Community
Each month, the Astros in Action Foundation and CenterPoint Energy honor an area citizen with the title of Hometown Hero. Those who have been recognized have gone over and beyond and performed extraordinary acts within their communities.
Fans can nominate their Hometown Hero online or in person at Minute Maid Park in the Union Station lobby or at the Fan Accommodations Booth (Section 112 or 323). One winner will be chosen each month during the season to throw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to a game and to be the special guest of the Astros for the evening.
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April's Hero was Bill Stephenson of Vidor, Texas who more than 65 years ago was eating breakfast in his ship's galley in Hawaii when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He served his country bravely during the war and is one of the few remaining Pearl Harbor survivors living in Texas.
These days he is an active member of his church and loves spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He watches or listens to every Astros game. When he was honored at the April 26 game, it was the first time he had ever attended a Houston Astros game, at the age of 85 years young.
On April 28, Houston was hit with torrential and unexpected flooding leaving homes, cars and many people in perilous situations. As a result, Houston Fire Department's Rescue #10 was called into action and saved five people that found their lives threatened. They were also joined by a selfless citizen who helped in the rescue operation.
The Rescue #10 Crew was dispatched to the Beltway 8, I-10 feeder at 4:00 a.m. in the morning where the location was 14 feet under water. Over the course of several hours, the crew would make four separate extremely dangerous water rescues in the pitch black brightened only by lightning strikes. They were joined in the rescue by a selfless citizen who was attempting to rescue a woman from her sinking vehicle prior to the rescue crew arriving on the scene.
On May 21, the Astros In Action Foundation recognized these individuals as May's Hometown Heroes. They included from the Houston Fire Department's Rescue #10: Captain C.E. Mathison, Matt Whatley, Christopher Garcia, Beau Moreno and Ebodio Reynoso, the Houston citizen, who fearlessly joined the team's rescue efforts.
On June 23, the Astros honored Matthew Stephenson as the Hometown Hero. Matthew was chosen for his commendable deeds through his charitable campaign, "Matthew's Challenge". Two years ago, Matthew, who suffers from mild cerebral palsy, started the fundraising campaign which benefits United Cerebral Palsy of Houston.
At the youthful age of 11 years old, Matthew pledged to raise $30,000 and is well on his way. To date, Matthew's Challenge had raised over $14,000. Matthew's efforts have been featured in Houston's Prime Living magazine, July's issue of Texas Monthly and on several billboards throughout the city.
Matthew's exemplary strides of defying the odds and helping others with cerebral palsy illustrated the true measure of a Hometown Hero.
On July 22, the Astros honored Tammy Sharp as the July Hometown Hero. After grieving the loss of her 15-year-old daughter to cancer, she dedicated herself to combating cancer by getting involved with the American Cancer Society. She is actively involved in Relay for Life events and an avid supporter of the Sunshine Kids, an organization that provides positive group activities and emotional support to young cancer patients and their families. Four years ago she started the first Alvin Manvel Relay for Life. The relay has grown from 10-12 teams to over 40 teams. In addition, she has written and published a book entitled Laughing through the Fear. Using laughter to manage her fear and her daughter Kelly's fear, the book illustrates the obstacles they endured battling Kelly's illness.
On August 8, Mary Moreno was honored as August's Hometown Hero. Moreno founded Military Moms and Wives in 2003. The group of volunteers collects donations and supplies to make care packages to send to American troops fighting overseas. One of the goals of the organization is to remind the troops that they are not forgotten. In 2008, the organization sent over 5,000 care packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On September 8, Ken Davis was honored as September's Hometown Hero. Davis proudly serves as the principal at McNeill Elementary. While at Lamar CISD, he worked at two campuses and both schools received exemplary status - the highest ranking given to a school in the state of Texas. By building a culture of high expectation at both campuses among teachers, parents, and students, Davis has proven that his dedication can make a difference in his schools. In 2009, Davis received the honor of being named the Distinguished Principal for Texas and will represent Texas in October when all the distinguished principals from across the nation meet in Washington, D.C.
