Genevieve Keeney is the president of The National Museum of Funeral History and a licensed mortician, an awesome unsung hero among museums. They opened a new exhibit: "Icons In Ash" which explores memorial portraits made with the cremated remains of the deceased by artist Heide Hatry. We also talk about other ways of memorializing the dead like using to creating diamonds from cremated remains and planting trees. We discuss the emotional and philosophical challenges of considering alternate ethnic funeral traditions, why the subject is still taboo and how to respectfully teach it to museum visitors.
Go to
www.nmfh.org to visit this unusual and awesome museum and while you're there, check out their resources on writing Obituaries and Eulogies.

Oli Mohammed is the executive director of The Houston Furniture Bank. After over 25 years of services, Oli speaks of diversifying the Org's operations to include mattress recycling and mattress manufacturing. All proceeds from these operations fund the Furniture Bank's programs which help our poorest neighbors obtain basic furniture. Think of how important it is for a mother to own a bed for her child to understand the fundamental need The Furniture Bank is serving. Their goal is making Houston a city where no child sleeps on the floor
They hire ex-convicts to work for the Org and Oli talks about the honor he feels helping these people reform and move onto prosperous lives. It's a very successful program.
Go here to get involved: www.HoustonFurnitureBank.org

Kelly Young is the new CEO of Career and Recovery Resources (CRR) and with her is Dr. Vernus Swisher, retiring CEO of Career AND Recovery Resources. Indeed, our friend Vern is retiring after 23 years of great service. He leaves a healthy and dynamic non-profit in the capable hands of a leader who will not only keep it going strong but also lead it for the next generation.
On Tuesday, June 25th, Career and Recovery Resources is honoring Vern with this year's 23rd Annual Barrier Breaker Award Luncheon and Retirement Tribute to Dr. Vernus Swisher. They also honor JP Morgan Chase & Co as an outstanding corporate Leader and underwriter. You can go to www.careerandrecovery.org to be a part of it and to find out how you can help CRR guide folks back to employment.

Beth Harp is the executive director of Kids’ Meals and Cari Sepulveda is a McDonald's owner and operator and avowed health nut. We should be proud to hear Beth talk about how the state of Texas is actually doing a great job of feeding hungry children through the school system. But during summer months, there is a great need.
Kids' Meals started their Hunger Free Summer initiative to provide hundreds of thousands of nutritious meals to children in poor communities around Houston. With big time financial help from McDonald’s Houston, the program raises funds and awareness for Kids’ Meals. Hunger in Houstonians is an issue we could eradicate. Donating to these Organizations and volunteering is part of the solution. Kinds' Meals has a lot going on outside of summer, too. See their website and consider making a donation. www.kidsmealsinc.org

Cissy Segall Davis is the managing director of Miller Outdoor Theatre. Check out their website to see the awesome list of FREE shows going on all summer long: www.milleroutdoortheatre.com
No other city in the country has such an extensive season of 96 free shows! These are national acts, local acts and big or small, they get to perform for thousands of Houstonians on a world class production stage and it's all…. FREE! You can sit on the lawn or get free tickets to the seating area to enjoy a show with your family and friends. It's a Houston tradition going back 96 years and we're proud of it. See you on the lawn!

Mike Nichols is the interim president and CEO of Coalition for the Homeless. We talk about the Coalition's annual count of unsheltered homeless people and discuss how Houston has been able to reduce it by over 50% in the past years. There are nearly 4000 individuals experiencing homelessness in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery Counties. More than 17,000 people have been housed by The Way Home since 2012 with an 90% success rate at the two year mark. Lots of work remains and Mike has an interesting idea: that homelessness is among the best demonstrations of broken social policies. Go to www.Homelesshouston.org to help out.

Gretchen Schmaltz is the science education manager for the Children's Museum of Houston and Kendra Rodriguez is one of their Resident geeks with a PhD. They're presenting the new Flint Hills Resources Genius Station. It's basically a moving station that shows up in front of the museum's awesome exhibits. It allows kids (and grown-ups) to ask questions from real scientists.
The museum has so many great exhibits it's impossible to see everything in one visit so check out their website for more info and take advantage of their big discount for memberships until the end of May.
www.cmhouston.org

Cristina Vetrano is the president and CEO of CanCare, a support network of cancer survivors and caregivers who volunteer to help those fighting cancer. With her is Lloyd Rachal, the director of marketing for Don McGill Toyota. Lloyd is also a Cancare volunteer after supporting his wife who beat breast cancer. They both found a supporting community in Cancare while she was going through her therapy. It is immensely helpful to be able to speak to someone who understands what it's like to be diagnosed with cancer and going through treatment.
Cancare is celebrating their 25th Silver Anniversary Cancer Survivors Day Luncheon on Thursday, May 9th. The keynote speaker is meteorologist Frank Billingsley who will speak about his own fight with prostate cancer. Got to www.cancare.org

Retired Lieutenant General Doug Owens is the CEO of the Lone Star Flight Museum where you can go see some of the most famous airplanes in the history of aviation. Most planes in the museum are flight worthy and it is indeed possible to buy a "ride" on an old warbird. It's the stuff of great birthday and Christmas gifts, that's for sure.
They are also the home of the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame and naturally, the museum is also an educational institution and coming up, they have summer camps for children aged 10-12. To fund these camps and its other programs, the museum is holding the Blue Skies Gala on May 18.
www.lonestarflight.org

Dr. Carolyn Sumners is the vice president of Astronomy for the Houston Museum of Natural Science. They are opening "To Defy Gravity", a new exhibit on the Moon, featuring a huge model of the moon Measuring 23 feet in diameter. It is printed with high detailed imagery of the lunar surface taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. It may be the best way to take a look at the far side of the moon, which you can do by going up to the museum's balcony. There is also a VR experience of the International Space station and a lunar landing. www.hmns.org