IN THIS EPISODE
- Khambrel Marshall talks to an NFL star who is going to be honored with the Athletes in Acting Award’s Thriver’s recognition.
- How a tragedy led to the Harmonie Grace Foundation.
- The Wazobia African Food Market Funfair heads to Constellation Field for its 10th anniversary.
Watch Houston Newsmakers at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2 or stream it on KPRC 2+.
Acting Awards for Athletes highlights Vernon Turner with Thriver’s Award
Vernon Turner won’t be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Just making it into the NFL was a high point of what could have been a much different path.
“Had I not lived it I wouldn’t believe it in a million years in regards to everything that transpired in my life and in my family,” he said on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall.
Turner was able to achieve despite the life changing news he received from his drug using mother.
“I specifically chose football for several reasons, and one of the main reasons was because I could hide in a helmet so no one could see me,” he said. “I didn’t know. I was a kid. I was thinking if they looked at me long enough they’d know how I came into this world.”
Find out how he came into the world, how he’s defied the odds, and why he is receiving the Thriver’s recognition at next week’s Athletes in Acting Awards. Larry York is the founder of those awards and said athletes deserve this kind of recognition.
“There’s movies, there’s television, there’s print ads, there’s radio, so I captured all those mediums back in 2007. Here we are,” he said.
After a life of only seven months, the legacy of Harmonie Grace grows
Adriauna Davis and her family spent seven months in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit praying and hoping that Harmonie would be able to grow beyond the 15 ounces she weighed at birth. It was not to be, but Davis continues to honor Harmonie.
Harmonie Grace Foundation provides relief to NICU families
“I saw the families faces that were still there, and I knew I needed to support and give back,” Davis said about the families with babies in the NICU.
This is how the Harmonie Grace Foundation was started, which provides care packages to families in the NICU. The organization also helps with burial expenses.
“They didn’t know if they were going to make it out, whether their baby was going to make it out alive or how long they’d be there,” she said. “We called each other. We talked. We cried. We prayed. I know what those emotions felt like, so I knew then I wanted to help and support those families.”
The Harmonie Grace Foundation will have two major fundraisers on June 10. Find out the details on this week’s program and in the information section at the bottom of this article.
Wazobia African Food Market Funfair headed to Sugar Land’s Constellation Field
After ten years in business, it’s time for the Wazobia African Food Market to celebrate. The business’ founder and president Tunde Fasina said the challenges have been great as they have had to import foods from many West African countries. He said the goal for the funfair on June 24 is simple.
“The goal is to reach as many people and introduce African culture to as many diverse people as possible,” Fasina said. “A lot of people in Houston have heard about African (food). I’m not sure they’ve actually tasted African (food).”
For more information on this week’s Houston Newsmakers
· Larry York, Founder Athletes In Acting Awards
· Website: https://www.athletesinactingawards.com/
· Vernon Turner, AIAA Thriver’s Award Recipient
· Website: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OGxQ6JWYNrp3CcPG4Z8yzzTT6Hl1JQkW/view
· Website: https://www.vernonturner.com/tnl--book.html
· Adriauna Davis, Founder, Executive Director, Harmonie Grace Foundation
· Website: https://www.harmoniegracefoundation.org/
· Tunde Fasina, Founder, President Wazobia African Food Market
· Website: https://funfair.wazobia.market/
· Website: https://wazobia.market/