Gratitude
November, a month we often associate with the kickoff of the holiday season, the playoffs (Go ‘Stros!), missed opportunities at fulfilling those bygone New Years’ resolutions, and winding down the year. Most strongly, we associate November with Thanksgiving, a time to reflect in gratitude on our community. At WHA, we are are thankful for our members who plan, execute, build, and amenitize the quality places where we live, work, and play. Thank you, our many wonderful members, without whom the work of the West Houston Association would not be possible.
We celebrate your hard work, dedication, and accomplishments to WHA and the greater West Houston area through our Annual Awards and Holiday Celebration, an event free to members, taking place December 1st. Over the last few years, we have added a new distinction to that list: our Star of Excellence Award. Our Star of Excellence Award acknowledges an outstanding community leader who has helped move our mission forward by their contributions to the greater West Houston region. This year, we are excited to bestow this award on Representative Jim Murphy, who is a legendary advocate for West Houston, and himself a former WHA staffer! This year’s theme is a contemplation around connectivity between our committees and how they come together to create a “sense of place” in the Greater West Houston area. We hope you will join us to acknowledge this year’s award recipients! If you are interested in being a sponsor of this event, please visit our website or reach out to Ryann Mahoney at Ryann@westhouston.org.
Finally, November is when we start looking to the future. Your support and involvement drive our mission. We have an exciting 2023 planned, and we look forward to working with you in the new year! With that in mind, we will be sending out renewals this month and you should see those letters arriving in your mailbox and inboxes soon. As you reflect upon the year, we would like you to also consider increasing your involvement with WHA. Commit to attending a new committee to learn more about what we are doing. Introduce a new person from your organization to WHA. Consider becoming a Quality Growth Partner. Quality Growth Partners are member organizations who provide a year round sponsorship of our events and their contributions help sustain our operations of educational forums, cross industry collaboration, and advocacy for policies that create resilient, sustainable, and dynamic communities.
I would like to take a rare moment to “break the 4th wall” here, as well, and personally thank each of you that I have had the pleasure of working with over the last 3.5 years. WHA has some of the best, hardest working members around, and I’ve been very fortunate to work with many of you on committee projects, Topgolf fundraisers, our upcoming 88th Legislative Agenda, over a dozen events, and more. It is with a hint of sadness but a heart full of gratitude that I will be leaving WHA later this month and moving into a new role at the Greater Houston Builders Association. I hope to continue to work with many of you there, as well. WHA is an outstanding organization, and I am honored to have been a part of it, but mostly I am grateful for the opportunities to have worked with each of you. Thank you!