Physician, Southern Living Home builder host Bunco for Breast Cancer to raise funds for The Rose

It is true. Charity does start at home.

Sarah Lavine-Kass, principal of Stone Acorn Builders, and Dr. Lourdes Eco-Jea, an Internal Medicine specialist at UT Physicians Bayshore Family Practice Center, proved just that by hosting two Bunco for Breast Cancer events in their respective homes to benefit The Rose during Novembers Southern Living Home for the Holidays Showcase in West University.

What started as a house-warming party to showcase Dr. Eco-Jeas new West University home, also built by Stone Acorn Builders, turned into a multi-night event of food, fun, breast cancer education and Bunco. In support of Eco-Jea, a breast cancer survivor, Stone Acorns Sarah Lavine-Kass suggested Bunco charity fundraiser nights at Eco-Jeas home and one at the Southern Living Showcase Home in West University on a weeknight when the showcase would be closed for private charity events.

Women love to play Bunco, said Sarah Lavine-Kass of Stone Acorn Builders. That once a month ritual allows all of us to catch up with friends in the neighborhood, especially when our lives run in different directions. It seems only fitting to inaugurate our Southern Living Showcase Home and the Jea household with a girls-night-out that would educate women on the need for yearly mammograms while raising needed funds for The Rose in the process.

I did not know how to play Bunco, said Dr. Lourdes Eco-Jea. But once the concept was explained, it sounded like a unique way to bring friends and colleagues together in my new home. The game was tremendous fun and we all felt great that money was raised for such a worthy cause. As a breast cancer survivor, I know first-hand the importance of mammograms and how early access to screenings can save lives.

The Bunco for Breast Cancer Benefitting The Rose evenings included a private tour of each home along with beverages, hors doeuvres, prizes and of course, Bunco! Participants were asked to make a $100 donation which raised more than $3600 for The Rose. Representatives from The Rose were onsite to discuss the mission of The Rose and the need for all women to schedule a yearly mammogram.

The Rose provides access to quality breast health care to women in the Houston area and throughout Southeast Texas regardless of their ability to pay. Screenings and diagnostic care by breast health specialists and a trained and compassionate staff have been offered to nearly 500,000 women since 1986 when Co-Founders Dorothy Gibbons and Dr. Dixie Melillo first started the nonprofit. With two centers and a mobile fleet, The Rose overcomes barriers of cost and convenience helping to ensure that preventive care is accessible to all. For more information, visit http://www.TheRose.org.

Stone Acorn Builders LP is a family-owned and operated home construction company that has been building quality homes since 1999 in Houston, Bellaire, West University Place, Braes Heights, Meyerland, Medical Center, South Side Place, Memorial and Spring Branch. Sarah Lavine-Kass and Benjamin Lavine, a sister-brother team, are the technical and creative forces behind Stone Acorn Builders. The award-winning builders are members of the National Association of Home Builders, Texas Association of Builders, Greater Houston Builders Association, Greater Houston Custom Builders Council, as well as Board of Directors and Member of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program. For more information, visit http://www.stoneacorn.com.

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Physician, Southern Living Home builder host Bunco for Breast Cancer to raise funds for The Rose