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News & Stories

5th Annual “Shelter for Shelter” set for June 10

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In its fifth year, the popular “Shelter for Shelter” fundraising event benefiting YES to YOUTH - Montgomery County Youth Services has been set for Thursday, June 10, 2021 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz of The Woodlands.

Presented by the Richmond Realty Group RE/MAX The Woodlands & Spring, guests will enjoy an evening filled with fun entertainment, delicious fine food by local restaurants, and refreshing spirits, along with an opportunity to network with community leaders and local businesses within the beautiful, spacious showroom of Mercedes-Benz of The Woodlands located at 16917 I-45, Conroe, just north of The Woodlands.  COVID-19 safety precautions will include masks, sanitizers, and social distancing will be encouraged.

YES to YOUTH - Montgomery County Youth Services provides crisis counseling, residential shelter programs, health services, and prevention services to strengthen families and empower youth. Mental health and homeless services are currently the top, urgent priority for the need to support this important community non-profit. Proceeds from ticket sales will help fund the shelter expansion project.

This year’s goal is to surpass last year’s fundraising success, which was held as a hybrid event (in person and virtually), far exceeded its goal of $25,000 by raising more than $44,000. 

Dannette Suding, CEO of Yes to Youth comments, “The pandemic made for a challenging 2020, but thanks to the support of business partners like Richmond Realty and the supporters of Shelter for Shelter, we continued our fundraising efforts because we could not pull back on our mission to support kids in crisis who need shelter and/or counseling. We encourage local businesses, organizations, and individuals to save the date and sign up for a sponsorship or buy a set of tickets. This is truly a fun event that supports such a worthwhile cause.”

YES to YOUTH (formerly called Montgomery County Youth Services)  is a non-profit organization that provides crisis counseling, residential shelter programs, prevention services and empowerment to young people to strengthen families, teach the youth that they are worth it, they deserve safety and security, and that they will succeed in life.

Services include individual, group and family mental health counseling; presentations and school counseling in crisis situations; suicide prevention for youth and families; BridgeWay Emergency Youth Shelter (for ages 10-17); street outreach for homeless teens; and Healthy Support Program for pregnant and parenting teens.

According to The Wolford Group, providing event management since the inception of Shelter for Shelter,  sponsorships are available for $1,000 and include two tickets. Individual tickets are $100 per person. Registration is available at  https://youthmc.ejoinme.org/2021ShelterforShelter. For more information, please contact Brooke Baugh of The Wolford Group at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or cell at (713) 397-3093.

To learn more about YES to YOUTH - Montgomery County Youth Services visit www.sayyestoyouth.org and visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sayyestoyouth/ or call 281.292.6471 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. YES to YOUTH also offers a 24/7 Crisis Hotline at 1.888.756.8682.

Bike The Woodlands Month kicks off in May with activities and workshops

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The Woodlands Township will host a number of activities throughout the month of May in celebration of National Bike Month, in efforts to create a better community through bicycling. 

There are numerous events planned throughout the month of May for riders of all types. Bike to Work Day will take place on Friday, May 21, 2021, from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Northshore Park, 2505 Lake Woodlands Drive. Bike commuters are invited to meet for refreshments and bike commuting information.

Express Laundry Center - Editor's "mini" Review

Six loads, in and out in just over an hour total. We’re so fortunate to have a CLEAN, spacious, and reliable laundromat right here in The Woodlands - you know, for those times when your washer or dryer breaks, or if you just get really behind with washing and need to catch up quickly! It's hard to beat Express Laundry Center at 319 Sawdust Rd. The facility features: high-performing, oversized (as well as regular size) washers and dryers; tables and chairs for waiting; vending machines with snacks, drinks, and games; and friendly, knowledgeable attendants; and coinless laundry cards that are simple to use!

Express Laundry Center also offers a drop-off service with pricing that begins at 99cents a pound with no extra charge for them to fold / hang.

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Fun museum activities for Children's Book Week - May 5-8, 2021

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The Woodlands Children’s Museum will host its annual Children’s Book Week celebration during May 5-8, 2021 with a variety of events and activities to foster a joy of reading.  Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is administered by the Children’s Book Council and is the longest running national literacy initiative in the United States.  Each year, events are held nationwide at schools, museums, bookstores, and libraries in the belief that children’s books and literacy are life-changing.

“Children who are introduced to reading at an early age tend to read earlier and excel in school,” stated Angela Colton, Executive Director of The Woodlands Children’s Museum.  “Reading, rhyming, singing, and talking are an important part of language development and we are excited to offer a week of programming that encourages families to connect and share the magic of books.”

Editor's Review - Coach Deon's basketball training in The Woodlands

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If you have a son or daughter who plays basketball or is interested in playing, I hands-down recommend reaching out to this Coach Deon and his effective training programs! He works with youth – high school and even college players.; his demeanor is pleasant and professional, and his coaching style is warm, engaging, and extremely constructive.

I’d  been curious about his basketball training and programs for over a year now, especially since I noticed his programs are located right here in The Woodlands (at Woodlands Sportsplex on Gosling Rd. and various other private locations and parks nearby). My 12-year-old daughter has ZERO (yes, all caps!) experience / skill with handling a basketball, so I was expecting a 45-minute private one-on-one lesson to be a bit fruitless, if not comical, but I was so wrong. I also expected more “talk” time before my daughter was able to really start the active part of the lesson, but… wrong again!  Coach wasted no time. He got her warmed up quickly and they spend a solid 45 minutes doing WAY more than I thought possible in that length of time.

They went over jump stops, pivots, dribbling, shooting, and footwork, and I was amazed at what my daughter was doing in less than an hour. Coach explains things so well, and I watched my daughter successfully execute everything he showed her. I was also thrilled to see her make basket after basket when applying his techniques.

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coach deon1I counted over a dozen phrases Coach Deon constantly used throughout the session to encourage my daughter and build up her confidence. I know this is basketball, but I can’t help but thing how much better off the world would be if all adults spoke to kids like this. “Pretty good, That’s okay, Perfect! That’s the right idea! I like how that looks! There you go! Great job! Let’s go – we need five of those!” And the list goes on and on. If she messed up on a move, Coach would tell her what she did that could have improved, and say something like “Think about it like this…” before explaining another way to approach the objective.

It takes a lot to impress my pre-teen, but after the lesson, she was eager to express how much she enjoyed it, and when we got home she reminded me to check into his programs so we could sign up again. Coach Deon offers private one-on-one training, group training, league play, summer camps, and other special programs. VISIT THE WEBSITE and/or the Facebook page to see all the details, but as a highlight, the summer camps are coming up soon and I know we’ll be signing up for at least a week!

Hey Homeschoolers - Pizza Hut's "Book It" Program is now enrolling!

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Enroll now for the 2021-2022 Pizza Hut's Book It Program - available for homeschool families of students in Pre-K through 6th grade! BOOK IT! motivates children to read by rewarding their reading accomplishments with praise, recognition and pizza.
 
The program is simple  to use, flexible because goals match reading ability, and fun because achieving a goal is a great reason to celebrate! You must be one of the following: a parent homeschooling your own children in PreK through 6th grade (ages 4-12 years old) as of September 1, 2021 for the October to March program OR a parent enrolling your own children in PreK through 6th grade (ages 4-12 years old) as of September 1, 2021 for the summer program.
 
The BOOK IT program is digital. Easily track and reward your studnets, and print out their certificates to take into the restaurant (or to use for online ordering). The restaurant team congratulates BOOK IT! kids for meeting their monthly reading goal and rewards them with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza, and the new Passport to Reading and sticker on their first visit. On each subsequent visit, they get another stamp (sticker) for their Passport to Reading, another Personal Pan Pizza, and more kudos! See more details here: http://www.bookitprogram.com/