Healthcare Org Toasts to 30 Years of 'Making a Difference' in East End

Daniel Ortiz
Healthcare Org Toasts to 30 Years of 'Making a Difference' in East End

Cyndy Garza Roberts, Stephanie Ramos, Michele Leal Farah, Vicky Dominguez and Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman

WITH A GOAL of ensuring access to quality healthcare for underserved families in Houston’s East End, El Centro de Corazón has been making a difference for 30 years. Its annual Making a Difference luncheon, this year chaired by Vicky Dominguez with honorary chairs Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman and Leila Perrin, raised more than $150,000.


Emceed by Cyndy Garza Roberts, the River Oaks Country Club affair honored Michele Leal Farrah for her commitment to El Centro and similar causes all over Houston. The organization’s CEO, Marcie Mir, thanked supporters and shared why El Centro must still expand its services to reach more Houston residents. Notably, 74 percent of El Centro’s 12,000-plus patients live at or below federal poverty level ($31K annually for a family of four) and more than half are uninsured.

Then Stephanie Ramos gave the keynote address; the ABC News correspondent and Army Reserve Major spoke about channeling inner strength to make a bigger impact.

Andrea Godea, Larry Savala, Amalia Savala

Sippi Khurana and Donae Chramosta

Blanca Lopez, Julie Garza, Hoda Sana

Shelley Ludwick and Elvia Taylor

Elizabeth Ramos, Marcie Mir and Michele Leal

Esmeralda De la Cruz, Lorena Gomez, Vicky Dominguez

Neena Arora, Diana Grair, Kavon Young

Maria Smith, Diana Ospina

Mari Trevino Glass and Cinthya Reade

Evelyn Leightman, George Connelly, Helen Perry

George and Michele Farah

Lisa Wilmore, George Connelly

German Ibañez, Melanie Rodriguez

Linda Flores Olson, Vicki Luna, Graciana Garces, Jorge Gonzalez

Jan Mendenhall, Xochitl Ljuboja, Miriam Zatarain

Jolene Trevino and Vicki Luna

John Cisneros, Marco Perez

Lisa Wilmore, Ed Emmett and Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman

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How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

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