ST OF THE
WORLD WHAT HOUSTON STRONG
IS ALL ABOUT.
RICK NORIEGA IS HERE THIS
MORNING.
YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS FORMER
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
NORIEGA, BUT HE IS MUCH
MORE, CURRENTLY THE CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE IN
HOUSTON, AND ALSO BRIGADIER
GENERAL IN THE U.S. ARMY
RESERVES, AND WE'LL TALK
ABOUT BOTH OF THAT, BUT
FIRST YOUR FEELING ABOUT
THE ASTROS WINNING THAT
TITLE.
>> I'M EUPHORI
I'M FOURTH GENERATION
HOUSTONIAN.
I WAS A FAN OF THE COLTS,
AND SO I'M SHOWING MY AGE.
YOU SUMMED IT UP REALLY
WELL ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO
THIS CITY, OUR CHARACTERS,
OUR VALUES, OUR CORE AS A
COMMUNITY AND AT A
PARTICULAR TIME, IT WAS
FATE-FILLED, IT WAS AN
AMAZING TIME IN OUR HISTORY
THAT WE WILL NEVER -- I
HOPE THAT WE GET TO
EXPERIENCE IT AGAIN.
WITHOUT QUESTION, IT WAS
UNIQUE, IT WAS SPECIAL.
>> YOU ARE IN A SPECIAL
TIME IN YOUR CAREER NOW,
NOW AS THE C.E.O. OF RONALD
McDONALD HOUSE.
FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW
WHAT IT IS, TELL PEOPLE
WHAT IT IS AND THE PRIMARY
PURPOSE, AND YOU'VE GOT A
BIG PROJECT GOING ON.
>> I KNOW YOU'RE AWARE,
RONALD McDONALD SHOUS A
HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR
FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
THAT ARE FACING HEALTH
CHALLENGES, WHETHER IT'S
TRANSPLANTS, CHEMOTHERAPY,
REALLY SEVERE HEALTH ISSUES
THAT ARE IN OUR TEXAS
MEDICAL CENTER, AND SO THE
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE
PROVIDES A SAFE PLACE FOR
THEM NOT TO WORRY ABOUT
ANYTHING IN TERMS OF THEIR
SUSTAINMENT.
AGAIN, HOME AWAY FROM HOME,
THEIR MEALS,
TRANSPORTATION, EVERYTHING
ELSE, AND WE CARE FOR THEM,
SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO
ENDURE ALL OF THIS BURDEN
WHILE THEY'RE GOING THROUGH
A VERY DIFFICULT FAMILY
SITUATION.
>> IT IS A GREAT
ORGANIZATION.
ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS
ABOUT IT, AND BAD THINGS,
REALLY, IS THAT IT ATTRACTS
-- HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE
THERE.
YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM
AND SO NOW YOU'VE GOT THIS
CAMPAIGN TO WHERE YOU'RE
RAISING MONEY TO BUILD AN
ADDITIONAL SPACE.
TALK ABOUT THAT.
HOW MUCH ARE YOU TRYING TO
RAISE, HOWEVER AWAY ARE YOU
FROM THE GOAL?
>> WE'RE TRYING TO RAISE A
LITTLE BIT ABOVE 24 MILLION
TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY
WITH AN ADDITIONAL 2
ROOMS, AND WE'RE MORE THAN
20 MILLION THERE, BUT WE
STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO
BEFORE OUR FINAL PHASE.
YOU'RE RIGHT, WITH THE
TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER, ITS
FOCUSED AS ONE OF THE
PREMIER MEDICAL CENTER IN
THE WORLD.
THE THINGS THEY'RE DOING
NOW, FOR CHILDREN
ESPECIALLY, IN THE AREA OF
CANCER, PRENATAL, ET
CETERA, IS BY FAR THE BEST
IN THE WORLD, AND AS A
RESULT, I MEAN, WE'RE
HAVING TO TURN AWAY 12 TO
15 FAMILIES A DAY, AND SO
WHAT THIS PROJECT WILL DO,
IT WILL ALLOW US TO
HOPEFULLY KEEP PACE A
LITTLE BIT WITH THE
EXPANSION OF THE TEXAS
MEDICAL CENTER AND TO CARE
FOR MORE FAMILIES AND
CHILDREN BETTER THAN
ANYBODY ELSE IN THE WORLD.
>> I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE KNEW HOW THEY COULD
GET BEHIND THIS, BEHIND
EVERY DOOR CAMPAIGN AND PUT
UP THE NUMBER, (713)
795-3500, OR YOU CAN GO TO
THE WEB SITE AND THAT'S
RONALD McDONALD HOUSE
HOUSTON, RMHHOUSTON.ORG,
AND IT WILL BE ON MY
"HOUSTON NEWSMAKERS" WEB
SITE AS WELL.
>> APPRECIATE IT.
>> THIS COMING SATURDAY IS
VETERANS DAY, AND I KNOW
YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH
THE ARMY RESERVES FOR A
LONG TIME AS A BRIGADIER
GENERAL NOW.
TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS
TO YOU AND WHAT IT MEANS
FOR US AS A COUNTRY WHEN WE
SET ASIDE THAT TIME AND
FOCUS ON THOSE VETERANS WHO
HAVE GIVEN ON BEHALF THIS
COUNTRY.
>> YOU AND I JUST
DISCUSSED, KHAMBREL, OUR
DADS, WE STAND ON VERY
BROAD SHOULDERS, AND WHILE
WE'RE HERE TODAY, AND I SEE
VETERANS DAY AS NOT A DAY.
WE CELEBRATE VETERANS DAY
EVERY DAY, AND SO THE
GENERATION THAT WE WERE
RAISED T F, ABOUT WHAT YOU
COULD DO.
LIVE IN A FULFILLED LIFE IS
ABOUT BEING OF SERVICE.
HOUSTON REPRESENTS THAT.
WHAT WE SAW IN HARVEY
REPRESENTS THAT, AND SO
THIS IS A PARTICULAR DAY OF
MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM
THAT WE DO SINGLE OUT.
HOWEVER, IT MEANS -- IT'S
VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART.
MY DAD, WHO SERVED IN THE
82nd AIRBORNE, LIKE YOUR
DAD, WE WOULD SPEND THAT
DAY AND GO DO ALL OF THE
FREE THINGS.
WE'D GO TO DENNY'S AND GET
OUR CAR WASHED, WE'D GO TO
THE AMERICAN LEGION AND
THAT WAS OUR DAY, OUR
SPECIAL DAY.
>> HOW WOULD YOU WANT OTHER
PEOPLE TO HONOR THIS DAY?
>> YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST
SAY THAT THE THANK YOUS ARE
VERY, VERY NICE, BUT WE
HAVE TO EMBRACE AND
RECOGNIZE THAT AS MEN AND
WOMEN RETURN OR THEY SERVE,
THERE ARE CHALLENGES.
YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL
LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF
THE POPULATION 18 TO 25
THAT RAISED THEIR RIGHT
HANDAND SAY I WILL GIVE,
AND IT IS A CULTURAL THING,
TO
OUR FAMILIES, IT'S A
GENERATIONAL THING OF
FAMILIES THAT DO SERVE, AND
SO THERE IS A PARTICULAR
SEGMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY
THAT FULFILLS THAT MISSION
TO KEEP US SAFE AND THAT WE
CAN ENJOY ALL THE THINGS
THAT WE DO TO INCLUDE THE
ASTROS' WIN, SO IT'S A
SPECIAL DAY AND WE SALUTE
AND WE RECOGNIZE IT, BUT IN
MY VIEW, EVERY DAY IS
VETERANS DAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WELL, WE WANT TO THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR
CONTINUED SERVICE.
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE
DOING ON BEHALF OF RONALD
McDONALD HOUSE.
>> IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MISSION.
>> IT'S A GREAT MISSION.
GO TO MY WEB SITE, WE'LL
MAKE SURE AND GIVE YOU ALL
OF THE INFORMATION TO KEEP
IN CONTACT AND FIND OUT HOW