august 2013 - fort bend focus magazine - people • places • happenings

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AUGUST 2013

FORT BEND'SFINEST INMEDICINE

Discover theCompounding Corner PharmacyDifference

Unforgettable: Remembering BEV CARTER

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www.fortbend .com • August 2013 1

Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.®

THE ONLY PCAB-ACCREDITED COMPOUNDING PHARMACY IN FORT BEND COUNTY

www.compoundingcornerpharmacy.com

for compounded medications in fort Bend county

The Gold STandard

281-494-7777 • 1730 Williams Trace, Ste. K, Sugar Land

• Accredited

• endorsed

• experienced

For the discerning patient:• DISCOUNTS: We offer 20% off 90 units of capsules, mL’s of cream, troches, etc., 35% off of 180 units and 40% off ≥360 units.• SAME DAY PROCESSING: Most medications are finished the same day. Anything ready after 6:00pm will be ready at 9:00am the next business morning.• TESTING: We regularly test our products for potency, sterility and endotoxins.• EXPERIENCE: All of our compounding staff are highly trained, ACPE-certificate earned and state registered compounding experts, each with years of experience. We are not a teaching pharmacy and do not have students rotating through our pharmacy.• ACCREDITED: We are the only accredited compounding pharmacy in Fort Bend County.

Shannon Maguadog, Pharm. D.Compounding Specialist/Owner

Phot

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ossi

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dios

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C O V E R S T O R Y

A U G U S T 2 0 1 3

COMPOUNDING FOR LIFE: THE COMPOUNDING CORNER PHARMACY, INC® DIFFERENCE The first compounding-only pharmacy in Fort

Bend back in 2004 and the only PCAB-Accredited

compounding pharmacy in Fort Bend, Compounding

Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® has established itself as the

gold standard for compounded prescriptions.

14

Meet this month’s recipient on page 73!

F E AT U R E S

18 THE MOST UNFORGETTABLECHARACTER I EVER MET Remembering Bev Carter

34 ARE YOU CARPOOL COOL? New School Year’s Carpool Resolution

35 BACK TO SCHOOL BARGAINS

36 BACK TO SCHOOL Get the kiddos ready for the new school year with this guide to Fort Bend schools and extracurricular activities.

42 FORT BEND FOCUS ANDabsolutely! BRAZOS MAGAZINES KICK OFF THE GEMS OF FORT BEND Generous, Enthusiastic Men Serving

49 MEDICAL FOCUS Learn about Fort Bend’s finest medical providers, and find the right fit to meet your medical needs.

C O L U M N S

22 FOCUS ON FINANCE High Noon for Interest Rates

72 HIGH SCHOOL HOT SHOT Emily Pfeiffer: Service, Scores and Success

77 FOCUS CARES Nappinnai Natarajan: Helping Teachers – and Students – Through Education

80 LIVING THE SWEET LIFE God’s Winking, Bev Just Showed Up for the Party!

G E TAWAY S

44 DISNEY FOR ROOKIES

Shannon Maguadog, Pharm. D.Photography by Nesossi Studios.


CONTRIBUTORS

A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 | V O L U M E 9 | N U M B E R 1 0

ON THE COVER:Dr. Shannon Maguadog,

Marielena Garza and Jason Witzel.Photography by Nesossi Studios.

N E W S W O RT H Y

46 THE LITERACY COUNCIL OF FORT BEND COUNTYChallenges Your Orthographic Capacity at the Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee

76 “HAPPY THANKSGOLFINGCLASSIC” Aids Homeless Families inFort Bend

a b s o l u t e l y ! D E L I C I O U S

78 HOW TO FILL A HEALTHYBARBEQUE PLATE

GREAT EATS FOR AGREAT CAUSE:Houston Restaurant Week

79 absolutely! DELICIOUS LISTING

F I L M R E V I E W

24 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

H O M E

30 SELECTING A PAINT COLOR For Your Home

24

Nick NicholsonEntertainment EditorPages 24, 31, 47, 48, 77

77

Whitney Vige WriterPage 77

Lauren BenoitWriterPage 72

72

32

Steve KursarAuto EnthusiastPage 32

80

Alisa Murray Alisa Murray PhotographyPage 80

Will HardeeHardee InvestmentGroupPage 22

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Jennifer L. Evans absolutely! focus mediaPage 44

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Jennifer Elliott absolutely! focus mediaPage 34

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H O M E T H E AT R E

31 MEET THE SMALLPOTATOES

47 CLOUDBURST

48 BLACK ROCK

77 THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY

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32 2013 FORD EXPLORER

B U S I N E S S B R I E F S

33 ANSON AVIATIONOpens New Facility

45 SUGAR LAND WINE& FOOD AFFAIRWins Top Honors at Annual Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives Conference

I N E V E RY I S S U E

10 PUBLISHER’S PREVIEW

26 OUT & ABOUT IN THEHEART OF THE BEND A few snapshots of people, places and happenings

71 AMATEUR PHOTO CONTEST A winning shot by a local photographer

74 COMMUNITY CALENDAR Fun events the whole familywill enjoy

Patti Parish-Kaminskiabsolutely! focus mediaPage 18

18

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Fort Bend FocusTM Magazine is published by absolutely! focus media, 4655 Techniplex Dr., Ste. 700, Stafford, TX 77477. Copy-right © 2013 by absolutely! focus media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Fort Bend FocusTM Magazine does not knowingly accept false or mis-leading advertising or editorial, nor do the publishers assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. Fort Bend FocusTM Magazine welcomes editorial submissions from its readers.

Publisher, LISA FREDRICKSON

Vol. 9 No. 10August 2013

EXCLAMATION POINTS!THE INSIDE SCOOP STRAIGHT FROM THE TOP

Subscription requests are free to all Fort Bend addresses. Annual paid subscription

of $25 required outside the Fort Bend area.

E X E C U T I V E P U B L I S H E R S Michael & Lisa Fredrickson

E DI TOR- I N - C H I E F Patti Parish-Kaminski

S E N I O RAC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E

Jessica Kij

AC C OU N T E X E C U T I V E SStephenie Cox

Susan DannhausJennifer Elliott

Kay GarrettAndrea Rigamonti

Bonnie Bell Woodrow

A RT DI R E C TORGrace Belleza

G R A P H IC DE SIG N E RGinger Garza

C O M M U N I C AT I O N S C O O R D I NAT O R

Sarah Bearden

W E B DE SIG N E R Joey Belleza

P H O T O G R A P H E RNesossi Studios

C O N T R I BU T O R SLauren BenoitJennifer Elliott

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E D I T O R IA L SU B M I S S I O N [email protected]

Publishedby

Lisa Fredrickson and Beverly Carter

Beverly Carter and Michael Fredrickson

Hello Fort Bend Friends,

It is with great sorrow that I say goodbye to my mother-in-law Beverly Carter. Not only was she a great mom-in-law, she was an awe-some grandmother to my children. Our readers may have known her as the lady who had a very strong opinion and tried to persuade public opin-ion through her weekly column Bev’s Burner, but we, her family, knew her as the generous, fun-loving person that she truly was. She was our BB. She never wanted to miss a family party or one of the children’s events at school, and so, it is with great joy that I choose to remember her.

Michael and I would like to express our sin-cere thanks to the community for their outpour-ing of support, prayers and condolences during this difficult time. We’ve heard so many wonder-ful stories from friends and readers, and they have been a source of great comfort and joy to us. We appreciate you, and we will see you all around the Bend.

Stay focused,Lisa Fredrickson

Lisa [email protected]@Fortbendfocus.com

READER FEEDBACKThis magazine is all about community...a long

list of professionals and at the helm, a wonderful leader. Thanks for all of the opportunities, news, events and wonderful information that you provide to all of the readers. I am proud to have our ad in this magazine! Fort Bend Focus rocks!

Teresa Cox Reading

Y’all are doing an amazing job promoting the magazine and drawing attention to the Fort Bend area. Proud to be a Fort Bend resident!

Marissa Lauer

I absolutely depend on your magazine! I love Fort Bend County, and I love reading about all of the events and happenings!

Trina Padilla-Mata

Terrific coverage of our community. Your cover stories are great!

Hillary Kirsch Goldstein

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According to Shannon Maguadog, Pharm. D., owner of Compounding Cor-ner Pharmacy, Inc.®, compounding is the time-honored profession of prepar-ing medication utilizing standardized ingredients to make an individualized

C ompounding pharmacy? So, just what exactly is a compounding pharmacy? A compounding pharmacy is a specialty pharmacy that actually makes a

medication by weighing, mixing and finalizing a prescription into a capsule, liquid, suspension, ointment, injection, lollipop, eye drop or any other of many available dosage forms.

Compounding for Life:The Compounding CornerPharmacy, Inc.® Difference

COVER STORYPhotos by Nesossi Studios

Shannon Maguadog, Pharm. D.Compounding Specialist/Owner

medication for a patient pursuant to a practitioner’s prescription order. “In the old days, all medications were com-pounded,” explained Dr. Maguadog. “As the pharmaceutical engine revved up in the mid twentieth century, most

Defining Compounding


medications became available through manufacturing via large scale production. However, to this day, many patients require individualized medication for specific needs that can-not be addressed through traditional pharmaceutical manu-facturing.”

From bio-identical hormone replacement to GFCF medi-cations for Autism to topical pain medications to veterinary compounding, all walks of life occasionally see the need for an individualized medication that can only be provided through a compounding pharmacy.

The issue then focuses on one of quality, safety and ef-ficacy, which is paramount to the compounding pharmaceuti-cal industry. “Remember the horrible events that transpired with the New England Compounding Pharmacy (NECC) and all of the people who died? Like restaurants, each compound-ing pharmacy makes medications differently. They each have their own formulas, methods, training, certifications, sourc-ing of ingredients, equipment, quality control and quality as-surance. Basically, it boils down to what the proverb says: ‘You get what you pay for,’” said Dr. Maguadog.

The Compounding CornerPharmacy, Inc.® Difference

Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® is accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The pharmacy purpose-fully distinguished itself from all of the other compounding pharmacies in the area as it is the only PCAB-Accredited compounding pharmacy in Fort Bend. To fully understand the accreditation process and distinction, visit www.pcab.org and www.compoundingcornerpharmacy.com for more information. These sites fully explain about the stringent and comprehensive standards which serve as an assurance that Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® has been tested against the pharmacy profession’s most rigorous standards in the nation.

The PCAB-Accreditation helps ensure that compounding pharmacies are using the highest quality ingredients, has proven potency testing, has a proven safety record and has met or exceeded the highest pharmacy standards in the na-tion as set by the United States Pharmacopeia, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the American Medical As-sociation, the American Pharmacists Association, the Ameri-can Veterinary Medical Association and others. “It’s not an easy process,” explained Dr. Maguadog. “But it’s a necessary standard to providing the highest quality compounded medi-cations, and it’s our standard at Compounding Corner Phar-macy, Inc.®.” Not only was Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® one of first PCAB-Accredited compounding pharmacies in the nation in 2008, but they have already gone through the re-accreditation in 2011.

CompoundingChecks and Balance

So, what quality assurance and quality control goes into a compounded medication? Let’s map out a typical prescription process that occurs at Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.®:

A USP or NF-grade active ingredient arrives at the pharmacy.

Active ingredient is quarantined until certificate of analysis is verified and MSDS sheet is on file.

Active ingredient is assigned a bar code. As the prescription is made, each active ingredient is

verified by bar code scan. A digital scale that is linked to the lab computer triple-

verifies and records the weight and percent error of each ac-tive ingredient.

The medication is finalized through the appropriate equipment such as an ointment mill, a capsule machine, a homogenizer, a v-blender, an autoclave, a tube sealer, an Iso-Tech Microsphere, etc.

The finished medication is verified by the pharmacist, and the prescription is labeled with the lot number for qual-ity assurance, quality control and the ability to recall if ever necessary.

“Our goal is to build rapport with patients and practitioners to provide the highest quality compounded prescriptions available to assist in optimal outcomes,” said Dr. Maguadog.

Marielena Garza and Jason Witzel perform trituration by mixing powder with a morter and pestle in Dr. Maguadog’s pharmacy.


Additional quality assurance and quality control:

ACPE Accredited technicians in primary basic training program in compounding techniques.

ACPE Accredited pharmacists in Risk Level I,II and III aseptic com-pounding.

Regularly sent samples to an outside third-party laboratory (Eagle Analytical) for end-potency product, microbial and endotoxin contamination testing.

A system of continuous qual-ity improvement including incident reports and regularly scheduled em-ployee meetings.

A Standardized Operating Proce-dures Manual.

Extensive scheduled and unan-nounced on-site inspections by PCAB surveyors.

Monitoring of temperature and humidity by Fisher Scientific traceable hygrometers.

Use of Professional Compounding Centers of America’s proprietary PK Software dedicated to compounding.

Membership in and utilization of PCCA’s pharmacist consultants and PhD’s.

“Our goal is to build rapport with patients and practitioners to provide the highest quality compounded pre-scriptions available to assist in optimal outcomes,” said Dr. Maguadog. “Well-ness is our primary focus because it’s not just how long you live, it’s also how well you live. Quality of life is vital.”

Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® offers individual wellness consul-tations online at www.compounding-cornerpharmacy.com by filling out the necessary information and answering the in-depth questionnaire. They also offer a variety of supplements includ-ing outstanding lines such as Thorne Research, Metagenics, Pharmanex and Carlson’s. “It’s hard to filter through all of the supplements on the market and identify what is right for your individ-ual situation. We are happy to discuss and answer any questions consumers may have about supplements.”

Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® was the first compounding-only pharmacy in Fort Bend back in 2004, and they will be celebrating ten years in business in February 2014. The pharmacy has established itself as the gold standard for compounded prescrip-tions. “Fort Bend has embraced us and allowed our business to prosper,” said Dr. Maguadog. “Our customers appre-ciate the quality and care we put into creating their medications, and we ap-preciate their support.”

5. Endorsement -- PCAB is endorsed by trusted entities in the medical field, including the American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

4. Ethics -- PCAB adopted the Code of Ethics for Pharmacists and encourages the pharmacies it accredits to do the same. This code includes principles such as integrity, compassion, competence and confidentiality.

3. Training -- Pharmacies accredited by PCAB are required to be trained in compounding regularly. Each staff member at Compounding Corner Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in the primary basic training program in compounding techniques. The pharmacists are ACPE-accredited in Risk Level I, II and III aseptic compounding.

2. Efficacy -- This term refers to a drug‘s effectiveness. Through standardized methods of compounding required by PCAB, pharmacies can ensure the medications they compound are effective and meet a patient’s needs on a personalized level.

1. Safety -- Dabbling in compounding pharmacy is dangerous, Dr. Shannon Maguadog said, thus pharmacies that are serious about taking on the responsibility must uphold strict safety standards. PCAB-accredited pharmacies go through a rigorous process in which they prove they do everything the right way and have standards for continuous quality improvement.

Top Five Reasons to Usea PCAB-Accredited

Pharmacy

The Compounding Corner Pharmacy, Inc.® team: Jason Witzel, Robald Bee, Marielena Garza, Wayne Bilyeu, Dr. Shannon Maguadog and above, Connie Graves.

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O n Saturday, July 6th, the flame flickered on Bev’s Burner and ultimately,

extinguished. For those of us who had the privilege to know Bev Carter, it was a sad and thought-provoking day.

My mind immediately went to the first time I met Bev several years ago. We were attending the Chairman’s Gala for the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. Tim and I arrived at our table, and there sat Bev. We introduced ourselves, though I knew who she was, and Bev immediately insisted that I sit next to her. That was the first of many functions where Bev would say, “Patti, sit next to me so we can talk about people.” Honestly, it was more like sit next to her so she could ask me who people were when she couldn’t recall their names. So, I accepted that very first invitation to sit next to her. I summoned up the courage – because you know I was scared – and sat down. Sure enough, she took a photo of the table and put it in the paper. She even spelled my name correctly. And so began my relationship with Bev Carter.

As the years progressed, we attended many functions, and yes, I sat next to her quite a bit. It was downright entertaining. One year at the Cultural Arts Gala, unbeknownst to her, the skit involved Bev. David Wallace began a soliloquy that I quickly deduced involved calling out Bev. I told her, “Get ready. He’s talking about you.” She promptly scooted her chair back, lifted up the tablecloth, and said, “Patti, help me get under the table!” Fortunately, I was able to talk her out of crawling under the table because frankly, if she got under there, I knew we couldn’t get her out. When Dave called her up on stage, Bev was delighted with the exchange, and the guests loved it. She was the star of the show.

I was fortunate to be able to spend some very special times with Bev. On Christmas Eve two years ago, I invited the Fredrickson family to share the holiday with my family and close friends at our home. We had spent Thanksgiving with them at the river, and my son, Kolton, fell in love with Bev’s dressing. So, I called Bev and asked her to e-mail me her recipe because frankly, my culinary skills are somewhat limited. She sent me her recipe – though I think she may have made it up because she insisted she really didn’t have one – and I commenced to shopping.

The day before Christmas Eve, Lisa told me that Bev wasn’t coming to my house. I called Bev, and she said she just wasn’t up to it. I promptly informed her that her entire family would be at my house Christmas Eve, and I was not going give her a reason to write about me hijacking them on Christmas Eve while she was at home alone. I told her I would send someone to pick her up. Kathryn picked her up, and we shared a blessed Christmas Eve.

For the past year and a half, Bev would call me from time to time. For

some reason, the 7:30 to 8:30 am was the magic hour she would call. I was usually putting on my makeup, so I would set the phone down and put it on speaker. Our phone conversations consisted of her immediately firing off two to three questions, allowing me to respond briefly and then, she would tell me what to think. They were usually one-sided conversations; Bev talked, I listened. And they were always entertaining. She would fuss about carpool, local politicians, the Republicans, her kids – whatever was on her mind.

A few months ago after one of these conversations, Bev wrote something in her column that I had said. Of course, I didn’t say it. I called her and said, “Bev, I didn’t say that. I was with you when someone said it to you, but it wasn’t me.” Her response? “Well, somebody said it. It might as well have been you.”

The last time Bev came to our home was at the beginning of June. Lisa came by, and Jack and Bev were in the car. She was sporting a pink turban and pink hat; she looked quite stylish. She had to tell me about being pulled over by the Sugar Land Police Department on her way home from the grocery store. In typical Bev fashion, she told me that shortly after the officer ran her license and plates, another patrol car pulled up. She was incensed the officer had called for back up! I told her that the bloods were red, the crypts were blue but those pinks, those cancer survivors, they were one tough gang, and since she was sporting so much pink, he must have thought she was a pink. Well, she thought that was funny and recanted the story in her column that week. And for the record, I can totally commiserate with the SLPD calling for back up. I had to call for Bev back up many times over the years. Of course,

The Most Unforgettable CharacterI Ever Met

A surprised Bev Carter with David Wallaceat a Sugar Land Cultural Arts Gala.

By Patti Parish-Kaminski


I always called Lisa.I will miss Bev’s phone calls. I

will miss her poignant, witty sense of humor. I will miss her unique perspective on community and world events. I will miss anxiously opening up the paper to make sure I wasn’t mentioned in her column. I will miss holidays with Bev because after all, she taught my children how to gamble. It’s a life skill, not something they typically learn at a Baptist school. The last July 4th we were together, Kassidi and Kolton rounded up their money. They put coins in Ziploc baggies so they would be ready to play with Ms. Bev, Kathryn, Carter and Jack. The game didn’t last very long. I asked Bev why they weren’t playing cards any more. She told me that Kassidi had cleaned everybody out. I said, “Well Bev, isn’t that what you taught her to do?” I can still hear her husky laugh, tickled that yes, that’s exactly what she had taught Kassidi to do.

Reader’s Digest Magazine had a regular feature for years: “The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.” For me, that character is Bev Carter. I laughed with her, I cried with her when she lost Sherry, I debated with her, I learned from her. She remains a role model for me, and I am a better person for knowing her.

I can only imagine the joyous wonders Bev is enjoying in heaven.

I’m sure she’s in awe of the beauty, enjoying the blue, red and purple butterflies. I can also see her questioning, “Where are the black butterflies? What about the brown ones or the yellow ones? Aren’t they represented? Who do I need to talk to about that?”

Yes, move over Mike Wallace, Tony Snow, Andy Rooney. There’s a new journalist in town. B. K. Carter is in the house.

Bev Carter and Tony Snow

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T his summer, the Houston Humane Society, with support from Texas Direct Auto, has the goal of adopting out 1,000 of its animals as part of the

ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, a national campaign designed to save as many animals’ lives as possible.

As one of 50 shelters selected from across the country to participate in the $100K Challenge, the Houston Hu-mane Society is competing to break its own record of saving animals’ lives in June, July and August. The Challenge offers a $100,000 grand prize, which could assist the Houston Humane So-ciety in sheltering even more of the City’s animals and in finding them forever homes.

The Houston Humane Society is ecstatic to have found a partner in Texas Direct Auto, the “World’s Largest Independent Dealership,” for the Chal-lenge. In addition to selling cars and offering exceptional financing, the dealership acts as an advocate for animals and recently opened the Texas Direct Auto Dog Park. Tex-as Direct Auto’s Director of Business Development Jessica DeMarr is thrilled to support the Houston Humane Soci-ety in the Challenge by donating water, promotional prod-ucts and various items needed during the competition.

“This is a great opportunity for both Texas Direct Auto and the Houston Humane Society to find homes for the wonderful pets located at the shelter,” DeMarr said. “I’m eager to work with the Houston Humane Society this

summer and get the community just as excited as we are to help reach the goal of adopting 1,000 animals into loving homes.”

To help achieve its goal of adopting out 1,000 animals this summer, the Houston Humane Society is planning multiple summer events, including movie nights, dog washes, animal adoption speed “dating” and much more. Furthermore, the organization hopes that Houstonians and other surrounding communities will participate in the Challenge not only by adopting but also by spreading the word and encouraging others to visit the facility to meet the adoptables. Sherry Ferguson, Executive Director of the Houston Humane Society, believes these initiatives are im-perative for the organization to reach its goal.

“I’m thrilled the Houston Humane Society is involved in the ASPCA $100K Challenge,” Ferguson said. “Our goal is and always has been to pro-vide the highest quality of care and find homes for the animals we shelter. The Challenge will help bring awareness to this and through our summer events, the community will be able to get involved, have fun and find forever friends!”

For questions regarding the $100K Challenge and the events surrounding the summer campaign, the organiza-tion’s partnership with Texas Direct Auto or more informa-tion about the Houston Humane Society, please visit the organization’s website at www.houstonhumane.org.

Texas Direct Auto and Houston Humane Society Announces Goal of Finding Homes for

1,000 Animals Through ASPCA $100K ChallengeThe organization hopes to beat its own record of

adopting out the animals it shelters with help from local partner

Photos by E&E Animals Professional Pet Photography

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trust your heart to board certified cardiologists—Methodist diagnostic cardiology of houston—a specialty group of physicians who are devoted to your heart health.

from cholesterol management to the most complex diagnostic cardiac procedures, our cardiovascular care begins with building a relationship with our patients. We are committed to providing the highest quality care with the best possible outcomes for our patients. Plus, through our affiliation with Methodist sugar land hospital, we have access to state-of-the-art technology which enables us to provide outstanding care that is close to home.

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Prepared by the Hardee Investment Group and RBC Wealth Management

High Noon for Interest Rates

I t was just a few weeks ago when Federal Reserve chair-man Ben Bernanke said the Federal Reserve may start to “taper” their purchases of mortgages and Treasury

Bonds. It was tantamount to yelling “FIRE!” in a movie the-ater. The entire student body of investors tried to rush out the door at the same time and with devastating consequenc-es. Because the Federal Reserve has artificially held down interest rates for several years, the fear was and is that rates will skyrocket if the Federal Reserve stops its purchases. Therefore, interest rates have jumped more than 50% from their lows in six weeks, which is one of the biggest moves in a long, long time.

The result is anything that is interest sensitive, such as bonds and bond funds, stocks like utilities, telecom, Master Limited Partnerships and Real Estate Investment Trusts have dropped in price very quickly, in some cases, 10% to 40%. Conventional 30-year home mortgages have moved from 3% to over 4%.

Will it continue, and what do we do? History has shown us there is opportunity in every calamity. Effectively managing these crises is how we turn calamity into opportunity. Inter-

ested in how we do this? Why don’t you call us today at 713-853-0879 or visit us online at www.HardeeInvestmentGroup.com to learn more about how we can help you and your family reach your financial dreams.

This article is provided by H. H. Will Hardee, AWM, a Financial Advisor at RBC Wealth Management’s Houston Center office, and was prepared by or in cooperation with RBC Wealth Management. The information included in this article is not intended to be used as the primary basis for making investment decisions nor should it be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any specific security. RBC Wealth Management does not endorse this organization or publi-cation. Consult your investment professional for additional information and guidance. RBC Wealth Management does not provide tax or legal advice.

RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

FOCU$ on FINANCE

© 2012 RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

Hardee Investment Group(713) 853-0879 • (800) 838-0757www.hardeeinvestmentgroup.com

Hardee Investment Group

Trust and ConfidenceIf you are tired of second guessing your investment decisions, we can help.

Since 1977, we have been providing families and business financial guidance

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Did You Know?

Client service and continuity are extremely important to the Hardee Investment Group. Of the 33 years Teena has been in the industry, she has worked with Will Hardee for 30 years!!


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ing picked here or there, and in this case while on a field trip, he is paired up with his teacher – since no one else picked him as a buddy.

While on the field trip, Mike has an epiphany. While watching the adult monsters working as scarers (their job is to scare human children), his path is set. He wants to attend Monsters Uni-versity and get a degree in scaring! At the university, Mike meets Sully (John Goodman), and they immediately be-come rivals. One has popularity, and the other is very book smart. If you have seen Monsters Inc., you know how the story ends.

Monsters University is a very good film. It doesn’t quite have the level of magic the first installment contained, but it comes close.

The story makes sense and is devel-oped in such a way that neither adults nor children will lose interest. The pairing up of John Goodman and Bil-ly Crystal is simply gold, and I doubt there are any actors out there who could have the chemistry these two cre-ate with their characters.

I t doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that when Pixar puts out a movie, it is generally quite

good. Frankly, even the sequels to films – or in the case of Monsters Univeristy, prequels – are outstanding. And, Mon-sters University is no exception.

The focus of this film is on Mike (Billy Crystal) as he realizes, like many youths, everyone is an individual and different from the rest. Unfortunately like all kids, he simply wants to fit in and be accepted. He is tired of not be-

Nick Nicholson is the Film and Entertainment Critic for CNN Radio, the Fort Bend Star and absolutely! focus media. In addition, his reviews can be seen and heard in numerous other print/media outlets in Texas and Oklahoma. Mr. Nicholson is in great demand as a speaker to both public and civic organizations on the subject of film and the entertainment industry. He is the co-founder of the Houston Film Critics Society and is currently the President of the organization.

Monsters UniversityStarring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve BuscemiDirector: Dan ScanlonCompany: Walt Disney PicturesNow Showing: In Local Area TheatresMPAA Rating: GGrade: B+

Photos Courtesy of © 2013 Disney • Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

FILM REVIEWBy Nick Nicholson

Billy Crystal as Mike.

Mike and Sulley amongst other MU monsters.

It’s interesting to note that each Pix-ar film has reference to room A113, and this film is no exception. Room A113 is the room at the California Institute of the Arts where all of the animation classes take place. A homage to the ani-mator’s roots, this room number is the lecture hall at Monsters University.

Be sure to get to the theater on time as the short film, The Blue Umbrella, is incredibly moving and visually bril-liant. Oh, and be sure to stay all the way through the credits so you don’t miss the surprise!



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IN THEHEART

O F T H E B E N D

OUT&ABOUT

The Exchange Club of Sugar Land’s Past President Gladys Brumfield inducted retired Judge Robert Kern as the club’s new President on June 26th. For over 100 years, the volunteer efforts of more than 700 Exchange Clubs across the Nation sponsor activities to promote the Prevention of Child Abuse, Development of Youth, Americanism and Community Service. Exchange Club of Sugar Land projects like Santa’s Exchange, which distributes over 10,000 toys annually to underprivileged children, and Walk with Pride, which provides over 900 children with new school shoes, are just two examples of its service to the community. Each year, the club’s Spaghetti Dinner provides over $100,000 to local charities.Photo by Larry Pullen.

Looking on with smiles as their grandpa Kern was sworn in were Scyler, Dawson and Tristan Merriman.Photo by Larry Pullen.

Congratulations to Jayen (J.J.) Ram, a scout with Troop 731 in Sugar Land who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in December 2012. The Eagle Court of Honor recognized his accomplishments in July. Troop 731 is chartered by the Exchange Club of Sugar Land.

The Cradle of Texas Chorus from Sugar Land sang their beautiful four-part harmony rendition of the National Anthem at a Sugar Land Skeeters game at Constellation Field. Pictured are members Karen Askin, Bonnie Fisher, Linda Seto, Skeeters Mascot Moe, Christina Reyes, Shirley Winstead, Jane Vaucher and Connie Singleton.


Joyce Kubala and Virginia Valentine.

Lauren Caldwell, Kendra Garrett and Maxine Halliburton.

Gale Butler and Germaine Dartez.

Tan Boutte and Lisa Polk.

On June 27th, Fort Bend Community Partners Rainbow Room hosted the 12th Annual Flo Berkman Award Luncheon at Sweetwater Country Club. The ceremony recognized businesses, families and individuals who provide donations to assist in the fight against abuse and neglect of children and adults in Fort Bend County.

Twenty-Two Fifter Interiors & Gifts hosted “A Boutique for the Home” in honor of their third anniversary where guests enjoyed drinks, small bites and 20 percent off purchases.

Tucanos Brazilian Grill hosted a charity celebration in July to raise money for three deserving Fort Bend charities. Due to the generosity of the Fort Bend community, Tucanos presented checks to each of the charities for a total donation of $10,000. With 1,580 votes, Fort Bend Family Promise was awarded first place and received 65 percent of the total donation amount. Second place went to Fort Bend Junior Service League with 1,523 votes and 25 percent of the total donation amount. With 1,277 votes, Fort Bend Education Foundation was awarded third place and 10 percent of the total donation amount.

Cathy and Gary Dante enjoyed the evening and voted for their favorite charity: The Fort Bend Education Foundation, where Gary serves as a board member.

Lisa Fredrickson, Patti Parish-Kaminski, May W. Tape, Tucanos’ Lamar, Lindsey Tape, Tim Kaminski and Michael Fredrickson were all smiles as they sampled the Brazilian fare.

Amanda Jacob and Shana Sonnier.

Evelyn Traylor, Tom Parks and Wende Lewis-Buckley.

Nell Ciancareli, Jo Ann Engleton, Ann Smith, Vincent Morales and Betty Baitland.


IN THEHEART

O F T H E B E N D

OUT&ABOUT

The Texas Magic 16U Fast-pitch Softball team traveled to the 2013 ASA/USA “Select” National Championships in San Jose, California from July 28th to August 4th. These young ladies earned their bid to the national championship tournament by being undefeated at the American Softball Association 16U state tournament in Killeen, Texas. Teams from all over Texas were there to compete for the honor of representing Texas at the National Championships. Pictured are team members Sara Gonzales, Keali Weatherford, Brittney Bryson, Ravin Wilson, AJ Salazar, Celie Olguin, Natasha Cabucio, Emily Rimes, Marissa Trevino, Kendall Pryor and Taleah Nehls. The Texas Magic are coached by Gilbert Gonzales, Randy Pryor, Stuart Rimes and Eli Olguin.

Who was the first person to purchase gas at the new Costco? Dr. Niraj Patel was the first customer to fuel up at the newly opened pumps.

Costco opened its doors in Sugar Land in July, and Fort Bend Focus got a sneak peek at what the wholesaler had to offer Fort Bend before their grand opening.

Gabriella Rodriguez helped Lisa Fredrickson sign up for her Costco card. Ready, set, shop!

Costco features fabulous accessories including designer handbags. Costco’s Tonya James shows off this gorgeous Chanel handbag.

Tim Kaminski and Michael Fredrickson checked out the expansive wine selection.


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How to Selecta Paint Color for Your Home

H ave you ever stood in your home with 20 plus paint swatches and felt so overwhelmed you didn’t know where to start? Selecting a paint color

can be mind-boggling, especially since there are so many to pick from!

Select Your Room Contents FirstSo, how do you go about picking out

the perfect color? At Simply Divine In-teriors, we like to have a plan of what the room furnishings are going to be be-fore we select a color. We often choose the paint color last according to the previously made fabric and flooring se-lections. It is harder to find fabric and tile to match the random paint color you selected then it is to pick out from the thousand paint colors to match your fabrics. For example, if you are picking paint for your bathroom, you need to consider the tile floor and countertops. If they are in the gray tones, pick a cool tone like a blue or a neutral gray.

Go Bold – or NotIt is also okay if you do not prefer

a colorful paint. Pick a neutral beige or gray, even a clean, crisp white and have it run throughout the house. This can have a calming effect in your home. It also works for clients who like to change out their artwork, pillows and accessories often. With this option, you are not tied to one color palette.

Test Before You BuyOf course, we recommend that you

test the paint out! When you select the paint at the store, the lighting is differ-ent than you have at your home. Many companies will have sample size paint

jars so you can test it on the wall your-self first.

Hire a ProIf you do not feel comfortable select-

ing a color yourself, hire a pro. Many designers and decorators have color consultations and will come to your home to select the paint. They also can order you bigger sized paint sheets so you can tape them up on your wall if you don’t want to sample paint. This can save you a lot of time and head-ache!

Painting can change a home dra-matically, so remember to plan ahead and have fun!

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[email protected]

Arlene R. Rolsen, CRS“Selling Fort Bend’s Finest Homes Since 1985”

Majestic in design and scale, this Fuqua masterpiece is resplen-dent with superb detailing. The use of brick in the home adds a certain warmth, coziness, and comfort in the midst of a busy lifestyle. The master suite with its bay windowed sitting area and toasty fireplace is a restful place. One of the many architectural highlights in this home is a custom wood mantal made from a trestle of an 1800’s Oregon railway. Nestled on an oversized lot on Sweetwater Golf Course, this ultimate residence will provide the lifestyle sought by those accustomed to the very best.

Sweetwater Classic Residence120911_FBFocus_OL.indd 1 12/14/2011 3:05:03 PM

home theatre

DVD Release

By Nick Nicholson

T he whole family will sing and

laugh along on a fun-filled

adventure as you discover how

Ruby, Nate, Chip and Olaf rose

from the humble dirt of an Idaho

farm to become a global singing

sensation. Voiced by Malcolm

McDowell and featuring songs by

Tony-winning composer Jerry Bock

(Fiddler on the Roof), Meet the

Small Potatoes is an inspirational

tale of friendship and creativity

that proves even the smallest

potato can make big dreams

come true.

Meet theSmall Potatoes

Universal


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T he 2013 Ford Explorer Sport delivers about as much fun as a full-size SUV/crossover is le-

gally allowed to deliver. Yes, it looks to the untrained eye like a regular Ex-plorer, but this baby has a lot going on under the sheet metal that makes a Clark Kent-looking vehicle perform like Superman. Simply put, it’s a blast!

Back in 2009, Ford decided to add the Sport designation to their Fusion model by giving it a slightly bigger en-gine, a retuned suspension and much better tires. Except for the tires, the Fusion Sport was okay but nothing to really write home about. But Ford was committed to adding the Sport desig-nation to some other models, and last year, they added some serious muscle

FORD EXPLORER to their already popular Explorer. Re-member, this is the Explorer they re-designed and revealed back in 2010.

The base Explorer comes standard with the 290hp, 3.5 liter V6 normally-aspirated engine. Although that en-gine is pretty nice, it does feel a bit underpowered at times, until you get the revs up in the power band. You can opt for the 240hp, 2.0 liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine that is bet-ter suited to the Explorer. Although it does put out fewer horses than the base engine, the low end torque makes the SUV feel peppier.

The Sport version takes the Explor-er to a whole new dimension. Take a look at the tires, and you’ll start to get a feel for what I’m talking about. The 20” tires, along with sport-tuned in-dependent front and rear suspension, hug the road and give this crossover sports car handling. Bigger brakes provide better stopping power. But the real surprise is under the hood. The Explorer Sport comes with the 290 hp, 3.5 EcoBoost V6 engine which totally transforms this Explorer. What

2013the EcoBoost engines deliver is die-sel engine-like low end torque which means that full power is available as soon as you step on the accelerator. That’s the reason Ford sells so many cars equipped with EcoBoost engines.

The 2013 Ford Explorer Sport has a starting MSRP of $40,780, which may seem a little steep – that’s over ten grand more than the base Explor-er – but sometimes fun has no price tag. This may be the perfect mid-life crisis car if you still have kids in the house. Think of it, you drop the kids off at school, then roar off in search of adventure. Oh, the places you’ll go…

Follow Steve Kursur at KursarOnCars.blogspot.com.


Come Fly with us at Anson Aviation!You’ll like the view from up here.

Anson Aviation will help you discover a brand new way of life. We’re based at the award-winning Sugar Land Regional Airport. Call 281-242-2555 or visit ansonair.com.

O n June 18th, Anson Aviation commenced operations at its 24,000 square foot, state-of-the art office and hangar facility at Sugar Land Regional Airport. Anson

Aviation already operates the only FAA approved pilot school at the airport. The $3 million facility will allow Anson to expand its offering of innovative aviation services and create 15 new avia-tion jobs at Sugar Land Regional Airport.

Dana Atkinson, founder and president of Anson Aviation, said, “It is our vision to provide all of the services and expertise needed to enable our customers to enjoy private airplanes for business and personal travel. Airplane owners, pilots who rent airplanes and the general public will find a friendly, inviting, pro-fessional atmosphere with everything they need for personal air transportation.”

One of the fundamental principles underlying Anson Avia-tion’s business plan, which resulted in the new facility, is that aviation is more about people than airplanes. Their vision is to create an environment where a community of aviators with their families and friends can flourish. Clients will find a comprehen-sive offering of services designed and managed specifically for them.

Anson Aviation also provides services such as on-demand air charter and conference facilities, which will allow non-pilots to enjoy the convenience and mobility of Sugar Land’s award- winning regional airport.

Visit www.ansonair.com for more information about Anson Aviation.

Anson AviationOpens New Facility atSugar Land Regional Airport

BUSINESSBRIEFS

I will enter and exit at the appro-priate locations. Although it was funny to watch Michael Keaton get it all wrong in Mr. Mom, I will not be that person.

I will brush my teeth before I get in the car; really I will, every time.

I will not wear my pajamas, or at the very least, I will pull a sweatshirt on over them.

I will pull through to the first available drop off spot so that the line runs smoothly, even though my child is screaming that spot five is closer to her classroom.

I will not put things my child will need to unload in my trunk. Seriously!

I will not whiz past cars whose kids are taking too long to unload. I will take a deep breath, have patience and remember that one day my child’s water bottle may roll under the seat and take several minutes to find.

I will be watchful and careful even in the middle school line because those kids are probably updating their Instagram and have no idea they are in a parking lot.

I will not attempt to chat with my child’s teacher while she is loading or unloading my child, even though I am sure she has nothing better to do.

I will NOT text or talk on my phone!! Even if it is vibrating, beeping, ringing and generally begging to be picked up, I will leave it on the console and wait. I will remember that the pas-sengers are watching and will learn by example.

As I approach the middle school, I will do everything in my power to make sure my child has finished eating breakfast, brushing her hair and putting on her mascara so that she can get out of the car in a timely manner.

I will focus on driving and will not eat my breakfast, brush my hair or put on my mascara.

By abiding by this resolution, we can all have a more pleasant carpool experience. For those not interested in participating, I have a recommendation, and it’s called the bus.

For some good laughs, Google the Mr. Mom carpool clip, and check out these blogs:

www.carpoolgoddess.comwww.carpoolcoutureandcocktails.comwww.carpoolqueen.wordpress.com

In a few weeks, we will be back in the carpool line, so there is no

better time to take our New School Year’s Carpool Resolution.

By Jennifer Elliott

Carpool Cool?Are You



How do Dinosaurs Go to School?

Would dinosaurs walk to school or carpool? Would they stomp and make a fuss on the bus? Of course not. Before they leap out the door at the end of the school day, readers will realize that these dinosaurs are helpful, tidy and protec-tive, “growling at the bullies til the bullying ends.” Gift set includes hardcover book and a sweet 14” plush doll. $34.95 at www.hmns.org

iPhone 5 Case Wallet

Made in the United States out of recycled aircraft aluminum, this iPhone Case Wallet is available in the most popular colors. The positive stop latch is plated in 18 karat gold. Inside, you can store your I.D. in the preci-sion machined slot. The adjacent door holds several credit cards behind an optical grade mirror. The aluminum protects your credit cards from identity theft RFID scanners. Also, the aluminum prevents deactivation of your hotel keycard! Finally, the aluminum features heat sink technology, which draws heat away from the iPhone, which may help your battery last longer.$119 at www.reyneau.com

Lunch Bugs

Pack their meals in Lunch Bugs, the sand-wich bags with a supersized creepy-crawly printed right on it. These reusable zip-to-lock storage bags are also a fool-proof anti-theft device if your office is plagued with freeload-ing fridge raiders. Guaranteed to put an end to lunchroom larceny! Twenty-four bags to a box. $12.95 at www.hmns.org

Clocky

Never oversleep again! Clocky is the alarm clock on wheels that runs away beeping! You can snooze one time, but if you don’t get up, Clocky will jump off of your nightstand up to three feet high, and run around your room as if looking for a place to hide. You’ll have to get out of bed to silence Clocky’s alarm.$49.95 at www.hmns.org

Make Your Own snackTAXI:

This set of four snack sacks and four mark-ers allows folks to cook up their own unique snackTAXIs! Have fun while keeping plastic bags out of landfills when you use these cus-tom baggies. They’re great for parties, too. It’s a craft activity and party favor all in one! The non-toxic markers come in various colors.$33 at www.rosiemade.com

BACK TO SCHOOL

Bubble Backpack

Makes you wish you were back in school, doesn’t it? Ankylosarus bubble back-packs aren’t as tough as they look - they’re actually quite soft - but they are so cool. Send your bud-ding scientist to school in style with a book bag with bite.$59.95 at www.hmns.org


BACK TO SCHOOL

Two years ago, Robert Gifford purchased the Bill Austin Gym-

nastics and Dance facility, which is located next to the Sugar Land Ice Center in First Colony. Gif-ford named the new center Sugar Land Gymnastics, Dance and Ka-rate (SLG). Since then, enrollment has skyrocketed and continues to climb. Gifford explained, “We have reached the 1,000 student mark and available spots in our program will now be limited.” The reason for his success? “Quality. When you have quality instruction and a quality curriculum housed in a qual-ity, state-of-the-art facility, word spreads quickly.”

In August, Gifford plans to open a second multi-purpose facility in Sienna. The new 7,000 square foot facility will offer gymnastics, cheer-leading, tumbling, summer camp, birthday parties and Safety America Karate.

SLG’s head coach, Coach Mei Liu, competed as a member of the Chinese National Team and is a USAG certified national judge. She also has 25 years of experience and has coached level four through sev-en State Champions. Gifford said, “We don’t believe in screaming at the kids. Positive reinforcement will get us there, and we will have a bunch of fun along the way.”

Mom-and-Me classes at SLG starts kids off at eighteen-months-old and builds skills at each and ev-ery level. SLG also offers competi-tive girl’s team programs, as well as recreational classes and tumbling. Call SLG at 281-240-0999 or visit www.SugarLandGymnastics.com for more information.

Sugar LandGymnastics

Expands to SiennaDANCE STUDIO

281-499-39213643 Glenn Lakes Ln.,

Highway 6 • Missouri City

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Call or visit website for schedule

Celebrating 41 Years of Dance in

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2013-2014 Registration

August 7, 14, 22 & 294:00 – 7:00 pm

Ballet • Tap • JazzLyrical • Hip Hop

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Classes begin September 3rd!

At Kids ‘R’ Kids, children benefit from the latest in research-based, field-prov-en, early education training while incorporating play. Their exclusive Brain

WavesTM curriculum provides learning experiences that enhance brain develop-ment and support neural pathways for language, social-emotional, cognitive and physical development during these critical years.

Technology is everywhere, so children need healthy exposure to be prepared for life in the 21st century. Research shows, however, that hours of exposure to digital technology can lead to over stimulation of the brain, fatigue and irritabil-ity. Kids ‘R’ Kids takes a balanced approach to technology. Their curriculum has been integrated with ABCmouse, one of the latest early childhood technology tools, to enhance learning. With the guidance of a teacher, children engage in digital activities that build language, math, science and fine motor skills.

Kids ‘R’ Kids is proud to share a love for teaching and is available to give school-wide tours. Their experienced, dedicated staff shares a united focus on early childhood education. In addition, their partnership with Watch Me Grow al-lows parents and grandparents to share photos and videos of their child’s daily activities and milestones directly from an iPhone, iPad or mobile device.

Kids ‘R’ Kids Private Preschools strive to provide the best educational envi-ronment for children and a safe and nurturing place that parents can feel great about. Stop in and tour any of the facilities, and find out why Kids ‘R’ Kids is right for your family! For more information, visit www.KidsRKidsFortBend.com.

Kids ‘R’ Kids:Providing the Best Educational Environment


BACK TO SCHOOL

CONFIDENCE and

FOCUS all while having so much

FUN!

“ ”

helped my child gain Gymnastics

SUGAR LAND GYMNASTICS &

SIENNA GYMNASTICS

281-240-0999

www.sugarlandgymnastics.com


BACK TO SCHOOL

Fort Bend Academy of Dance (FBAD) has focused on the

needs and dreams of aspiring young dancers since 1999. Direct-ed by Michael Banigan and Dianne Jarrell, the emphasis of FBAD is on dance as a performing art rath-er than a competitive event. The school strongly believes in an ave-nue for personal expression and an opportunity to fulfill professional as-pirations. Many students at FBAD are currently pursuing professional careers or degrees in dance.

The Academy utilizes an age and level based curriculum that emphasizes the proper technique of classical ballet as the basis for all other dance forms. They offer classes in classical ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary and tap. There are also four divisions in the Acad-emy from pre-school through pre-professional.

FBAD is also the home of Ballet-Forte, the premier pre-professional ballet company in the area. Bal-letForte is a member of Regional Dance America/Southwest and has been entertaining audiences with its annual production of The Nut-cracker for the past 16 years.

FBAD provides an encouraging environment where every student is expected to strive for excellence to the best of their ability while experi-encing the pure joy of movement. In turn, they are committed to making a positive contribution to the lives of their students and community. This is achieved by giving students the individualized guidance and attention that they are entitled to while instilling the value of commit-ment, respect, hard work, discipline and artistry.

Want to dance? Fort Bend Academy of Dance has room for you at the barre. For more informa-tion, visit www.fbadance.com or call 281-277-5735.

Fort BendAcademy of Dance

The Walden School is a dynamic NAEYC accredited school that provides high quality programs and care for infants through private kindergarten. Walden

also provides a low teacher-to-student ratio in its private first and second grades and stimulating before-and-after school care for children through age 12.

Summer campers remain busy with themed weekly activities highlighted with enlightening and adventurous field trips, sports (swimming, gymnastics and tae-kwondo), visiting guest entertainers, multicultural activities, art and crafts, read-ing and math enrichment, computers, games, nature explorations and many more fun activities.

Register now for Fall 2013! Fall enrollment is underway. Walden families look forward to participation in programs like soccer and t-ball leagues, gymnastics, tap and ballet classes and community service projects. Low teacher-to-student ratios, long-serving tenured staff and well-defined programs help keep Walden a nurturing and child friendly environment.

Visit The Walden School Monday through Friday and meet the director along with his experienced staff. Several programs are available to fit your family’s indi-vidual needs. The Walden School’s website is www.thewaldenschool.com. There you can connect with NAEYC’s website and find out more about accreditation, read monthly newsletters and get news about what is happening on campus.

For more information, visit www.thewaldenschool.com or contact 281-980-0022.

The Walden School:You Have High Expectations...And So Do We


BACK TO SCHOOL

Now Accepting Registration for FallInfants through Pre-Kindergarten

Private Kindergarten, First and Second GradeTransportation available for after school program K-5

16103-A Lexington Blvd. (behind First Colony Mall) • 6:15am - 6:45pm

281-980-0022 • www.thewaldenschool.com

www.rightchoiceforkids.org

Summer Camp!•Swim Lessons•Gymnastics•Tae Kwon Do•Field Trips•Reading & Math LabsInfants thru Age 12Call for details

The Walden SchoolYou have high expectations... and so do we.


BACK TO SCHOOL

InternationalPreparatorySchool.comIntegrity, Honesty and Service to Others

Available After School Programs:Homework Assistance • Art • Voice • Guitar • Piano

Private School Interscholastic Association Academic CompetitionsAfter School Program available until 6:30 pm.

For More Information Call: 281-208-14031717 Dulles Ave., Missouri City, TX 77459

Fax: 281-208-1426 • Full Care Available • Mon-Fri • 7 am - 6:30 pm

INTERNATIONALPREPARATORY

S C H O O LPre-K3 – 8th Grade

Now Offering 3 Year Old Program!

Grades PK-12

www.fortbendchristian.orgAdmissions 281-263-9105

Experts agree that a high-quality Early Learning Program not

only prepares children for Kinder-garten but also gives them a unique enthusiasm for learning. There is also a significant difference be-tween the learning of a child in a day care setting compared to one in an enriched and developmentally appropriate program.

In the International Preparatory School (IPS) Early Learning Pro-gram, experienced, well-trained teachers use activities that address all areas of development. Children will learn pre-reading skills, strong basic math skills and enriched vo-cabulary and develop strong social and communication skills. Success will be ensured as a community of excited learners is created.

Exploration and play are key to a three-year-old’s development. Within the IPS program’s center-based environment, children will experience hands-on, high-interest activities while learning how to so-cialize with their peers and gain a sense of self. Your child’s imagina-tion and creativity will soar.

Come for a visit, and feel the ex-citement! Located at 1717 Dulles Ave in Missouri City, IPA is register-ing now for the new three-year-old Early Learning Program. For more information, call 281-208-1403.

It’s a New Day at the International

Preparatory School

UPCOMINGSPECIAL FEATURE

Look for it in theSeptember issue!

To advertise, call 281.690.4242.

Featuring an array of services from finding and insuring your home

to making it yours inside and out.

Home Is Where the Heart Is


Presented By:

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. University of Houston - Sugar Land

14000 University Blvd., Sugar Land, TX 77479


Generous, Enthusiastic Men Serving

F ort Bend Focus and absolutely! Brazos magazines re-cently kicked off a new initiative honoring three role models whose contributions to our community make

them real GEMS – three Generous, Enthusiastic Men Serving. The three GEMS were introduced at a brunch at the home

of KK and S. Scott West that included the JEWELS of Fort Bend along with community and event partners. The GEMS – Carl Favre, Joe M. Gurecky and S. Scott West – will be hon-ored at a premier event featuring dinner, live entertainment and a “chips for charity” casino on Thursday, October 24th at the Imperial Center for the Arts located in Historic Downtown Rosenberg.

Proceeds from the GEMS of Fort Bend will be invested back into the community by supporting an important orga-nization: AccessHealth. AccessHealth, formerly Fort Bend Family Health Center, is dedicated to excellence in providing integrated health care services to improve individual’s quality of life. Affordable and accessible health care is top of mind in our community, and AccessHealth is dedicated to providing excellence in health care services in the communities it serves. With centers throughout Fort Bend, AccessHealth is helping fill that void in vital health care.

“We are delighted to debut this new event honoring these three amazing men while continuing our mission of giving back to our community,” said Lisa Fredrickson, publisher of absolutely! focus media, the publishing company for Fort Bend Focus and absolutely! Brazos magazines. “Each of these men has contributed to our community in extraordinary ways, from public service to leadership in philanthropy to simply giving from both their heart and as stewards, these remarkable men have helped mold our community into an exemplary place to live, work and raise our children. We are humbled by their stellar examples of the true meaning of the word service.”

The GEMS of Fort Bend is open to the public and will be held on October 24th. The event kicks off with the casino and cocktails at 6:30 pm followed by dinner and live entertainment by Imperial Arts. Tables and individual tickets are available by contacting absolutely! focus media at 281-690-4242.

Fort Bend Focus and absolutely! Brazos Magazines Kick Off the GEMS of Fort Bend


Mary Favre, Doris and Joe M. Gurecky and Carolyn Banfield.Melissa Hayslip, Brigit Engleman and Jacquie Baly.

Carol Edwards, Lisa Fredrickson, Donna Kay Tucker and Cindy Reaves.

Bob Brown and Will Hardee.

Carole Brown, Jessica Kij and Carl Favre.

Edward Crowell, Cari Middaugh and KK West.

The 2013 GEMS of Fort Bend: Carl Favre, S. Scott West and Joe M. Gurecky.

Join the


CASINO DINNERLIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Tickets & Sponsorship Opportunities 281-690-4242 www.absolutelyfocusmedia.com

Special Thanks to Our Official GEMS Contributors

Imperial Center for the Arts Hardee Investment GroupNesossi Studios Pamela Printing

TexasDirectAuto.com Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

Safari Texas Ranch

Thursday, October Twenty Four, Two Thousand and Thirteen

6:30 - 10 pm

Imperial Center for the Arts 823 Third Street Rosenberg, Texas

S. Scott WestCarl Favre Joe M. Gurecky

Earlier this summer, my husband and I took our ten-year-old son to Disney World for the first

time. Both Mark and I had visited Dis-ney World as children, but that was ... well, that was many years back. It took a few years to wear down my husband to make this trip, but we finally made it happen. My goal was to make it fun and as low-stress as possible for all three of us. I consulted friends, many of whom are veterans of the big mouse adventure, and searched sites such as the Unofficial Guide to Disney and random blog posts. Below are the tip highlights from our ex-perience.

Location, Location, LocationKnow your family! Based on the per-

sonalities and ages of the people in my family, I opted not to stay inside the magical kingdom itself. Our affordable 900 square foot villa at Sheraton Vistana Village did not receive on or off-site Dis-ney perks such as “magic hours,” but it offered complimentary shuttle services to Disney and was only a few miles away. It was fantastic for our family because we had separate bedrooms, a full kitchen and balcony, gorgeous grounds and pools and shops. By Day Three, it became a re-spite and comfortable place to swim and recharge our batteries.

Three If By TruckAgain, know your family. We have

traveled all over the place for years with our son in the back seat. In fact, my best childhood memories are of road trips with mom and dad. So, after careful consider-ation, we decided to drive to Orlando. We took two days, stopping in Pensacola Beach, Florida on the way down and Bi-loxi, Mississippi on the way back. By the way, Beau Rivage is the bomb! If you plan to fly, book way ahead or buy a pack-age deal.

Have Backpack, Will TravelMy friend Jennifer who writes the

blog Still Living the Dream had just re-turned from the Disney Social Media Moms conference in Orlando after not having been in many years, so I hit her up with all of my random questions. Jen-nifer’s best advice had to do with what we should take with us. Since we didn’t have stroller-age children, we decided to take one backpack with sunscreen, healthy snacks, a camera, phones, Ziploc bags, re-usable water bottles and rain ponchos. And, yes, we used all of it. We were able to pass the backpack around, and there wasn’t a single ride or expe-rience that did not allow us to bring it along. Read Jennifer’s full Q & A on her site at www.stilllivingthedream.com.

Disney for Rookies

Well, we still have a few precious weeks of summer break left. If you and your family are thinking of taking a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, I hope you already have done your homework, booked your hotel and saved your money. For those procrastinators who may not have done one or more of these things, take heart. We have some tips for you!

Plan and FlexWe bought our Disney tickets in ad-

vance and opted for the Disney Park Hop-per+ passes because we wanted to try the water parks (not relevant if you’re going in winter), and we wanted to be able to take mid-afternoon breaks and perhaps visit a second park in the evening. This worked beautifully for us. Our general plan each day involved a morning to mid-day at a park and a break for a few hours in the heat of the afternoon. Then, we went on another park adventure in the evening.

I could spend too much time telling you what we loved and what we wish we had skipped. Your experience will be different. In the end, if you have the time – as we did – to experience each park once and then go back again to your favorites, do it. If you have limited time, do your home-work. For us, Animal Kingdom was a de-lightful departure from the other parks. It just felt different, a little less concrete. The experience of walking around, and of course, the fireworks at Magic Kingdom are indeed magical. Except for the lovely Garden Grill character dinner and a few great rides we enjoyed, we could have skipped EPCOT as there’s much more there for adults. Hollywood Studios was a blast. And, Downtown Disney was a won-derful, relaxing experience for us. Hint: Go in the early afternoon. We had a won-derful time on our Disney adventure!

By Jennifer L. Evans

Top TipDisney recently launched the “My

Disney Experience” application. We used it. Load all of your reservations on there, view real time waits for rides and enjoy great maps among other helpful uses. Check it out!

Cole and Mark Evans in front of Everest at Animal Kingdom.

Walt and Mickey at the Magic

Kingdom.



Introducing the Fort Bend County

SMART CARD!Fort Bend County Public Transportation is

bringing the latest technology to your every ride!

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Fort Bend County Public Transportation Department12550 Emily Court, Ste. 400 • Sugar Land, Texas 77478

Hours: M-F, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

281-633-RIDE (7433) www.FBCTransit.org

BUSINESSBRIEFS

Sugar Land Wine & Food AffairWins Top Honors at Annual

Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives Conference

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce took home the first place award for its marketing program on the tenth annual celebration of the Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair presented at the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executive Conference Annual Media Awards on June 25th. Reflect-ing the significance of this first place honor, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce competed against all of the larger chamber in Texas, most of which have substantially greater budgets.

Marketing campaigns were judged on a wide range of criteria: type of media used, the call to action and the co-hesiveness of the overall project. Judges identified whether the campaign captured the “voice” of the chamber, com-munity or specific project it represented.

“We are so pleased to be recognized for our marketing efforts in bringing awareness to this wonderful non-profit event,” said Keri Schmidt, president of the Fort Bend Cham-ber of Commerce and founder of the Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair. “We recently celebrated our tenth annual fes-tival, breaking several records from previous years. We will strive to further our fundraising for the affair’s beneficiary, the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Man-agement at the University of Houston.”

Fort Bend Focus Magazine was proud to serve as a sponsor of this year’s award-winning event, and on the coattails of the tremendous success of this year’s festival, the Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair has announced that next year’s event will be held from April 23 to 27, 2014. For event details, visit sugarlandwineandfoodaffair.com.

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce team: Traci Buczo, Matthew Ferraro, Krystal Peay, Fayth Burgin, Jan-Michael Jenkins, Farrah Gandhi, Keri Schmidt and David Crowl. Photo by Larry Pullen.


You may have dreamt about a retirement house in Colorado or just a vacation home. You may want to consider a master planned development that offers much

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The Literacy Council of Fort Bend County Challenges YourOrthographic Capacity

Are you an unparalleled orthographer with a penchant for bacchanalia? Then it’s time to put your currency where your orifice is and enter a team! On Thursday, September 12th, CenterPoint Energy presents the Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee, which will take place at the University of Houston-Sugar Land.

Enunciation is rarely a drunkard’s strength, so keep that in mind when you venture over to the tables with local craft beers, donated by Karbach Brewery, and fine wines donated by Beviamo International. Those not interested in participating but who want to support the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County can sponsor a word for $200, sponsor a letter for $100 or serve as an event sponsor starting at $5,000. Spectator bees will be allowed to view the event and general admission tickets are available for $40. Raffle tickets are being sold for $5 a ticket for the chance at scor-ing an iPad Mini.

Every dollar counts towards educating our community, so dust off your dictionary and start practicing. Participants will receive great prizes, but more importantly, they will raise money for an excellent cause. Rosenberg Mayor Vincent Morales, Jr., Richmond Mayor Evalyn Moore and Literacy Council of Fort Bend County Board Treasurer Shayne New-ell will serve as judges for the evening. Spectators are wel-come to heckle between rounds and spellings. Come on out and support the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County!

For more information, visit www.grownupbee.com or contact the Literacy Council at 281.240.8181.

NEWSWORTHY

Spelling Bee committee members Pamela Bergeron, Jenetha Jones, Christina Guerra, Literacy Council Events and Communications Coordinator; Angela Cowan, University of Houston-Sugar Land Executive Administrative Assistant; Kelli Metzenthin, Literacy Council Executive Director and Crissy Nolen.


Kurt M. Andreason, Attorney-at-LawBoard Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specializationin Estate Planning, Probate Law andCommercial Real Estate.

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4840 Sweetwater Blvd, Suite B (at rear), Sugar Land, TX 77479281-265-1561 www.andreasonlawfirm.com

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CloudburstWolfe

Stella and Dot (Brenda Fricker and Olympia Dukakis) have

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En route to Canada, they pick up a young hitchhiker, Prentice, played by newcomer Ryan Doucette. A small-town boy turned modern dancer, he is returning to Nova Scotia to visit his dying mother. Despite his bravado, Prentice is a confused and wounded soul who has much to learn from Stella and Dot as they wage their own unexpected battle after three decades to keep their family together.


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DVD Release

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T hree young women – Sarah

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HEALTHCARE NEWS YOU CAN USE

Medical FocusMEET FORT BEND’S MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Learn aboutFort Bend’s

finest in medical providers

Houston Methodist Sugar Land HospitalEarns National Quality Award as ‘Top Performer’

in Midas+ 2012 Platinum Quality Program

Janet Leatherwood, Chief Nursing Officer; Damon Smith, RN; Brooke Taylor, RN; Tosha Vaughn, RN; Tanuja Parmar, RN; Diane McGraw, RN and Becky Chalupa, Associate Chief Nursing Officer.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hos-pital has been recognized as a top-

performing hospital in Xerox’s 2012 Mi-das+ Platinum Quality Award program, based on clinical results across a wide range of measures.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hos-pital was one of just a handful of national award-winners in its size category. More than 600 hospitals nationwide participat-ed in the program, and top performers were announced in early June at a pre-sentation in Tucson, Arizona.

The Midas+ Platinum Quality Award recognizes hospitals that score in the top 5 percent among their eligible peers in areas including acute care readmission rates and length of stay and mortality rates for a number of different illnesses and procedures, including heart care, stroke care, pneumonia care, major small and large bowel procedures, septicemia and infections.

“Our staff continues to do an outstand-ing job of ensuring quality outcomes by consistently following evidence-based practice,” says Chris Siebenaler, Hous-ton Methodist Sugar Land Hospital CEO.

“This award is a testament to the daily ef-forts of our physicians, nurses and other medical personnel and their continued focus on providing the best possible care for our patients.”

The Platinum Quality Award is pre-sented by Midas+ Solutions that pro-vides a suite of clinical and operational


Health Care News You Can Use

Fort Bend’sFinest in Medicine

care management software and data analytic tools for 1,500 hospitals across the U.S.

Visit MethodistSugarLand.com to learn more about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital and its approach to quality patient care. For physician refer-ral, call 281-274-7500.

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital welcomes Methodist Pul-

monary and Sleep Medicine Special-ists, who include Bhadresh Shah, M.D., Suneesh Nair, M.D. and Priya Oolut, M.D.

Methodist Pulmonary and Sleep Med-icine Specialists provides a wide range of advanced pulmonary, asthma, allergy and sleep medicine services, including comprehensive testing, individualized treatment plans and critical care.

Dr. Shah is board certified in pulmo-nary medicine and critical care medicine. He is a graduate of B.J. Medical College, Gujarat University in Ahmadabad, India. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens in Jamaica, New York, before completing a fellowship in critical care medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He has been in private practice in Sugar Land since 1999 and is now serving as the Medi-cal Director of Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s ICU.

Dr. Nair is board certified in pulmonary diseases. He earned his medical de-gree at Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, India and recently completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Baylor College

Houston Methodist Sugar Land HospitalWelcomes Methodist Pulmonary and

Sleep Medicine Specialists

of Medicine in Houston. Prior to that, he served as a hospitalist, chief resident and resident at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethle-hem, Pa.

Dr. Oolut is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care and sleep medicine. She is a gradu-ate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s accelerated BA/MD program, and she completed internal medicine, pulmo-nary/critical care and sleep medicine res-idencies at The University of Texas Medi-cal School in Houston. She comes to the practice from Pacific Medical Centers in Seattle, where she served as medical di-rector of their sleep lab.

“These three outstanding physicians will enable us to continue to grow our pa-tient care capabilities in the areas of pul-monary care and sleep medicine,” said Chris Siebenaler, CEO of Houston Meth-odist Sugar Land Hospital. “Drs. Shah, Nair and Oolut provide compassionate, personalized care that makes them a perfect fit for the Methodist family.”

To schedule an appointment at Meth-odist Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Specialists, call 281-242-2444 for Dr. Shah and Dr. Oolut and 281-325-0005 for Dr. Nair. For more information about Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit MethodistSugarLand.com.

Bhadresh Shah, M.D., Priya Oolut, M.D. and Suneesh Nair, M.D.

M ethodist Sugar Land Hospital has a new name. Effectively immediate-

ly, Fort Bend’s leading health care institu-tion is now known as Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. The Methodist sys-tem, now Houston Methodist, changed its name to differentiate its hospitals from approximately 80 other Methodist hospi-tals across the country.

“The quality of Methodist’s medical care and our compassionate culture give us a unique identity, one that has signifi-cant strength both in Houston and in Fort Bend,” says Houston Methodist Sugar Land CEO Chris Siebenaler. “This new approach helps solidify our connection to Houston and to the legacy of excel-lence at The Methodist Hospital, now known as Houston Methodist Hospital. Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospi-tal is proud to be a part of this history and we’re excited about carrying the new brand forward.”

The new names of the four commu-nity hospitals will now be:

• Houston Methodist Sugar LandHospital

• Houston Methodist West Hospital• Houston Methodist Willowbrook

Hospital• Houston Methodist San Jacinto

Hospital“While there are many other Method-

ist hospitals across the country, this new name will establish, quickly and perma-nently, the fact that Houston Methodist is indeed the only one…the one that is leading medicine, and the one that is becoming a national presence,” said Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist.

Methodist HospitalsSetting Themselves

Apart withNew Name Change



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Hillcroft Medical Clinic (HMC) recently expanded its presence in Sugar Land. Located at Highway 6 in front of Lifetime Fitness, HMC added new facilities to ac-commodate additional doctors and services. In addition to family medicine and in-ternal medicine, many medical specialties are now offered in Sugar Land, including cardiology, endocrinology, ENT, gastroenterology, neurology, OB/GYN, pulmonol-ogy, rheumatology, urology and general surgery. Expanded services in Sugar Land also include onsite X-ray, CT and ultrasound, along with an in-house laboratory.

When you visit the HMC office, something you won’t see is a Physician As-sistant or Nurse Practitioner. Physician owned and managed, HMC doctors pride themselves on establishing direct relationships with patients. In a nod to patients’ busy schedules, HMC doctors offer convenient appointments, including same-day, lunch-time and Saturday appointments for both sick and routine visits, in-cluding physicals. The doctors and services have In-Network status with most insurance plans, too.

HMC has provided medical care for the Houston area since 1948 and is the area’s oldest multi-specialty group. HMC opened its first Sugar Land office in 1980 on South Main. In 2007, HMC moved to its current home on Highway 6. HMC doctors also care for patients at their office in southwest Houston. With the recent growth of their Sugar Land office, HMC doctors look forward to continuing the tradition of quality medical care for another 65 years.

For more information about HMC and its doctors, visit www.hmcdoctors.com. To make an appointment, call 832-500-5361.

See ad on inside back cover.

Hillcroft Medical Clinic Expands Medical Services in Sugar Land

St. Luke's Sugar Land Doctor Group is committed to excellence and com-passion in caring for the whole person body, mind and spirit. St. Luke’s Sugar Land Doctor Group has multi-specialty clinics—Cardiology, Primary Care and Orthopedics.

When choosing a physician for you and your family’s healthcare needs, choose St. Luke's Sugar Land Doctor Group. Affiliated with St. Luke’s Epis-copal Health System, a nationally rec-ognized leader in healthcare, St. Luke's Sugar Land Doctor Group is known for its dedication to excellence and deliver-ing renowned compassionate care.

If you are looking for leading edge care in cardiovascular medicine, Quoc-dai “Ooga” Park, M.D., is board-certi-fied and specializes in Interventional Cardiology, Cardiovascular Disease and Vascular Medicine and is dedicated to the prevention of heart disease.

Lesley Park, M.D., is a great choice for primary care. Dr. Park is board-cer-tified in Internal Medicine. She provides high-quality, individualized care, man-ages a wide range of health issues and is interested in women’s health and pre-ventative medicine.

Eric Berkman, M.D., specializes in total knee replacement and shoulder surgery using the latest technology. He has been in practice for 19 years and is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

St. Luke’s Sugar Land Doctor Groupis conveniently located in Sugar Land’s Lake Point Town Center at U.S. Highway 59 and Highway 6. VisitStLukesSugarLandDoctorGroup.com to learn more about the physicians of St. Luke’s Sugar Land Doctor Group or to make an appointment.

St. Luke’sSugar Land Doctor Group

Fort Bend’s Finest in Medicine

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DEFINE’s signature 60-minute body class incorporates yoga, Pilates, bal-let conditioning and core work to tone and sculpt the entire body. DEFINE mind is a soothing, 60-minute class focused on gaining flexibility, refreshing the body and calming the mind. DEFINE revolution is their take on indoor cycling, a 45-minute rhythm-based full-body workout on the bike.

The mission at DEFINE Body & Mind is to educate people on how to be-come their absolute best. We believe that physical strength, length and bal-ance impact both states of mind and being. We create an atmosphere that in-spires results, fosters community and gives back to others in order to achieve sustainable health and happiness.

DEFINE now has six beautiful Houston area locations: Sugar Land, The Woodlands, River Oaks, West U, Tanglewood and the Energy Corridor. Come try one of our core class concepts: body, mind or revolution!

DEFINE Sugar Land is located at 16525 Lexington Boulevard next to the CVS. Email [email protected] to learn more.

Experience DEFINE Body & Mind

Timeless Plastic Surgery has an in-ternal mission they call the Timeless “Concierge Care” experience. Con-cierge means “as the patient wants it.” They strive to provide what the patient wants, when they want it, reasonably and safely, with knowledge and skill. Similar to the attention offered at a five-star resort, Timeless Plastic Surgery en-sures that everyone with whom patients interact – the receptionist, the consul-tants, the nurses and the physicians – is highly trained not only in doing their job but also in anticipating and meeting pa-tient needs and concerns.

Care is taken to ensure that patients feel informed and comfortable before, during and after their procedure, and follow-up is tailored to the individual to ensure a smooth and successful recov-ery. As part of the “Concierge Care” ex-perience, Dr. Chang gives his personal cell phone number to all of his surgical patients so that they have access to him 24/7. In an increasingly competitive market, it is crucial to stand apart by providing superior service and results. When patients choose Timeless Plas-tic Surgery, they can feel confident that they are choosing the best.

Timeless Plastic Surgery Center of Excellence for Cosmetic Surgery is lo-cated at 1327 Lake Pointe Pkwy, Suite 300 in Sugar Land. For more informa-tion, call 281-242-TIME (8463).

Concierge Care

The Sopro Life Intraoral Camera is much more than just a camera. Yes, it can take close-up pictures of your teeth. Yes, you can see them on the com-puter monitor magnified 50 times. This new intraoral camera can literally light up decay red. It uses light-induced fluorescence. Right there during the dental examination, a photo of the tooth can be taken and viewed on the computer monitor showing the area of decay. Decay can be detected in the earliest stages, making repairs easy.

The greatest advance in dental diagnostics since the X-ray, the Laser Scanner enables C & C Dental to find cavities years before any other means of cavity detection, including the X-ray. A painless laser scanner can detect decay earlier than ever before. It simply shines a harmless laser beam into the tooth and sends back a reading of hardness. C & C Dental can find problems years before they show up on any X-ray or before you feel anything.

Think about this: If decay can be detected early when it is a small hole and repaired using the Water-Laser or Air Abrasion – pain-free and drill-free cavity removal – the tooth has probably been saved from a crown and root canal later. Complications from large silver fillings have led to repairing teeth with crowns and root canals. The ability of the laser scanner has changed dentistry forever. Teeth can now be repaired with tiny, white fillings. Where was this when we were kids?

For more information, call 281-206- 4482 or visit www.candcdental.com or www.candcortho.com.

See ad on page 9.

Two New Ways to Find Trouble withYour Teeth Before You Can See or Feel It



Advertorial

Peter Chang, M.D. and his Concierge Care Team

It’s TIMEto Tuck

To Schedule Your FREE Consultation,Please Call 281-242-TIME (8463)

Timeless Tuck

Before After

Before After



Advertorial

David H. Korfin, DPM, FACFAS is Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He received his doctorate of Podiatric Medicine in 1982, graduating from Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Korfin has been in private practice in the Fort Bend/Houston community since 1984. He specializes in reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle, including endoscopic heel surgery, bunions and hammer-toes along with treatment and management of sports injuries, trauma, wound and diabetic foot care. Dr. Korfin’s practice provides care to patients of all ages with a special interest in helping athletes maintain foot and ankle health to effectively pursue their athletic goals.

Striving to provide a personalized treatment plan, Dr. Korfin utilizes state-of-the-art medical and surgical techniques all within a warm, caring and compassionate environment. He offers his patients cutting-edge surgical techniques such as endoscopic heel surgery, laser surgery and the use of dissolvable pins and fixation techniques.

Dr. Korfin’s office is located in the Sugar Land Medical Plaza (attached to St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital) at 1327 Lake Pointe Parkway, Suite 510, in Sugar Land. For more information, visit www.drdavidkorfin.com or call 281.313.FEET (3338).

Dr. David H. Korfin Provides Personalized Treatment Plans for Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery

Would you like to have more energy, improved focus, better sleep and in-creased sex drive? Have you been told that symptoms such as brain fog, hot flashes, night sweats, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, low energy, low libido and weight gain are simply part of the aging process? Would you like to turn back the hands of time so you can start living a life full of vitality?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then you are not alone. The integrative wellness movement is getting more attention as well-known people such as Oprah, Dr. Oz and Dr. Weil are helping to educate the general public about complete well-being.

Dr. Shel’s passion is to help people by utilizing the best of all the innovative treatments available, in addition to her vast experience treating thousands of patients during the past 20 years. As a board certified Ob/Gyn, she gives patients the time, understanding, education and care they need to get to the root of their problems and help them achieve a life full of health, happiness and vitality.

Dr. Shel Wellness and Medical Spa will provide you with the answers you are searching for and the complete care you deserve. Treatments such as: Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement, Weight Loss, Nutritional Testing, Gluten and Allergy Testing and Treatment and Detoxification have proven to be truly life-changing for thousands of their patients.

Call Dr. Shel Wellness and Medical Spa to schedule your complimentary consultation, and stand up for your wellness! Call 281-313-7435 or visit www.drshel.com.

See ad on page 3.

Stand Up for Your Wellness!

Dr. Greg Linney, D.D.S.Cosmetic and Family

Dentistry

Dr. Greg Linney and his staff set themselves apart by focusing on cus-tomer service and long-term dental health. The doctor and his friendly staff take the time to listen to all of your oral health concerns. Equipped with a spa-cious high-tech facility, they utilize the latest tools and technology available to provide patients with the best in oral health care and cosmetic dentistry. By merging patient care with technology, they are able to provide the best care available while focusing on each pa-tient’s individual needs.

Dr. Linney has been making people smile for over 25 years, and through Lumineers by Cerinate, he can restore a person’s smile without reducing tooth structure – and in only two visits with no shots and no drilling! Just imagine having a lasting smile without having to ever bleach again! Get the smile you have always wanted – just call Dr. Lin-ney to get your free digital LUMISmile makeover, and find out about monthly specials that will help you get the smile you deserve.

Dr. Greg A. Linney, D.D.S., Inc. is lo-cated at 4660 Sweetwater Boulevard in Sugar Land. For more information, visit www.drlinney.com or call 281-980-1733.



Advertorial

T R U S T M E T O T R A N S F O R M Y O U R S M I L E .

GREG A. LINNEY, D.D.S., Inc.4660 Sweetwater Blvd., Ste 230, Sugar Land, Tx 77479

[email protected] • www.drlinney.com281-980-1733

All Major Credit Cards Accepted

Don’t let the Sun set on your Summer without having a

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(Valued at $350 Mention of Ad)

Free Teeth WhiteningAsk About

Our MonthlySpecials

David H. KorfinDPM, FACFAS

Bunion Pain?You No Longer Need To Suffer

My staff and I offer apersonalized treatment plan, using

state-of-the-art medical and surgical techniques, provided in a warm, car-

ing, compassionate environment.

“ “

• Outpatient Surgery Using Local Anesthesia• Minimal Disability - Good Pain Management• Able to Walk in a Surgical Shoe the Same Day• State-of-the-art Medical & Surgical Technology• Dissolvable Pins and Fixation Techniques

• Bunion Correction• Laser Wart Surgery• Endoscopic Heel Surgery• Diabetic Wound Care• Ingrown Toenails• Sports Injuries• Hammer Toe Repair• Adult & Children’s

1327 Lake Pointe Pkwy, Ste 510 • Sugar Land, Texas 77478Located in the Professional Building attached to St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital

www.drdavidkorfin.com

• Diplomate, American Board of Podiatric Surgery• Board Certified Foot & Ankle Surgery• Certified Wound Care Specialist• Serving Fort Bend for over 25 years• Fellow, American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons• Past President & Current Member of the Harris County

Podiatric Medical Society.• Member of the Texas Podiatric Medical Association• Member of the American Podiatric Medical Association• Preferred Provider for most Private Insurance Plans

281-313-FEET (3338)Call today and take the first step to walking in comfort!

Board Certified Foot & Ankle Surgeon Podiatrist - Foot Specialist



Advertorial

People seeking cosmetic or reconstructive dental work should do research before making a decision in order to ensure proper care. As ADA recognized specialists, Prosthodontists are qualified to offer services in state-of-the-art procedures and techniques, such as: cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, complete and partial dentures, replacing lost or loose teeth, jaw joint problems (TMJ), traumatic injuries, snoring and sleep disorders and oral cancer reconstruction.

Achieve the Smile!Ultimate

281-313-1565

Stuart rimeS, DDS, mSCrowns, Implants, CosmetIC, reConstruCtIve DentIstry

BoarD CertIfIeD prosthoDontIst

15958 City Walk, Ste. 230, Sugar Land, TX 77479 | www.RimesDDS.com | e-mail: [email protected]

before after

Replacing missing teeth in one day! Restore your smile with cosmetic dentistry!

before after

Implant Dentures in one day!

Sugar Land Face and Body Plastic Surgery is now officially settled in their beautiful new facility. With over 6,400 square feet including a beautiful 30 foot tower atri-um, the new medical spa features a private library where patients’ families are able to relax while their loved one is having surgery. It is a spa-type atmosphere designed to look like an elegant house that offers full-service medical spa services including procedures such as botox, fillers, CoolSculpting and Ultherapy, along with a full service op-erating room.

Sugar Land Face and Body recently launched a new procedure, Ultherapy, which is an ultrasound tightening of muscles under the skin without surgery, also known as the lunchtime facelift. Sugar Land Face and Body is the first med spa in the local area to offer Ultherapy, a revo-lutionary new nonsurgical procedure that lifts and tones loose skin without any down time.

Another procedure provided is CoolSculpting, a breakthrough, non-invasive procedure that uses cooling technology to noticeably eliminate fat without surgery. The treatment lasts one hour per area, and there is no down time for the patient, which is an amazing benefit. There is no anesthesia, no needles, no diet, no pills.

Dr. Eric Humble is board certified in Plastic and Re-constructive Surgery and is a member of the renowned American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Along with his car-ing staff, Dr. Humble provides a safe and welcoming envi-ronment in which patients can reach their goal of finding happiness in the way they look and feel.

For more information, call 281-313-0555 or visitwww.BeautyBecomesYou.com.

See ad on page 11.

Sugar Land Face and BodyPlastic Surgery WelcomesClients to Their New Home


Do you feel self-conscious about your smile? Do you cover your mouth when you talk? A healthy smile is among the top aspects of a person’s appearance that impacts self-esteem. If you are unhappy about the “look” of your smile, you should consult a Prosthodontist.

But what is a Prosthodontist? They are experts in the restoration and replacement of teeth; they make smiles look beautiful and function the way they should. Having this advanced training, Dr. Rimes can improve your ap-pearance by fixing broken, discolored or missing teeth, many times in just one appointment. Dr. Rimes’ training also gives patients the opportunity to switch from den-tures to permanent implant supported teeth in just one day. Did you know that some dentists perform recon-structive dental work after just a weekend course on a procedure? You should know Prosthodontists receive an extra three years of intense, formal training at an accred-ited institution beyond dental school.

People seeking cosmetic, reconstructive or implant retained dental work should do research before making a decision in order to ensure proper care. As ADA rec-ognized specialists, Prosthodontists are qualified to offer service in state-of-the-art procedures and techniques, such as: cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, teeth-in-a-day restorations, complete and removable partial den-tures, snoring and sleep disorders.

By using his extensive training in cosmetic dentistry, along with the latest techniques in dental implants, Dr. Rimes can help you create a smile that looks and feels natural and attractive. If you are considering a change to a healthy smile, please give Dr. Stuart Rimes a call at 281-313-1565 or visit www.rimesdds.com.

The Benefits of Goingto a Prosthodontist


Advertorial

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The Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Wound Care Center offers compre-hensive outpatient care of non-healing wounds by a compassionate team of affiliated physicians, nurses and techni-cians. Delivering cutting-edge healing close to home, the Center is one of the few in Houston with a hyperbaric oxy-gen therapy (HBOT) program. HBOT is a noninvasive procedure that admin-isters 100 percent oxygen under in-creased atmospheric pressure.

HBOT stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, decreases swelling and inflammation, helps white blood cells kill bacteria and improves the body’s natural healing process. It helps treat conditions such as diabetic ulcers, bone infections, crush injuries, failing skin grafts and flaps, plaque buildup in the limbs and tissue damage caused by radiation therapy.

In addition to HBOT, the Center of-fers negative pressure wound therapy and bioengineered skin substitutes. These treatment options supplement antibiotic therapy, nutritional counseling and the surgical removal of dead, dam-aged or infected tissue.

Diabetics, in particular, have difficul-ty with non-healing wounds and require specialized wound management. Treat-ment can help prevent simple wounds from becoming so infected that ampu-tation is necessary.

“Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputations,” said Ra-chel M. Chandy, M.D., who serves as medical director of the Center. “That’s why it’s very critical that diabetics with problem wounds see their doctor and get referred to a wound care specialist to prevent infections and amputations.”

For more information, call 281-725-5433. To attend the August 19th Dia-betic Support Group, please call 713-222-CARE (2273).

Memorial HermannSugar Land Wound Care

Center Successfully Treats Non-Healing Wounds



Advertorial

Dr. Samuel E. Cress, D.D.S., Director of Sugar Land’s The Center for Craniofa-cial and Dental Sleep Medicine, offers new DNA therapy to aid patients suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

OSA is present in approximately one in every 15 Americans. More astonishing, over five percent of all Americans have undiagnosed cases of sleep apnea. The Daytime Nighttime Appliance (DNA) addresses the root cause by non-surgically remodeling the upper airway.

The DNA system is unique because it was developed not only to correct sleep apnea symptoms but to straighten teeth and improve the upper airway. By im-proving the upper airway through an increase in facial volume, a cosmetic benefit of facial feature balancing occurs. The patented DNA system uses DNA wireTM and patented 3D axial springsTM to store kinetic energy, which is then released at night during the growth hormone circadian rhythm. This stored energy is neces-sary to initiate cellular growth in the mid-face and mandible. It increases upper mid-facial volume for better airway exchange, leading to a noninvasive facial cos-metic correction. Results have been present in as little as 90 days.

“I personally have been using the DNA sleep apnea appliance in my practice for more than three years and have over 150 of these in place. The astonishing results have not only improved the patient’s airways and straightened their teeth, but have also improved their facial features,” Dr. Cress reported. “We are see-ing broader smiles, fuller lips, better and straighter noses – leading to happier, healthier patients.”

For more information, visit www.cfdsm.com or call 281-565-4100.

Center for Craniofacial and Dental Sleep Medicine Provides New Cutting Edge

Technology for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Revolution Studio:Sugar Land’s PremierIndoor Cycling Studio

Revolution Studio is a boutique, in-door cycling studio that combines the wildly popular “spin” movement with a total body workout component. “With advanced features like state-of-the-art facilities and a cutting edge online res-ervation system, Revolution Studio is truly revolutionizing the idea of group cycling,” says co-owner Kim Syma. “Our workout is perfect for anyone looking to have fun while burning 500 to 800 calories per 50 minute session. Each class feels less like a workout and more like a party on a bike!”

The studio has developed an innova-tive total body workout that combines the benefits of cardio and strength training while connecting the mind, body and spirit. “Every class offers car-dio, strength-training, a positive way to relieve stress and most importantly, the workout delivers results!” says Mitch Syma, former personal trainer for the United States Air Force and co-owner of Revolution Studio. At Revolution Studio, the instructors inspire and mo-tivate riders with a high-energy workout choreographed to adrenaline-pumping music that burns fat, tones muscle and builds endurance.

Revolution Studio is quickly be-coming the go-to place in Sugar Land known for its great workout and hip atmosphere. The studio is the perfect place to meet friends, relieve stress, take a break from the day or just en-joy the spa-like facilities and incredible music. Revolution Studio features 35 bikes, immaculate locker room facilities and classes seven days a week.

To join the revolution, stop by the studio, located at 2125 Lone Star Drive or visit www.revolution-studio.com. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/revolutionstudiocycling or call 281-313-0662.



The October issueof Fort Bend Focus will be dedicated to breast cancer

awareness and breastcancer survivors.

To advertise your business call

281-690-4242

AdvertorialFort Bend’s Finest in Medicine



Advertorial

• Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release

• Needle Aponeurotomy for Dupytren’sContracture

• Minimally Invasive Arthoscopy

• Ligament Reconstruction TendonInterposition (LRTI)

• Partial and Total Joint Replacement -Hand, Wrist and Elbow

877-702-MYMD (6963)281-344-1715 (office)Sugar Land • Richmond • Katywww.davidhildrethmd.com

DavidHildreth,MDTHE HAND, WRIST & ELBOW SPECIALIST

Richmond Bone & Joint, Memorial Hermann Medical Group

2012

William H. Reading, MD:Recovery Psychiatric and

Psychological Services

Dr. David Hildreth is one of Houston’s top hand, wrist and elbow specialists training many of Houston’s best hand surgeons and sought for his knowledge of common as well as complex injuries and conditions of the hand and upper ex-tremity. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery with Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Surgery of the Hand.

Integrating the latest research findings and technological advances in orthope-dic medicine, Dr. Hildreth’s treatment options include minimally invasive surgical, non surgical, therapeutic and rehabilitation programs. He was among the first physicians in Houston to offer less invasive needle aponeurotomy and injection therapy for Dupuytren’s contracture. He performs complex joint reconstruction procedures to preserve long term joint function, and his approach to Ligament Reconstruction and Tendon Interposition (LRTI) in the treatment of arthritis of the thumb is drawing patients from across Texas. Dr. Hildreth is a published author and continues to contribute to the medical community’s understanding of joint function and the conditions affecting the hand and upper extremity.

Richmond Bone and Joint/Memorial Hermann is located at 15035 Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land. For more information, call 877-702-MYMD (6963) or visit www.davidhildrethmd.com.

Orthopedic Surgery Hand,Wrist and Elbow Specialist

At the offices of William H. Read-ing, MD, the core of the practice is a focus on improving quality of life both for the individual and their loved ones. Individuals that come seeking tools to help overcome their trials are usu-ally evaluated within 24 hours of call-ing. Following their careful evaluation, patients are given a variety of person-alized treatment options that are best suited for their own unique qualities and struggles. In fact, there are many treat-ment options for all types of disorders including but not limited to: Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder and substance abuse.

The practice offers Diagnosis and Treatment, Psychotherapy, Medication management, Suboxone therapy and TMS Therapy for Depression. In addi-tion, they also have a treatment team comprised of psychiatrists, psycholo-gists, psychiatric social workers and licensed professional counselors work-ing together to provide help to adults, adolescents, and children with mental, emotional, behavioral, relational, addic-tive and chemical illnesses and issues. Each member of the team considers the whole person in the context of his or her struggles, strengths, desires and dilem-mas in order to formulate an individu-alized plan of treatment based on the person’s unique symptom set, issues and goals.

The office is conveniently located at 12603 Southwest Freeway, Suite 510 in Stafford. For more information, call 281-494-4471 or visit www.drreading.com. Staff is on hand Monday through Thurs-day from 12 –10 pm.

Dr. Reading is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neu-rology.



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READING RECOVERY, PSYCHIATRIC AND TMS

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New patients now being acceptedfor TMS Therapy for Depression.

To find out more call our office at 281-494-4471.12603 Southwest Freeway, Ste. 510

Stafford, Texas 77477Hours: Monday - Thursday: 12 noon - 10 pm

Call: 281-494-4471Visit our website and video at www.DrReading.com

Advertorial

PinPointe is a quick, safe, and painless procedure that involves no anesthesia. It’s usually effective after only one treatment.

Dr. Y Bryan LeeInformed patients choose Board Certified PodiatristDr. Y Bryan Lee for all their foot health needs.

LOCATED AT56 Sugar Creek Center Blvd. #250(Sugar Creek Offices)Sugar Land, TX

8200 Wednesbury Ln. #210 (Wednesbury Medical Building)Houston, TX

Call Today to schedule your visit

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For more than a decade, the team at Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists has been treating patients with every type of foot problem. Adults, children and se-niors choose Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists for personal, quality care. With multiple board certifications in foot surgery, Dr. Bryan Lee uses the most current techniques to reduce downtime and heal with minimal scarring.

Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists has one of Sugar Land and Houston’s only PinPointe lasers, effective for treating stubborn, unsightly nail fungus. The laser does not harm healthy tissue or affect activity in any way. A clinical study demonstrated that 81 percent of the treated patients grew a normal looking nail after just one treatment. This result is better than the success rate for prescrip-tion pills or creams, which require prolonged use and expose patients to risks of dangerous side effects.

With two convenient locations, Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists will get you back on your feet! For more information, call 281-242-FEET (3338) or visit www.advancedfootdocs.com.

Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists OffersPinPointe Technology and Quality Care

Ask The Expert: SugarLand Plastic Surgery’s

Dr. John Nguyen

Sugar Land Plastic Surgery’s Dr. John Nguyen weighs in on one of the most popular procedures with patients: breast augmentation.

What is your favorite part of a breast augmentation?

JN: My favorite part of a breast augmentation surgery is the very first post-op because unlike many surger-ies where there’s a longer recovery time with swelling and perhaps bruising, a breast augmentation looks good almost immediately. Seeing my patient’s reac-tions is extremely fulfilling and never gets old.

Do you have any “pre-surgery ritu-als” you like to do before going to the OR?

JN: I like to stay with my patients un-til they actually go under anesthesia. I have a few jokes – actually I only have two jokes – that I tell to every patient. I want my patients to feel comfortable and have a smile on their face right be-fore going under.

How do you determine what type and size of implant a patient should choose?

JN: The type of implant is fairly a personal choice. As far as size, I try to give patients an option but within a range that will fit their body, because we want to make the breasts fuller and pretty, not just gigantic.

What sets Sugar Land Plastic Sur-gery apart from other plastic surgery centers?

JN: We pride ourselves on never pushing people into surgery. In fact, I think most people will tell you that I spend a good 20% of the time talking people out of surgery. We have our pa-tient’s best interest at heart, and that is something we will always do.

Visit www.mybodysurgeon.com to learn more about Sugar Land Plastic Surgery.

See ad on page 7.



Advertorial

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TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS:

12121 Richmond Ave., Ste. 424, Houston, Texas 77082

1400 Creekway Dr., Ste. 201B Sugar Land, TX 77478



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ZEISS Progressive Individual® 2Personalized Lenses

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Thomas P. Arnold, OD,Melissa C. Moeller, OD,

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15337 Southwest FwySugar Land, TX 77478

Williams Trace @ Hwy 59

281-242-2020www.2020sugarland.com

Frank Lee, OD,Mary Ghoubrial, OD,and Uyen Tran, OD

Therapeutic and PediatricOptometrists

8817 Hwy 6, Suite 100Missouri City, TX 77459Sienna Parkway @ Hwy 6

281-416-2020www.todaysvision.com

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Williams Trace @ Hwy 59

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All major credit cards accepted.

Thomas P. Arnold, OD

and Associates

Therapeutic

Optometrists


Dr. Thomas Arnold is pleased to announce that Dr. Ryan Malone is joining To-day’s Vision Sugar Land this month. Dr. Malone and his family have been patients of the practice for a number of years. In fact, Dr. Malone worked at Today’s Vision for one year before entering optometry school.

Dr. Malone was born and raised in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and received his bachelor’s de-gree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University in College Station. He then graduated with honors from the University of Houston College of Optometry after completing a nine month externship at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital. While in Santa Fe, Dr. Malone concentrated on the treatment of ocular disease with an emphasis on diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Dr. Malone currently practices as a therapeutic optometrist and is a certified glaucoma specialist. He is a member of the Texas Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. In his spare time, Dr. Malone enjoys spending time with family and friends, golf, mountain biking and snowboarding. The doc-tors and staff at Today’s Vision Sugar Land are very excited to have Dr. Malone on the team.

For more information about Today’s Vision Sugar Land, call 281-242-2020 or visit www.2020sugarland.com.

Dr. Ryan Malone Joins Today’s Vision Sugar Land

Is Your Plastic Surgeon Board Certified by the

American Board ofPlastic Surgery?

The Fort Bend and Sugar Land area is abundant with physicians who per-form cosmetic procedures such as bo-tox and fillers, as well as surgical pro-cedures like breast augmentation and liposuction. However, many of these physicians are not plastic surgeons, and some of the ones who are plastic surgeons are not board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Ravi Somayazula is a board certified plastic surgeon in the Sugar Land area.

Among other characteristics of a plastic surgeon, board certification in plastic surgery calls into question a plastic surgeon’s safety, ethics and training. Therefore, Dr. Somayazula urges his patients to ask if their plastic surgeon is board certified specifically by the American Board of Plastic Sur-geons.

Choosing a plastic surgeon in Fort Bend who can be trusted can be a very difficult task. The media is filled with all sorts of information, much of which can be incorrect or even unsafe. He knows for a fact that a well-informed patient who feels comfortable with their plastic surgeon after having an educational ini-tial consultation translates into a happy patient. It is the extra time spent with a knowledgeable and caring staff that makes a world of difference in cosmetic surgery.

If you have ever contemplated hav-ing a cosmetic procedure, you will find out immediately why the warm, friendly staff at Body by Ravi is the right choice for all your cosmetic needs. Call 281-242-1061 for a free consultation.


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OsteoStrong™ is not a gym; it is a non-pharmaceutical way to increase bone density, muscle strength, improve balance and eliminate joint, back and knee pain naturally.

OsteoStrong’s™ scientifically re-searched technology delivers results. It has helped people with joint pain, osteopenia, osteoporosis and fibro-myalgia. The OsteoStrong™ system was originally designed for elite athletes and Olympians to provide a competitive edge. When doctors discovered the quick results, they wanted their patients to use it. Seven years later, over 22,000 people are benefiting from it with reversed bone loss shown through DXA bone scans, strength gains and thousands of testi-monies.

Most people lose bone density after the age of 30. One in two women and one in five men will experience bone fracture after the age of 50. Losing bone density is a serious problem. However, results have yielded that, in just four weeks, strength gains were increased.

Local member Lynn H., age 50, has increased her bone density by 10 per-cent in just six months. Bill L., age 70, had back pain. After just two sessions, his back was “dramatically improved.” He can play golf again pain-free.

OsteoStrong™ is a natural way to trigger your own adaptive responses to increase bone density and physi-cal strength, guaranteed. People of all ages are seeing amazing results! Os-teoStrong™ is definitely worth a visit. OsteoStrong.me is located at 1876 FM 359 in Richmond (next to Sonic). Like them at Facebook.com/Osteo-StrongRichmond. For more informa-tion, visit www.OsteoStrong.me or call 281-762-0944.


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Board Certified Pulmonologists Sandip Desai, MD and Manpreet Mangat, MD welcome patients to Sweetwater Pulmonary Associates’ new facility located con-veniently in Sugar Land at the intersection of Highway 59 and Sweetwater Bou-levard.

Dr. Desai completed Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine from Loui-siana State University. He has been in private practice for the last eight years. Both Dr. Desai and Dr. Mangat have admitting privileges at Memorial Hermann, Methodist Hospital, St. Luke’s Hospital and Kindred Hospital. Dr. Desai also has satellite offices in Wharton, as well as Eagle Lake and serves as team physician for the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Dr. Desai and Dr. Mangat treat patients with dyspnea, copd/emphysema, asth-ma, lung mass, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, sleep apnea, chronic cough and pleural effusion. They also offer support for smoking cessation and perform tests in office including pulmonary function and spirometry.

Sweetwater Pulmonary Associates accepts most insurance, and same day ap-pointments are available. Their courteous bilingual staff is ready to help patients to feel welcome and comfortable. Call 832-255-6632 to schedule an appointment or visit online at www.sweetwaterpulmonary.com. Sweetwater Pulmonary Associ-ates is located at 16959 Southwest Freeway, Suite 100 in Sugar Land.

Sweetwater Pulmonary Associates Opens New Location

St. Luke’sSugar Land Hospital

St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital brings residents of Fort Bend County the unique combination of modern technology and a special brand of car-ing for the whole person – mind, body and spirit – that St. Luke’s Health Sys-tem has been known for worldwide for over half a century. St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital has joined forces with exemplary physicians in the community to provide high-quality, low-cost health care.

The well-appointed facility provides an array of medical and surgical clini-cal services, including comprehensive diagnostic and imaging services such as 3D tomosynthesis, women’s health, emergency care, surgical services, or-thopedic, intensive care and diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheteriza-tion labs.

From the beautifully decorated pa-tient rooms with Internet access and flat screen televisions to the high caliber of friendly nurses and hospital staff, the hospital evokes a healing environment.

St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital is lo-cated at U.S. Highway 59 just north of Highway 6. For more information, visit www.stlukessugarland.com or call 281-637-7000.

See ad on page 4.


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Hope Is HereHealthSouth Sugar Land Rehabilitation HospitalAt HealthSouth, never before has knowledge, technology and teamwork merged so completely to inspire those facing personal journeys of rehabilita-tion after an illness, injury or surgery. HealthSouth is committed to making a difference for patients and families by developing personalized programs that target patient goals, overcome challenges and embrace progress with refreshing optimism.

With HealthSouth by your side, there is hope to reach your goals and get back home, expanding a horizon full of possibilities. For some, it’s the first glimmer of light. For others, it’s a powerful reminder that with Health-South, hope for renewed indepen-dence is never far away.

To learn more about HealthSouth rehabilitation programs, call 281 276-7574.


Sugarland Eye & Laser Center is excited to introduce Fort Bend to the ultimate in laser vision correction: the iLASIK Procedure. It is the culmination of everything learned about LASIK over the past decade. Now that the iLASIK Procedure is available, there is no reason to put off laser vision correction surgery.

The introduction of the iLASIK Procedure means the wait for improved vision is over. Most people are candidates, and iLASIK technology is advanced and in-novative, so it is safe and effective. The iLASIK Procedure is not complicated—it is fast and virtually painless.

The technology used in the iLASIK Procedure is very mature and safe. Doctors have been doing LASIK for over a decade. Nearly 32 million LASIK procedures have been performed to date, making it the most common elective vision proce-dure in the U.S. In fact, all branches of the U.S. military and NASA recently allowed LASIK for their servicemen and women thanks to studies using iLASIK technology.

The reality is that the majority of people who meet the age and general health requirements are in fact good candidates for the iLASIK Procedure. There are some conditions that exclude certain patients, but whether patients have near-sightedness, farsightedness or an astigmatism, most patients can still have the iLASIK procedure.

If you are at least 21 years old, are in good general health and have had a stable vision prescription for at least one year, call Sugarland Eye & Laser Cen-ter at 281-240-0478 for a personal consultation. For more information, visit www.sugarlandeye.com.

See ad on page 5.

It is well documented that people who have the opportunity to participate in re-habilitation after an injury, illness or surgery show improved functional outcomes over those who do not. Rehabilitation, in the appropriate setting, provides the greatest potential for a person to return home, becoming active once again in the community.

In an inpatient rehabilitation hospital, like HealthSouth Sugar Land Rehabilita-tion Hospital, a full continuum of rehabilitative programs and services is offered for individuals who have suffered a major accident or illness, including trauma, stroke, head injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, arthritis, chronic pain, neuro-muscular and pulmonary diseases.

Patients are admitted from acute care hospitals and from home, serving a di-verse range of needs. Patient care is led by a medical director who supervises the hospital’s multi-disciplinary team to provide a coordinated program of care including goal setting, treatment plans, family education and discharge planning.

“Our success depends on the quality of care provided to every patient,” said Nicholas Hardin, CEO at HealthSouth Sugar Land Rehabilitation Hospital. “Our group is experienced and ready to help patients reach their goals and exceed their expectations to get back home sooner. Our expert teams of independent pri-vate practice physicians, Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses, therapists, case managers and hospital staff members area already working together to pro-vide an exceptional patient experience and become the rehabilitative provider of choice for Sugar Land.”

For more information on how an inpatient rehabilitation hospital benefits those recovering from a major life event, contact HealthSouth Sugar Land Rehabilitation Hospital at www.healthsouthsugarland.com.

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Dr. Simon is a certified ART (Active Release Technique) provider and a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Golf Fitness Instructor.

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Submit your request and get the next issue of

delivered to your mailbox!

Visit www.fortbendfocus.comor

Call 281.690.4242


ENTER TO WINFort Bend Focus Magazine is looking for great amateur photos. Think you have a great shot? Any subject matter will be considered, black and white or color, special effects and/or edited are not necessary.

A WINNER EVERY MONTHEach month’s winner receives a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant and the winning photo will be published in our magazine. To claim your prize, call Sarah at 281-690-4242. Runner-up photos may be published in our “Readers’ Photo Album.”

NO LIMIT TO ENTRIESTo submit a digital photo, e-mail the jpeg file to [email protected]. Digital photos must be HIGH RESOLUTION at least 300 dpi at actual size of at least 4” x 6”.

Please make sure to send some basic information about every photo you submit such as: who, where, when, a title, your name and daytime phone number.

By submitting an entry, the photographer gives the Fort Bend Focus Magazine the right to use and publish their photograph. There is no contest deadline.

August 2013 Winner

“Lake Beauvert in Jasper, Canada”By Tom Nowlin

Congratulations Tom, you’ve earned a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant!

A M A T E U R P H O T O C O N T E S T


HOT SHOTHigh School

Emily Pfeiffer:Service, Scores and Success

E mily Pfeiffer leads by exam-ple. As a Drum Major, Girl Scout Gold Award recipient

and a member of PALs and YES, Em-ily gives her talent, time and effort to excel in everything that she does. A recent graduate of Clements High School, Emily’s innate ability to con-nect with people will take her far not only at Texas A&M, but throughout her life’s journey.

An excellent student, Emily chal-lenged herself throughout high school by taking Advanced Placement cours-es. Her favorite class in High School was Anatomy. “It was really cool to understand how the body actually functions in Anatomy,” said Emily. “Also, our teacher, Ms. Lebita, really added to the fun of learning it all.”

In high school, Emily’s favorite teachers were her band instructors, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Galloway. As a drum major during her junior and senior year, Emily had the opportu-nity to really get to know them by working and learning from them. Emily was chosen as an Assistant Drum Major during her junior year. The only junior drum major, Emily worked closely with the senior drum majors who helped build her confi-dence to become the Head Drum Ma-jor her senior year.

“At the end of eighth grade, in-terested band students attended a marching practice, and the drum ma-jors were so cool,” said Emily. “The second that I could try out for drum major, I did, and it was an incredible experience that helped me become a stronger leader and build relation-

By Lauren Benoit

ships with my peers.” For Emily, it was a nerve-wrecking experience to conduct the show at the State Competition, but throughout her tenure as a drum major, she learned how to deal with fear and build it into something that she could conquer.

Emily has conquered many goals as a Girl Scout by earning her Bronze, Sil-ver and Gold Award. To earn her Bronze award, Emily made fleece blankets for a retirement community. For her Silver award, Emily decided to make Pal-Packs after discovering that her five-year-old cousin was diagnosed with Leukemia. The Pal-Packs were filled with games, coloring books and various activities for the young patients at the hospital.

Emily’s love and empathy for young children prompted her idea for her Gold Award project. She built a collapsible puppet theatre for Child Advocates of Fort Bend County. The theater will be used as a form of therapy for the chil-dren. In addition, Emily led a stepping

stone activity with the children to symbolize the importance of taking one step at a time. Emily spent over 130 hours working on this project.

In addition to serving her com-munity through Girl Scouts, Emily also participated in YES and earned community service hours through helping organizations such as, Habi-tat for Humanity, Fort Bend Shared Dreams, Dream League and Buddy Ball and the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County.

As a member of PAL’s, Peer Assis-tance and Leadership, Emily travels to local elementary schools and men-tors students. She brings games and activities and helps them with their homework. “I really enjoyed being able to talk with the kids and work with them every week,” said Emily. “I feel like I was making a positive impact on someone’s life.”

This fall, Emily will begin college at Texas A&M University. She is ma-joring in Human Resources and mi-noring in Management. As a young adult, Emily has already learned how to excel in life: by always trying her hardest and giving back to her community. “When a person gives to their community, it makes them a better person,” said Emily. “Volun-teering has made me more confident and happy with myself.”

Fort Bend County is lucky to have Emily as one of their own because she has impacted the community in countless ways. We are proud of you Emily, and thank you for mak-ing Fort Bend a better place to call home.

Emily

“Volunteering has made me moreconfident and happy with myself.” – Emily Pfeiffer

www.fortbendfocus.com

Dominique Edwards

Complete details and forms at

ATTENTION:Fort Bend High School Seniors

Register now and win a

SCHOLARSHIP!

$1,000Congratulations to Dominique Edwards, a senior

at George Ranch High School, for being selected as Texas Direct Auto’s “Scholarship Star” for August! Tom Daigle, General Sales Manager, presents the $1,000 scholarship. At George Ranch High School, Dominique is a member of National Honor Society (NHS), Principal Assistant Committee (PAC), theatre production and Lariettes. She has received numerous awards for academic achievements including Distinguished Student, Miss Academic and AP Scholar. Dominique volunteers her time as Assistant Director over her church’s nursery and as an NHS tutor. After high school, Dominique plans to attend University of Texas in San Antonio to pursue a degree in Accounting. Dominique was selected as part of Texas Direct Auto’s commitment to educational excellence through the “Scholarship Stars” program. Application details are listed at www.fortbendfocus.com.

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August 13


All MonthOpen Auditions forthe Fort Bend Boys ChoirBoys ages 8 and up who love music and singing and have an unchanged voice are encouraged to audition for the Fort Bend Boys Choir of Texas. Rehearsals begin in late August each Thursday. Scholarships and payment plans are available as well as carpool assistance. To make an audition appointment, call 281-240-3800. For more information, visit www.fbbctx.org.

All MonthRandom Acts of RecreationMissouri City Parks and Recreation is looking for individuals or groups in area parks and at the Recreation and Tennis Center. If they find you performing a random act of recreation, you will be rewarded a bag full of Parks and Recreation swag and snacks donated by H-E-B! Visit www.missouricitytx.gov.

August 3rd, 9 – 11 amSaturday with the Master GardenersVisit the four acres of Demonstration Gardens designed and maintained by the Fort Bend Master Gardeners. Park in front of the agricultural center, located at 1402 Band Road in Rosenberg. Take one of the sidewalks back to the area behind the building to find the Master Gardeners. Call281-341-7068 or visit www.fbmg.com.

E V E N T S

Every Saturday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, rain or shine

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August 3rd, 2 – 4 pmIntroduction to Swedish WeavingStafford resident Eileen Appel will teach Swedish weaving techniques at First Colony Branch Library, located at 2121 Austin Parkway. Interested needle crafters of all experience levels are welcome. Seating is limited; reservations are required.Visit www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

August 5th, 5:30 – 8:30 pmJob Search Survival TipsFort Bend County Libraries’ Sugar Land Branch Library, located at 550 Eldridge, will present a free workshop designed to help all job hunters. Learn tips on writing a better resumé, researching prospective employers, interviewing and non-verbal skills, networking and much more. Call 281-238-2140 or visit www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

August 9th, 6 – 8 pmWorld Trekkers: France at Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS)

HMNS’ new World Trekkers program is a series of cultural festivals for the whole family, featuring crafts, native cuisine and entertainment inspired by each featured country. This time, visit France! Tickets are $7 for members or $9 for non-members. Visit www.hmns.org or call713-639-4625.

August 10th,10:15 am – 1:30 pmACT®Practice TestRepresentatives from the Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions will conduct a free practice ACT® test at the University Branch Library, located at 14010 University Boulevard in Sugar Land on the UH campus. The multiple-choice test covers five skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, science and writing. Register at www.fortbend.lib.tx.us orcall 281-633-5100.

August 10th, 8 pmAmerica in ConcertThe popular folk rock band America returns to the Stafford Centre, located at 10505 Cash Road.For tickets, visit www.staffordcentre.com or call 281-208-6900.

August 13th, 10 – 11 amBack to School ResourcesGet a head start on the new school year! Library staff will provide an overview of the Fort Bend County Libraries’ materials and services for students at the Sienna Branch Library, located at 8411 Sienna Springs Boulevard in Missouri City. Reservations are required. Visitwww.fortbend.lib.tx.us or call 281-238-2952.

August 16th, 6:30 – 9:30 pmYMCA Parents Night Out

Parents can enjoy a night out while the kids have fun with friends at the Fort Bend YMCA, located at 4433 Cartwright Road in Missouri City, with games, arts and crafts and food. The event is free for facility members. Call 281-499-9622 or visit www.ymcahouston.org/fort-bend-family.


E V E N T S

August 16th, 2 – 7 pmAugust 17th, 10 am – 5 pmAugust 18th, 11 am – 4 pm39th Annual Houston Glass ClubVintage Glass and Antique ShowJoin the Houston Glass Club for their annual event at Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in Rosenberg, featuring American Depression Era Glass, kitchenware, American dinnerware, pottery, antiques, food, drinks, free parking and more. Admission is $10 on Friday for all three days and $6 on Saturday and Sunday. Call 281-240-0382 or visit www.houstonglassclub.org.

August 20th, 6 – 8:30 pmSummer Nights: Bingo Series

Enjoy a summer night by playing bingo for great prizes at the Recreation and Tennis Center, located at 2701 Cypress Point Drive in Missouri City. The $5 registration fee includes refreshments and all game play. Pre-register at the Recreation and Tennis Center. Call 281-403-8637.

August 24th, 6:30 pmRed,White andBlue JeanBashJoin the WestFort BendWomen’s Charity for an evening of dancing and live music at the Swinging Door Restaurant Dance Hall, located 3818 FM 359 in Richmond. Proceeds will benefit Helping a Hero, an organization that aids severely injured military personnel. Visit www.wfbwc.org or email [email protected].

August 24th, 8 pmLoretta Lynn in Concert

Loretta Lynn is celebrating 50 years in country music! The Queen of Country Music will perform at the Stafford Centre, located at 10505 Cash Road. For tickets, visit www.staffordcentre.com or call 281-208-6900.

August 26th, 1 pmBack to School ScramblePlay in Fort Bend Education Foundation’s 14th annual Back to School Scramble golf tournament at 4400 Palm Royale Boulevard. Entry fees include lunch, golf and court, beverages, a reception after the tournament and special gifts.Email [email protected] call 281-634-1111.

August 26th,6 – 7 pmDog Training 101Dog trainer Kate Guynn will provide tips on basic canine care and on training methods using the positive-rewards method at Mamie George Branch Library, located at 320 Dulles Avenue in Stafford. The program is free and open to the public. Call 281-238-2880.

Submit calendar events at

[email protected]

SUGAR LAND TOWN SQUARE CALENDAR OF EVENTS

www.sugarlandtownsquare.comCall 281.313.SLTS

Giving Spirits Concert SeriesFriday, August 2nd7:30 - 9:30 pm

Back to SchoolSplash Day in the PlazaSaturday, August 3rd11 am - 4 pm

Music in the Plaza Featuring Sugar Land Superstar 2012Friday, August 9th7:30 - 9:30 pm

Music in the PlazaFriday, August 16th7:30 - 9:30 pm

Night of MusicFriday, August 23rd7:30 - 9:30 pm

Dancing Under the StarsFriday, August 30th7:30 - 9 pm


Gorgeous Hill Country Home SiteWaterfront Lot in Comal County

Just 20 minutes from San Antonio and minutes from the Guadalupe River in Spring Branch, this 1.72 acre lot is your Hill Country dream come true! Amazing views on the hillside lot that features a meadow with waterfront along Spring Creek, The Crossing at Spring Creek, an acreage home site community, is the perfect place to build your Hill Country

getaway. The community offers all underground utilities, paved, county maintained roads, plus a beautiful 10+ acre owners-only park with scenic hiking trails, a swimming pool and pavilion and a playground. $89,000

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SAVE THE DATE

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Watch for invitations coming soon!

NEWSWORTHY

“Happy ThanksGolfing Classic” to Aid Homeless Families

in Fort Bend

Fort Bend Family Promise invites area businesses and golfers and to take part in its ninth annual charity golf tour-nament and help homeless Fort Bend families get back into homes during the upcoming holiday season.

The “Happy ThanksGolfing Classic” has a new home this year – Sweetwater Country Club – and will be held on November 25th, the Monday before Thanksgiving. “We are excited to offer golfers the chance to play at Sweetwater while helping homeless Fort Bend families get back to self-sufficiency. Thanksgiving is a great time to count your blessings and give back to your community,” said Tourna-ment Coordinator Elizabeth Butler.

Local businesses and individuals are invited to support the event by becoming tournament sponsors. Sponsor-ships, ranging from Platinum at $10,000 to Hole Sponsor at $400, are available. In-kind sponsorships are also welcome.

Golf registration is $150 per person, and the scramble format-shotgun start for the four-player teams begins at 12:15 p.m. Dinner and awards follow the conclusion of play. This year, since many local students are on holiday for the entire week of Thanksgiving, a discounted $100 student registration is also being offered with at least one paid adult registration.

Fort Bend Family Promise is the county’s only non-profit agency committed to helping homeless families with chil-dren get back to self sufficiency. Their mission is to meet the immediate needs of homeless families while empower-ing them to attain self-sufficiency. The organization pursues this mission by uniting faith communities in a cooperative effort to provide shelter, meals and comprehensive support.

Email [email protected] or call 832-314-5112 for the “Happy ThanksGolfing Classic” registra-tion or sponsorship details.

Fort Bend Family Promise (FBFP) hosts the 9th Annual “ThanksGolfing Classic” to be held Monday, November 25th at Sweetwater Country Club. Tournament planners include FBFP Executive Director Vera Johnson and Board Members Caron Marble, Elizabeth Butler, Ed Brasher, Karen Jennings, Michael Brown and Robbin Mallett.


home theatre

DVD Release

By Nick Nicholson

The JackieRobinson Story

Warner

I n 1946, Branch Rickey (Harrison

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forever changing history. The Jackie

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iconic sports figures in the history of

the world. The life and legend of

Jackie Robinson is a must see.

Nappinnai Natarajan:Helping Teachers – and Students –

Through Education

I t was only natural for Nappinnai Natarajan to begin volunteering with the Fort Bend Education Founda-tion (FBEF). Natarajan, a mother of two, was the Vice

President of Membership on the PTA board of Corner Stone Elementary in 2009 when she met Brenna Smelley, the Ex-ecutive Director of FBEF, during a luncheon meeting. Ac-cording to Natarajan, she “liked the entire team during the meeting” and “immediately” decided to become a volunteer.

“Both my daughters are attending Fort Bend ISD (FBISD) schools, and anything I can do to improve the quality of the schools will bring a large sense of satisfaction to me,” said Natarajan. “In addition, it helps me be very informed about the school district and ongoing issues.”

Now the Vice President of School Advocates for FBEF, which offers grants to teachers and schools in an effort to enhance the quality of education within the school district, Natarajan works to connect groups of program advocates with dif-ferent schools in FBISD in order to increase the awareness among the schools re-garding the FBEF programs that they can benefit from. Additionally, Natarajan serves on the organizing committee for the annual FBEF gala, which raises funds for the organization and creates a booth for India at the organization’s annual In-ternational Festival.

Every event Natarajan has participated in since joining the organization four years ago has been “memorable in its own way.” However, she said being surprised with the “Outstanding Volunteer of FBEF” award this year is a moment she will “cherish…for a long time.”

“I cherish the award and keep it in my living room,” she said, noting that it serves as a way to tell her neighbors and friends about her role as a volunteer when they visit her home. “It reminds me of the satisfaction of giving my time back to the community.”

While Natarajan noted that volunteering is “simply a lot of fun,” she said that the most rewarding part of working with FBEF is witnessing “so many kind heart-ed individuals in the community who generously donate to support such a good cause,” adding that the organization’s 2013 gala, which was held in February, raised nearly $255,000. “Nothing can substitute the satisfaction itself that I get from making a difference in the community I live in,” she said.

Ultimately, Natarajan’s role as a volunteer is directly linked to another role in her life which influenced her decision to join FBEF: that of a mother. “I want to be part of my kid’s educational life,” she said. “I want to be involved more than attend-ing parent teacher’s meetings as a mother. I want a way by which I can thank the teachers who educated my kids. I want my daughters to be proud of me for taking an active part in improving the quality of their educational system.”

FOCUS CARESBy Whitney Vige

Nappinnai Natarajan


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H ouston Restaurant Week, the single largest annual fundraiser for the Houston Food Bank, begins August

1st and runs through September 2nd. It is by far the best thing that has happened to Houston area restaurants and its patrons in a long time!

Created by Houstonian Cleverley Stone 10 years ago as a volunteer for the Houston Food Bank, this event has grown each year from approximately 15 restaurants in 2003 to 169 restaurants in 2012. A few of this year’s participating res-taurants in the area are BLU Restaurant & Lounge, Perry’s Steakhouse and Grille, Coco Pazzo Ristorante Italiano by AURA and Veritas Steak and Seafood.

A portion of the proceeds for each meal purchased from a participating restaurant is donated to the Houston Food Bank. For a $20 lunch or brunch with 2 to 3 courses, the

Great Eats for a Great Cause: Houston Restaurant Week

restaurant donates $3. For a $35 brunch or dinner with 3 to 4 courses, the restaurant donates $5. For a $45 dinner with 3 to 4 courses, the res-taurant donates $7.

Last year, Houston Res-taurant Week raised $1.2 million for the Houston Food Bank, creating 3.6 million meals for children, seniors and adults who are food insecure in Houston. This year, the organization hopes to once again meet that goal.

For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit www.HoustonRestaurantWeeks.com.

Cleverley Stone

A dults can avoid cancer-causing agents when they barbe-cue by using the healthy grilling tips in from the experts at

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.“Summer is a popular season for outdoor grilling,” said Mary

Ellen Herndon, an MD Anderson wellness dietitian. “But before you fire up the grill, take the right precautions to make sure you serve healthy barbecue dishes that won’t expose your family to increased cancer risks.”

Research shows that common meats served at barbecues, like hot dogs and hamburgers, can increase colorectal cancer risks. Even some “safer” meats can expose people to cancer-causing agents if they’re cooked improperly. Herndon sug-gests using the tips below to give grilling a healthy makeover.

Barbeque Do’s:• Marinate meat for 30 minutes to reduce

heterocyclic amines (HCAs). It damages genes.• Grill chicken, fish, fruits and veggies.• Eat no more than 4-6 ounces of beef or pork per meal.

Barbeque Don’ts:• Burn meat. Charred meat is covered in HCAs.• Overeat hot dogs. It’s processed meat and can damage

DNA. • Eat more than 18 ounces of red meat per week. Too much

red meat can cause colorectal cancer. The lifetime risk ofdeveloping colorectal cancer is 1 in 20.

In addition to these healthful tips, select items on this list that fit your target calorie range when grilling. Men should eat 500 calories per meal, and women should eat 400 calories per meal.

• BBQ Pork Spareribs, 3 Ribs or ½ ounce – 134 calories• Grilled Steak, 6 ounces – 483 calories• Hamburger, ¼ lb. or 4 ounces – 294 calories• Chicken Breast, 3 ounces – 251 calories• Fresh Green Salad (1 cup) with 1 tbsp. Light Ranch

Dressing – 48 calories• Ambrosia Fruit Salad, 1 cup – 135 calories• German Style Potato Salad, ½ cup – 77 calories• Coleslaw with Raisins and Low-Calorie Dressing,

½ cup – 71 calories• Baked Beans, ½ cup – 195 calories

Visit www.mdanderson.org/focused for additional tips on health and exercise.

How to Fill aHealthy Barbeque Plate


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Ruggles Green, a locally owned and operated restaurant, offers a healthier, better tasting menu done in a sustainable way. Ruggles Green serves local, a l l-natural and organic menu items. They specialize in gluten-free and vegetarian options all in a family-friendly atmosphere including a gorgeous landscaped patio and a private room for special events. Their extensive menu features salads, sandwiches, burgers, tacos, pizzas and pastas, as well as organic and biodynamic wine and beer. Relax and “un-wine” at the greenest restaurant in Texas.

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NOW

Living the Sweet Life:

God’s Winking,Bev Just Showed Up

for the Party

T here is a void in our world that will be very difficult for anyone to fill. Bev Carter has

gone to that place where pleasantries are abundant and woes few and far be-tween. I am quite sure she’s got a cock-tail in her hand, a smile on her face and is having eloquent and very entertain-ing conversations amongst old friends.

When I discovered that she had left this place, I was so thrown off by the news that it took me a few minutes to gather myself. For many, Bev was a powerful woman. She spent 30 years dishing it out and taking it, too for her crafty journalism. I remember the first time and the last time that I saw her, and for me, that’s a rarity.

The first time I met Bev I was at Fort Bend Focus Magazine’s JEWELS of Fort Bend event at Safari Texas, and she came up behind me wearing a red dress. Her husky voice almost scared me to death! She said to me, “Just look at you! An award-winning columnist on your first try!” I was not sure what to think of her or the comment at the time, and then, as I got a few years un-der me in writing and reading her col-umn, I realized she was paying me the highest compliment ever.

Bev for me has been a powerful force that no one in their right mind would

want to be on her opposing team. She created an amazing column, had loyal followers that truthfully were, if not in agreement with her strong views, at least they were entertained by her ability to voice her opinions. She used her talent and quick wit to enable and disable many doing good and others do-ing poorly here in this big game of life. Thank God someone had the chutzpah!

Secretly, I have always admired Bev, even aspired to be more like her. I can say that now. She created an empire in journalism that will be very much missed. Her gutsiness remind-ed me of my own dear Nana and how she really could have cared less what people thought. Nana, like Bev, spoke unequivocally her mind and censorship was never part of her. You knew with both of them exactly where you stood, where they stood and if you did not like it, well tough #!**. Oh to be just like them!

Over the years, I called her once for her opinion on something that could have gotten me into hot water, and she, true to her style, stated flatly that. “You do not do politics. You are a fea-tured SWEET column.” She was amaz-ing.

She was a fighter, behind the scenes facing cancer and the loss of her daugh-

ter. Again, reminding me of Nana and her way of looking at life with the at-titude of “I’ve got this and life must go on” style. I am quite sure Nana has found her and is showing her around. That’s perfect, too, because they are go-ing to love hanging out together. When I get there, I’ll be wearing red and look-ing for a writing partner, too!

The last time I saw Bev was at the last JEWELS event. She asked me about the radio show that was not fly-ing off the ground the way I had hoped it would, and she said to me then, “You’ll figure something out.” Indeed I did because that opportunity failing led to an even greater one. Life does that.

I will, for one, miss her. I will miss her spunk and her drive and for me in the ever constant creating of “Alisa,” I’ll miss her example. She was a real fine Texas entrepreneur, afraid of nothing, held back by nothing and heaven’s got a handful of sparkle and shine headed its way!

Here’s to YOU Bev!

Bev Carter with grandson Jack Fredrickson.

Phot

o by

Alis

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By Alisa Murraywww.AlisaMurray.com

Nationally recognized portrait artistand award-winning columnist.


BACK PAIN? NECK PAIN?

Stop enduring pain. Call or email today and begin your personal treatment plan. 281-313-BACK (2225) or [email protected].

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For back and neck pain, there’s only one premier choice — Methodist Sugar

Land Hospital’s Spine Center. Whether you’ve had pain for just a few days

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treat your condition in a convenient location, with access to premier

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16655 Southwest Freeway • Sugar Land, Texas 77479 281-313-BACK (2225) • MethodistSugarLand.com

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august 2013 - fort bend focus magazine - people • places • happenings

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