Happy Thanksgiving

We want to take a moment to let you know how thankful we are that you are part of Houston Ground Angels, and we appreciate all you and all of our Volunteers do for so many of our patients! Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Houston Ground Angels

Management Review

November 2017

Tony Castiglie, Vice President & Treasurer

Is it really November? Warm weather & the Astros win the World Series! What a way to head into the Thanksgiving Holiday.

So how are we doing? As Houston recovers from the horrors of Hurricane Harvey, so did we. 223 Missions were run during October bringing our annual count to 2,010. We should hit our target of 2,400 for the year. 85 Volunteers have served 919 Patients and/or Companions. As always, those we do serve are always so grateful for the services we provide & it is a tribute to all our volunteers to demonstrate such resiliency.

The leaders:

Top 10 Volunteers - 2017

1. Charles Whitworth	245
2. D avid LaFargue	116
3. Paulette Blackburn	87
4. Kathy Broussard	86
5. Charles Gibson	83
6. Tony Larosa	82
7. Edie Cantu	81
8. Sandra Begalke	80
9. Mark Newman	65
10. Missy Callan	63

As successful as we have been over the past 17 or so years, we are experiencing a rise in the "Unfulfilled Missions". While we continue to receive requests for our services, we are not keeping pace with the number of volunteers required to fulfill those requests. We have tried various approaches in our recruiting process but we have not had the success we hoped for. We would ask all of you to continue reaching out to others & encourage them to "give us a shot".

To every volunteer, "Thank You" for your contribution. May you, your family & friends has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Tony

World Champions!

Houston Ground Angels are planning to tour Minute Maid Park. We will have the opportunity to see areas the public usually do not get to see. Confirmation of date and time will be sent next week, as the Astros were preparing for the parade, and enjoying all of the celebration since their fantastic win! A separate email will go out probably next week when this event is confirmed. We hope you will join us. The tour of NRG Stadium was a lot of fun and interesting, and we know this tour will be also. This tour will be complimentary of the Houston Astros.

We are also continuing to work on the Holiday/Christmas Party and hope to announce this gathering very soon.

An Extra Hour of Sleep!

Don't forget to set your clocks back Saturday Night!

How Not to Get Sick This Winter, Flu Season is Here!

Family Medicine doctor, Mikhail Varsharski, known as Dr. Mike has three main tips for not getting sick this winter:

More hone y: Honey has antibacterial properties and also controls your cough naturally. However, it is best to buy honey from your local area for a number of reasons.

Less stress : When your body is stressed, it produces cortisol which is a stress hormone and when released hampers your body's immune response. Try to relax.

More exercise : Exercise boosts your immune system. Not only does it improve your white blood cells, and the antibodies which fight off all the bacteria in your body. It also prevents your body from releases stress hormones. Exercise with light or moderate intensity.

For more tips on how to stay well this flu season, click here.

2017

It is hard to believe another year is coming to a close, and we hope to see all of our volunteers at one of the events before we ring in 2018. We sincerely appreciate each of you and hope you and yours will have a wonderful holiday season that is starting very soon.

Again, thank you to all of our volunteers. And just in case you have not been told lately, the patients you assist with transportation really appreciates you and your kindness.

Thank you,

Rebecca Maitland
Houston Ground Angels

Houston Ground Angels | (832) 752-9645 | [email protected] | http://www.houstongroundangels.org