Hometown Heroes: Noell Myska

By M.G. Angulo – Watching her mother volunteer in the community as a child awakened Noell Myska to the fact that helping others and improving her community through meaningful actions was in her genes. It was during her high school years that Myska first tried her hand at volunteering, and that was all...

Hometown Heroes: Freddy and Amanda Lopez

By M.G. Angulo – Sometimes unintended efforts spawn something priceless and quite valuable. This is what Freddy and Amanda Lopez of Richmond discovered years ago when they co-hosted a party with friends, and what began as a simple and fun gathering, quickly transformed into a mission worth...

Hometown Heroes: Andres Novoa

By M.G. Angulo – Andres Novoa is more than a successful business owner. He is a husband. He is a father. He is also a profound advocate for local senior citizens. For the past 12 years Novoa has devoted himself, and his restaurant to what he calls “a great and noble cause” — the Fort Bend Seniors...

Hometown Heroes: Stacy Bourgeois

Brought to your by Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land | By M.G. Angulo The empathetic suggestion of stepping into someone else’s shoes is a sentiment not lost on Stacy Bourgeois, a married mother of three children who lives in Sugar Land. For some time, Bourgeois has volunteered in midst of homeless men and...

Hometown Heroes: Letha Wood

By M.G. Angulo – It was a candlelight tour that kindled the curiosity within Letha Wood. The tour, held at the 1883 John M. Moore home in Downtown Richmond, is a special event hosted by the Fort Bend County Museum Association that allows the public to experience what a mid-century holiday season was...

Hometown Heroes: Lane Ward

By M.G. Angulo – Lane Ward enjoys his time connecting with senior citizens on his delivery route. He looks forward to the conversations he has with them and savors their company as much as they do his. And, it satisfies him to have a chance, at least once a week, to check on their welfare. There was...

Hometown Heroes: Bobby Zepeda

By M.G. Angulo – The crack of a bat connecting with the ball. The muffled “whump” of a baseball in a glove. The furious taps of feet hitting the ground as players try to get to base. All of it is music to Bobby Zepeda’s ears. “I love this game,” said 59 year-old Zepeda, who has volunteered as...

Hometown Heroes: Nery Salazar

By M.G. Angulo – When she was a child, Nery Salazar lived a life in Honduras that was in a word, undesirable. She did not have access to a good education, the treatment of women was horrid, and at every turn she felt lost, scared and alone – until she found her way to the United States in the 1980s...

Hometown Heroes: JRG Ranch

By M.G. Angulo – In East Bernard, Texas, there is a ranch family who looks forward to the holiday season each year not just for the bright lights, presents, holiday tunes and family-famous recipes, but rather because of the opportunity to spread cheer in their community. Some time ago, the JRG Ranch in...

Hometown Heroes: Blas Perez

By M.G. Angulo – Blas Perez believes if you have the time to volunteer, use that time to connect with children, especially those on the outskirts of society: the children being tempted by gang members, the children who are having a hard go at life, the children who have been neglected or abused, the...