Dish-Houston

Mulligans and mammograms were the talk of the day as the greens of the one of the top ten private courses took on a touch of pink on October 28^th with the first ever The Rose Golf Classic at Shadow Hawk. The event, chaired by Jeanne Gillen and Ysa McKinney, both members of Shadow Hawk, raised more than $170,000 for The Rose’s mobile mammography program.

Photo Credit: Breakaway Photography 

Among the highlights of the day was an opportunity for the golfers to both see one of the newest mobile vans in The Rose’s fleet as well as an introduction to the equipment and screening procedure. Celebrity golfers Roger Clemens and Doug Dawson both agreed to undergo a version of screening – with their fists.

Also included in the day was a mini clinic with Paul Marchand, the club’s General Manager and Head Golf Professional.

“The Rose now covers 25 counties and last year provided mobile screenings for more than 7,300 women,” Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder of The Rose, told the crowd at the awards dinner. “The generosity of our sponsors and underwriters as well as each individual team member is so appreciated by our board, staff, and most importantly, the women we serve. Access to care is critical and our mobile vans make that access possible.”

Sponsors for the event include Marathon Oil, Pinnacle Financial Strategies, Woodforest Bank and Andrew and Isabell McKinney/Litchfield Cavo LLP. Underwriters are Buffalo Flange; Garcia Hamilton Associates; Painting with a Twist, La Marque; and Alex Rodriguez Mercedes-Benz.

The Rose is a nonprofit breast health care organization with two centers and a mobile fleet, serving nearly 35,000 women annually. The Rose Galleria is located at 5420 West Loop South, Suite 3300. The Rose Southeast is at 12700 N. Featherwood. For more information on the mobile program visitwww.TheRose.org.

The greens at the exclusive Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Richmond, Texas, will go pink on October 28th as one of Houston’s top ten private courses welcomes The Rose Golf Classic. Organizers hope the fundraiser – fueled by 20 teams of five – will help the nonprofit breast health organization secure the needed monies to add a fourth van to its growing fleet of mobile mammography vans.

“The Rose now covers 25 counties and last year provided mobile screenings for more than 7,300 women,” said Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-Founder of The Rose. “The generosity of The Rose Golf Classic sponsors and underwriters as well as each individual team member is so appreciated by our board, staff, and most importantly, the women we serve. Access to care is critical and our mobile vans make that access possible.”

Among the highlights of the day are a mini clinic with Paul Marchand, the club’s General Manager and Head Golf Professional.  As one of the country's top professional golf coaches, Paul’s techniques are often found in golf books and magazines. Local celebrity athletes such as Doug Dawson, Roger Clemens, and Dan Pastorini will be playing with each team.

After lunch served on the driving range, a shotgun start will initiate Shamble format play on the Rees Jones designed course.  An awards dinner will conclude the day’s festivities.

Jeanne Gillen, a member of the board of The Rose and a club member at Shadow Hawk, serves as co-chair of the event along with friend and fellow Shadow Hawk club member Ysa McKinney. 

“The experience of playing on such a memorable course alongside golfers of equal passion is a not-to-be missed opportunity,” said Gillen. “And it’s a fitting location for raising funds for a premiere nonprofit breast health organization like The Rose.”

“We are particularly pleased to be focusing on the Mobile Mammography Program,” added McKinney. “When half of all our Texas counties do not have access to a mammogram facility, women often delay scheduling mammograms until they detect a problem. Often that’s too late. The Rose’s mobile presence can literally save lives due to early detection.”

Limited spots for teams remain for the tournament. Please email Andrea Ghotekar at aghotekar@the-rose.org for more information or to register.

The Rose is a nonprofit breast health care organization with two centers and a mobile fleet, serving nearly 35,000 women annually. The Rose Galleria is located at 5420 West Loop South, Suite 3300. The Rose Southeast is at 12700 N. Featherwood. For more information on the mobile program visit www.TheRose.org.

Janet Slocum loves a challenge.

Currently working in MD Anderson’s new Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy, she readily touts the advantages to the new thoughts behind looking at mutations, genes, and one’s own body science to personalize cancer therapy.

But before MD Anderson there was St. Luke’s and before hospitals she spent time as a nail technician, at Southwest Airlines, as a clerk in felony court, and as a manager at a retirement community. And while she’s currently talking cancer from 9 to 5 p.m., afterwards and on the weekends, she’s co-owner of the Second Chance Saloon and La Porte Towing.

“I’m a girl that will do anything!” she acknowledged.

One role she would have easily said “no” to however, is breast cancer patient.

But even that obstacle turned into an opportunity as she now adds “survivor” and “philanthropist” to her ever growing list of “been there, done that.”

Before she was even 50 years old, she discovered she had the disease. Diagnosed in October of 2006 with treatment in 2006-2007, she now lives cancer-free and supports organizations like The Rose.

“Before being diagnosed, I was a supporter of breast cancer causes,” she shared. “Always in the back of my mind was the awareness that I or someone close to me would get it. Then I ended up getting cancer and after that I was an even bigger supporter.”

Previously, she committed her time to breast cancer walks, but she longed to get closer to the action. When she and her husband Bobby took over the Second Chance Saloon in Pasadena, she knew she had a ready-made fundraising venue. She called on her friend Brahana Howard, who serves as the Centers Director at The Rose, a nonprofit breast health organization, and asked for guidance.

Brahana, a committee member of Bikers Against Breast Cancer since its launch five years ago, suggested the BABC would make a great match.

“My goal was $5,000,” Janet said of the October 2012 event she sponsored at the bar which raised $15.000. “After doing that, I said, ‘Ok, I’m doing this every year!’”

The donation puts Janet and Bobby in a fundraising category created just for them – Leaders of the Pack. Other giving levels for the BABC range from “Start Your Engines” at $250 to “Full Throttle” at $5,000. Sponsors are currently being accepted for the May 11^th ride as well as auction items. To find out more, call 281.464.5165, email events@TheRose.org or visit www.TheRose.org and click on the Events tab.  

“I felt it was a way I could give back,” said the La Porte native who grew up in the Pasadena area and had been aware of The Rose for years. “I was fortunate in having insurance. The Rose is there to take care of women in their time of need – if they are able to pay or not. They help guide people through a process that is so scary, uncertain … Some women are doing it on their own – no spouse or close friend and I think The Rose does a world of good.”

Janet now joins other professionals from city planning, real estate, plant management, health care, large corporations, small businesses, and a retired, full-time volunteer – on the Bikers Against Breast Cancer planning committee that is currently focused on the 5^th Annual Ride, May 11^th.

And if these planners have anything to say about it, the 5^th ride will be the best yet.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with San Jacinto Harley Davidson for The Rose’s 5^th Annual Bikers Against Breast Cancer ride,” said D’Etta Casto DeLeon, an assistant vice president at Grandbridge Real Estate Capital and the founder and committee chair for BABC. “They have supported us from the beginning and with the selection of the BABC ride as a feature of their annual open house, we could see more than double the attendance we’ve had in years past.”

Other “firsts” in this fifth year of organizing the event benefitting The Rose, a nonprofit breast health organization serving the Houston area and more than 24 counties via their mobile units, include: an online opportunity for riders and “ghost riders” (registered participants who enjoy the festivities but do not ride) to raise funds as teams or individuals, the Slocum’s “Leader of the Pack” $15,000 level of sponsorship, a Public Service Announcement produced by the City of Pasadena, and additional live entertainment on May 11^th with The Slags performing from the SJHD-provided stage and emceed by popular radio personalities Dean & Rog.

 “The committee always helps to ensure the BABC ride is profitable, safe and fun. Given that each member volunteers their time – including monthly meetings beginning in December and the before dawn set up on the day of the ride – I can’t thank each of them – past and present – enough,” said Casto-DeLeon.

The Rose’s Co-Founder and CEO Dorothy Gibbons says the community support is one of the reasons The Rose can continue its mission of meeting the breast health care needs of not only insured women but those who often fall between the cracks – women who don’t qualify for programs based on poverty levels but are still unable to afford insurance.

“After 27 years of being there for all women – regardless of their ability to pay – The Rose continues to rely on our patients, friends, and supporters to be our ambassadors. They tell our story in ways we never could and then they add their gifts of time and money. They are truly people committed to taking care of their community. I am so appreciative of the monumental contributions of leaders like D’Etta and her team,” said Gibbons.

Current ride sponsors joining the Second Chance Saloon are San Jacinto Harley-Davidson, The Greensheet, Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, Grayco Communications, Pipefitters Local Union 211, IBEW LU 66, Buffalo Flange, Inc., La Porte Towing, Inc., MDN Enterprises, Novus Wood Group, and Waltech Co., Inc.

The 5^th Annual Bikers Against Breast Cancer is scheduled for May 11^th at (San Jacinto Harley Davidson 3636 E. Sam Houston Parkway South Pasadena) with registration open at 8:30 a.m. and Kickstands Up at 10:30 a.m. Participants can register online and create a fundraising page at www.TheRose.org. Cost to register before March 31^st is $25 Rider; $35 Rider + Passenger and $25 Ghost Rider. After early registration, the cost increases by $5.

When Janet and Bobby Slocum took the over the Second Chance Saloon in Pasadena, Janet, a breast cancer survivor, knew that she had a ready-made venue for fundraising. A Saturday afternoon last October exceeded all her expectations when a standing room only crowd gathered and raised $15,000 for Bikers Against Breast Cancer in support of The Rose. Sponsors and auction items are now being accepted for the May 11th ride. 

November 10th was a special night for The Rose Charity! The Rose celebrated its 25-year history by honoring specific individuals and companies who helped it succeed through challenging times and against some long odds.  Now the leading non-profit breast cancer diagnostic organization in Southeast Texas, The Rose has grown from a donated mammography imaging system and less than 900 square feet of space to two state-of-the-art spa-like facilities, two mobile mammography units serving 200+ sites in 15-counties, 90 staff members, and a client base that spans most of Texas.

Houston Rocket Jordan Hill, CEO and Co-founder of The Rose, Dorothy GibbonsWith more than 500 seats sold, the ballroom at the Houston Marriott South was filled with supporters, survivors, donors, corporate sponsors and long-time volunteers, praising The Rose for 25 years of life-saving accomplishments.  After a greeting from Silver Rose Gala Honorary Chairs Judge Ed Emmett and Mrs. Gwen Emmett, the evening continued on a lively note emceed by KPRC Local 2 meteorologist, Khambrel Marshall.  Also present to help The Rose celebrate were newly elected Houston City Council Member, Ellen Cohen; and Houston professional basketball player, Jordan Hill.

 Recognized for Outstanding Community Support of The Rose were Connie Yates, Director of Public Affairs and Governmental Relations for Randalls Food Market; Casa Olé; Alden Clark, owner of SoK Salon, and media honoree KPRC Local 2.  Eileen Campbell, Vice President of Public Policy for Marathon Oil Corporation, received the Dorothy Gibbon Founder’s Award for Community Service.  Oncologist Dr. Mohamed M. Haq was awarded with the Dr. Dixie Melillo Founder’s Award for Physician Service.  Survivor Vicky Reynolds was recognized with The Rose Ambassador Award; while volunteer Helen Perry was surprised with the Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Rose also received a surprise when Connie Yates presented the organization with a $225,000 donation from Randalls’ October Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, co-sponsored by KPRC.  This generous gift was an added bonus to the over $275,000 in gross proceeds generated by the Gala.

The evening concluded with a bittersweet tribute to breast cancer survivors and victims of the disease as past and present patients of The Rose met on stage and were lovingly showered with fresh rose petals.  The event was a tribute not only to persons confronting breast cancer but also to the individuals and organizations that support The Rose’s efforts to reduce deaths by offering access to early detection and navigation to treatment regardless of a person’s ability to pay.

For more information on The Rose, its mission and services, visit www.TheRose.org, see us on Facebook, or check out our blog at www.therosehouston.blogspot.com.

Dorothy Gibbons, CEO and Co-founder of The Rose; Vicky Reynolds, The Rose Ambassador Award winner; Dr. Dixie Mellilo, Co-founder of The Rose; Myrleen Knott, Chairman of the Board, The Rose.