Grid great, deaf center benefactors spotlighted
By Sarah Tindall
November 21, 2010
CORPUS CHRISTI — Heroes abounded at the Omni Marina Hotel on Oct. 27 as the
friends of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center gathered to honor Sheryl and
Frank McMillan III, the recipients of the Floerke Family Wall of Honor
award, and to get to meet and greet with another great hero, Houston Oilers
coaching legend Bum Phillips. The McMillans were making everyone feel at
home as they entered the VIP party, where Phillips was seated near a great
backdrop of goal posts and footballs. We could meet the man himself or take
a picture with him, and he was very cordial and friendly.
I saw Trisha Harman and her daughter Kaci. Trisha looked wiped out after her
work getting the evening together, but it sure was fun, and I thanked her
for a great event.
Once we made our way to the banquet room, I noticed the amazing technology
that the hearing center employs to make sure that just because some
attendees couldn’t hear, they still wouldn’t be missing a thing. There was a
teleprompter that printed everything that was announced on the microphone as
well as a person translating the speeches into sign language. It made me
wonder how many events I’ve been to while someone there attended without
being able to hear what was going on.
After we enjoyed a delicious dinner, it was time for what we were waiting
anxiously for: the surprise announcement of the recipient of the Susan S.
Tiller Award and Phillips’ interview. Carla Hoffman presented the award to a
surprised and humble Betty Guerro, who accepted it on behalf of her husband,
too, who was unable to come. She and her husband Andy have worked as
volunteers for the center since 1979.
Matt Hicks of the Corpus Christi Hooks did a fantastic job interviewing
Phillips, and then it was time to head home, proud to help support an
institution that helps so many.
Yuletide Market
Another institution that has been improving the lives of others is the YWCA.
I attended its Yuletide Market luncheon on Nov. 5 at the American Bank
Center. It was a lovely luncheon; I sat with Monica Sanderson, this year’s
Yuletide Market chair, and her sister and aunts and mom — all the gals she
loves had come from near and far to support the YWCA and Monica.
The lunch was lovely, and it was fun to learn about the YWCA with its Y
Teens program, which the luncheon raises funds to support every year.
YWCA Director Nancy Wesson-Dodd even told us that the program is so popular
that towns as far away as Beeville and Aransas Pass are calling her to find
out if they can start a teen group.
“This is a great opportunity to give girls the tools to make strong,
positive decisions,” Dodd said of the Y Teens program, “and 90 percent of
the girls leaving our program say that they feel prepared to be good leaders
and citizens.”
That’s an inspiring statistic, and Rosara de la Santos, the president of IBC
Bank and a Y Teen graduate herself, concurred. “I can’t imagine growing up
without somebody telling me that I was worthy,” she said, “and I can thank
the Y for that.”
Another past Y Teen, Callie Ahuja, also was happy to tell us her success
story: Attending the YWCA as a young person, she said, was one of the best
experiences she has had. It’s good to know that our local girls have such an
amazing program.
Contact freelancer, mom and professional multitasker Sarah Tindall at
[email protected]
Source:
http://www.caller.com/news/2010/nov/21/grid-great-deaf-center-benefactors-spotlighted