Bridgeland - February 2022

THE TIMES

February 2022

An Independent Publication Serving the Bridgeland® Community

Volume 16, Issue 2

Spreading Love with Local Kindness Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

THE ANDREA CURRAN TEAM

The Bridgeland Times - February 2022

1

THE TIMES IMPORTANT NUMBERS BRIDGELAND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS (HOA) 16902 Bridgeland Landing Cypress,TX 77433 281-304-1318 Community Manager Melissa Hargrove............................melissa.hargrove@inframark.com Lakeland Community Manager Valier Bir........................................... valerie.bir@inframark.com Activities Director Rachel Johnson............................rachel.johnson@inframark.com Administrative Assistant - Activities Director Iliana Zuniga.................................iliana.zuniga@inframark.com Administrative Assistant - Compliance & Architectural Suzanne Hilton...........................suzanne.hilton@inframark.com Parkland Assistant Community Manager Tiffany Polichnia Receptionist & Front Desk Fritzy Lopez......................................fritzy.lopez@inframark.com Landscape Manager Kevin Brown.................................. kevin.brown@inframark.com Maintenance Manager Robert J. Allard

2

The Bridgeland Times -February 2022

ADVERTISING Peel, Inc....................................................................................... 888-687-6444 .................................................................................advertising@PEELinc.com

THE TIMES

A newsletter for Bridgeland residents.

The Times is a monthly newsletter mailed to all Bridgeland residents. Each newsletter is filled with valuable information about the community, local area activities, school information and more.

If you are involved with a school group, play group, scouts, sports activity, social group, etc. and would like to submit an article for the newsletter you can do so online at www.

PEELinc.com or you can email it bridgeland@peelinc.com. Personal news for the Stork Report, Teenage Job Seekers, special celebrations, birthday announcements and military service are also welcome.Our goal is to keep you informed!

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

THE TIMES

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

The Bridgeland Times - February 2022

3

THE TIMES

Andrea Curran and Her Real Estate Team with Heart

Submitted by Stephanie Fantasia

You don’t have to live in Cypress for long before you hear about Andrea Curran and her real estate team. She and her team are top producers in the Houston area, but they’ve taken Cypress by storm in more ways than real estate. More specifically, you’ll often find The Andrea Curran Team scattering kindness throughout Cypress.

The Andrea Curran Team cares about their clients and their community. They take pride in building relationships all over Cypress because not only do they love it here; they live here. They enjoy being your neighbors and know how much Cypress has to offer. Their real estate journey began here, and their team has grown here, thanks to the support of Cypress friends and neighbors like you. You can learn more about The Andrea Curran Team by visiting www.AndreaCurran.com. Don’t forget to check out The Andrea Curran Team on social media to hear about upcoming community events!

4

The Bridgeland Times -February 2022

Andrea is driven by giving back and serving others. Here in Cypress, she has served as president of the Cypress Gems Chapter of the National Charity League Inc., a non-profit organization created to encourage mothers and daughters to serve and volunteer together within their communities. Andrea also volunteers as a guardian ad litem for Child Advocates, an organization that specializes in training and supporting volunteers to provide a voice for foster children. Late last year, she nominated Child Advocates to be the recipient of financial support from Compass Real Estate’s Compass Cares program and was thrilled when they were chosen.

As the leader of a successful real estate team,

Andrea uses her heart to guide how her team interacts with the surrounding community. She often shares that she’s lucky to live and work in Cypress and considers it an honor to be part of a community where people never hesitate to serve one another. That is why you can find her real estate team giving back in a myriad of ways, like building up small business owners and their businesses, creating unique local spotlight videos, and hosting events. You will also find them at local community events hosting booths and offering complimentary gifts and treats to their neighbors, in schools spoiling teachers, and at the firehouses feeding heroes, The team has also partnered with local philanthropies serving children and animals in need.

“Everyone is touched by kindness in their life at one time or another,” Andrea shares. “For me, it was at a time when I had a horse who needed a bandage changed almost every day, which was hard for me to manage alone. Two of the other horse owners at the barn took it upon themselves to make sure that I was able to have my horse properly cared for and they loved him like he was their own.” Andrea continues,

Continued on Page 5 Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

THE TIMES Continued from Page 4 “That meant the world to me, which is why I strive to do things that will mean the world to others.”

As if building the Cypress community by serving its schools and businesses isn’t enough, The Andrea Curran Team is frequently spotted dropping off gifts to randomly-selected homes, handing out gift cards all around town, and doing what they love to do most: spreading kindness here in Cypress. To make a more significant impact, Andrea set her sights on doing even more. She wanted to create a ripple of kindness that would impact individuals and families more directly, which is how a new Cypress kindness campaign was born. The Random Acts of Cypress campaign began in October of 2021 with the creation of a Facebook page encouraging the Cypress community to share random acts of kindness, good deeds, and heartwarming stories . You’ll find neighbors sharing uplifting stories - like strangers picking up fast food tabs, bystanders rendering impromptu aid in emergencies, elderly receiving unsolicited help with bills in a crisis, and much more. She invites the whole community to participate by joining the Facebook page and spreading kindness! https://www.facebook.com/groups/randomactsofcypress.

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

The Bridgeland Times - February 2022

5

THE TIMES

Local business provides pizza with a purpose Pizza is a popular menu item in CFISD schools. The CFISD nutrition services department will order close to 560,000 pizzas throughout the year, that’s equivalent to 18 acres of or 3 ½ football fields. Each week the district receives 1,728 cases of pizza, this means students and staff are consuming close to 15,552 pizzas or 24,416 slices per week.

Darin Crawford, director of nutrition services, said CFISD is fortunate to have a local business meeting the pizza needs of the district.

Alpha Foods Co. is located in Waller and is a family-owned business making pizza sold in grocery stores and for the National School Lunch Program.

“Their business has been so crazy busy this year,” Crawford said. “They actually have added an extra shift on Saturdays, so they bring their production staff in on Saturday specifically to make pizza for Cy-Fair.”

Founded by George Sarandos, company leadership currently falls to his daughter and vice president, Maria Bowen.

6

The Bridgeland Times -February 2022

“So, my parents were both from Greece,” Bowen said. “My dad, George, always had a passion for making pizzas, and that passion really came from when he was in the U.S. Army, he went to Germany, and that was the very first time he’d ever laid his eyes on what pizza was.”

In 2017 after, Hurricane Harvey, CFISD called on Alpha Foods Co. to help feed the community.

“In the immediate aftermath I called Maria at Alpha and I said, 'Can you donate some pizza to us’?” said Crawford. “She said, ‘absolutely, I will send you a pallet of pizza.’ What makes it really special to me is at that particular point, we were not a customer of Alpha.”

Bowen said helping your neighbors in a time of need is just what they do.

“That was a very difficult time for everyone, and we felt very fortunate that we had our facility unharmed,” Bowen said. “And when one of our neighbors calls for help, you know, we had no option other than to lend a hand, because I know they've been there for us, as all the other districts, too.”

Years later, Alpha Foods is still making pizza and distributing to school districts in 18 states, including several Houston-area school districts.

“We especially love to give back, and as a local Texas pizza company, we want to support our school districts as much as possible,” Bowen said. “So, what we do at Alpha is much more than just make pizzas, you know, 24/7. We are feeding the children.”

TOP LEFT: A Post Elementary School student enjoys a piece of pizza during lunch. Wednesdays are pizza days at all CFISD elementary schools.

TOP RIGHT: A Cypress Lakes High School student is served a slice of pizza during lunch. Pizza is served every day at all CFISD secondary campuses.

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

THE TIMES

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

The Bridgeland Times - February 2022

7

THE TIMES

My interest in writing memoirs began when I decided that it was time to tell my family about my grandmother’s vital role in our family. She was both the brick and the mortar that held our clan together, yet she never got credit except for a peck on the cheek at Christmastime or a flower on Mother’s Day. Even though, as a child, I had patiently listened to my grandmother tell me about

8

The Bridgeland Times -February 2022

her loving memories of her exciting visit to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis and the six white horses that delivered her to church on her wedding day, I neglected to go beyond her stories. I did not ask her how (or why) a metropolitan girl growing up in St. Louis with electricity, indoor plumbing, access to streetcars, and all the modern conveniences of the day could marry (a country bumpkin), move to the hinterlands, and raise her children in abject poverty. Of course, there were many unanswered questions. After searching far and wide, traveling back to my home state of Missouri to interview scores of stillliving relatives, searching ancestry.com, Facebook, and other genealogical sites, I gathered a plethora of usable information.

Finally, I had grist for the mill.

In the end, I garnered enough stories, photos, and insights to create a mini memoir that generations to come could enjoy. After that, my mission became to convince others to write their family’s stories while their relatives were still alive.

With help from living relatives, they can ask all the questions they need to create a meaningful legacy.

You, too, can write your legacy for future generations. And, you don’t have to do it alone! We can begin it together in a four-week class which I call “Spinning Your Tale,” designed to help you get your thoughts organized, your questions answered, and your starting place defined.

In this 4-week session, we’ll start with experiences that will help you visualize your pivotal life moments, and we will work from there.

What I can promise you is fun, friendship, and a new way of viewing family connections. Whether you end up writing your book or not, it will be a helpful guide to understanding why you created your life as you did and how all that history can be turned into gems of wisdom.

The four weekly hour-long classes begin on February 17th at 11:00 am at the Cypress Historical Society, 26026 Hempstead Rd, Cypress, TX 77429. They will last through March 10th. For more information, contact Jackie Devine, Publishing Consultant jackie.devine@comcast.net or 832.316.6006.

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

THE TIMES Hey I’m Lindsey Krezeczowski, owner of The Rustic Craftsman with my husband, Jon. I am a local resin artist and woodworking mom of three here in Cypress. We are a husband and wife small business, dedicated to our vision of creating original, handmade serveware and home accents.

What started as a desire to build authentic pieces for our own home, quickly turned into aspirations of creating and sharing original, quality functional art with others. Established in 2020, we decided to put our tools and garage space to use and start a business. With that vision in mind, Jon taught me most of what he knew of working with various tools and with wood while we completed projects together.

For many of our products, we blend food safe resin with sustainably sourced hardwoods to produce one of a kind serving boards, trays, coasters, and more. Located right here in Fairfield, our shop can create an array of functional art. We make anything from large wall art pieces to smaller ocean inspired pieces for entertaining. We can engrave any of our

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

pieces to give that extra personal touch. Our serving boards and trays are show stoppers at parties and have been a popular corporate gift option for customers nationwide.

The idea of making something that becomes a part of your home and creates a space for memories, is the purpose behind our business.

We create each piece to last generations and we pride ourselves on producing exceptional serveware for your home or office.

To shop our products, inquire about wholesale and corporate gift orders, visit our website https://therusticcraftsman.com or email us info@therusticcraftsmancypress.com Instagram: @the_rusticcraftsman Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ lindseykrezeczowski/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ TheRusticCraftsmanCypress Etsy: Etsy.com/Shop/TheRusticCraftsmanTX Image Credits Professional Photos by Brittney Ellaway of Ellaway House Photography. Staged product photos by Lindsey Krezeczowski.

The Bridgeland Times - February 2022

9

THE TIMES The Times is a private publication published by Peel, Inc. It is not sanctioned by any homeowners association or organization, nor is it subject to the approval of any homeowners association or organization, nor is it intended, nor implied to replace any publication that may be published by or on behalf of any homeowners association or organization. At no time will any source be allowed to use The Times contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in the newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Peel, Inc. The Times is an independent publication serving the Bridgeland® community.

Bridgeland is a registered trademark of Bridgeland Development , L.P. DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

10

The Bridgeland Times -February 2022

Spain Students Immersion Program

Host a Basque student for the summer! With this program, you’ll be able to share the American culture and hospitality with a Basque teenager (ages 14-17) while you learn about a different culture. These students come to the US to improve their English while living with an American host family. If you want to try something different, this is a very entertaining and special opportunity!

Practical info: • Dates: June 27- July 25, 2022 • $400 stipend for hosting the student • The students have organized trips and activities with their group, as well as a 4 day camp • Host family provides meals, housing, and transportation for student.

If you're interested in hosting or would like more information, please email Kristy Stark: K.Stark200579@gmail.com

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

THE TIMES

I met MARSHALL in person for the first time at Bedrock Tavern, a local corner karaoke bar (Grant Rd, 77429). He arrived in style and headed straight to the stage! The first thing I can tell you about Marshall Jones of Katy, TX – aside from his talent and style (which I will get to in second) is that he is one of the nicest guys on the planet! The second is the lighthearted sense of humor he shares with you while telling stories and jokes in between songs! Marshall is originally from North Carolina and is a Web Developer for Academy by day! When he’s not using his creative mind for graphics and web work or hitting stages performing all over the place, he writes and releases original song recordings and albums. Be sure to pick up your copy of MARSHALL’s debut E.P. (7 songs) Sinners and Saints featuring the hit singles “Tailspin,” “Speak to Me,” and “Tell Me A Secret” on iTunes NOW! In 2021 he performed over 115 live music events! Looking forward, you can see MARSHALL as an acoustic solo or as the lead vocalist and front man of MARSHALL ROCKS COUNTRY, his full band with that classic Pedal Steele Guitar sound. You’ll be dancing your shoes off in no time! Visit @marshallrockscountry and hit up his ONLINE SHOP for your CUSTOM GEAR today!! Have fun, stay safe, and I hope to see you around the very happening CYPRESS MUSIC SCENE! All shows subject to change, no guarantee. Updates available on Facebook by visiting @CYPRESSMUSICSCENE You can reach out to me with your music news, alerts, happenings, and questions!

Artists/Venues/Agents Welcome. NO SPAM. email me: joycebehindthemic@gmail.com Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.

The Bridgeland Times - February 2022

11

THE TIMES

PO Box 1148 .

Round Rock, Texas 78680 ,

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PEEL, INC.

BG

12

The Bridgeland Times -February 2022

Copyright © 2022 Peel, Inc.