WHAT: Inaugural Dinner for Amazing Place West, to open in Katy, Spring 2025
WHERE/WHEN: Beckendorff Farms, Katy, Tx., Tuesday, September 17
DESCRIPTION: Event chairs Andi and Peter Holt welcomed more than 250 guests to an inaugural dinner benefitting Amazing Place West, the organization’s second campus scheduled to open in Spring 2025 at 621 Circle deMatel in Katy. Amazing Place (www.amazingplacehouston.org), a faith-based non-profit, is dedicated to helping families face the challenges of dementia and Alzheimer’s, and to advance brain health for all.
More than $200,000 was raised to assist with needed operational start-up funds allowing Amazing Place West to open, provide a Day Program for those with mild to moderate dementia at a reasonable cost and offer unique Caregiver and Community initiatives at no cost.
PROGRAM: The evening opened with Barry Barrios, the Music and Worship Arts Director of Katy First United Methodist Church, singing Amazing Grace followed by an invocation by Pastor Cindi Lomax, the Care Pastor of Grace Fellowship. The Amazing Place Board President, Cathy Stubbs, welcomed guests and then introduced Amazing Place Executive Director, Tracey Brown, who told the crowd how pleased the 29-year-old organization is to open Amazing Place West, its second campus, to serve the growing needs of the Katy and West Houston populations. She also shared how Amazing Place specifically provides hope and resources to those diagnosed, to caregiving families and friends, to community members interested in brain health, and to faith communities in creating dementia friendly churches. She announced that two anonymous donors have graciously offered a $50,000 match to support the Amazing Together Campaign in its final stretch to raise the remaining $4 million needed to complete the building of Amazing Place West.
A short video was shown before guest speaker Dan Buettner, Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Blue Zones Project, took the stage. Buettner enlightened guests on how to live longer and healthier lives as seen in the current Netflix documentary, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. He also shared tips from unique communities across the globe where common factors contribute to healthy longevity and offered tips on how to incorporate lifestyle changes in our own lives for positive results. In closing, Katy community leaders Ken Theis and Downy Vickery reinforced how important Amazing Place will be in addressing growing needs of the area’s aging population and their families.
WHAT ELSE: The campus will feature a 19,000 square foot building, including activity rooms, an art studio, a non-denominational chapel as well as covered outdoor and recreational spaces for its dementia-specific Day Program. Offices and Caregiver Education and Support spaces will be on the second floor.
SEEN: Dean Ayers, Suzi and Stan Goss, Gemi and Wayne Voss, Heather and Matt Schomberg, Rhonda and James Ward, Liz and Raymond Dollins, Carol and David Minze, Patti Osburn and Steve Smith, Dr. Jerry Edmonson, Janet and Ken Theis, Rahul Mehta, Nisha Mehta, Lynn Freeman, Kavin and Downy Vickery, Rachel and Roshan Gummattira, Karen and Paul Kurt, Magda and Vidal Ramirez, Margaret and Steve Laney, and Tracy and Ken Janda.
