A SHELTER FOR CANCER FAMILIES
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ASCF has established an Executive Board whose members come with diverse experiences.  Among other things, our Executive Board ensures that our mission evolves as the needs and resources of those we serve do while always staying true to serving families affected by cancer.
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Executive Board of Directors
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Missy Amschwand Bellinger
​ASCF Board President

As one of the original board members, Missy Amschwand Bellinger co-founded ASCF with late husband Tom in 2001. Prior to joining ASCF full-time as a volunteer, Missy was Executive Vice-President/Administrator of Patient & Public Affairs for Harris Health (formerly Harris County Hospital District). Missy has her Master in Public Health from UTHSC School of Public Health & an undergraduate degree in Government from University of Texas at Austin.

Missy is a member of the Junior League of Houston. She is a native Houstonian whose interests include travel as well as spending quality time with her husband James & daughters MaryAnna & Ava.
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Lindley Arnoldy
Lindley Arnoldy is a 7th generation Houstonian & a graduate from Loyola New Orleans. In 2014, Lindley co-chaired ASCF's Catwalk gala with husband Jason along with dear friends.  In 2015, she joined the organization's board of directors. Lindley has a passion towards philanthropic involvement. She is a founding member of both the Young Associates Council for the Houston Symphony as well PULSE, a group of young professionals providing leadership to CHI St Luke's hospital.
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In addition to her many volunteer endeavors, Lindley & her husband Jason enjoy travel & spending time with son Alec. 
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Stinelli Castañeda
After growing up in a big family in Sugar Land, Texas, Stinelli Castañeda attended & graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Economics. Her affiliation with ASCF began in 2011 when her son Johnny O'Leary, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma. In 2013, Stinelli joined ASCF's board of directors & her family received the organization's highest honor, the Commitment to the Cause award.  

​Stinelli's interests include travel, food, wine, real estate investing & spending quality time with her large circle of family & friends.  She currently resides in Dallas, Texas. 
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Jill Collins
​Jill Collins has served as a board member for the ASCF since 2001. Mrs. Collins graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She worked in the natural gas industry in Houston, Texas & as an environmental consultant in Austin, Texas.

In 1999, Jill retired to become a full time mother & volunteer. Today, Jill gives her time & talents to ASCF as well as to her children’s schools & other charitable organizations including the Junior League of Houston, Inc.​ Jill resides in Houston with husband Jeff and their three children Kelly, Thomas & Charlotte. She enjoys tennis & travel.
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Laura Dalton
​Laura Dalton is a native of Houston, Texas and a graduate from the University of Texas in Austin. Ms. Dalton founded Laura S Mitchell Interior Design in 1999. While most of her projects are in Houston, Texas, Dalton has traveled to London, Dallas and Aspen, Colorado, to work with clients.

After losing her father to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1994, Laura has been involved with various organizations offering support to those affected by cancer including serving as a founding member of Young Texans Against Cancer. When not designing or crusading against cancer, Laura enjoys travel & spending time with her husband Mark & son Burke.
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Stephen Fadem, MD
​Dr. Stephen Fadem is a practicing Houston nephrologist & a long-term sarcoma survivor. He is a Clinical Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. On a national level, Dr. Fadem serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors for Chronic Kidney Disease & on the Medical Advisory Board of the American Association of Kidney Patients. He is actively involved in a number of professional organizations & has been recognized nationally for his many contributions to the field.

​Dr. Fadem is also active in several civic & religious organizations. When not practicing medicine or serving his community, Dr. Fadem enjoys travel & photography, among his favorite subjects – his wife Joyce and their three children & growing number of grandchildren.
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Allie Fields
With a background in public relations, print media, writing & a passion for the ASCF mission, Ms. Fields joined the ASCF Board of Directors in 2010. Losing a beloved aunt to breast cancer & a cousin to sarcoma, Allie’s commitment to serving those affected by cancer is personal.

In 2011 Allie along with her husband Jay & family received ASCF’s Commitment to the Cause award.  In 2015, the couple chaired ASCF’s Catwalk gala (along with dear friends) breaking all previous ASCF fundraising records. Allie has served in volunteer leadership roles for the American Cancer Society (including the Cattle Baron’s Ball & Victory). Today, Allie is a free-lance writer.  In her free time, she & her husband enjoy sharing their love of travel with son “baby Jay”.
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Abraham Garza III
Abraham, ​​Co-founder of National Apartment Advisors, specializes in multifamily, land and other commercial brokerage services for institutional and private investors across the country. He has more than 20  years of diverse experience in the building trade industry and in assisting clients in real estate investment opportunities.   He has been involved in nearly 2 billion dollars of Multi-Family transactions across the country.   Abraham served his term and assisted in founding “Grateful Americans”, a non-profit which provides resources and programs aimed at ending Veteran homelessness and combating the invisible wounds of war.  

​Abe is married to Kaci and together they have 2 beautiful children, Abraham and Kennedy.  They currently live in Fort Bend County and spend much of their free time traveling and enjoy experiencing a variety of cultures.
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 J. Boyd Heath III
Boyd Heath holds a B.B.A. in Business Administration from The University of Texas. As Chief Financial Officer of Rockcliff Energy LLC, he has over eighteen years of experience in finance & strategic planning. Boyd is a member of several industry associations including the Independent Petroleum Association of America, Houston Producer’s Forum & Houston Energy Finance Group. He serves on the boards of several charitable foundations.

Boyd & his wife Erin live in Houston & are involved with many philanthropic causes. They have three children: Connor, Helena & Emerson.
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Alexandra Knight
​After more than seven years volunteering for the ASCF, including chairing the organization’s Catwalk gala in 2007, Alexandra Knight & her family were shocked when in 2011 she was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer (dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans). In 2013, she would be diagnosed with a new primary form of sarcoma (this time uterine leiomyosarcoma).

In 2015, Alexandra was presented with ASCF’s Celebration of Survivorship Award. Today, the vibrant Alexandra celebrates her return to health while continuing to run her eponymous accessories & handbag company. When not at work, you may find Alex on the sidelines with her adoring husband Brady during one of sons Thomson or Truett’s ball games. 
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Jon Lanclos
Jon Lanclos is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin & currently a licensed Texas Real Estate Broker. Jon's career is owning several companies in the fields of real estate investment/development, high end vacation properties & furnished corporate housing. 
 
Jon is a licensed captain & enjoys chartering sailing trips with his wife, Samantha & three children. Jon is also an experienced database developer & enjoys web design & data mining in his free time. 
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Traci Ling
​A native of Bryan, Texas, Traci Ling graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. Having volunteered her time & talent to ASCF for years, she officially joined ASCF's Executive Board in October 2017. Traci has a personal connection to cancer through both her mother-in-law who is a breast cancer survivor & also through her brother-in-law who succumbed to a sarcoma in 2001. 

Traci is a professional photographer and full time mom to twins Penelope & Henry as well as to younger brother Eric. In their free time, Traci & her husband Matt enjoy sharing outdoor adventure with their family. She & Matt also enjoy listening to live music.
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Erica Nowell
Diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma as a teen, Erica knows the importance of receiving the right treatment from the right team. After being diagnosed with a rare cancer, her family quickly realized the importance of Erica having access to a team dedicated to treating sarcoma.  It would be MD Anderson where Erica and her family would receive both treatment and hope. 

In 2019, three months after the birth of her third daughter, Erica learned her cancer had returned. While undergoing treatment for the second time, her brother Chris was also diagnosed with a sarcoma. In 2020, the two siblings rang their bells together signaling the end of treatment. 

Today Erica is the one offering hope as both a sarcoma survivor and nurse practitioner. Erica continues to advocate and provide a voice for young cancer patients. She has been recognized by ASCF, CanCare and others and has even been the subject of a few documentary films. Ms. Nowell is a nurse practitioner in general oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center’s satellite hospital in Katy, Texas (where her family resides).  She and husband Charles have three daughters: Brooklyn, Charlotte and Sara. Ms. Nowell has a BS from University of Texas at Austin and a MS from Texas Tech University.
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​William (Bill) C. Stratton
ASCF Board Tresurer
​As Vice President of Wealth Management for UBS Financial Services and through much of his career, Bill Stratton has been responsible for the design, implementation and maintenance of complex investment strategies for high-net-worth individuals, families and private foundations. In addition to his business finance expertise, Mr. Stratton brings more than seven years of experience serving the Literacy Council of Fort Bend County as Treasurer on the nonprofit’s Board of Directors. Stratton is also a cancer survivor.
 
Bill and his wife Lauren have been advocates and volunteers for ASCF for several years. They are parents to three sons: Jake, Luke and Brody.  In his free time, Bill enjoys coaching his boys in baseball, football and basketball. Mr. Stratton has a BA in Economics from Hobart College in Geneva, NY.
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​Keila Torres, MD
After graduating 
from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, Dr. Keila Torres decided to make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer. Having been deeply impacted by the loss of a cousin to sarcoma, she was drawn to the field. Now a surgeon at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Torres specializes in providing surgical care to patients with sarcoma. As a scientist, she also leads a laboratory whose primary goal is to understand how sarcomas grow & how they can be treated more effectively. She has received numerous awards & accolades for her work including ASCF’s Commitment to Care award in 2015.  

When she is not at the hospital, lab, authoring books or advocating for sarcoma patients, Dr. Keila Torres can be found treasuring time with her beloved husband Jason & their cherished Labrador retrievers: Stanley, Albert & Emma.
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Lyndsey Zorich
Lyndsey Zorich joined ASCF's executive board in October 2017. A graduate of Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Business Finance, Lyndsey's professional experience spans multiple industries. Ms. Zorich worked in the political realm in Washington D.C., fundraising in Houston at Texas Children’s Hospital & more recently, created of her own fashion & lifestyle start-up, L. Aveune. It is however her mother's battle with cancer that fuels her passion for helping others affected by the disease & ultimately led her to ASCF.  

In addition to serving ASCF, Ms. Zorich lends her time & talents to the Children’s Museum, Youth Hope Association & Freedom Place.​ She resides in Houston with husband Bret and their three precious children Leighton, Charlotte & Jack. 

4115 Drake Street, Suite #4, Houston, Texas 77005
​713-497-5365
info@cancerfamilies.org

​ASCF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID:76-0674858. ​
​Contributions to ASCF are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
​
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  • Catwalk 2021
  • About Us
    • What sets ASCF apart?
    • Our Board
    • Our Staff
    • Our Story
    • Our Financials
    • Changing Lives
  • Donate
    • Donate for Celebrations for Cancer Families
    • Donations in memory of >
      • Damon Billeck
      • Sandy Smith Brown
      • Wyatt Brown
      • Cheryl Kathleen Gahn
      • Brock Gumm
      • Michael Hancock, Jr.
      • "Sally Jo" Martino
      • James "Jimmy" Mellon
      • Victor Morales
      • Felipe "Pipe" Muyshondt
      • Johnny O'Leary
      • Marjan Rembert
      • Chas Russell
      • Kenneth L Scott
    • Donations in honor of >
      • Allbright Family
      • Team Cortright
      • Ethan's Fight
      • Team Nowell
      • Team Wilbur
      • Team Wilson
  • Housing
    • Housing Program FAQs
    • Housing Forms >
      • Short Term Housing Application
      • Accomodation Agreement and Liability Waiver
      • Move-In Checklist
  • NAVIGATION
  • CELEBRATIONS
  • Events
  • Volunteer
  • SHOP
  • Press
    • Information Graphic
    • Press Releases
    • Press Kit
    • Videos
    • Gallery
    • Photo/Media Release Form
  • Our Families