Celebrating Soul will present Fashion with Passion on Oct. 29 at the Enchanted Cypress Ballroom.[/caption]

For Celebrating Soul Cypress founder and executive director Teri Quance, one thing is clear: There is something special in Cypress. Five years ago, Quance and a few other women in her community had an idea to start a foundation that would help manage and nurture several pillars of nonprofit foundations that serve as the heart and soul of Cypress by helping community members in need.

Now, with a 501(c)(3) license in hand and several big events and giving-back campaigns planned, Quance and her team are ready to set a big vision in motion.

“Celebrating Soul Cypress is all about the people, the place and the culture,” Quance said. “We’re pulling people together to fill the gap when huge medical bills happen or something tragic happens to someone we know down the street.”

Celebrating Soul Cypress began as a much smaller endeavor several years ago when Quance hosted a fundraiser through her portrait studio with the help of high school seniors and a local fashion show event. Now she runs Celebrating Soul Cypress full time with four major programs operating under its umbrella.

The Travis Chaffin Memorial Scholarship Fund, Curated Cypress, Deep Cypress Conservancy and the Jordan Merecka Caring Heart Fund each serve as what Quance calls pillars, or the legs of the organization.    “I feel like—and I know that every person who works with us or volunteers would agree—Cypress has something really special,” Quance said. “We wanted to pull the community together. That’s at the heart of our goal here and our biggest source of inspiration.”

On the horizon for Oct. 29 is the annual Fashion With Passion Show put on by the Jordan Merecka Caring Heart Fund, which provides financial assistance to families who experienced setbacks from personal trauma.

The Travis Chaffin Memorial Scholarship provides higher education scholarships for future students, focusing on their leadership and character. Celebrating Soul Cypress also incorporates Deep Cypress Conservancy in their work in the community, focusing efforts on resource preservation, beautification, restoration, education and recreation in Cypress. Curated Cypress helps make the arts accessible to all residents of Cypress and promotes arts across the board, from woodworking to dance.

“2016 is going to be big,” Quance said. “We are growing, and we’re so excited about it. We can’t wait to meet needs where we find them.”

Celebrating Soul Cypress 281-320-0443 www.celebratingsoul.com