystock, the Soviet republic of Belarus, and Uzbekistan.

After the war, Bill and his family lived in a camp for displaced persons in Germany. In 1948, they left Germany for Canada, settling in the United States in 1951. Although a newcomer, he felt passionate about his new homeland, and was willing to join the military and defend his adopted country in the Korean War, becoming a part of U.S. forces occupying Germany in the 1950s. While stationed in Germany, Bill became a United States citizen.

Holocaust Museum Houston reminds him of the past while teaching new generations of students about the Holocaust. “The docents are the best thing that ever happened to the museum,” says Bill. He went on to describe a tour that he

followed where the docent asked the group, “Who is a Jew?” This sparked an important conversation because, as the group members realized, you cannot always identify a Jewish person simply by an individual’s attributes. “No one ever accused me of being Jewish. Italian, yes!

Some of the things you have read about Jews having big noses and large ears – that’s all German propaganda.” The docent had touched on an important lesson.

At the age of 86, Bill says he is the only living male Houston Holocaust survivor currently speaking at schools and universities across Texas. His primary message is that this really did happen. “The Eisenhower films in our museum are proof of that,” says Bill. In the Liberation section of the museum’s main gallery, videos of Allied liberators led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower show the carnage that was discovered as liberators entered each concentration camp. These films were ordered to be made by Eisenhower to ensure everyone was made aware that the Holocaust did happen.

Holocaust Museum Houston currently is

housed in a temporary location at 9220 Kirby Drive while the main campus at 5401 Caroline Street in the Museum District is being rebuilt, with a scheduled opening in June 2019. This new, three-story, 57,000-square-foot home will offer an expansive format to tell the stories of the Holocaust, local survivors, human rights, and tolerance Survivors, including the treasured Anna, Ruth and Bill, my family members, as well as all victims of the Holocaust, are heroes. As their numbers become smaller, it is vital that their voices continue to be heard.

Balbine and Hulda may be gone, but they both stand beside me with each tour I present. I point out their names on the Wall of Survivors in the museum’s permanent exhibit as a personal acknowledgment to two strong women whose influence on my life remains. Holocaust Museum Houston is here to tell their stories.

MORE ONLINE See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com for video and more about Anna, Bill, Ruth and Lea. BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 27

KIDS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Keeping it simple

Buzz Baby is a column about life with little ones.

Writer Annie McQueen has three children age 4 and under.

T

he other day, I was driving around with my kids, looking for something to do. It wasn’t a rainy day or a cold day where we felt cooped up in the house – it was just a regular day.

My mind was in a lot of different places trying to come up with the best idea of a place to go to keep them busy and entertained – and grab a healthy snack since they were all hungry.

Then it came to me – why don’t we just keep it simple and go home and do absolutely nothing.

Definitely not a mind-blowing thought, right?

But it was a big deal to me at that moment. I realized that I had gotten so into the habit of leaving the house to find things to do that the simple thought of going to our own home didn’t even occur to me.

I turned the car around and felt a wave of relief come over me, not because I didn’t want to take my kids to do something, but because I was excited at the thought of doing something so simple. My kids enjoyed the day too.

Often, having small children can feel nonstop – there’s always something to do, things to remember on the way out the door, endless chores, memories to make, photos to take. After all, it’s 2019 now (happy New Year, by the way); kids’ birthday parties often are more intricately planned than ever, and, with social media, there’s added pressure to snap that perfect picture at the perfect event to share with the world.

(Don’t get me wrong – social media is a great and fun way to connect with people, but as a parent, it can complicate an outing. “Did I remember to take a cute photo to post?”)

I spoke to other Buzz parents on ways they like to keep things simple. A few of the top ideas I heard were no social media (some have opted to take a temporary hiatus) and keep games simple, like old-fashioned tag in the backyard or hide-and-go seek or build a fort. A lot of parents said they put away their phones when it’s time to play with their kids.

With kids in programs or school, schedules can fill up fast, and I heard a few parents say that BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 28

SIMPLIFY A lot of parents are hoping to keep things simple in 2019. Meal planning helps, says mom Julie Hughes. Pictured are Henry and Caroline Hughes.

they don’t always say “yes” to social outings like play dates or birthday parties right off the bat.

Amy Atwood, a mother of one, says she takes her family’s schedule one day at a time. She says she has a large whiteboard monthly calendar hanging in their laundry room “so that I can be more mindful of how I fill in the daily squares.

Before I commit or say yes to something, I check to see what else is going on for that week.”

Amy says her goal is to have a few activities spread throughout the week. She avoids “overbooking us to the point of exhaustion, which can be my tendency. I’ve found that down time at home – for all of us – is such a gift.”

Another large component of parenthood is meal planning, and there are ways to keep it simple while keeping it healthy, says dietician and mom-of-two Julie Hughes.

“My ‘keep-it-simple’ meal prep is using canned vegetables and soups for meal times,” says Julie, who just welcomed a baby boy. “As I

dietitian, I can tell you most people underestimate their use. However, it’s such an easy way to get in high fiber vegetables and a quick healthy meal.”

Julie shared some examples of simple but healthy meal ideas: cans of peas and carrots, mixed vegetables, lentil soup, minestrone soup and vegetable soup. “I doctor them up with a dash of salt and a little butter for flavor,” she says. She said children under 2 actually need a high fat content for brain development, so the butter helps with that. Her daughter Caroline’s favorite are the Birds Eye frozen vegetable and pasta dishes with lentils.

As a new year starts, I am personally going to try and remember to keep it simple more often and minimize the “go-go-go” mentality, with less of trying to fill the day and less of trying to rush to the next activity and more of putting on pajama pants, sitting on the floor after school, and just talking about the day. Repeat to self: Less is more.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 29

TRAVEL

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by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Lifting up Puerto Rico

G

isselle Matta and her family weathered the storm during Hurricane Harvey better than many. Their garage flooded and they lost a car, but after watching so many neighbors lose their homes, they counted themselves lucky.

Then, about a week later, came the news of Hurricane María. “We were like, ‘Oh, God,’” said Gisselle, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

With her parents, sisters and a whole web of extended family across the island, Gisselle feared the worst.

Fortunately, once again, the Mattas were spared. But it was a tense few days after one of the worst storms in American history before telephone contact was re-established and she could confirm that everyone was safe.

Puerto Rico, land of Ricky Martin, Jennifer López, Despacito crooner Luis Fonsi, West Side Story star Rita Moreno and baseball legend Roberto Clemente, was battered beyond anything the island had experienced in at least a century. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives; hundreds of thousands were left homeless, without power or water for months. Damages were estimated at more than $100 billion.

But Puerto Ricans have bounced back with typical creativity and resilience, and within months, the tourism industry – a mainstay of the island’s economy – was up and running. In September, a year after the storm, Discover Puerto Rico announced that 90 percent of the hotel inventory had been restored.

Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, announced that 4,000 restaurants, 189 attractions, 13 golf courses and 16 casinos had reopened as of the anniversary of the hurricane.

The island had 14 cruise ships making ports of call there as of September, four more than last year. Airlines are making more than 100 daily flights to the island.

Still, Puerto Rico has a long way to go, especially to rebuild its already fragile economy. The blue tarps that cover damaged roofs are everywhere, wrote Vann Newkirk in The Atlantic recently — as are the signs saying “Puerto Rico se levanta” (a phrase that lends itself to multiple interpretations, from “Puerto Rico will rise” to BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 30

LAST NIGHT OUT Cousin Annette joined Gisselle and her sisters on their final outing, to Paseo Caribe, and the women were starstruck with a local actress, Alba Nydia Díaz, who graciously took a picture with them. From right: Gisselle Matta, Annette Oller, Alba Nydia Díaz, Ileana López and Aileene Chovanec.

“Puerto Rico is lifting itself up”).

For those who are feeling put off by the photos of mass destruction that flooded the media after the storm, or maybe even guilty about lounging in a place where some are still struggling to piece their lives back together, Travel + Leisure has a concise answer: The island needs you now, more than ever. Puerto Rico is as magical a place to visit as it’s ever been, and your vacation can provide a much-needed infusion of cash into the economy.

Puerto Ricans themselves are rolling out the welcome mat in a thousand creative ways; Puerto Rican composer, playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, for his part, launched a multimillion-dollar arts fund, and is taking the title role for all 24 performances of Hamilton this month at the University of Puerto Rico Theater in San Juan, with all proceeds to benefit that arts community.

There are also many opportunities to lend a hand through volunteerism programs. And as

always, if you want to support the local economy, look for ways to buy local.

“Tourism allows travelers to experience first-hand how the island was affected by the hurricanes, and gives them the opportunity to get involved to help communities rebuild,” said Fernando Lloveras San Miguel, president of Para la Naturaleza (For Nature), a nonprofit organization that manages more than 60 natural areas and organizes transformative experiences in nature.

The organization also allows visitors to participate in the recovery of the island’s natural habitats through reforestation and monitoring programs. “It is amazing to see the support of travelers,” said Lloveras. “Even those who come for a relaxing vacation can still make a big difference by taking a few hours out of their day to volunteer with us at Para la Naturaleza or one of the several other organizations helping our islands recover."

Gisselle didn’t know (continued on page 32)

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 31

A PERFECT BEACH Mar Chiquita in Manatí is one of Puerto Rico’s gems. The Mattas headed to the cove on a rainy day, but it ended up a great beach day nevertheless.

Visitors need a GPS to get there and water shoes to climb on the rocks, says Gisselle. “Fantastic place, totally worth the drive.” (continued from page 30) what to expect when she

headed to the island to visit family in July. To her relief, the neighborhood she grew up in, in the historic capital of San Juan, had recovered.

Most of the homes were of cement and had withstood the worst of it. Other parts of the islands hadn’t fared so well.

For Gisselle, who grew up in San Juan, hurricanes are just part of life. She recalls her parents would stock up on supplies, board up the house and check on the neighbors before the storm would hit. Their rock-solid cement home was far enough from the coast and yet not up in the mountains, where much of the damage hit, so it withstood many storms. Afterwards it would take a while, but people would take care of each other, and life would return to normal.

In July she headed to the island with her sisters to check up on her family and spend some quality time with them, and they followed their tradition and headed to the beach. This time they headed south, going to the beaches in Ponce, around Peñuelas; then they went to the North Coast, where the rough waves of the Atlantic make for some especially dramatic coastlines. There they went to Manatí and to the spectacular cove known as Mar Chiquita, a crescent-shaped beach protected from the crashing waves of the Atlantic by a limestone wall.

“Overall if someone comes to visit the island as a tourist, you would still find good customer service, great places to eat, many activities to do and views to be seen,” she said. “The areas that are most dear to our tourists – the hotels, the beaches – those areas are pretty well controlled, with good safety measures, the same as before.”

She did find the street lights out in some neighborhoods, and even some traffic lights – but those were in areas where tourists would probably not venture, she said.

“There are all the usual grocery stores and malls; you can definitely tell there’s some infraBELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 32

structure that needs to be fixed up, it’s just a matter of time.”

Post-Maria tourism San Juan, the island’s colonial capital city, is as charming and atmospheric as it ever was, with its cobblestone streets, antique Spanish architecture and cafés, restaurants and boutiques. The nightlife that gave rise to Ricky Martin still offers visitors a taste of the Vida Loca. The local culinary scene is as rico as ever, as well, and it can be hard to choose – which is why the Old San Juan Food Tours have become so popular, giving a taste of the culture along with each bite.

One way to support the Puerto Rican renaissance is by seeking out up-and-coming chefs and enjoying their offerings. A whole generation of young entrepreneurs is betting on starting restaurant businesses, hoping to contribute to the local economy and food system post-hurricane. Some are working with passion and creativity to resurrect pre-industrial local food traditions and a farm-to-table market, while others are striving to grow a fledgling sustainable agriculture movement.

Another way is to support the island’s vibrant arts community, which you’ll find in galleries and performances everywhere – from grassroots street art and community theater to the finesse of Broadway. It’s an arts community that has shown extraordinary resilience in the face of economic and environmental tragedy, as Shirine Saad writes in Vulture. If the brilliance of the Mercado Caribeño Art Fair is any indication, this is one aspect of Puerto Rican culture that will not be defeated.

For those who would like to go all-in and dedicate a vacation to helping Puerto Rico rebuild, the rewards – and the options – are many. Just a few of the many organizations that have sponsored volunteer opportunities include All Hands and Hearts, Habitat for Humanity, Jubilee USA,

Team Rubicon and Catholics Care. Go Overseas has put together a directory of volunteer and service opportunities in Puerto Rico.

But it’s not only homes for humans that are in need of rebuilding. Puerto Rico is home to the only tropical rainforest in North America – El Yunque. Tragically, following the devastating impact of the hurricanes last fall, an estimated 480 million trees were destroyed, effectively deforesting the island and endangering many of its endemic species. The storm toppled or stripped bare nearly a third of the island’s trees.

Para la Naturaleza offers a number of volunteer activities year-round, free of charge and perfect for families, solo travelers and tour groups.

These programs enable travelers to experience the natural beauty of the island while also getting involved and working hands-on to aid in hurricane recovery. A couple of the activities include: Sowing of native trees (Cabezas de San Juan, Fajardo): Endemic and native trees are better adapted to the tropical climate of the islands, and are more resistant to the impact of hurricanes and droughts. Accompany PLN staff in planting native trees in carefully selected spots.

Nursery maintenance (Nursery of Río Piedras, San Juan): PLN’s goal is to plant 775,000 endemic and native trees in the next five years. By participating in these projects, you help the organization take care of the new trees, while learning about the best reforestation practices.

Regardless of your interests, Puerto Rico is sure to offer something that will engage you, entertain you, and quite possibly, teach you something new. As Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted recently, “No shortage of bad news. But also no shortage of ways to do some good.”

MORE ONLINE See thebuzzmagazines.com for more than 30 links to places and programs mentioned in this story.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 33

The Junior League of Houston

FOOD

by Claire Petree, contributing writer

Cooking Buzz Meatless Mondays Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

J

anuary always brings around new health kicks. This year I have friends and coworkers giving up soda, attempting a Whole30 diet, cutting out gluten, cutting out dairy and following a keto diet. Resolutions are always great, but these types of complete overhauls are not for everyone. I think being realistic is key. Meatless Monday is an easy way to refresh your diet after an indulgent holiday season, or even a foodheavy weekend.

For breakfast, I enjoy avocado toast with sea salt and olive oil; add a poached egg if you have time and need something more substantive. For lunch, you can rely on vegetables and hummus or a delicious salad, or even a grilled cheese and tomato soup if you are still craving comfort food.

I enjoy spending more time on dinner, particularly when I know there will be leftovers for the rest of the week.

Simple bruschetta makes a great meatless appetizer; the Classic Bruschetta from Peace Meals hits all the right notes with juicy tomatoes and the crunch of rustic Italian bread. It can be changed according to your tastes. Peace Meals recommends trying it with goat cheese and peppercorns, chopped mushrooms and blue cheese, or figs and caramelized onions. If you have time over the weekend, it is fun to visit one of the farmers’ markets around town for colorful tomatoes, fresh bread and vegetables to use.

Hearty bruschetta and crostini is often enough paired with a simple arugula salad and balsamic vinaigrette, but sometimes, particularly in cold weather, I love to serve it with the Creamy Artichoke and Mushroom Penne from Stop and Smell the Rosemary. This one-skillet dish is easy to make and clean up and makes plenty for leftovers at my house, perfect with chicken and an easy salad the rest of the week. [The recipe notes that artichokes should be cut and cooked with stainless steel utensils.]

Meatless Monday is a simple way to reset your week, your month or your year. Just don’t forget dessert.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 34

CRUNCH OF FLAVOR Play around with the flavors in the bruschetta and crostini from Peace Meals – consider goat cheese and peppercorns, chopped mushrooms and blue cheese, or figs and caramelized onions.

Classic Bruschetta al Pomodoro From Peace Meals 1 loaf of rustic Italian bread such as ciabatta, cut into ½- to ¾-inch thick slices 2 to 3 cloves garlic, slightly crushed Extra virgin olive oil Al Pomodoro: 2 medium tomatoes, chopped ¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper Preheat oven to broil. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast under the broiler until golden and crisp. Turn the slices over and toast until the second side is golden and crisp.

Rub the toasted bread immediately with garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Combine the tomatoes, basil, olive oil and vinegar in a bowl. Top the bruschetta with the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Crostini Tapenade From Peace Meals 1 thin loaf of Italian bread or French baguette, cut into ¼- to ½-inch thick slices Tapenade: 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives 1 cup pine nuts, toasted 1½ cups fresh parsley 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence Freshly ground pepper ¼ cup olive oil ½ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Truffle oil 1 bunch fresh basil chiffonade Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake until lightly golden and crisp. Turn the slices

over and bake until the second side is lightly golden and crisp. Remove the crostini from the oven and set aside. Place the garlic, olives, pine nuts, parsley and herbes de Provence in a food processor; season with pepper. Process until smooth, adding the olive oil slowly while the blade is running. Top each crostini with the desired amount of tapenade and Parmigiano-Reggiano; broil just until the cheese is melted. Drizzle with truffle oil and top with basil. Serve warm.

Creamy Artichoke and Mushroom Penne From Stop and Smell the Rosemary 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup minced onion 1 clove garlic, crushed 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained Salt and freshly ground pepper 12 ounces penne pasta, cooked al dente 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (¼ cup) 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Melt butter in a large skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until tender, but not brown. Add mushrooms. Sauté 5 minutes. Stir in artichokes, heating thoroughly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Place artichoke mixture in a bowl and set aside. Return skillet to heat and add cream. Boil until cream is reduced to one half. Add artichoke mixture and capers to cream. Stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Toss warm sauce with pasta. Gently stir in Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

MORE ONLINE See thebuzzmagazines.com for more recipes.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 35

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

Maria Gonzalez and Mike Potowski Vicheka Im

Find out about your favorite chefs in our Chef’s Corner column. This month, restaurant writer Dai Huynh interviews Maria Gonzalez and Mike Potowski.

I

n the late ’90s – long before “clean” and “green” became popular – veteran restaurateur Benjy Levit was an advocate of grainand-vegetable-forward options. Now these items (among others) are front-and-center at his new concept, The Classic All Day (5922 Washington Ave.), which replaced his nearly decade-old namesake near Memorial Park.

Here, his executive chefs, Mike Potowski and Maria Gonzalez, discuss rebranding the modern American menu with rejiggered breakfast, lunch and dinner classics to entice current tastes.

Gonzalez shares, too, how she shed more than 80 pounds after she started cooking for Levit.

The National Restaurant Association reported that seven out of 10 adults are trying to eat healthier and simpler at restaurants. Not only that, but diners want items made with high-quality greens, grains and proteins. What are you guys doing at The Classic to meet diners’ shifting tastes?

Maria: Diners are more educated about what they’re consuming. They are counting their calories for sure.

Mike: We have a rotisserie in the back, and so we roast our chickens on that. We are not serving mashed potatoes; we’re not serving potato au gratin or mac ’n’ cheese. Instead, we’re serving a lot of vegetables. But back to the rotisserie chicken. We put a lot of effort into it. It takes us three days. First, we brine it for 24 hours with herbs and salt, and then we rub it with a spice rub and dry it out for another day before roasting. The rub has ground cumin, coriander, garlic and aonori, which is seaweed flakes, something Maria and I love.

Along with new dishes, including the shrimp rigatoni pasta with uni butter and Russian-inspired pelmeni dumplings with mushrooms, hazelnuts and crème fraiche, we noticed, too, a few remnants of Benjy’s?

Mike: The menu is in progression. But we want a place that people can come more than once a week. We’re listening to our customers, and so some elements of Benjy’s are coming back because of customer demand.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 36

THE CHEFS Executive chefs Mike Potowski and Maria Gonzalez collaborate on breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for The Classic All Day, which replaced Benjy's on Washington Avenue.

Maria: Yeah, like the goat cheesecake that people have been asking for, and the brussels sprouts, things we thought we had moved on from. But we have had to evolve them into The Classic’s signatures as opposed to Benjy’s. Take the goat cheesecake, for instance. Instead of searing it on the flat top, we bake it instead, so it’s little healthier. The brussels sprouts, we roast them, and then we fry them. And instead of adding just the Gruyere cheese and the gastric, we added a little more fruit, a little more herbs, so the flavors are cleaner.

What else is back?

Mike: That’s it really.

We’re glad that Benjy’s famous Mom’s Chocolate Cake is still around. It’s worth every fudgy calorie.

But Maria, 10 years ago, after you started working here, you dropped 80 pounds. That’s incredible.

How did you do it?

Maria: When I started working here, I changed the way I cook, along with starting spin, and the weight just came off. It was all downhill from that point onward. I’m currently at 21 percent body fat, which is great!

But cooking here, I started to think differently about ways to bring flavors to my food without adding fat. If I needed fat, why not try coconut fat or olive oil? If I wanted starch, why not make

Courtesy of The Classic

Courtesy of The Classic

CLASSIC At left: Diners want to eat healthier, but they still want their cake, too. Benjy Levit's Mom's Chocolate Cake remains a fixture at his new concept, The Classic All Day. At right: The Classic All Day's popular rotisserie chicken is a three-day process, starting with a 24-hour brine, followed by a spicy rub of ground cumin, coriander and Japanese aonori.

cauliflower rice? I’m always looking for ways to improve a dish, making it healthier without sacrificing flavors. Otherwise what’s the point?

One of the most popular dishes at The Classic is the grain bowl with a fried egg, seasonal vegetables, sweet potatoes and quinoa. Typically, you simmer this super grain in hot water for 10-15 minutes. But you don’t do that.

Maria: I soak it overnight in water. I treat it like beans. But we make quinoa by the pounds.

At home, just soak it for about 45 minutes, then steam it rather than boiling it in water. It comes out perfect rather than wet and mushy.

We must try that. We’re all trying to eat better in the new year. Where do you guys go out for a healthy meal?

Mike: I have three kids. We don’t go out.

Maria: Pho Binh near Gessner (8336 Southwest Freeway). I love the pho with the tripe. Phat Ky (11792 Wilcrest Drive) is another good place. The matcha tea cake there is so deliciously good. And then there is my go-to Sweet Tomatoes. They’re all over town. But it’s basically a salad bar, and I can eat all I want.

The Classic All Day Raw Kale Salad From Maria Gonzalez, The Classic All Day Ginger Sesame Dressing: 2 Tablespoons minced garlic 3-4 stalks of green onions, roughly chopped ⅓ cup ginger, peeled and chopped 1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar ¼ cup agave nectar 2-3 Tablespoons sambal, depending on heat preference ¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce ⅔-¾ pound sesame tahini, depending on personal taste Salad: 6 cups Tuscan kale, chopped

2 Gala apples, thinly sliced ½ cup cashews, toasted and rough chopped 2 cups brussels sprouts, washed and shredded 1 red onion, sliced thin and soaked in ice water 3 Tablespoons white sesame seeds, lightly toasted 2 cups bean sprouts 2 cups savoy cabbage 4 Persian cucumbers, sliced thin Handful of Thai basil Handful of mint ½ cup chopped cilantro In a blender, combine garlic, green onions, ginger, rice vinegar, agave nectar, sambal, soy sauce and tahini. Blend until smooth. Set Ginger Sesame Dressing aside and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Dressing can be made in advance. Leftover dressing can be stored in airtight container for 5-7 days.

To make salad, toss kale, apples, cashews, brussels sprouts, onions, sesame seeds, bean sprouts, cabbage, cucumber, basil, mint and cilantro with Ginger Sesame Dressing. Add as little or as much of the dressing as you like. Toss salad to coat vegetables evenly with dressing.

Serves 4-6.

Chef’s notes: Ingredients for dressing can be combined using a hand blender or blender. For the dressing, chef Maria Gonzalez wanted to take a different approach and not use any oil. Instead, tahini provides fat and flavor. With this salad, you get plenty of texture without the adding calories, so you can use any raw vegetable you like, and you can shave it, chopped or shredded the vegetables. The more crunch the better, and adding different herbs change the flavor profile. Enjoy!

Mom’s Chocolate Cake From Benjy Levit January is National Diet Month, but for those

times when you want to indulge, we had to print Benjy Levit’s famous Mom’s Chocolate Cake recipe, which he shared with Dai back in 2001.

3 sticks butter, divided 1 cup water ¾ cup cocoa, divided 2 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 Tablespoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided 2 cups flour ½ cup buttermilk Nonstick spray 6 Tablespoons milk 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar 1 cup pecan halves Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter over low heat. Increase heat to medium-high and whisk in water and half of cocoa. Bring cocoa-butter mixture to a boil and set aside to cool.

In electric mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, baking soda, salt and half of vanilla. While mixer is running, slowly alternate between adding flour and buttermilk and then, finally, the cocoa-butter mixture. Cover a 13½-by-9-by-2-inch pan with cooking spray; pour in batter and bake 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

While cake bakes, make frosting by melting remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Transfer to mixing bowl; stir in remaining cocoa and milk. Slowly combine powdered sugar and remaining vanilla until smooth. Fold in pecans.

Remove cake from oven and spread frosting evenly over cake while still warm. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and longtime Houston-based restaurant writer.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 37

SPORTS

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by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz F

or the fourth time in the last six seasons, The Kinkaid School Falcons are SPC football champions, winning this year’s title with a 41-21 victory over the rival Episcopal Knights.

“This one is definitely special,” said Falcons head coach Nathan Larned. “Going into the game, we were without some key offensive starters due to injury, then lost a couple of more starters in the first quarter for the rest of the game. A lot of young guys stepped up to get this victory.”

Stepping up in heroic fashion was freshman defensive back Jordan Williams. The younger brother of Falcons standout running back Josh Williams, who himself was sidelined with a knee injury, the younger Williams was pressed into the role of running back for the first time.

Williams responded with a magnificent game, rushing for 200 yards while also taking a screen pass for a 65-yard score. Defensively, he sealed the Kinkaid victory with a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown. “Jordan’s a special talent. He’ll definitely be seeing the ball quite a bit over the next three years,” said Larned.

The Knights’ victory was also highlighted by outstanding performances from quarterback Zach Daniel and junior wide receiver Victor Garza. Daniel threw for 255 yards and five touchdowns, with three of those touchdown passes going to Garza. As for Garza, along with his three touchdown receptions, he also played a huge role on defense and special teams in the championship victory.

Off the field, there was a big post-season honor for Kinkaid’s Ameer Mustafa, who was named the Lineman of the Year at the Touchdown Club of Houston’s Private School Football Awards Dinner. “Honestly, this award is more than I could’ve ever imagined,” said the Falcons senior.

The Offensive Player of the Year award went to both St. Thomas quarterback Peyton Matocha and St. Pius X quarterback Grant Gunnell. Earlier in the season, Gunnell broke the state’s all-time record for career passing yards and touchdowns, while Matocha accounted for 4,400 yards of offense and 49 touchdowns in a sensational senior season. “It’s very special.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 38

PLAYER OF THE YEAR In the wake of a phenomenal senior season, St. Thomas Eagles quarterback Peyton Matocha received the Private School Offensive Player of the Year Award from the Touchdown Club of Houston.

Matocha shared the honor with St. Pius X quarterback standout Grant Gunnell.

Going into the off-season, I had one goal in mind, which was to get better and make my teammates better,” said Matocha. “To be here and win this award just shows that all the hard work paid off.”

On the other side of the ball, Episcopal Knights senior Jordan Wells was named the Defensive Player of the Year. “There’s just so many great athletes out there, so to win this award is just such an honor,” said Wells. The Coach of the Year award went to Second Baptist Eagles head coach Terry Pirtle, who guided his Eagles to a district title and an overall 11-2 record.

In volleyball, the St. John’s Mavericks captured the SPC Championship with a four-set victory over Episcopal in the tournament’s championship final. The victory marked the Mavericks’ first SPC title since 2009. “We were predicted to finish near the bottom of our conference, but our girls didn’t care what others were saying,” said Mavericks first-year head coach Shelbi Irvin.

“They just responded time and time again and did whatever it takes to win.” For the season, the Mavericks posted a 27-11 record, including a perfect 9-0 mark in SPC play.

Over the course of the season, the Mavericks posted a series of breakthrough victories, including victories over Episcopal and John Cooper for the first time in six years, along with its first vic-

tory over Houston Christian in eight years.

“We won in a lot of different ways,” said Irvin.

“Our girls just had a refuse-to-lose attitude.”

Mavericks senior setter Alexandra Lewis led the SPC in assists with 871 assists on the season.

Junior outside hitter Celia Adams was the conference’s kills leader, while sophomore libero Nova Manning was fourth in the SPC in digs.

The trio were also named to the SPC AllTournament Team.

Back in football, Stratford Spartans senior defensive lineman Sam Habel was named the Greater Houston Scholar Athlete of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Houston. Habel, who’s ranked No. 1 in his senior class, beat out 26 other finalists for the award. “I was shocked when they announced my name as the winner,” said Habel. “The resumes for all the finalists were pretty amazing.”

The award is based on academics, athletics and citizenship, with Habel becoming the fifth Stratford Spartan to win the prestigious award since the event was started in 1999.

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the Emmy Awardwinning co-host and producer of the KUBE SportsZone, which airs Saturday and Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 57-KUBE. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2019 BENEFITING THE RESIDENTS OF SEVEN ACRES HONORING

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SPORTS

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by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

elcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

Winning it all The Southwest Football League (SFL) sophomore Owls (top photo) won the division championship with a 28-0 victory over the Longhorns. Led by coaches Tucker Fowler and Sam Stewart, the third- and fourth-grade boys started the season with three consecutive losses before turning things around. During the championship game, the Owls secured a strong lead at the end of the first half when Jaden Chargois completed his first pass to Elijah Gassett, who ran for a first down. From that point, the Owls relied on flawless defense for the shutout. “Each player made a critical defensive play at some point in the game,” said Fowler. The champion Owls are (top row, from left) coaches Fowler and Stewart; (bottom row, from left) Morgan Banks, Jack Nodler, Jaden Chargois, Mason Mendelovitz, Elijah Gassett, Charlie Adams, Luke Stewart, Walker Evans, Reed Fowler, Lucas Wilson, Peter Henry and Brennan Slaton.

Rising soccer star Soccer defender Rebekah Costa (middle photo) kicks the ball up field in a game with Rise Soccer Club’s 09 girls’ Premier Central team. Her team won the game against 09 Rise Premier Southwest in the Houston Player Development Friendlies (PDF) league. A fourth grader at Horn Elementary School, Rebekah began playing soccer when she was 5 years old and has played with Rise for the last 2 years. As a member of the Rise Soccer Club competitive program, Rebekah practices twice each week and plays from August through May of each year. When she is not on the field, Rebekah enjoys reading, arts and crafts, UIL modern oratory and hanging out with her friends. She hopes her love of soccer continues into middle school and high school.

Ace on court Liam Coffey (bottom photo) prepares to hit a forehand during practice with St. John’s School. In addition to playing for his school team, Liam also competes in United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments around the state. Before advancing to the next division last fall, Liam was ranked as a boys’ 14 Super Champ. To keep up his skills and level of competition, Liam practices up to five times each week and participates in tournaments each month. Tennis runs in the Coffey family, and Liam’s younger siblings are following his lead. His brother, Kieran, also plays for St. John’s School, and his sister, Lakshmi, recently began playing USTA challenger tournaments in the girls 10-and-under orange ball division.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 40

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New year, new you again Buzz phrase of the month: “New Year, New You.” Have you heard it yet?

Has the fitness bug bit you? Whether you are a workout-a-holic or a oncea-weeker, you will start to see a huge increase in traffic at the gym. All the New Year’s “resolutioners” will be hard at work trying to eliminate those holiday pounds – until about mid-February, when people stop showing up.

This is usually because they become too busy and have too many other “things” going on that distract them from their health. I want to offer a few strategies to help prevent that from happening to you, to stay on track and finally keep true to your New Year’s resolutions this time around! ● Tip 1: Show up – getting there is half the battle. Bring your workout gear in a duffel bag, leave it in the car, and get there as soon as you finish work. It’s tough to get moving again once you get home, so make sure you don’t sit down on the couch and start watching the news! ● Tip 2: Skip the boring/long cardio for a more entertaining high intensity workout. Do a quick circuit, a high intensity interval training routine, or a fast paced workout to burn the calories. You really only need 30 minutes anyway if you train efficiently. ● Tip 3: Include big movements. Utilizing multiple muscle groups is an effective means to seeing positive results. Exercises which have both upper and lower body muscles working at the same time tend to be a bit more effective at weight loss and boosting metabolism rather than just using the machines. If you feel uncomfortable with some of these movements, talk to a trainer in your facility to see if they can help you out! ● Tip 4: Little losses for a big return. It is not going to be easy or quick.

Body-composition changes take time.

So shoot for small changes; they will add up over the long run. ● Tip 5: Don't listen to all the hype. Those infomercials are fantastic at separating you from your money.

There is no product, pill or voodoo magic trick that will get you to lose those unwanted pounds in a safe and long term manner. It all starts with consistency (all the way back to tip No. 1) – just show up. Instead of throwing away money on useless equipment and drugs, find someone who cares about your results as much as you do and can actually teach you something for 2019.

A willingness to change, with a sprinkle of consistency, can really pay off in the long run. Little bits at a time at a slow and steady pace is your best bet. Hopefully these strategies help. Best of luck this year, and I will see you in the gym.

David Boettcher, Team Member, Pledge to Fitness and Director of Education for the National Personal Training Institute, 4665 Southwest Fwy., Suite 209, Houston, Texas 77027, 713.401.2841, www.pledgetofitness.com

THE BUZZ WEEKDAY WORKOUT

Join us for a fun, weekly workout every Thursday, 8:30 a.m., at Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire. All fitness levels are welcome.

Hosted by The Buzz Magazines in collaboration with Evelyn's Park Conservancy and Pledge To Fitness. See our Facebook page for details and updates.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 41

A SAFER WORLD FOR KIDS Callista Wilson, a junior at The Post Oak School, interns at a nonprofit that helps kids in cases of child abuse. Here, Callista is pictured with advocates Angela Seymour (left) and Tracy Suares (on right).

KIDS

by Callista Wilson, age 16

Buzz Kidz

Justice for children

T

he year 2014 changed my life completely. When I was 11, my family and I moved from Houston to London. We lived there for almost two years, and my interpretation of the world changed so much.

Everything suddenly seemed larger and more important. I currently attend 11th grade at The Post Oak School, where I have been encouraged to extend my beliefs about the world by converting them into actions. I have done this by pursuing an internship at Justice For Children (JFC), on the frontlines in fighting child abuse.

Child abuse cases take on numerous forms and can continue for months or years before being uncovered. Often, mistreated children are reliant on their abusers, so they are placed in positions of powerlessness. Additionally, abuse

cases that intersect with custody battles can make proceedings complex, as family courts tend to prioritize restoring family relationships.

For five months and counting, I have interned for JFC, a nonprofit with headquarters in Bellaire that provides advocacy services, legal navigation and pro-bono representation for victims of physical, sexual, emotional or neglectful child abuse.

I believe in JFC’s conviction to never give up on any case, and The Post Oak School’s curriculum has supported me in contributing over 65 hours towards assisting JFC’s mission.

At JFC, I have had the fulfilling experience to work alongside a passionate team of advocates who work tirelessly to engage with people who reach out on behalf of children experiencing abuse. I have learned so much by helping to review and analyze

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documentation (forensic interview transcripts, therapist statements, sworn statements and medical documents) to uncover evidence to be used in letters to the judge and attorneys handling a case.

Children are the future. They deserve representation, our concentrated attention and our time. If you are aware of any case of child abuse, never hesitate to contact the police. If you know of a case where a child’s well-being is being neglected, JFC can help, and is dedicated to making the world a safer, more loving place for children. See justiceforchildren.org.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

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Elder abuse The neglect, abuse, or financial exploitation of elderly and disabled adults is illegal. In Texas, it is also a crime to discover it without making a report. Section 48.052, Texas Human Resources Code. Confidentiality is waived by law. Your attorney, clergy, and doctor must report abuse, even over your objection.

Anyone learning of neglect, abuse, or exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult is required to make an immediate report of: (1) the victim’s name, age, and address; (2) the name and address of any person responsible for the victim’s care; (3) the nature and extent of the victim’s condition; (4) the basis of the reporter’s knowledge; and (5) any other relevant information.

To make a report, visit www.txabusehotline.org or call 1-800-252-5400 to speak with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Report emergencies to 911 first.

Reports may be made anonymously. Intentionally or maliciously false reports are a crime. Mistaken reports are not, unless made in bad faith.

Informants’ employers are immune for their employees’ reports, even mistaken and false ones.

A number of state agencies have jurisdiction, depending whether the victim is in a hospital, nursing home, their own home, etc. DFPS is the statewide intake for all complaints. Protective services are available to the victim, which may include social casework, case management, and arranging for psychiatric and health evaluation, home care, day care, social services, and/or health care.

To report abuse in other states, contact the National Center for Elder Abuse,

www.elderabusecenter.org, 1-800-677-1116.

Self-neglect is also reportable (“the failure to provide for one’s self the goods or services, including medical services, which are necessary to avoid physical or emotional harm or pain”). Section 48.002(a)(4), Texas Human Resources Code.

As we age, our needs change. At the same time, our ability to discern and manage those changes diminishes. Adult children are uncertain whether or how to help, especially while the parent objects, “I can do it myself” or “Everything’s fine” or simply “Leave me alone.”

An annual physical is the first line of defense against self-neglect. Once your doctor and all the specialists are done, you may have more homework than you can handle. Whether you delegate to children or paid help, consider consulting a geriatric care manager for resources to keep you in charge longer. www.aginglifecare.org has a list of local providers.

We write wills and go to probate court. We offer no-obligation initial interviews for estate planning and administration, so it costs nothing to hear specific recommendations that suit your needs. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.

Russell W. Hall, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Board Certified – Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 6750 West Loop South, Suite 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 43

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Miss Melanie, age 15, Poodle/Rat Terrier, Palmetto St. Robyn Arouty Photography

Born the “love child” and runt from a blueblood poodle and a rat terrier, life started out rough. I was weak, terrified and bullied by all three siblings. Worse, because of my birth defects, my mom rejected me, so the human dog-ma intervened. Life became harder, so vets recommended ending my life, but the dog-ma believed in me and found a Texas A&M surgeon. I lived away while they rebuilt my GI tract. My future? Bleak! But a vegan diet, infant-like care, medication and love got me to age 2. I defied odds then and am now 15! I have survived pancreatitis, severe allergies, a heart murmur, hypothyroidism, GI issues and phobias the humans can’t comprehend. I even hid under the bed for years but am better now. Silly, courageous and unusual describe me. I’m grateful for being alive and constantly surprise myself with new accomplishments.

Maybe being and looking different really are OK. Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401. Featured pets receive two passes to Rover Oaks Pet Resort. Each pass can be redeemed for one day of lodging in a Bunk House Suite, 25 percent off your next grooming appointment or 25 percent off one obedience training class.

“Babies are such a nice way to start people.” - Don Herrold Photographing new beginnings for over 20 years

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BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 44

Do you ever find that trying to find people to perform construction work on your home can be very overwhelming, whether it is not knowing who to call or having to manage several disparate individuals? A key benefit of Luria Construction is that we are a fullservice construction company, meaning we are turnkey. The benefit of that is that we are able to offer everything under one roof and in one single bill.

Additionally, anything you need can all be handled by our company. As I am sure you have seen, we do residential remodeling, repairs, elevation of homes, and new construction. This way we are able to assist all of our neighbors here in Bellaire. We perform work on commercial structures as well. Recently, with all of the flooding that has happened, our clients have had an easier time getting approvals because everything that gets provided to them comes from one source instead of requiring separate invoice and receipt tracking. This is how we are able to quickly assist our clients and ensure the project timelines stay on track and provide our clients with fewer headaches when working with their insurer or mortgage company.

If you ever feel that you need construction services, rest assured that we can handle whatever your needs are here at Luria.

Luria Construction, LLC, www.luriaconstruction.com, 713.828.2155

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Body, mind, spirit. Crafting a life of wellness In the most romantic sense, movement is the most essential element of life. Falling in love, losing a friend, birth, death, forming ideas, starting new habits, gaining and losing weight…. The universe, as well as the human condition, are developmental and dynamic. Life is a process involving continuous movement, which requires an ongoing balancing act.

This time of year, many set weight-loss goals, start up new organizational systems, or vow to begin a healthy habit. However, often these resolutions quickly fall by the wayside. That’s because many times a new habit is created in isolation instead of being integrated into a holistic system of wellness. For lasting change, the mind, body, and spirit cannot be considered in isolation.

A key to balancing the ongoing changes of life and having new habits flourish is creating a plan of personal wellness. So often, the adjustments needed for wellness are small. Learning to see life through a different lens, listening with a more empathetic ear, making a space for acceptance and forgiveness, patience with the process, gaining new perspective.... These are the quiet, subtle changes that can lead to profound shifts and peace of mind.

Ironically, wellness may be elusive because we are charging through life, reacting, exhausted, stressed out, and wildly over-subscribed in our desperate search for balance and personal satisfaction. As a society, we are obsessed with change, convinced that if we are not happy, perfect, and at the top of our game, it is surely evidence of failure, or worse, mediocrity. While it is true that stagnation can lead to dysfunction, perhaps it is our frantic race to nowhere that is truly the culprit and robbing us of our very humanity.

If you plan to make some changes this year, consider first assessing your

personal “big picture.”

Wellness requires honesty, vulnerability, courage and a willingness to stop and listen to your inner voice. With time and invitation, the mind, body and spirit will move within you, on its own steam, and with perfection. It isn't frantic, it is contemplative. It is mindful and needs rehearsal.

Sometimes it helps to have someone partner with you to help unearth your true North, find clarity, self-compassion, and alignment with the world around you. Whether this partner is a professional, a friend or family member, it is important to create a dialogue focused on your personal goals.

Pat Hamilton, MA, LMFT and Merrissa Hughes, M.Ed., LPC-Intern practice at The Conative Group, PLLC. They are skilled therapists who can help you reach your personal wellness goals. In addition to individual therapy, Ms. Hughes has openings in her Weight Loss group, and Ms. Hamilton has openings in her Women’s Life Transitions group. Call 713.993.7030 or visit www.theconativegroup.com for more information.

Pat Hamilton, MA, LMFT and Merrissa Hughes, M.Ed., LPC-Intern, The Conative Group, 4130 Bellaire Blvd., Suite 208, Houston, Texas 77025, 713993-7030, www.theconativegroup.com

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 45

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New year, new smile

Stepping into a healthy 2019

Goodbye, 2018, and hello, 2019!

You may have already begun to think about your resolution for the new year.

Deciding to improve your overall health is a great way to start 2019 off right. One change that will last you a lifetime is orthodontic care. Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you, and you should be proud to show off a confident smile!

Many adults struggle with crooked teeth or a bite that is slightly off. They may even believe that braces are just for children and teens. What they often don’t know is that tons of adults get orthodontic treatment, and, in many cases, there is no need to wear metal braces anymore. In fact, most adults choose Invisalign because it is clear alternative to metal braces. Invisalign is so easy to use, and you can even eat and drink what you want. Bellaire Family Orthodontics is proud to be a Top 1% Provider for Invisalign, so you can ensure you have the best and most experienced treatment.

If you’re considering a new smile for the new year, Bellaire Family Orthodontics can make this the one resolution that’s easy to keep. What are you waiting for? Call 713-766-1921 to schedule your free smile consultation today.

Dr. Vladimir Tabakman and Dr. David M. Wadler, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 105, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.766.1921, www.rocknbraces.com

When making your New Year’s resolutions, remember to include exercising your feet. Exercising your feet on a regular basis not only improves overall foot health, but may also reduce the risk for injury.

Walking is the best overall foot exercise.

Before walking or doing any other type of exercise, take a few minutes to warm-up and stretch, therefore strengthening the muscles in your feet. Start out slowly, aiming for 20 minutes three times a week and gradually increasing. If you’re not wearing the proper shoes for exercise, you’re leaving your feet vulnerable to injury. Get your shoes properly fit and pay attention to their shelf life. Most good running shoes last 300-600 miles. Make sure your shoes provide enough support, but allow your feet to breathe.

Always walk with your head up and your back straight while swinging your arms freely. If you encounter pain in your feet when exercising, don’t try to self-diagnose your problem. Ignoring your pain could make it worse and/or put added stress on the other muscles in your body. Be good to your feet, and they will be good to you! Don’t hesitate to bring your foot pain or other foot ailments to us for relief. Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!

Bellaire Podiatry/Nail Laser Center of Houston, Dr. Barry P. Weinstein, 4909 Bissonnet, Suite 120, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.721.5500, www.BarryWeinsteinDPM.com

New year. New job.

Now hiring.

The Buzz Magazines is seeking someone to join our already successful sales team.

Candidates must have 3-7 years professional experience and be highly motivated, digital savvy and familiar with the Buzz communities. For more details, visit us online at thebuzzmagazines.com/employment-opportunities/advertising-sales-representative.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 46

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Allergies in older adults In April 2017, the AARP Bulletin wrote about allergies, and since it’s an AARP publication, it focused on adults age 50 and over. Before the 1990s (like when Drs. Engler and Malick were training), it was taught that allergy was an ailment of the young and usually got better as one became older. Further, it was thought that older individuals didn’t suddenly “become allergic.” Since the 1980s, though, the prevalence of allergy has increased in all age groups. It is now known that one can develop allergies at any age.

Just as treatment is different in children than it is in adults, a great deal of caution goes into considering therapeutic options in older adults. For instance, oral decongestants, such as Sudafed, are more likely to cause side effects in older adults (e.g., high blood pressure, insomnia, irritability, and/or rapid heart rate). Sudafed PE is much safer. It doesn’t contain any “Sudafed” (pseudoephedrine) at all; rather, it contains phenylephrine, a much milder decongestant. Antihistamines, such as Zyrtec, Benadryl and Xyzal, can make you sleepy. Claritin and Allegra are less likely to cause sedation. Of further concern about sedating antihistamines is that long-term use increases the risk of dementia. The only antihistamine NOT on that list is Allegra (even Claritin is sedating and with anti-cholinergic effects at higher doses).

Generic Allegra (fexofenadine) is much less expensive and works just as well for about 95 percent of our patients. Costco sells it as “Aller-Fex,” and Walgreens as “Wal-Fex”.

Nasal steroids are usually tolerated better than any of the oral medications because a much smaller dose of medicine is required to be effective since the medicine is applied directly to the nose. But some nasal steroids cause

nosebleeds; original Flonase is most likely to cause a bloody nose. Two other over-the-counter nasal steroids, Flonase Sensimist and Rhinocort Allergy, are less likely to cause a bloody nose.

One treatment that works well in younger and older patients is allergy shots. Once we identify what you are allergic to, we can use allergy shots, or immunotherapy (IT), to make you less allergic.

As opposed to medications listed above, which just treat your symptoms, IT is disease modifying.

IT teaches your body’s immune system to ignore the dust mites, cat dander or tree pollen that can cause “false alarms” in the allergic. A word of caution about IT, though: many so-called allergists are not board certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, and don’t use optimal doses of allergens in their recipes. All three allergists at The Allergy Clinic and Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic are not only board certified by ABAI, but maintain that certification on an annual basis.

No one nose allergies like we do.™ Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.

David B. Engler, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 180, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 47

Kim Riley Photography

NEIGHBORS

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by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

Buzz About Town Horn students on stage

Square, festivities began with an address from Bellaire Mayor Andrew Friedberg, who welcomed Santa. The winners of the annual coloring contest were announced, and grand prize winner Anna Gregory, 11, got to flip the on switch to light the Christmas tree. Neighbors enjoyed holiday music performed by school choirs, arts and crafts, snacks, and time with Santa. The highlight for many, including sisters (from left) Allegra, Alana, and Emilia Marx, was playing in the snow. See a photo slideshow

by Pooja Salhotra; search “Holiday in the Park 2018” at thebuzzmagazines.com.

A royal treat

Rice campus. After Helen said yes, Kirby surprised her with an engagement party with friends and family hosted by both of the couple's parents, Theresa and Ray Frierson and Gina and Keith Taylor. The surprise party was followed by a celebratory trip to their favorite vacation spot, Cabo San Lucas. The couple's wedding is set for November 2019 at St. Anne's Catholic Church and Houston Country Club.

Celebrating Chanukah Joe Center

Horn Elementary fourth-grade students Carly Cooper, Trinity El-Hakam and Isaac Hochglaube were thrilled to be a part of the young cast of the Alley Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol. Carly and Trinity were both school boys, and Isaac played Tiny Tim in the holiday classic. Pictured, in costume, from left are Isaac and Trinity.

Pooja Salhotra

Snow much fun Forty women dressed in hats and gloves enjoyed a British tea hosted by (pictured, from left) Braha Radom, Lea Silverstein, Zahava Hanoesh and Helena Zach at Helena’s home.

Each attendee paid $25 to support medical research at Hadassah Hospital. Lunch included tea sandwiches and scones, served on paper “china” plates.

Meant to be from middle school

Despite warm temps, Bellaire neighbors enjoyed the chance to create snow angels and ride down snow slides during the 31st annual Bellaire Holiday in the Park. Held in Bellaire Town BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 48

Helen Frierson and Kirby Taylor first met during seventh grade at Lanier Middle School before going their separate ways at Lamar and Bellaire high schools, respectively. They reconnected after Helen graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, and Kirby from Rice University. In October, Kirby popped the question while the couple strolled through the

The Shul of Bellaire hosted its annual Bellaire Chanukah Festival on the first night of Chanukah at Bellaire Town Square. More than 500 enjoyed the magic-themed event. Magician, illusionist and comedian John O’Bryant was a hit, along with the dinner buffet, latkes, donuts, inflatables, carnival and craft booths and a “magical” menorah. Bellaire Mayor Andrew Friedberg lit the menorah, followed by a musical performance by students of Bellaire Hebrew School. Host families were Clive Fleishman, Melanie and Todd Lowther, Adi and Oren Lutfak, Erika and Jed Mandel, Diana and Michael Racusin, Heather (continued on page 50)

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(continued from page 48) and

Avi Rasowsky, Deborah and Myles Rose, Morgan and Kevin Steinberg and Lindsay and Elan Tavor.

Pictured (previous page) are Heather Rasowsky and children Cy, Adley and Shayla, making silly faces over plates of latkes.

Thanks4Giving

out of 12 team trophies, resulting in an overall First Place Team Sweepstakes Award. This was Condit’s second first-place win this year.

Ronald McDonald House Amazing Grace Charities’ annual Thanks4Giving event is usually an opportunity to thank donors and volunteers, but the focus shifted due to Hurricane Harvey. Since Harvey, AGC has supported more than 45 local families.

Last year, the assistance included emergency funds, clothing, toiletries and furniture provided through AGC donors. At this year’s event, the goal was to help families turn their rebuilt houses back into homes. AGC Boutique/Amazing Grace Charities provided free holiday decorations for flooded families, including 10 pre-lit Christmas trees and 10 menorah sets. A week before Thanksgiving, AGC provided Thanksgiving turkeys to some flooded families.

Pictured (from left) are June and Hannah Marks (peeking out from behind the tree), Deborah Gremillion, founder Maria Cummings, Sarah, Beth [last names withheld] and Jane Kao, and manager Matthew Pennington (behind the tree to the right).

Condit UIL

Modern-day fairytale When Blake Schafman, a graduate of Bellaire High School, met his wife, Renee Weissend, it was like a millennial romance novel – they were

Disco gala The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) Greater Houston Section hosted its Saturday Night Fever-themed gala at The Revaire for nearly 300 guests, with disco music by The Grooves. Approximately $200,000 was raised.

Guests were greeted by dancers on stilts and roller skates. Debra Gaitz Cohen and Ziggy Gruber were honored with the Faith and Humanity Award. Rachel and Levi Strauss were presented with the Robin Perlo Berry NextGen Leadership (continued on page 52) Rachel Liz Photography

HISD hosted its second elementary University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition at Fondren Middle School. Nine hundred students from 30 schools competed in academic subjects like math and spelling. Condit Elementary’s UIL team (pictured) won 67 individual medals and 9

Ronald McDonald House Charities awarded RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston with the Hearts & Hands Award as well as a $20,000 grant in recognition of its mobile service, which travels to communities in need and provides free medical care for children. More than 1,200 staff, board members and volunteers from around the world celebrated at a gala dinner during a weeklong conference. Pictured, from left, are Rick Barbieri, Karen LaFleur, Tanya Gee, Debbie Adams, Kimberlyn Clarkson, Tim Smith and Sheila Musolino.

matched in an “Uber Pool” carpool on the ridesharing app. At the time, both Blake and Renee were living in San Francisco. Renee graduated from Bucknell University, where she played D1 tennis. She worked in financial services, first in New York and then San Francisco. Blake attended The University of Texas at Austin and worked in public accounting as a CPA. Their romantic first encounter, where they first swooned over each other, propelled their relationship. They call themselves “The Swoonies.”

They married in Pittsford, NY, Renee’s hometown, ending the night with a silent disco afterparty in their hotel suite. Pictured are the wedding party: (from left) Julie Woolverton, Renee Signore, Cassie Schafman, Teresa Weissend, Erica Weissend, Ariana Weissend, the bride, the groom, Andrew Burns, Chris Minifee, Ben Ribe, Trace Knoblauch, Tyler Duffey and Bijan Deghani. All six of Blake’s groomsman also attended Bellaire High School – he met most through baseball – and graduated in 2009.

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 50

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 51

young leaders. Proceeds will fund Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse’s Emergency Client Assistance Fund, Back 2 School Store, Home Instruction Program for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, SEARCH Homeless Services House of Tiny Treasures and advocacy efforts. Chairs were Stacy Soefer Gomar and Caroline Rosen Funk, and co-presidents are Lisa Stanton and Aliza Plotkin. Pictured are (from left) Luis Gomar, Stacy Soefer Gomar, Adam Funk and Caroline Rosen Funk.

Condit food drive For the second time in 2018, Condit Elementary School fifth graders conducted a food drive for Christian Community Service Center's two food pantries. Students canvassed Bellaire for food donations, leaving hundreds of empty grocery bags on porches and later returning to col-

BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 52

lect them. The students ended up filling the CCSC truck. Pictured are the fifth-grade class and teachers Evelyn Cornejo, Alison McKay, Melanie Mulhollan, Sonia Patel and Paula Pete. Parent food-drive chairs were Thuy Promubol and Christine Lacson.

Helping children with cancer The Dream & Promise Awards dinner at River Oaks Country Club celebrated two medical leaders who are making a difference in the lives of children with cancer. The Angel Honoree was Dr. David G. Poplack, and the Medical Honoree was Dr. Howard L. Weiner; both are physicians at Texas Children’s Hospital. Chairs were Donna Chapman and daughters Emily Van Houtan and Donna Kurka, and honorary chairs were Sydney and Don Faust and Marita and JB Fairbanks. Deborah Duncan emceed.

Pictured are (from left) Donna Kurka, Donna

Daniel Ortiz

Elisheva Golani Photography, LLC

(continued from page 50) Award, which recognizes

Chapman and Emily Van Houtan. Spotted in the crowd were Cora Sue and Harry Mach, Diane Lokey Farb, Elsie and Les Eckert, Dr. Daniel Yoshor, Lida and Dr. Abraham Thomas, Cat and Matt Hennessey, Lesha Elsenbrook, Bobbie Nau, Tena and Tyson Faust, Flo McGee, Donna and Robert Stokes, and Lionel Leventhal. Proceeds went to the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation and Texas Children’s Hospital.

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BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 53

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Back Porch

Let it go behance.net/runamokstudios

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M

uch to my children’s chagrin, I’ve become something of a podcast junkie. I listen to interviews, and I find them so fascinating and inspirational that I’m often quoting them. So much to learn, so little time, so few people to tell it to (sorry, girls).

The one that’s stuck with me the most in the past few months is a “Good Life Project” interview with Brené Brown, the University of Houston research professor and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, including her latest, Dare to Lead. In the interview, she said, “I have no intake at all of any criticism or feedback from anyone who’s not in the arena. It’s easy to make a life and a career of sitting in the bleachers and … putting people down.”

Little did I know driving down I-10 listening to Brené that synchronicity was at play. Within days of hearing the interview, still thinking about Brené’s words, I got anonymous hate mail.

It came typed, in a hand-addressed envelope, to the Buzz offices. Mean-spirited, angry – constructive it was not. On a much smaller scale, it was exactly what Brené said she’d tuned out as nameless people behind screens criticized her and her work.

To be clear, feedback from readers is essential to The Buzz, even when it’s negative. We want to hear your thoughts, good, bad and ugly. It keeps us connected, and it makes us better.

But this letter wasn’t the kind that makes anything better. It was personal. It accused me of points of view that were the exact opposite of who I try to be. Editors at The Buzz actually held it for several days before reading it to me over the phone, after which the first words I could get out were, “Someone really hates me.” I doubted myself and felt badly about having offended someone. I spiraled into worry.

Then I remembered the Brené Brown interview. By the way, her TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability” had over 30 million views. She knows about being vulnerable.

I listened to the podcast again. And I took in, on a much more personal level, what she was saying: If you don’t have the courage to sign your name – if you wouldn’t say something face-toface to a person – don’t say it. And I realized I BELLAIRE BUZZ JANUARY 2019 54

GOOD ENERGY It's not always easy to open up and be vulnerable, but the choice to do so cultivates compassion and connection.

needed to let it go.

With that experience in mind, as we begin a new year, I am thinking a lot about disagreeing civilly and learning from our differing opinions.

It happens when we open our minds and hearts and listen to each other, and when we remember that we are all connected. And that by supporting each other we make ourselves, everyone around us and the world better. Can we try bringing compassion, rather than anger, to the world?

According to Shawn Achor, a Harvard psychology professor, author and happiness researcher, we are hard-wired to scan for the negative. Our day might be 90 percent positive.

But if one thing goes wrong – an anonymous letter in the mail, say – that absorbs our focus. If we let ourselves hang on to the negative experiences, they become toxic. Let them go.

For sure there are big things – bad things – that we need to worry about and be upset about.

But in the day to day, opportunities abound to bring our A-games and focus on what’s good. To be “responsible for the energy we put into the room” (again, paraphrasing Brené). To respond,

rather than react.

As for the letter, now knowing who likely sent it makes me feel both better and worse. But in the end that doesn’t really matter. Because there will always be naysayers. I’m just going to try my limited best to cancel them out, in my own small world, by bringing the energy to the room that I want to feel, and that I want my children to feel. Because even when we don’t think anyone is watching, our children – our grandchildren – see it all and are picking it up.

Ready to bring it all back around in another generation, for better or worse.

On a personal note: If you don’t like something I’ve written, please let me know – and sign your name! Let’s connect, constructively.

Because in the end, we are all in this together.

Happy New Year.

MORE ONLINE In April 2008, Harvard professor Shawn Achor contributed a Buzz article C’mon Get Happy all about positive psychology and research on happiness.

See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com for a link.