Originally delivered on 2/4/2026 9:45 am

SUBJECT: Houston Aggie Moms' Club February 2026 Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER

Howdy Houston Aggie Moms! 

As January has come to a close, it's time to wrap up dry January and fill your social calendar with exciting Aggie Mom events! We have a lineup of activities including a Galentine's Party for our Ring of Honor Moms, a Sandwich Generation Social, and some Rodeo Wine Tent fun. 

And don't forget our grand event - the Gala, A Night of Maroon and Magic! With less than two months to go, now is the perfect time to purchase your tickets, find the perfect outfit, and contribute to making our biggest fundraiser a tremendous success. Stay tuned for our Special Edition Gala Newsletter coming out very soon! It will provide all the details you need to help and attend the party of the year! We really need your support! 

Since all hands are on deck and our volunteers will be busy with the gala we have decided to not have a General Meeting in March. So, there will be no meeting the 3rd Thursday of March! So please don't go to Bethel Church in March. We won't be there! 

Thanks and Gig 'Em,
Cyndi Ruiz-Mansfield
President of the Houston Aggie Moms' Club
president@houstonaggiemoms.org

Ring Of Honor Galentine's Party

 

 

Ring of Honor Moms,

We are looking forward to gathering together to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate Valentine’s Day. Enjoy a mimosa or choose from a variety of teas and share some delicious noshes with your Aggie Mom friends.

Check your email for the Evite to RSVP & go to the link below

to signup to bring something to share. 

SignUp Genius- Bring something to share!

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Sandwich Generation Meeting, February 10th

Houston Aggie Moms' Club - Sandwich Generation Support Network Meeting/Social:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 6:00pm

at Ember & Greens Restaurant (9403 Katy Fwy.; 77024)

Howdy! Are you parenting adult "kids" while increasingly helping parents/in-laws with living situations, health concerns, financial issues, driving, managing estates and/or handling their passing? Join HAMC's "Sandwich Generation Support Network" to share resources and support each other.  

Speaker: Dr. Nasiya Ahmed, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care

Currently with Village Physicians

Previous Experience: Associate Professor, UT Health Science Center, Division of Geriatric & Palliative Medicine;

Medical Director, inpatient ACE (Acute Care of Elderly) Unit; Medical Director, Intercede Health, Transitional Care Clinics


Everyone is welcome! Restaurant will do separate checks.

Please RSVP by Sunday, February 8th,:

RSVP Here. 

We SUPPORT each other, SHARE resources, and GROW as we go!

Questions?

Reply to this message or Laura.Spilman@houstonaggiemoms.org or 210-560-9656

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February General Meeting, February 19th, 6:30 pm

                         Saddle up!

You’re invited to a rodeo party—boots, hats, and good times required. Come ready to have fun and bring a main or side dish to share. 

February 19th

Bethel Church of Houston: 825 Bering Dr.; 77057

Please check your inbox for the Evite to RSVP. 

If you can help our Hospitality VPs with food items for the general meeting. Food sign-up is here:

Bring a Dish for Dinner Sign Up

Also, we really need bottles of Bubbles and/or Spirits valued $25 or more for our gala's wine & spirit pull! Please bring a bottle to meeting & you will get a ticket for a chance to win a prize!

 

Guest Speaker -

Paul Pausky ’78, Associate Director of Former Student Career Services at the Texas A&M University Career Center, will share insider guidance on how Aggies can position themselves for internships, jobs, and even graduate or professional school — starting earlier than most families realize.

What you’ll learn:

  • Why internships play a critical role in landing full-time jobs
  • When students should begin career preparation (and what they should be doing now)
  • How to use HireAggies and Career Center tools effectively
  • Ways Aggies can gain experience and stand out to employers
  • Resources that help students explore majors, interests, and career paths
  • How to tap into the “hidden job market” through networking

This session is incredibly valuable for Aggie Moms of freshmen through seniors and even recent graduates. We encourage you to attend and invite other Aggie Moms who want to better support their student’s career success.

Please note: We will not be having a March General Meeting due to our Gala! 

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Candlelight Concert Social: From Bach to The Beatles, February 28th

Join us for an exciting girl's night out with candles, a concert and consumption! Bach to the Beetles by Candlelight! 

Saturday, February 28th

Resurrection Metropolitan Church 

2025 West 11th Street 

Begin with a Candlelight Concert Saturday, Feb 28, "From Bach to The Beatles." This amazing sensory experience is a 1 hour string quartet concert, playing beloved Beatles tunes sprinkled with traditional classics, while surrounded in glowing candlelight. Seating is first come first served within the purchased zone. (Zone D is the most affordable offering “okay visibility”.)
Doors open at 5:30; beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks for sale pre-show, so arrive early to mingle and find other Aggie moms in your zone. 

After the concert, ~8PM gather at Down the Street for Dinner &/or drinks 

5746 Larkin Street 

1) This concert is a public event. Each attendee is responsible for getting their own ticket. Tickets sell out so purchase now! Tickets are available for purchase here:

https://feverup.com/m/516216

 

2) RSVP here so we know to expect you. Feel free to join us for either portion of the night, if you can’t do both. The Sign Up allows you to RSVP for either part of the evening:

Houston Aggie Moms Social Candlelight Concert Sign Up

 

3) and then plan to have a great time!

Click more for Save the Dates for future events!!! 

 

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Wine Garden Rodeo Social, March 10th

MARCH 10th WINE GARDEN SOCIAL

A Taste of Oregon: Feature Region Tasting Event 

Join your fellow Houston Aggie Moms as we indulge in A Taste

of Oregon:  Feature Region Tasting Event in the Champion Wine Garden at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Tuesday, March 10th at 5:00 PM.  
PLEASE RSVP TO US HERE!

This is a public event. Each attendee is responsible for getting their own ticket. Tickets are available at Eventbrite ($48.71)(see QR code above or go to our RSVP for link. You must also purchase a grounds ticket ($25 single use or $65 season pass), which can be purchased on site by the gate or early from one of your friendly rodeo volunteers selling half-price carnival tickets. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Socials Chairs at socials@houstonaggiemoms.org. 

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Would YOU be interested in serving on the board next year? Do you know another mom who would like to get involved? Let us hear from you!

 

Would YOU be interested in serving on the board next year?

 

Here's your chance to become more involved with a great group of Aggie moms and form fabulous friendships! The Nominating Committee is looking for enthusiastic Aggie moms to fill board roles for next year. Houston Aggie Moms has a large board, so there are many different roles...some are small, and some are not. But they are all important to help Houston Aggie Moms' Club foster friendships between Aggie Moms and to help raise money to support Aggie students through scholarships and student organizational support. 

To help the Nominating Committee, please take a few minutes NOW and fill out the Board Interest Survey. Please access the survey HERE. Go ahead and check off "yes" or "maybe", and someone will contact you from the nominating committee to get more information from you.  

The Nominating Committee also wants to know if you know of another member who would be a good candidate for any of the positions. Your help in identifying other members who might be great is invaluable to the Nominating Committee! Our membership is amazingly large, and the Nominating Committee cannot possibly know everyone as well as a close friend does...so we are entrusting you - as their friend - to let us know about great candidates! THANK YOU in advance for your thoughtful answers.  

The Nominating Committee will be assembling a slate of candidates for the ELECTED board positions only. However, they will also be compiling information on interest in appointed positions to pass along to the incoming president for her use. Many positions also lead committees, so there are lots of opportunities to get involved! Go ahead and indicate your interest in the survey and get involved somewhere!  

 

A Description of Elected Board Positions can be found HERE. 

If you have any questions, please email NominatingCommittee@HoustonAggieMoms.org, and a committee member will reach out to you. 

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Recognition For Aggie Moms and their Seniors

The Mothers of Senior Students Gift Application is now open.  Some of our Aggies graduated in December 2025, and there are more to come in May 2026 and August 2026.  It's an exciting time for our Senior moms. If your Aggie falls into these dates for graduation, please make sure you complete your application to be recognized and receive a special gift from Houston Aggie Moms of our Senior students who will be graduating.

Please visit the Senior Gift Application page on our website to find more information on the Mothers of Senior Students Gifts and a link to the application form in Membership Toolkit.  There are also menu options on the website and in Membership Toolkit to help you navigate to the application.

Application Deadline:  Senior Gift Applications are due by Monday, April 6, 2026.  

Please let me know if you have any questions or issues around the application process.  We want to make sure everyone is able to apply if you have a senior student.

We look forward to celebrating all our moms & seniors at our May General Meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2026!  

  • You must be an active member with dues paid.
  • Your senior should be graduating in December 2026, May 2026 or Summer 2026.
  • You must attend at least six meetings or club activities from June 2025 – March 2026.
  • Attendance will be verified by our Recording Secretary. 
  • Moms & Senior will be recognized and presented at the May 2026 meeting.

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Class Baskets- We Need Your Help!
Want an easy way to support scholarships and show class spirit?
Each class is putting together a themed gift basket for our gala.
We need your help to make it a success!
Please make a donation to your class basket! 
 
The class baskets are a highlight of the evening and offer opportunity for fun competitive bidding at our gala auction. Please take a minute to donate to your Aggie’s Class Basket.
 
 

 
 
 
Click "more" for a sample photo of a basket at last year's auction and your class' progress so far!
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Talk to us! WhatsApp Launch

The Houston Aggie Moms' Club's central platform for everything official is Membership Toolkit (MTK). MTK is where you will find our club news, calendar, make payments for most purchases, find members' directory information and much more. You can even download the Membership Toolkit app to have on your phone and subscribe to our calendar so you never miss an event!

We also have a private Facebook page where we post reminders and pictures of our events. Just search for "Houston Aggie Moms' Club Members Only Group Page" and ask to be approved. Our Facebook page is setup so that all posts go through our Admins. So, for example, need to get something to your Aggie asap.....if you post on our Facebook page it could be slower to post since it will need approval before it is posted.

So, to help with instant chats and communications, we have launched a new WhatsApp group designed exclusively for our club members. This platform allows for real-time messaging, making it easy to share quick updates, changes in schedules, questions about ring day, graduation or posts on last-minute plans. WhatsApp will help foster community with immediate communication and engagement. We have hidden the community so to protect us from spammers and we have been sending all current members the link/invite to allow you access to our community. Please join us!

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Don't Miss Out On Our Night of Maroon & Magic

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Volunteer Spotlights!

By day, Nichole Ake works for PNC Financial in Independent Risk Management. She is mom to 2 current Biology major Aggies, both of which went to DeBakey High School. She is usually assisting them on their premed quest. 

Nichole is a member of both Houston Aggie Moms and Montgomery Aggie Moms (where she chairs the Book Club group). This is Nichole’s second year doing Care Packages. She is also helping on this year’s Gala Committee. Nichole is dedicated to fostering a welcoming environment for Aggie Moms and supporting our students' success.

Nichole Ake

Gretchen Young has been a member of the Houston Aggie Moms since 2024, when her son Walker began attending Texas A&M. A native Houstonian and a proud member of the Texas A&M Class of 1998, she was thrilled when he was admitted—becoming an Aggie Mom truly felt like a badge of honor. This fall, her other son Wyatt will also be attending A&M, and she couldn’t be happier!

Gretchen enjoys meeting other local Aggie Moms and serving as 7th Co-VP of finals care packages. She currently works as an Administrative Assistant at Tallowood Baptist Church, and in her free time she enjoys reading, walking her dog, and trying new recipes from Pinterest.

Social Media Co-Chair

Felicia Lewin joined Houston Aggie Moms in 2022. Felicia has enjoyed being a member & volunteer of HAM and currently serves on the board as one of our Social Media chairs. Previously, she volunteered on the HAM Financial Review Committee and the Nominating Committee in 2025-2026. Felicia has met some wonderful moms thru HAM and has loved keeping us updated with all the event pics and videos on Facebook this year.  

Felicia received her Masters and BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas. She worked for one of the big six accounting firms but then decided to attend law school and is now an attorney and has her own business. Felicia has two children-Zachary who is a senior in the Mays Business School at TAMU and Chloe who is a senior in high school.

DON'T MISS OUT!
Upcoming Events
Saturday, February 7
12:00p Annual Galentine's Party
Tuesday, February 10
6:00p Sandwich Generation Support Network Meeting/Social
Thursday, February 19
6:30p General Meeting
Friday, February 20
Federation Aggie Mom Camp
Saturday, February 21
Federation Aggie Mom Camp
Sunday, February 22
Federation Aggie Mom Camp
Saturday, February 28
5:30p Candlelight Concert and Dinner/Drinks to follow
Tuesday, March 10
5:00p Wine Garden Social- A Taste of Oregon
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