On September 7, 2001, Nancy Owens, a much loved and well-respected icon in the real estate industry, lost her courageous 20-year battle with breast cancer. One of Nancy's final wishes, if she had survived her battle with cancer, was to dedicate a large part of her life to the fight against breast cancer and the continued advancement of its research towards finding a cure. It is that very dream that lives on today, and from which the Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation was created.
Donations from the Luncheon are equally divided between the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). The grand total of monies donated by the Foundation since its inception from 2002 through 2007 is nearly $650,000!
The Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation is extremely fortunate to have community-wide support. Earlier this year, they presented five companies with their newly created “Spirit of Giving Award” to honor contributors who have shown philanthropic commitment to the Foundation, giving more than $20,000 to the Foundation over the past six years. The recipients included Bernstein Realty, Houston Chronicle, Houston Title Company, John Daugherty, Realtors and Stewart Title. In June, the Foundation held its annual “Pink & Blue Jean Day,” where an impressive 135 real estate, title and mortgage companies throughout Texas and in other locations nationwide, including London, Tokyo and Berlin, came together to raise $10,000. For a $5 contribution, donors wore their favorite pair of jeans and accessorized with something pink to show their support of the fight against breast cancer. Participants continued the fun after work at “Cocktails for the Cure,” the Pink & Blue Jean Happy Hour at Jimmy Wilson’s Seafood and Chop House.
The Foundation is also thrilled to be the beneficiary of Moving to Cure Breast Cancer, a campaign to engage Houston-area realtors to help raise funds and awareness for breast cancer through successful REALTOR® referrals to C&M Moving and Storage. C&M will donate 5% of each completed move to the Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation in the name of the REALTOR® making the referral. More information can be found at www.movingtocurebreastcancer.com.
The Foundation is proud to have recently received the Susan G. Komen Hope Award for Ambassadorship as well as the Houston Association of REALTORS® John E. Wolf Citizenship Cup Award for our continued commitment to supporting breast cancer research while creating a theme of “REALTORS® Making A Difference” in the fight against breast cancer.
The Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation is organized primarily to fund one or more qualified public charities that support education, care and research for breast cancer and has received its 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS.
Contact us at:
Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation
c/o Bernstein Realty, Inc.
9575 Katy Freeway, Suite 205
Houston, Texas 77024-1409
713.932.1032 ext. 155
