The Sunday Benefit ROCKED - many many THANKS!

Another benefit for Tina- another display of generosity, community, and multiplying miracles that seemed to hang in the air and sparkle!

In ones and twos and small sets of friends of friends, between the Bake Sale and the Raffle and the Auction, while Ezra Charles and Pop Quiz and The Footnotes and Dance From The Heart entertained us, all things small snowballed into another big WOW.

For the record- we raised enough money in 5 hours to feel comfortable about being able to drop in the utilities for Tina's soon-to-be-house and maybe even get a fence up for security.

THANKS to EVERYONE who dropped by. (Raffle winners who were not present when they won will be notified later this week!). It was some kind of crazy reunion/meet and greet/ make a new friend event and you are now officially part of a very fond memory.

Behind the scenes, this event would not have been possible without the incredible work of many many people: Tamme Derout (and the whole baking team!), Delia Austin-Cherry, Ray Cherry, Lance Miller, Sheri Voight, Lola Jordan, Donna McKenzie, Kenn Webster, Kyle King,  Johnny Foster, Vanita Esphahanian,  Keith Testa, Pete and the Continental Club staff, Don Price, Dance From The Heart, Bikers With A Cause, Spectrum Center, House of Blues, and all the teenagers (Gabe, Anna Rose, Jack, and Nika) who pitched in a lot.

THANKS EVERYONE who organized and donated and kept things rolling along the way!!

Wow.

Open Your Mind, Open Your Heart was an amazing event!

To everyone who attended and bought tickets for the raffle- you literally raised enough money to move a house. This is huge, and your role in this is made it possible. Thank you for being a part of this!

To all the volunteers- THANKS! You made all the wheels turn smoothly and we could not have done this without you. You are amazing people!

To all the generous donors- We were completely blown away by your generosity and hope all the positive energy you shared with us is returned to you 100 times over. The raffle was a big success. Thank you!

A few pics (more later on the photo page) ....

Very Happy Campers! Anna, Rosa, and Tina were all smiles at the end of Saturday!

Katherine Center teaches on Sunday- the presentations were packed!

Mini-services like the Pranic Healing were very popular. Lots of people had a chance to try things they had never done before!

Now For The Fun Part!

There are two fundraisers for Tina about to happen. Clear your calendar! This is going to be FUN!

June 2nd and 3rd
Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind
Spectrum Center Houston
10AM-6PM (both days)

Engaging speakers, interactive presentations, amazing raffle prizes, bake sale, mini-readings and MORE
De-clutter your mind and computer! Explore the esoteric and the pragmatic over brownies and tea!  Pick up a sweet raffle prize and take home a spirit guide! A Spectrum Center first of its kind event, sure to be amazing.

Full schedule/ registration HERE

June 10th
Rocking the Continental Club for Tina
With Special Host Donna McKenzie of 103.7 FM
Continental Club, Houston
3-8 PM
$20 cash at the door (or paypal in advance)

Ezra Charles headlines this family-friendly show. The Footnotes open, along with all sorts of lively entertainment. Auction and raffle items include a rocking guitar and all sorts of music related goodies so come prepared to acquire a gem! You DO NOT WANT TO MISS the Bikers With A Cause Beauty Pageant!

Full schedule HERE

The Machete Miracle

Days long from now a tale will be told. It will be a true tale and even if I was not there I have gathered bits and pieces from reliable sources and you can drive by if you don't believe me. This is the tale of the Machete Miracle:

The mission was to clear the land. The land was covered, literally in head high vines and bushes and ivy.

The night before it rained. Hard. 139 lightning strikes fell in one hour as volunteers rolled over in their beds wondering if the plan would be a wash out.

But those lovely volunteers got out of bed, loaded up their tools, and showed up. The food tent went up, the first aid tent went up, a blessing ensued, experts surveyed the scene and sent out crews. Machetes were swung, gloved hands tore down vines, the skid steer roared, and by the time lunch was delivered more than half the lot was done.

More powerful than brute force, the power of people won the day. Every age, color, background, and skill you can imagine worked side by side. As one volunteer began to tire, another volunteer would show up to breathe life into a second wind.

And by 4PM, the job was done.

A true miracle, despite the rain, despite the foliage, despite the naysayers- done in one day.

And this miracle has had a ripple effect. Spontaneous networking may actually get a house delivered to the lot. The dream is happening because you all showed up and did it.

We are grateful beyond words! To EVERY SINGLE PERSON who pitched in- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

See you at the upcoming benefits  in June!

Lot Clearing - A GO! - last minute updates

Rain or shine it looks like a whole bunch of much needed volunteers are coming to clear the lot!

When: Saturday, May 12th 8AM kick off (come any time you can) til dusk
Where: 5621 Knox

Please where long sleeves, long pants, sturdy boots/ shoes, sunscreen, and a hat. We have poison ivy repellant on hand and a basic first aid kit. We will also have snacks, drinks, and food on hand.

Bring any tools you have that could be helpful: sturdy rakes, machetes, shovel, hoes.

We are SO EXCITED to see this happen (especially since we have a house to move on the land!) and so incredibly grateful to everyone who is pitching in.

So you know, Sunday is probably NOT going to be needed to finish the job. Happy Mother's Day! 

Musical Benefit at the Continental Club (Houston)

Back in the 80's,  Tina was a member of the Rocky Horror Picture Show cast (she played Magenta) at the Alabama Theater.
 The hours spent rehearsing and performing created a bond that is still strong to this day. So, when the RHPS Alums caught wind of Tina's brain cancer they immediately set out to put on a fundraiser!
 (To be clear: This Is NOT a Rocky Horror Show)


Sunday, June 10th (TIME TO BE ANNOUNCED) at the Continental Club (Houston)

Featuring Ezra Charles – Texas King of Blues Piano, The Footnotes –
Danceable Rock Trio, and DJ/LP.

Auction Items, Games, Food and Drink with great live
music and surprise guests!

Admission price is $20.00 per person at the door!

Please join us for a lovely get together- no corsets or Time Warp required!

Are You Any Good With A Machete?

Tina's actual lot to be cleared

May 12th and 13th
5621 Knox Houston, TX
(unmarked plot of undeveloped land- very hard to spot)
EARLY until dusk, official time TBA

Keeping Tina's Dreams Alive includes clearing a plot of land in north Houston so we can put a home on it (for her to heal and create and live in). With the help of Ken Walker, Bikers for a Cause, and YOU (machete skills optional) we will be clearing this land in one weekend.

PLEASE wear long, loose fitting shirts and pants, BOOTS, heavy duty work gloves, safety goggles if you have them, hat, and bandana.

Wish List for this project:

• People willing to get dirty/ work hard (know a group who wants a project?)
• People to feed/ keep hydrated those who are swinging machetes (UPDATE: Saturday lunch= covered)
• Overnight security to keep an eye on things Saturday night
• Wheelbarrows (delivered and picked up)
• Hoes
• Machetes
• Tarps
• Waste containers (and donations toward cost of= covered)
• sunscreen/ aloe/ basic first aid kit (for stings, poison ivy, small cuts, blisters)
• Bottled water/ drinks/ snacks (2 coolers of ice and gatorade= covered)

You can contact Teresa if you have a question or contribution: tvandeusen@gmail.com

See you there!