seasonal_pumpkins.jpg
Happy Fall
October Newsletter 
Still hoping for cooler weather! 
There is so much going on in the world today, from N. Korea, Los Vegas and other shootings, hurricane destruction in Houston and in many states and Puerto Rico, fires burning in the northern states and west coast, and so many other things that are happening. Many people are stressed out just from reading the headlines. So, please take care of yourself, take time to relax, put your feet up and just breath deeply. 

Houston Ground Angels
Management Review
October 2017
 
Tony Castiglie, Vice President & Treasurer
 
October has arrived and it usually means the best weather Houston has to offer.   Temperatures moderate and humidity seems to be tolerable.   April weather is also nice but the difference is about 100 tons of pollen.  
 
Late August & early September 2017 brought in Hurricane Harvey and it will go down as one of the most disastrous periods in Houston's history.  If you did not experience some hellacious experience, you know someone who did.  For me, I escaped flooding and my worst experience was being without power for a week.  Some of my neighbors were not so lucky.  I hope and pray that things went well for you.
 
Needless to say, Hurricane Harvey did not do our organization any favors.  With M.D. Anderson shut down for a period, travel being difficult and many volunteers dealing with their own issues, statistically August and September were very slow months.  We ran 175 Missions during August and 181 during September, the lowest numbers since 2010.  For the year, the count is 1,787, an average of 7 per day.  Eighty-five volunteers have served 831 Patients and/or Companions.  As always, those we do serve are always so grateful for the services we provide.
 
So who is leading the way:
 
Top 10 Volunteers - 2017

1.
Charles Whitworth          
219
2.
David LaFargue             
104
3.
Paulette Blackburn            
86
4.
Kathy Broussard               
78
5.
Charles Gibson               
77
6.
Tony Larosa                       
73
7.
Mark Newman                    
63
8.
Missy Callan                      
58
9.
Sandra Begalke
54
10.
Jerry Cavanaugh
45
 
 
 
 
Jenny Duplantis, who resides in the Lake Houston area, joined us as a new volunteer in September & has already run several missions.  Welcome aboard, Jenny.   Another pleasant surprise was the return of 3 "veterans", Jim Frels, Diana Graham & Marilyn Zapata.  One of the nice aspects of being a Houston Ground Angel Volunteer is that one sets his/her own schedule & you choose when & how often you run a mission.  Welcome back.
 
To every volunteer, "Thank You" for being part of this wonderful organization and making it the success that it is.  Hurricane Harvey affected the lives of many Houstonians but nothing will ever dampen the spirit of those who live here.  The Houston Ground Angels fits right in.
 
Sincerely,
Tony



Missions
car-front-icon.gif
Please visit the website to see if there is a Mission that fits your schedule:
Patient Stories and Photos
Dear Volunteers:
HGA is reaching out to local companies and businesses in an effort to build community support for our organization. It would be very helpful if they could hear first hand about our patients and about all that our volunteers do. So please share your stories, if you have gone above and beyond for a patient, please let us know, if you had something humorous, moving or touching happen, please send me your story. Again, it is most helpful when people in the community hear first hand what HGA volunteers are doing and those they are helping. Thank you for considering this. 
Field Trips and Events
Our funder, Kathy Broussard made contact with the Houston Astros administration office. As soon as baseball is over they said, we could take a tour of the stadium with some additional activities possible. So as soon as I hear our date for the tour, I will be sending it out.
Also, we are planning a gathering the first week in December for volunteers, their friends and spouse. We are working on a venue right now and hope to announce it soon.  
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS
for all you do to help so many! 

Have a good rest of the week and hope to see you soon! 
Rebecca Maitland
Cell: 832.752.9645