“Through my films, I’d like to support non-profit organizations and bring attention to certain causes. Because I lost someone to suicide, mental health and suicide prevention are really important to me. “Mario Arturo Valverde was my cousin. We were born a month apart. I’ve never … Continue readingCousin’s suicide changed filmmaker’s life
“I’ve always loved movies. Growing up, I had very emotional reactions to them. Sometimes I would break down in the theater because of the way a movie ended. “Wonderful films like ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Shape of Water’ and ‘Her’ really resonated with me. After watching them, … Continue readingMovie lover inspired to make his own films
“I consider myself a ‘protect.’ It means that I’m someone who’s willing to protect other people. In a bad situation, if I have to, I’ll step in and take physical injuries or whatever to protect another person who’s important to me. “One time, when I … Continue readingHe was prepared to take a bullet for woman
“We were going into Houston for dinner with some good friends. Because we expected to have a drink or two, we asked our daughter to be our Uber driver. She was a college student. She was home. She needed the money. So we had her … Continue readingDrunk driver forever changes her life
“My granddaughter, Addison, turned 2, and we had her birthday party on a Saturday. On Monday, she and my daughter, Emily, were at my house after we’d been shopping. When her phone rang, she didn’t recognize the number. A lady said, ‘I think I’m with … Continue readingKeeping memories alive through embroidery
“We’ve been homeless, and we’ve gone without. There were so many times that our food budget for every two weeks was $50. So we know what it’s like. We’ve always helped people through outreach, but we knew we could do more. We just didn’t know … Continue readingBaytown Pay It Forward Diner feeds the hungry
“I had my daughter 8 1/2 weeks early. She weighed 2 pounds, 4 ounces. She stayed in the NICU for six weeks. And then my son was born six weeks early. Both he and I ended up in the ICU. I had blood pressure issues. … Continue readingRussia invasion of Ukraine impacts adoption plans
“It was October 3rd of ’98. I was working at Bayer, vacuuming out chemical waste. The hose swept under me. It threw me about 6 feet. I had to get stitches in my head. I had rotator cuff surgery. If I hadn’t been in good … Continue readingInjuries, age can’t stop basketball lover
“I made up my mind when I was young that I was going to retire early. And I did it. I retired last August after 33 years with LyondellBassell, just as I was fixing to turn 57. “Never been married. No kids. But I was … Continue readingRetirement plan pays off for bike enthusiast
“My husband always worked a full-time job, and I would sit at home with the kids. He would come home from work tired, and I was always tired. It was like this ongoing hamster wheel of a life. “There was no vacation time. No fun … Continue readingSchool bus travelers: ‘simpler, freer way to live’