AAUW West Harris County, Houston, Texas Branch
GENERAL BRANCH MEETING AND PROGRAM
Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 9:30 a.m.
Spring Branch Family Development Center
8575 Pitner Rd.
Houston, TX 77080
EMPOWERING FAMILIES
Ricardo Barnes, M.A. L.P.C., Executive Director
Cathy Urquhart, Branch Facilitator
ATTENTION! THIS MONTH WE MEET AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION!
We will gather and tour the facilities of The Spring Branch Family Development Center. This philanthropic institution is the brainchild of a coalition of Memorial and Spring Branch churches and charities with a mission to provide a single location where medical, educational, and social services are available to low-income families. The idea being, “if you build it, they will come.”
WHAT A POWERFUL IDEA THIS TURNED OUT TO BE! Today the Center is home to many services for families that include: Head Start Pre-K and Kindergarten; Boys and Girls Club featuring a basketball gym and mini-library; a UTMB medical clinic; a WIC clinic for mothers and toddlers; a Family U program that coaches young parents; daytime and evening ESL classes; bimonthly Houston Food Bank distributions; and monthly bookmobile visits. Members of our branch contributed books to its Little Free Library.
WE WILL TOUR THE FACILITIES AND LEARN how a staff of three manages such thriving partnerships and how the Center has stepped up during emergencies such as the derecho and hurricane of 2024.
PLEASE JOIN US AND BE PREPARED TO BE WOWED by the range and quality of good works generated when kind-hearted people work together for change. Guests are welcome!
Diana Guarniere, Program VP
As we say good-bye to 2025 and as we stand on the brink of 2026, let’s pause and reflect on our shared journey and the incredible progress we’ve made.
Education is more than just books and classrooms—it is the power to break cycles of economic uncertainty and poverty and transform entire communities. That is what AAUW stands for, and I am filled with gratitude and optimism for the future we are building together as we continue to empower young women through the gift of education.
In 2025 our Branch achieved the AAUW Five-Star Award and we are working hard to make sure we attain this standard of excellence once again in 2026.
We will be awarding the Thomsen-Baker-Telfer Fund scholarships to three young women in June 2026, and I cannot wait to meet the recipients and to hear their stories. This is always a highlight of our year. Thank you, West Harris County members, for your continued support of this important program!
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of this branch and we will be celebrating! The celebration is scheduled for March 2026, and details will be forthcoming soon.
Thank you to each of you for being an integral part of the AAUW. On behalf of the entire team at AAUW-West Harris County Branch, I want to extend my warmest New Year wishes to you and your loved ones.
If you are in need of an AAUW nametag, you can order one today!
Introduction Video
Texas AAUW Membership Flyer
Link to more WHC information
Legacy Circle
Ever since working on 5 Star Recognition for our branch last year, I have been very curious as to what was involved regarding becoming a Legacy Circle contributor. Legacy Circle has come up again in the next generation of 5 Star. My quest was to find the easiest way to set up a Legacy Circle bequest and then encourage other branch members to look into doing the same thing. Legacy Circle funds promote equity and benefit women and girls in the future.
My first step was to check out AAUW National’s website and then contact a representative of Legacy Circle. I did not want to set up a trust, change my will, or affect any other retirement programs I already had in place. I found out all I had to do was set up a savings account at my bank naming AAUW as the Paid-on Death (POD) beneficiary. You don’t need to open the account with thousands of dollars, a few hundred will do! Most banks want a minimum of $200.00 to open an account. Then, over time, you can add funds as you wish. Even after setting up the account, if you need to withdraw any money in the future, you can do that! Not my intention, but good to know I have that flexibility. Once you have opened the account, you fill out a simple form called Legacy Circle Enrollment Form and forward it to AAUW National. That form can be found on the national website. AAUW Leave a Legacy
If anyone would like to know more, feel free to contact me. I want to encourage other WHC members to participate in Legacy Circle now and in the years to come.
Sincerely, Rose Ennis
Past President, WHC
Member News Notification
Please send Marie Helmy (mariehelmy9@gmail.com), Corresponding Secretary, any news about our members they give you permission to share.
Marie Helmy
Corresponding Secretary
To ensure that you do not miss any communications from the Branch, please send updates or corrections to your contact information to
Linda Griffin: drlgriffin@outlook.com , effective January 2025
This webpage was last modified: December 30, 2025