By Patricia Hudson –
One of the most delightful tasks we have in producing a magazine is showcasing families in the Cypress community. Chris and Sarah Crawford and their three children have distinguished themselves through positivity, service, and by finding and sharing joy. In this interview, we were able to discover what fuels this phenomenal family.
At First Glance
We (Chris and Sarah) met while attending school at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. We just celebrated our 25th wedding Anniversary in January.
Education
Sarah: I have a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with specializations in early childhood and reading. Before I had children, I taught in Lufkin ISD and Spring ISD. When I became pregnant with our first daughter, I decided to become a full-time stay at home mom. I currently spend my time volunteering in the community, at church and helping with JustServe.org.
Chris: I obtained an MBA from Stephen F. Austin. I recently sold my executive compensation consulting firm. I am currently serving on boards, teaching and working on community projects.
Children
Macennah, age 19, attends Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona.
She is seeking a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in disability studies.
Carter, age 17, attends Bridgeland High School and is on the varsity soccer team.
Millie, age, 12, attends Smith Middle School. She spends her time on the golf course with her dad and has recently started a volunteer organization, “Shelter Snuggles with Millie,” that provides blankets for shelter and foster animals.
Challenges of an Active Family
Chris: Scheduling is a booger. I think most families can relate. We do our best to get everyone where they need to be and with a positive attitude. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t. It often takes a village to make things work.
Passions
We are most passionate about our children’s activities, family, church and community service. We believe strongly in helping to lift other people’s lives.
Sarah: My parents are wonderful examples of Christlike service. My mom asks the kids to serve for her birthday. We love her example and passion for helping others. I hope that I can continue my parent’s legacy of service by teaching my children to serve others without judgement.
Life’s Philosophy
Sarah: When the kids were little, I would set up a balloon battlefield each year before school started. I would place weighted balloons around the house. On each balloon, there would either be a challenge that they would face during the school year or something that would bring them joy during the year. They would have to go to battle and knock down the balloons that didn’t bring them joy. This would help us remember to focus on the positive things that we had around us and how we could share that positivity and joy with others. We no longer set up a yearly battlefield, but our philosophy has stayed the same: Find joy and share joy with those around you. Lift where you stand.
Favorite Causes
Chris and Sarah:
We feel very strongly that the children and youth in our community should have opportunities to be successful. We believe in giving back to a variety of different schools within Cypress and Houston. We love and support organizations like Cy-Fair Helping Hands, who provide scholarships to homeless and underprivileged kids in CFISD, as well as backpacks and school supplies to students within CFISD and Lonestar College.
We are a big believer in the Arts and the ability to have kids express themselves through the arts. One of our favorite not for profits is Sparktx.org. We believe in their mission to “bring the joy and opportunity of a fine arts education to every child and to empower all to learn, create, and inspire.”
Our daughter Millie has a huge love and a heart for animals. She works hard at home to earn money for “Shelter Snuggles with Millie.” With a portion of the money she earns, she buys material for blankets, and enlists the help of family, friends and neighbors to make them. She has delivered blankets to CAP, Citizens for Animal Protection, Special Pals and a to a shelter in Georgia by shipping material to friends there.
Carter loves sports and has a love for kids who are all on different points and levels in their athletic journey. His favorite place to volunteer is with Miracle League at the YMCA. He truly is the biggest fan of these amazing athletes.
Macennah has continued to find service oppor-tunities in Arizona, She and her roommates look for opportunities to serve. Continuing to volunteer away from home makes it easier for her to stay positive during the pandemic and to not focus on all the things that she hasn’t been able to do her freshman year of college.
Family Time
We love to spend time attending sporting events (especially BHS soccer), going to the movies, attending Broadway shows and if we can get a long enough break in the winter, then we love to snowboard and ski in Steamboat, Colorado.
Relaxation
After years of putting golf on the back burner when the kids were little, Chris has once again picked up his clubs.
Sarah: As crazy as it sounds, organizing things is relaxing to me. I will put on a good podcast and feel like I can conquer anything. I also really enjoy party planning. Covid has put a damper on this love!
We also love to travel and explore new foodie places and our favorite “oldie but goodie” food establishments with our friends.
Surviving Covid-19 and the Freeze of ’21
We feel blessed to live in an area that provides many opportunities for us to be outside. Being out in the open air hasn’t made us feel trapped. We have been able to enjoy bike riding and walking the many trails. These activities have allowed us to see our neighbors out and about while staying socially distanced.
Serving in person at our favorite spots has been challenging with all the covid protocols that are in place. So, we have had to get creative in our ways of serving others. Calling and checking on friends and family, using facetime, sending notes and dropping off treats to friends on their porches and doing secret service projects has been a fun way for us to stay busy and engaged in something that brings us joy.
We have great neighbors. It was awesome to see our community come together and help each other in times of need. I would read people’s social media posts, where they were asking questions on how to fix things in their homes before and after the storm, and it was amazing how many people chimed in with answers and a willing heart to serve their neighbors. It often seemed like things were already fixed before I even got to read all the responses. Texans love and serve big and it was awesome to see and experience it during the storm.
