THE FOUNDATION
Mission Statement: The Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation is organized to fund one or more qualified public charities that supports education, care and research to find a cure for breast cancer, while memorializing Nancy Owen's life, the values she lived by and the courage with which she faced her bout with breast cancer.
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 Foundation events including 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 2010 is nearly $940,000! Thomas Westbrook, Ph.D. at BCM received half of the 2010 proceeds for his genome-technology research. Pilot studies employing this technology have identified genes that breast cancer cells depend on for their aggressive behavior, and have shown that inhibiting these genes severely impairs breast cancer progression. This ground-breaking approach is paving the way to the next generation of treatment for breast cancer, moving toward truly personalized medicine for every patient.
The Nancy Owens Memorial Foundation is extremely fortunate to have community-wide support. This year, the foundation presented sixteen companies with the “Spirit of Giving Award” to honor contributors who have shown philanthropic commitment to the foundation with each company giving more than $20,000 over the past eight years. The recipients included Alamo Title Company – Post Oak & San Felipe, Bernstein Realty, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate - Anderson Properties, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Fidelity Title Company, Greenwood King Properties, Heritage Texas Properties, Houston Association of REALTORS®, Houston Chronicle, John Daugherty, Realtors, Katherine Stewart, Mark Cady with Flagstone Lending, Maxine Myers, Old Republic Title Company of Houston, Patriot Bank and Stewart Title. In May of 2010, the foundation held its first annual “Swing for the Cure” Golf Tournament at Sweetwater Country Club raising over $10,000. In June 2010, the foundation held its annual “Pink & Blue Jean Day,” where friends, families, real estate, title, and mortgage companies came together to raise over $7,000. Participants later gathered for “Cocktails for the Cure,” at Goode’s Armadillo Palace where entertainment was donated by the Big Al Bettis Band.
The Foundation is proud to have 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