July Summer Tour College Station Road Trip Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center Will Fusselman, Senior Gift planning officer at the Texas A&M Foundation, welcomed about ten PGCH members and guests to the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.  On a hot July afternoon, attendees were treated to lemonade and iced tea along with an assortment of fruit and cookies (as well as a cold-blowing air conditioning!).  Dr. Sonny Presnal, Director of the Stevenson Center (along with his assistant, Ellie Greenbaum), gave those in attendance a great tour of the facility and explained how individuals can enroll to have their pets cared for by the Center, should something happen to them.  After the tour of the Stevenson Center, Dr. Guy Sheppard, Director of Development for the College of Veterinary Medicine gave the group a tour of the vet school as well as the small and large animal hospitals.  In addition they heard about amazing joint cancer research being conducted by the Vet School and M.D. Anderson.  Those in attendance were able to see such things as:   A horse in surgery A group of first year vet students in anatomy class X-rays of cats and dogs New MRI and CT Scan center under construction A fistulated cow (Google it!) In all it was a great afternoon for those that made the 90 mile trek.  It was a good opportunity to be exposed to some of the great things that Texas A&M has to offer.  June Summer Tour Museum of Fine Arts, Houston   Valerie Greiner, MFAH Director of Special Gifts, welcomed PGCH members and guests to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. PGCH friends visited over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Glassell Collection of African Gold before enjoying a guided tour of the exhibition, Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam.   Francesca Leoni, MFAH assistant curator of the Arts of the Islamic World coordinated the expanded Houston presentation of this important exhibition, the first such exhibition at the MFAH devoted to Sufism, a historic branch of Islam whose followers seek mystical union with God.  Dr. Leoni eloquently shared informative facts on each work of art on display. The exhibition includes some fifty works of art drawn from public and private collections and incorporates contemporary pieces. For those that were not able to attend, the exhibition continues through August 8, 2010 in the Caroline Wiess Law Building, 1001 Bissonnet, Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.mfah.org.

September 23, 2010 Program Meeting The Probate Process   Please join us for an essential and informative program designed for new to experienced Development Officers to understand the probate process and how it can impact their non-profit organization legally.  By understanding the probate process we will be better equipped to work with our donors when supporting planned giving techniques. Karen S. Gerstner, will presenting during our morning session.  Our afternoon session will be a Panel Presentation, featuring an Attorney, a Trust Officer and an Executor CPA.  We would like to solicit questions ahead of time for our panel, so if you plan to attend there will be a place on the registration form to include your question(s). Click here to learn more. Mark Your Calendar for our 2010-2011 Program Meetings   September 23, 2010 October 28, 2010 Decemer 2, 2010 January 27, 2011 February 24, 2011 March 24, 2011   All held at The Briar Club 2603 Timmons Lane Houston, TX  77027   9:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.   Other Locally Sponsored Events (these are not PGCH related or sponsored events)   FPA Houston Financial Planning Symposium Click here to learn more     Welcome New 2010-2011 Members   Click here for a complete list