Last year, in honor of its 30th year in business, Association Management, Inc. (AMI) set a goal to raise $30,000 — the equivalent of five children’s wishes — to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana. Though the economy was down, donors’ spirits were high and under the stewardship of its co-founders, Glenda and David Regenbaum, the company more than doubled its original goal with a total of $65,000.

“We granted five wishes last June and will present the balance of $35,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana today to fulfill wishes of a potential of ten children who have life threatening medical conditions,” said AMI President Glenda Regenbaum, founder of the Houston-based homeowners association management company with her husband, David, Chairman and CEO, in 1979.

AMI, along with approximately 200 employees, and 44 vendor companies, contributed the $65,000, a major philanthropic achievement for AMI and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana. One of the Chapter’s Board Members, Cheryl Smith, and her son Robin Spidell, who, as a child, was a Make-A-Wish recipient, accepted the gift on behalf of the organization. Robin plans to graduate from Pearland High School on June 4 and has been accepted into Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX for the fall. This summer, he will be going to the United Kingdom with a trip sponsored by one of his history teachers, Mr. Lane. Additionally, he will be doing mission work with his church, Friendswood United Methodist Church, and performing in a musical through United Players.

AMI made the presentation at an ice cream party today at their Northwest Houston corporate offices. An ice cream social is the ideal venue, according to Smith, whose teen-aged son, Robin, had one simple wish 13 years ago. He wanted to be “the boss of the ice cream man” in their Pearland neighborhood. As a child, Robin had T-cell Lymphoma, a form of cancer that affected his lungs and immune system. His treatment over two-and-one-half years included aggressive chemotherapy and painful spinal taps. He was often at Texas Children’s Hospital as much as three to four days a week for two and one-half years. Smith remembers when he was at home recovering; he looked forward to visits from the local ice cream man.

“I remember that I couldn’t wait for the ice cream man to come by. At the time, that was a big deal,” said Spidell. “I think that’s also when I first realized how expensive things could be.” Robin also noticed that some neighborhood children didn’t have the money to buy ice cream treats. Robin wished he could solve that problem and soon, with help from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana, and free ice cream donated by Blue Bell, his wish came true. In May 1997 Robin put on a hat dubbing him “The Ice Cream Man,” boarded the truck and handed out free frozen ice cream treats to the children in his neighborhood.

“The whole cancer treatment process was hard on Robin and each member of our family. But he had this incredible opportunity, and he really wanted to give to other people. That’s just how he is. Even as a typical teenager he has the best heart. He will always help anyone. As a mom, I have a lot to be thankful for,” said Smith.

Association Management, Inc. (AMI) is the Houston area’s oldest and largest privately owned company offering a full range of professional management services to a wide variety of communities. One of the first Accredited Association Management Companies (AAMC) in the nation, AMI was acknowledged by The Community Associations Institute (CAI) as an outstanding professional community association management company based on its experience, professionalism, and continuing education. In addition to the Pearland office, the company currently has regional offices in Kingwood, The Woodlands and Austin and has a corporate office in Houston.
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The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Wish children are referred to the Foundation by their parent, legal guardian, doctor, or social worker. Once Make-A-Wish has been contacted, a medical release form is sent to the child’s primary physician. Upon medical approval, a volunteer team sets up a time to visit with the child to determine the one wish in that child’s heart. With the help of the Chapter office, the wish team makes the necessary arrangements for the wish to come true (average wish cost is $6,000). The goal is to provide a joyful and meaningful experience that gives the immediate family time together away from medical treatments & medical bills

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Recently former rock ‘n roll radio personality Dayna Steele published a book about how you can “Find Your Inner Rock Star. Steele, an author/motivational speaker/social media consultant and entrepreneur, spoke to my Women’s City Club last week and her message resonated in terms of my public relations work and my volunteer work in the community, specifically with the JCC of Houston.

Steele said that every day you wake up, get out of bed and set your feet on the floor — your stage. What you need to perform on that stage are: Passion, Knowledge, Relationships and Appreciation. That’s what keeps us fresh and at optimum performance level.

Passion.
In addition to having a passion for my work, I have a passion for my volunteer work. Five years ago I was asked to co-chair the JCC Jewish Book & Arts Fair, one of the largest, most successful Jewish book & arts fairs in the U.S. The time commitment is tremendous and I wondered if I could maintain my high energy level and service to my clients and do justice to the Book & Arts Fair, which features 40+ programs over two weeks. I had to accept — it was such an honor to be asked. In the end, I found that my passion for both saw me through the two-year JCC commitment (I chaired the event in 2006.) The experience was so thoroughly meaningful, thanks to the involvement of fellow-volunteers and staff, and such thrilling opportunities as introducing actor Jason Alexander to a standing-room-only crowd of 900 people, and comedian/writer Andy Borowitz, or being in the Green Room with Senator Barbara Boxer and internationally renowned attorney and author Alan Dershowitz.

Knowledge.
What a thrill it was to be able to instill my know-how in public relations to enhance the publicity for JCC Arts & Culture events. Whether it was developing media relations strategies, helping set up media interviews with the Houston Chronicle and FOX 26 or networking with nonprofit arts organizations, I relished being able to utilize my knowledge in public relations to the benefit of the JCC and the greater community to promote Jewish books, authors, film and visual arts.

Relationships.
After completing the Book & Arts Fair in 2006, I was asked to chair the JCC Arts & Culture Steering Committee, which oversees Dance Month, Jewish Book & Arts Fair, Jewish Music Festival, the Deutser Gallery/Art Committee and Jewish Film Festival. Thanks to relationships I’ve nurtured throughout my life and public relations career, I was able to tap into new people and resources to promote collaborative programs with the JCC. New additions to the committee brought varying perspectives and new relationships were forged. I relied heavily on the support of the JCC staff and treasured the partnership with JCC Arts & Culture Program Director Marilyn Hassid.

Appreciation.
My term is up this spring and it was time to thank everyone for their incredible service. The incoming chair, Barbara Winthrop Rose, decided she wanted to host my last committee meeting as chair at her home to make it more special. I conducted the regular business meeting, then went around the room to thank everyone in attendance for something specific they had done during my tenure in support of JCC Jewish Arts & Culture. To my astonishment, Barbara presented me with a gift from the committee signifying their appreciation of my work. It was such a meaningful tribute; my heart swelled. The gift is an exquisite Michael Aram tray with the artist’s signature olive branch sculpture. It was such a moving experience — to be thanked for doing what brings one joy and meaning is a thrill beyond words.

So there you have it. The story of my Inner Rock Star.