WOODLANDS STUDENT HONORED AT MILITARY ACADEMY SEND-OFF CEREMONY. Sen. John Cornyn hosted a Military Academy Send-Off Ceremony for Texas students who will be attending the nation’s military academies this year. Michael McGee of The Woodlands was recognized at the ceremony and will be attending the Coast Guard Academy this summer.

Nearly 100 students were in attendance, along with their families as well as several local elected officials, community leaders, and representatives from local veterans organizations. Musical entertainment was provided by Top Flight, a music ensemble of the United States Air Force Band of the West, stationed at Lackland Air Force Base.

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MCUW APPRECIATION AT MARKET STREET. Montgomery County United Way celebrated the 2011-12 Campaign at Market Street in The Woodlands. More than $4.53 million was raised during the campaign that will be invested into the community to improve lives.

Guests were invited to a reception with a bird’s eye view of Market Street’s concert series. Refreshments were provided by Market Street and the space was loaned to MCUW by Dr. Bret Cope, D.D.S.

MCUW employees handed out T-shirts as a way of saying “thanks” to the crowd. Chip Ray, executive vice president of CB&I and 2012 campaign chair, announced the 2011 amount raised and the 2012 Pacesetter companies who will set the pace as leaders in the fall when the 2012 annual campaign begins.  The 2012 kick off will be held at Market Street on Sept. 13 from 6-8:30 p.m.

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TEJAS GOLF SCRAMBLE BENEFITS INTERFAITH. The Tejas Charity Golf Scramble, hosted by Tejas Research & Engineering, LLC, was held at River Plantation Country Club. Participants provided more than 400 pounds of non-perishable groceries that were donated to the Interfaith of The Woodlands Food Pantry as their entry fee for the tournament. The Food Pantry provides much-needed food to individuals and families in the area.

“Interfaith is so fortunate to have the support of Tejas Research & Engineering, LLC and their employees. We find that the summer months are truly demanding because children are out of school, and many families’ dollars are truly stretched,” said Dr. Ann Snyder, president & CEO of Interfaith of the Woodlands. “The commitment from Tejas’ employees to make a difference is very much appreciated.”

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION RECEIVES DONATION. Market Street – The Woodlands presented a donation to Montgomery County Community Foundation. The money represents the coins collected in change receptacles at Market Street during the first quarter of 2012.

Donations were also collected during this time at Cars & Coffee for a Cause, The Woodlands Car Club’s monthly showcase of vintage automobiles held at Market Street.

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STUDENT ART SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS HONORED. The 7th annual Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival sponsored the Student Art Scholarship competition for students in grades 11 and 12. The scholarship program is open to all public, private and parochial schools in Montgomery County.

A total of 234 pieces of artwork were entered into the competition this year in six different categories including painting, mixed media, drawing, electronic media, photography and 3-D art.

The award-winning art was displayed in a special exhibit during the festival. A total of $21,000 was awarded in scholarships. Winners are: Justin Dring, second place Mixed Media, College Park High School; Daniela del Rio, second place Electronic Media, The John Cooper School; Stuart McRobbie, second place 3-D, The John Cooper School; Ryan Light, third place 3-D, College Park High School; Heather Jensen, second place Drawing, College Park High School; Hunter Wells, first place 3-D, College Park High School; Karis Tillman, second place Photography, Oak Ridge High School; Valeria Lozano, third place Photography, Oak Ridge High School; Kenny Hwang, third place Drawing, The Woodlands High School; Kendall Melhorn, third place Electronic Media, College Park High School; Lauren Katterhagen, first place Electronic Media, The John Cooper School; Julie Johansen, first place Mixed Media, The John Cooper School; Bonnie Leung, third place Mixed Media, The Woodlands High School; Francesca Killian, first place Drawing, The Woodlands High School; Rae Kim, third place Painting, The Woodlands High School; Jenny Durkin, first place Painting, College Park High School; Barry Carter, second place Painting, Magnolia West High School; and Hope Dobelman, first place Photography, College Park High School.

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IRONMAN DONATION HELPS SUPPORT THE PAVILION’S CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion received a $5,000 donation from the Ironman Foundation to support the Memorial Hermann The Woodlands/Ironman Healthy KidZone at The Pavilion’s 17th Annual Children’s Festival set for Nov. 10-11.

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THE PAVILION AND UNION PACIFIC HELP BRING STUDENTS TO MUSICAL SCORES. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion partnered with Union Pacific for support of its educational outreach programs. Union Pacific donated $5,000 toward Musical Scores, one of The Pavilion’s most successful educational outreach events. Musical Scores was held in May, with more than 5,600 students and teachers from 26 Greater Houston-area schools in attendance.

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MEMORIAL HERMANN PROMOTES SUN SAFETY. Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital hosted its annual community skin cancer screening in conjunction with the American Academy of Dermatology  at the hospital’s Cancer Center. Three area dermatologists volunteered as screeners for the event — Neil Farnsworth, M.D.; Tri H. Nguyen, M.D.; and Stephen Tucker, M.D. Additionally, hospital staff were supported by adult and junior volunteers at the screening.

A total of 51 people were screened for skin cancer and precursors for skin cancer at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands. The dermatologists recommended a biopsy for five of the attendees. At the screening, two attendees were diagnosed with possible squamous cell carcinoma. Attendees received a variety of educational materials and sunscreen samples at the community event.

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JACK NICKLAUS VISITS THE CLUB AT CARLTON WOODS. World famous golfer and golf course architect Jack Nicklaus visited The Club at Carlton Woods to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the course he designed there.

Nicklaus’ return coincided with his participation in the Greats of Golf event as part of The Insperity Championship weekend. The club and its members were thrilled to have Nicklaus at the facility to review his original design. He inspected the modifications his firm had approved during the past 10 years, made suggestions on improvements for the next 10 years, and attended a meet and greet with members.

The day began with Nicklaus meeting with officials from TWDC, senior club management and Advisory Board members representing the Golf and Greens committees to review the first 10+ years of growth of the club and the importance the course played in the club’s success. After a brief tour of the clubhouse facilities, Nicklaus spent several hours touring the golf course reviewing each hole for potential changes, adjustments or modifications.

“Mr. Nicklaus stated repeatedly how pleased he was with the golf course 10 years later and particularly how good the conditioning and maintenance of the course was,” said William Langley, CCM, vice president and managing director of clubs for The Woodlands Development Company.

Following the tour, Nicklaus joined a meet and greet with about 300 club members and their families. He spent time sharing his thoughts on the state of the game of golf, the need to embrace the “Tee it Forward” program to make the game more enjoyable, and his desire to be an ambassador to encourage growth of the sport. Nicklaus concluded his visit with a lively Q&A with members followed by a short autograph session.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY HOMELESS COALITION HOSTS DERBY GALA. Montgomery County Homeless Coalition  held its 2nd annual “Run for the Roses’ Kentucky Derby Gala at Belle Maison in The Woodlands. This is an annual event held on the first Saturday in May. Guests enjoyed mint juleps, a traditional derby dinner, auctions, dancing and, of course, watching the race live from Churchill Downs.

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LITERACY VOLUNTEERS SPELL-ABRATE WITH ANNUAL FUNDRAISER. A cadre of brave spellers representing 19 different Montgomery County businesses and organizations gathered at Lone Star College-Montgomery to raise money for Literacy Volunteers of America – Montgomery County. This year’s event, dubbed a “Spell-abration,” was won by the Montgomery County Association of Retired School Personnel, comprised of Laurie Devereaux, Mimi Devereaux and Diane Harrison. The team successfully spelled “sesquicentennial” after all other teams had been eliminated.

The 19 teams were the most-ever for the event, helping to raise almost $5,000 for LVA-MC, which has provided literacy training and services in Montgomery County for more than 20 years. The nonprofit organization has hosted the Spell-abration since 2003.

Other teams participating included the Rotary Clubs from Lake Conroe The Woodlands and East Montgomery County; Interact Clubs from several high schools; the Montgomery County Memorial Library; the “Grease Monkeys” from Roy’s Auto Service; United Way of Montgomery County, Steve Toth for Texas, The Courier/HCN Newspaper Group, Interfaith of The Woodlands, and faculty teams from the Kingwood and Montgomery campuses of Lone Star College System.

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REPUBLICAN WOMEN PRESENT SCHOLARSHIPS. The Republican County Republican Women presented two scholarships to outstanding women in their efforts to pursue a college education at the Montgomery County Republican Women’s luncheon held in May. The students selected, Kara de Vries and Kymberlee Mason, are  from the Lone Star College System. They each received scholarship checks as well as a basket containing school supplies, money gift cards, and several personal items.

A mother of two, de Vries plans to become a licensed physical therapist and work in the community. She is now continuing her education after a six-year delay due to her husband’s deployment to Iraq two times and Afghanistan. In addition to working while her husband was away, Kara volunteered by helping other wives who have husbands serving overseas, and assisted in various projects at the school her children attend.

Mason plans to become an ultrasound medical diagnostician. She has two children and was one of 10 children raised by a single mother. She has overcome several health issues, which prevented her from continuing her education. She has now returned to Lone Star College, and has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is a Phi Beta Kappa member. She also volunteers many hours to church activities and helps at the Imaging Department at St. Luke’s Hospital.

Nelda Blair also spoke to the Montgomery County Republican Women at this meeting.  She emphasized “Lipstick & Politics” and reviewed the 70 years it took for women to achieve the right to vote.

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HERITAGE TRAILS CHAPTER OF NSDAR INSTALLS OFFICERS. Judy Ostler, Texas State chaplain and state vice regent “elect” of the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution, installed the new officers for the Heritage Trails chapter, NSDAR, during a luncheon at The Woodlands Country Club.

The officers for the 2011-14 term are:  Beverly Pritchard, regent; Cherry Calender, first vice regent; Ronee Schneider, second vice regent; Shirley Elliott, chaplain; Jennifer Breshears, recording secretary; Susan Garrison, corresponding secretary; Ann Jones, treasurer; Pat Spackey, historian; Judy Welch, librarian; and Connie Parrott, registrar.

Following the ceremony, Ostler presented the program “God, Home and Country.” The Heritage Trails DAR chapter, which organized in October 2006 with 62 members, now boasts a membership of 197.

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CYPRESS-WOODLANDS JUNIOR FORUM DONATES TO INTERFAITH’S SCHOOL SUPPLY PROGRAM. The Cypress-Woodlands Junior Forum, a longtime Interfaith supporter, donated $5,000 to further assist Interfaith’s School Supply distribution program. The program provides school supplies to families facing financial difficulties due to loss of jobs or other economic circumstances.

This year it is estimated that more than 2,000 kits will be distributed to help qualified students start the school year with the tools they need for a successful year. Each child will receive a complete school and grade specific supply kit along with a new backpack and a voucher from Interfaith’s Hand Me Up Resale Store where the child may select a back-to-school outfit.

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THE WOODLANDS MALL CELEBRATES NEW FARMERS’ MARKET. The Woodlands Mall hosted a Grand Opening Party in celebration of the Feast of Artisans Farmers’ Market in The Courtyard at the shopping center. The afternoon featured live performances from musician Mike Amabile and his band Run Over Twice, as well as special activities for the kids.

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WOODLANDS RESIDENT WINS LPGA CLASSIC. Stacy Lewis of The Woodlands won the ShopRite LPG Classic. She had a four stroke victory over Katherine Hull to finish the final round with an even-par 71.

Lewis, 27, who was 12 under for the tournament, has won two of her last three starts to give her three career wins.