How Courageous!

Houston Hadassah names Nancy Levicki and Renee Suchowiecky 2010 Women of Courage to be honored at Women of Courage Luncheon on March 7.

“Nancy and Renee are two courageous women who have continually worked to help to build a better world. Our community is so much richer thanks to their vision and initiative,” said Linda Tenenbown, event co-chair with Francine Beckman. Nancy Levicki is president and co-founder of Dress for Success Houston (DFS Houston) a nonprofit organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts and career development to more than 3,200 women annually. She started with a couture retail background having worked as a buyer at Sakowitz, a strong sense of responsibility for her community, and a longtime friend in Susie Cunningham.

Eleven years later, DFS Houston has served more than 25,000 women and accepts referrals from more than 110 local non-profit organizations. Renee Suchowiecky established the Nicole Katharine Suchowiecky Foundation (NKS Foundation) with her husband, David, and daughter, Raquel, in memory of her daughter, Nicole. NKS aids high school students in their pursuit of higher education, purchases and distributes Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) to Houston-area schools and public facilities; and pursues pre-participation screenings for high school athletes.

To date, NKS had contributed $20,000 toward scholarships to freshmen students at The Emery/Weiner School; AED’s to 13 schools and facilities: five H.I.S.D. high schools, Little League’s; Bo’s Place – A grief center; Aquatic Center; and five Catholic schools and facilities. The NKS Foundation also lends its support to the HEARTS project of Memorial Hermann Hospital (which does heart screening tests on middle school students to check for heart health to help in the prevention of students collapsing from heart issues on playing fields) and The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

To find out more about Hadassah, or the Women of Courage Luncheon, check out houstonadmin@HADASSAH.org