Around Town June 2012
Christina Loukas hopes to make the U.S. diving team and compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
WOODLANDS DIVER TO COMPETE IN OLYMPIC TRIALS JUNE 17-24. Diver Christina Loukas, who now lives and trains in The Woodlands, will compete at the U.S. Olympic team trials in Seattle from June 17-24. If she earns a spot on the team she will compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which will be held from July 27 to August 12.
Christina took gymnastics, basketball, swimming and diving lessons at a very early age, but it wasn’t until she turned 12 that she focused exclusively on diving. At Indiana University, she competed on the diving team with coach Jeff Huber while getting a degree in exercise science. She grew steadily in the rankings and in 2008, she won a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. But after placing 9th at the Olympic Games in Beijing, she took a break and considered retiring from the sport. That was until fellow diver Troy Dumais convinced her to give it one more try. At age 27, Christina would be the oldest female diver on Team USA. She trains with coach Ken Armstrong at The Woodlands Diving Academy.
The daughter of George and Patty Loukas, Christina’s competitive drive is in her blood. Her father played football for Southern Illinois; her uncle Angelo played for the Buffalo Bills; her uncle Anthony for Wisconsin and her cousin Alex for Stanford. When she’s not at the pool, she’s hanging out at Chicago’s Wrigley Field where her parents own the Cubby Bear Lounge — or in the kitchen, cooking her favorite Greek family recipes and wearing an apron she made herself.
For more on Christina including photos, videos and all things Olympics, visit NBCOlympics.com.
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Theresa Romer with her husband Dr. Lamar Roemer.
ROEMER HOSTS PRIVATE DINNER FOR AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION. Theresa Roemer, Mrs. Texas United America 2010 and award-winning author who co-chaired the 2012 Montgomery County Heart Ball “Paris: An Affair of the Heart,” held a private all-white dinner at her home benefiting the American Heart Association.
The dinner, catered by Tony’s, was a sold-out fundraiser event limited to 30 couples. Couples who purchased tickets were eligible for a private raffle with a $20,000 jewelry item donated by jeweler Mark Pharo.
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(L-R, back row) Julie Martineau, president of Montgomery County United Way; Bentwater residents Frank Almaraz, Mary Miller, Mike Crook, Stan Hemmeline, Fred Ziker, Thelma Miller, Patrick O’Neil; (front row) Patti Mennes, Susan Gramatges, Rhonda Gaskamp and Dawn Cleboski. Not pictured is Peter Jordan.
BENTWATER CARES FOR MCUW. The community of Bentwater kicked off its 2012 Bentwater Cares Montgomery County United Way giving campaign. The Bentwater Cares committee met to plan for the campaign, which improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of community.
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(L-R) Sarahbeth Melton, Kim Marling, Vicki Richmond, BJ Westbrook, Michelene Westbrook, Curt and Shelley Williams, and Dr. David Gottlieb.
WOODFOREST CHARITABLE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS YOUTH-REACH HOUSTON. Youth-Reach Houston was presented with a $1,000 donation from Woodforest Charitable Foundation. Providing a fresh chance for troubled kids, Youth Reach Houston operates a series of Christian foster group homes in Northeast Houston designed to remold the values and turnaround the lives of at-risk youth ages 12 to 21.
The program was founded in 1984 by Curt Williams, who describes Youth-Reach as “a hospital for today’s damaged and discarded youth.” Set in a structure of a balanced family and a home life, Youth-Reach Houston concentrates on developing character, responsibility, and a strong work ethic. Facilitated by experienced and respected counselors, this long-term program is intended to heal past wounds and restore families. For more information, visit Youth-Reach.org.
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(L-R, back row) Teresa Herrod, Willis ISD; Lucy Shanahan, CB&I; Hector Forestier, city of Willis; Roxanne Algra, CB&I; (front row) John Houston, Faith Bible Church; Summer Darnell, MCUW; Mike Vega, Geezer Squad; and Louis Navarrette, independent contractor.
MCUW HONORS VOLUNTEERS. Montgomery County United Way, along with other area nonprofit organizations, honored its volunteers at the South County Chamber of Commerce Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon in April at The Woodlands United Methodist Church. Montgomery County United Way was one of the key sponsors of the event.
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(L-R) Local supporters of the park at the anniversary celebration are Dean Bass, Craig Campobella, Pat Spackey, Dr. Charles B. Stewart, Tommy Metcalf and Mayor Webb K. Melder of Conroe.
LONE STAR MONUMENT AND HISTORICAL FLAG PARK CELEBRATE FIRST ANNIVERSARY. During the first anniversary celebration for the Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park in April, new flags were raised by local community leaders. The award-winning park honors Montgomery County as the “Birthplace of the Texas Flag.” A Texas History Essay Contest was sponsored by the Friends of the Flag Foundation Inc. and the winning essays were read by the students. Students were presented with awards by Jim Walker and Debbie Glenn. State Rep. Brandon Creighton congratulated them for honoring Texas history.
The Friends of the Flag Foundation Inc. is dedicated to preserving the park which was a city of Conroe and Montgomery County effort. County Judge Alan B. Sadler spoke of the excitement the county has had in donating the land for the park. The original flags were part of a Silent Auction to raise funds for the future efforts of the park and new flags were raised by local community leaders.
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(L-R) Nick Beard, sales associate BMW-MINI The Woodlands; Tara Vandermark, principal of Oak Ridge Elementary School; Michelle Anthony, PTO Playground Donation coordinator; and Kenny Speight.
ORE SEEKS DONATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. Oak Ridge Elementary hosted a fundraiser festival to raise money for a special needs playground area. Scott Utterback, general manager for BMW-Mini The Woodlands, donated a prize package that included a 2012 BMW 3-Series for the weekend. The winner was Kenny Speight, who was instrumental in raising both awareness and funds for the equipment. Donations are still needed for the playground. Email tvandermark@conroeisd.net or call 832-592-5900 for more information.
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(L-R) Missy Herndon and Susie Lipscomb, co-chairs for Giving Goes Glam; Shelli Moran; and Mary Jo O’Neal of Interfaith of The Woodlands.
FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE UNDERWRITES VIP RECEPTION FOR “GIVING GOES GLAM” FUNDRAISER. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in The Woodlands continued to show its support for the community by underwrite and hosted the VIP reception for the “Giving Goes Glam” Fashion Show that benefited Interfaith of The Woodlands and the Junior League of North Harris and South Montgomery Counties.
“We were honored to host this special reception which not only showed appreciation to the sponsors, but kicked off their fundraising through creative auction items on bid boards,” said Shelli Moran, operating partner of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in The Woodlands. “Our goal is to give back and support the local community whenever possible, and Interfaith and the Junior League are certainly deserving organizations as they each provide numerous community services that enrich the lives of so many.”
In addition, Fleming’s was also the underwriter for dinner for the The Pavilion Partners 14th Annual Wine and Dinner Auction held on the main stage of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The event raised nearly $130,000 for The Pavilion’s educational outreach programs and Partners Fine Arts Scholarship Fund.
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(L-R) Kim Marling, Dr. David Gottlieb, Dr. Victoria Constance, Dana Pritchard, Jeremy Horton, Sarah Raleigh, Marion Fisher and Vicki Richmond.
THE WOODLANDS CAR CLUB PRESENTS $3,500 DONATIONS. The Woodlands Car Club presented Woodforest Charitable Foundation with two $3,500 donations, which the foundation donated to Children’s Safe Harbor and The Montgomery County Women’s Center.
“We are extremely grateful to the people in our community who donated their time, resources and made contributions to our evening car show,” said Dana Pritchard, president of The Woodlands Car Club. “With this funding we are able to support the Woodforest Charitable Foundation and, in turn, these two wonderful charities.”
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Tom Seifert, a cancer survivor, presents a carnation to Dr. Pamela Schlembach, radiation oncologist at the MD Anderson Regional Care Center in The Woodlands.
RELAY FOR LIFE HELD IN THE WOODLANDS. The American Cancer Society hosted two Relay for Life events, one in The Woodlands and one in Katy. The goal of these events is to raise money for continued cancer research and to honor members of the community who have survived cancer, are currently in treatment, as well as those who lost the battle.
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Jamie Ferrell, BSN, R.N., clinical director of Memorial Hermann Forensic Nursing Services; and Victoria Constance.
MEMORIAL HERMANN AND CHILDREN’S SAFE HARBOR JOIN FORCES. Children’s Safe Harbor is a Conroe-based, free community resource that helps child victims and families by facilitating a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary team approach to intervention, investigation, prosecution and medical treatment of child sexual and/or physical abuse.
Through a newly formed partnership, Memorial Hermann now provides medical forensic examinations for sexual assault victims and suspected victims who enter CSH’s doors. A medical forensic exam is conducted by a forensic nurse, a highly-skilled registered nurse who has been in practice more than two years and has completed more than 200 hours of additional education in caring for adult and pediatric sexual assault patients.
“This partnership is a dream come true,” said Victoria Constance, MSPH, Ph.D., executive director of Children’s Safe Harbor. “Our children have been so blessed to be seen by such a compassionate and skilled medical team. They are truly dedicated and so engaged through every step of the process.”
