TBPW Fall Food Fest 2008 - A success!!

Tomball Business and Professional Women recently completed their 10^thannual Fall Food Fest. The TBPW Fall Food Fest is our yearly fundraiser to raise funds for scholarships and others in need.

I have been involved with the Fall Food Fest since its inception and I think this was probably one of the most successful fundraisers yet. I had some concerns going in to the event. Normally we spend our September meeting going over everything but at the September meeting the majority of our membership was still without power from Hurricane Ike so we didn't even have a September meeting. We had also changed locations this year from the Lone star Tomball College back to what was an original location of Tomball United Methodist Church on Baker Street. With Hurricane Ike it kind of felt like we were throwing it together but with a lot of dedicated members it all came together.

We had eleven restaurants participate with some incredibly yummy food.

Image Catering- A sample of their finger foods

Klein's Super Market- Desserts from their bakery

Mel's Country Cafe- chicken fingers and blueberry cobbler

Easy Made Meals- samples of their meals

Main Street Crossing- Chicken salad and mandarin orange salad

Wings, Pizza and Things - Pizza

Pecos Grill - roast, mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans

Kema Seafood House- Assorted fish

Culinary Events - Samples

Trail Mix Coffee House - Coffee, smoothies and trail mix

Gingerbread House - Cookies and Sandwiches

There was a silent auction with a wonderful assortment of items available for the auction. You can see from all the activity that the silent auction was a popular item at our Fall Food Fest. Our membership really stepped up to the plate finding all these auction items to donate.

There was a raffle with some great raffle items available. We had five raffle items from a 42" flat screen tv, diamond earrings to a smoker. The winners were picked and announced at the event.

Last year we were able to give six $1000 scholarships and we should be able to give close to that many scholarships this year.

TBPW Fall Food Fest - October 21st, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Tomball Business & Professional Women will host their 10th annual Fall Food Fest at Tomball United Methodist Church on Tuesday, October 21st from 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. This event serves as our organization's primary fund-raising effort to secure funds for scholarships for high school graduates in Tomball & Magnolia School Districts as well as a scholarship to someone attending Tomball College. Additionally our organization's fund-raising contributes to numerous community needs.

Local restaurants will be providing samples of their food.
Pizza
Cassaroles
Blackened catfish
Soups
Mexican food
Catfish
Cakes

Pies
and More

Adult Plates are $7.00. Seniors 60 and over are $5.00 and children under 10 are $2.50. If you don't have time to stay To Go Plates are also available.

A raffle, along with a silent auction, is part of our fund-raising efforts for this event. Raffle tickets are presently being sold with the winners of the raffle items announced at the Food Fest. Raffle tickets are $5.00 apiece or 5 for $20.

Last year we were able to give out 6 scholarships within our community. We are hoping to be able to do the same this year. This year is a bit of challenge with Hurricane Ike we were not able to have our normal September planning meeting but we are proceeding as usual. Please come and support our scholarships for High School seniors and others in need.

Please note our new location at Tomball United Methodist Church on Baker Street. Last year we were not able to sell raffle tickets at the college so we chose a new location this year where we will be able to sell tickets at the event. This is an easy location to get to. If you are coming from 2920 turn north on Baker and you will curve to the church on the left. If you are coming from SH 249 turn to the east on Baker and the Church will be on your right.

Tomball Business & Professional Women's mission is to Promote women in business by helping one another and giving back to the community and others in need.

Their vision is to help women achieve their goals both personally and professionally by providing a place for exchange of ideas, educational programs and support for one another.

Tomball wasn't always known as Tomball. Like many things in life it has changed over the last 200 years both in name and size but not in spirit.

Tomball, originally called Peck after a railroad engineer, was originally settled by immigrants in the 1800s. These immigrants were ecstatic to find untouched land that was perfect for farming and ranching. That part has not changed. There are still farmers and ranchers in our area but as Tomball grows the pasture lands are shrinking to make way for progress.

Tomball was originally just a railroad stop. Thomas Ball was responsible for getting the railroad to put the line through Tomball so the city was renamed Tomball on December 2, 1907 after Thomas Ball.

These rail lines brought a boom to the area because it made it easier to ship crops and move cattle.

The lines brought in railroad workers, saloons, hotels and boarding houses as well as shops.

For many years Tomball was known as a "honky tonk town" because of the desire of people to come out to the country and "party". The prohibition ended the boom after 8 years, the town was no longer a party town and the boom ended.

The oil and gas industry brought a second boom to the town in the early 1900s. When it was discovered that oil was abundant in the area it brought a great many people to the area, some of those decendants are still here today.

We are currently experiencing another boom in Tomball. Some say it's the people's desire to live close to Houston but still feel a little bit of that country spirit that resides here. Some say it's because this is where the builders are building new homes and so the people come. Others say it's to get away from crime and crowds.

I say it's because Tomball makes you feel like you've finally come home.

If you decide to join us here, know you will always be welcome.

4th Annual Abandoned Animal Rescue (AAR) Golf Tournament at High Meadow Ranch in Magnolia

4th Annual Abandoned Animal Rescue (AAR) Golf Tournament
High Meadow Ranch Golf Club
Monday September 15th, 2007
Rain date is September 22nd 
8:00 A.M. Shotgun start

Meet Former Houston Rocket Robert Reid and former Tigers & Rangers pictcher Justin Thompson at the tournament as they play to support the Abandoned Animal Rescue.

All Funds benefit Abandoned Animal Rescue of Tomball TX

High Meadow Ranch was the #1 Ranked Public Course in Houston in 2005.

After the tournament lunch will be served and tournament winners will be announced. Prizes and door prizes will be awarded

Tournament fees are
$125 per individual player
$500 per four player team

The fees include the green fee, golf cart and lunch provided by Rancho Grande Restaurant.  You can register at at the Abandoned Animal Rescue website.

Registrations are due by Sept. 12th, 2008   

Abandoned Animal Rescue is a no-kill animal shelter located at 418  Hufsmith Rd. in Tomball TX. Their mission is to "end the unnecessary euthanasia of helpless animals and to place them in permanent homes for the duration of their lives."  They offer a pet adoption center and an inexpensive spay and neuter clinic.  AAR is a non profit organization and is totally managed and maintained by an all-volunteer staff.  According to their website they are always looking for volunteers. 

Funds from the golf tournament have supported AAR to be able to move in to their new facility on one acre of land at 418 Hufsmith Rd.   For dogs they have indoor air conditioned dog kennels, two exercise areas and a bathing facility.  Cats have multi level cat cages that allow the litter boxes to be on a separate level from the food and water, with a loft bed above it all.  They have also added an indoor playyard for the kitties.  The funds have also provided a spay/neuter surgery room.

AAR is staffed by dedicated volunteers who are devoted to finding homes for unwanted animals.  As I was there visiting I was shown 4 large notebooks of adoptions that have taken place (2 for cats and 2 for dogs.)  Because it receives no goverment support AAR is always in need of volunteers to care for the animals help with the office work and participate in promotional and fundraising events. 

AAR relies on volunteers to help in many different ways. They have volunteers who help with everything from caring for the dogs and cats to answering the telephone and filling out adoption papers when someone comes to pick out one of our special dogs or cats.

All volunteers must be at least 14 years of age or must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  I was told that they have a lot of teenage volunteers; especially during th summer and the dogs and cats just love them. 

For more information, or to request a volunteer application, please contact us at aarescue03@yahoo.com or stop by the front desk at AAR in Tomball and ask about how to become a volunteer.

If you are a golfer please consider supporting AAR by participating in their tournament.  If you are not a golfer they are always looking for volunteers or donations

As much as any time in recent memory, the mortgage industry, as we’ve known it, has experienced significant changes: guidelines have been amended, documentation requirements have increased, MI companies have expanded their influence on approvals, FHA has integrated adjustments to upfront & annual MI premiums, based on LTV and credit scores, and Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac have instituted price adjustments, also affected by LTV and credit scores.

My managing broker has said countless times this year – jokingly or not – that we’re working 3 times as hard to close the same number of loans just two years ago. The sub-prime market has vanished, for better or worse, and most of the 100% conventional financing programs no longer exist. Sounds like the death knell for the mortgage industry, right? Not so fast – as an FHA-approved broker for the past 8 years, we’re strategically positioned to make homeowners out of renters, even in today’s struggling economy.

Recently, we uncovered a little-known government program, sponsored by USDA, to assist low- to moderate-income families finance homes at 100% of the sales price – in select areas. Note: this is NOT a bond program, it is NOT affiliated with down-payment assistance programs (which are slated to be eliminated October 1st), and there are NO ADDITIONAL COSTS to the seller.

This is straight 100% financing with no MI to the buyer. Further, the seller may pay up to 6% of the sales price towards closing costs and pre-paid charges. Plus, if the property appraises for more than the sales price, closing costs may be financed into the mortgage. For the right buyer, and the right home, this is a tremendous product to take advantage of!

Amazingly enough, over the past month, we’ve encountered resistance: THE LISTING AGENTS AREN’T INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM! Now, in some cases, they'll allow a brief conversation regarding one of their eligible properties, but more often than not, they won’t make the time to listen. Incredible!

What can we do to get more people excited about this program? Why the hesitation?

Credit to Jeff Anderson for program research.