On Thursday February 11th, 2010 Houstonians gathered at the House of Blues Houston for the Fanatical Change Beads for Deeds Mardi Gras Masquerade. Guests enjoyed Cajun cuisine and authentic Louisiana sounds of Big Red and Zydeco Play Makers. (A special thanks to Big Red, you guys are amazing!) Guest were able to bid on auction items and there was a live auction for the three most sought after items; A guitar signed by every member of The Rolling Stones, a boxing glove signed by Mohamed Ali and an autographed Michael Jackson Thriller album.As much fun as we all had there was a reason beyond enjoyment for being there. Seven Houston families who had just suffered a life altering tragedy would be the beneficiaries of all of the proceeds raised. These are their stories:
Brenda Jones moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home in New Orleans. It was a total loss, but she felt lucky to be alive. She began to rebuild her life here in Houston and decided to stay. Life seemed to have made a turn for her. Her daughter and two grandchildren would visit frequently, and she would babysit her grandchildren while her daughter attended nursing school.
However, Tuesday, January 26, 2010 disrupted her new life. She was awakened to panicked screams to get out of her apartment. Flames had engulfed the building. Her apartment, along with all of her belongings she had gathered since Katrina, went up in flames. Brenda suffered a total loss for a second time.
Bonifacio Torres and his wife, Veronica, have 2 children and another on the way. The anticipation of their new addition has brought them much excitement. In preparation, they had purchased many new items for the baby.
In the early morning hours of January 26, 2010, the Torres’ woke to the clamor of screaming and constant pounding at the door, alerting them that their building was on fire. Unfortunately, all of the new baby items, their clothes and other worldly possessions were damaged beyond repair by smoke and water.
We arrived at Doctor's Hospital when Veronica Torres was in labor. Mr. Torres came out to meet us and was pleasantly surprised to see so many smiling faces all there to give him aid in this time of need. You could see and almost feel the heaviness lift from him as he realized that his son, Bonifacio Torres IV, would have a home that would now smell of new items instead of the charred remains of everything that was damaged in the fire. Mr. Torres received gift cards to H.E.B. for $500, Target for $1,000, Babies "R" Us for $1,000 and Ikea for $2,500. We also provided him with a savings bond for $1,000 so he could get a jump on Bonifacio the IV's college tuition. Thanks to all of the donors who came out, his son will be welcomed into their home that will no longer smell of smoke but instead be filled with hope.
Deandre Emerson
The Tragedy:
Sukari Emerson was going out-of-town on November 11, 2009 with her new boyfriend. Her mother, Deandre Emerson was babysitting Sukari's five children while she was out-of-town. Before leaving, Sukari called her mother to see if she needed anything further for the kids. This would be the last conversation Deandre had with her daughter. Days turned into weeks; the holidays came and went. Dandrae knew something was wrong. On January 25,2010, 2.5 months later her worst fears were realized: Sukari's body was found in a heavily wooded area in northeast Harris County.
The Fanatical Change:
It was late in the evening when we arrived at Ms. Emerson's home. She welcomed us in and her grandchildren were a bit overwhelmed by how many people had come to help them but quickly warmed up to us. They were pleasantly surprised by all that we had to give them. Ms. Emerson received $600 from Target, $200 from H.E.B., counseling, enough for every member of the family to receive six sessions of therapy donated by Terry Azzouz a Licensed Therapist and Fanatical Change Board Member and the final expenses for Sukari that were on a payment plan that were $4,000 have now been taken care of giving Ms. Emerson the closure that she needed. We also were able to provide all of Sukari's children a $1,000 savings bond in their mother's honor for when they are ready to go to college, something that Ms. Emerson stated as a goal of hers for her grandchildren. Of course Ms. Emerson was thankful for all of the assistance your generosity provided but it was the counseling that she needed most for her children. Thanks to all of the donors who came out her five grandchildren will be able to begin the road to recovery from the death of their mother.The Tragedy:
Reyna Lopez was driving home when struck head-on by a vehicle driving on the wrong side of U.S. Highway 59. She suffered major injuries but is expected to make a full recovery. Reyna is a single mother of three. She is doing everything she can to get by. The time that she will spend recovering will have a domino effect on her financially. We gathered to come to her her aid and make sure that that first domino does not fall.
The Fanatical Change:
When we arrived at Ms. Lopez's home she was moving slowly. She welcomed us in. Her adorable son was walking around and was curious as to what all of these people were doing. He smiled and was anything but shy. His mother put on a smile of her own when she learned of the good will she was receiving as a result of the generosity of those who attended the event. We were able to provide her with a gift card to H.E.B for $500, we paid her rent for 4 months and brought her some diapers and a gift card to Pappa's restaurants for when she is recovered. She was very thankful and could not stop smiling. 
Jose Azua
The Tragedy:
At around 9 pm on Wednesday, February 3rd, 16 year old Jose Azua was shot and murdered while working the evening shift at his family’s taco stand in the 11400 block of the Eastex Freeway. His mother found his body lying inside the taco stand when she went to check on him.
Jose was a teenager enrolled in AP classes and played on his school basketball team. He leaves behind his mother, three brothers (ages 21, 18 & 14) and two sisters (ages 8 & 7 mos.). His family holds much trepidation towards continuing their family’s taco stand business. Anyone of them could have been the victim; however, fate chose Jose.
The Fanatical Change:
When we arrived at the Azua home it was late in the evening. The family had gathered in solidarity, mourning the loss of their loved one. We met with Jose's mother she told us how he was an excellent student. She proudly displayed all of the acceptance and interest letters from colleges on his bed. Colleges like Auburn, Houston Baptist, Iowa State, Baylor, Washington and others.
There was not a dry eye in the room as we now shared the mourning for this poor kid who was cut down in his prime by senseless violence. Our tears were not the only thing that let Mrs. Azua know that strangers do care. As a result of the hundreds who attended Beads for Deeds we were able to provide her with $600 to H.E.B., $600 to Target, $2,000 for a headstone that would honor the memory of her fallen son and $1,800 in counseling which is enough for every family member to receive 6 sessions of therapy as they deal with this unimaginable tragedy.
Caleb Copeland
The Tragedy:
Eight weeks ago, 8 year old Caleb Copeland caught an everyday virus, which gave him a fever. However, for whatever reason, the virus caused encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. Caleb began—and continues—to suffer four to five seizures a day. His doctors advised to admit him into Texas Children’s Hospital in the Med Center. Because of the rarity of his ailments, on Monday, Texas Children’s sent him to Baylor in Dallas by ambulance.
Caleb’s parents have been staying in Dallas while Caleb receives treatment while Caleb’s two sisters, Essence and Taylor have stayed behind with relatives. Caleb’s father, Joe, works a job that pays only straight commission. While they stay in Dallas, he is limited in what work he can accomplish. The Copeland family has some immediate needs to help bridge them through this crisis.
The Fanatical Change:
We arrived in Richmond at Belin Park where family members and friends of the Copeland's were gathered smoking brisket in preparation for another benefit planned for them. We delivered gift cards to H.E.B. to Caleb's grandmother for $2,000, Target for $2,000 a Visa gift card for $500, and $500 worth of gas cards. They were overwhelmed and thanked us profusely. We let them know it was our donors who were in need of thanks and she did on camera which will be posted shortly. She was so glad to know that her fellow citizens came to her family's aid in their time of need.
The J. Wilms Family
The Tragedy:
Just this morning at approximately 2 a.m., J. Wilms was travelling down Highway 6 on the north side of town. Riding with him was Christa Rodriguez. Wilms took a left into a Whataburger parking lot when a speeding truck driven by an intoxicated man struck Wilms’ vehicle. The wreck resulted in the death of Christa. Wilms survived but remains in the ER as of this afternoon.
This accident is still so recent that Wilms’ mother, Cathy, had yet to speak to the doctors and spoke to us from the ER and so was still uncertain of their immediate needs. The Change Agents™ want to help them during this time in which Wilms and his friend were needless victims.
This Tragedy was so recent that the family is still reeling from the aftermath. At the time of delivery they stated that they were willing to receive help but just could not tell us exactly what they would need. We have allocated $2,000 for them and will post our delivery to them at a later date.
Thank you all for making this our most successful event yet. Stay tuned for news of our next event. You are the ones who make this possible.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the families that received assistance, Thank You,
The Fanatical Change Foundation
