Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited, chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. On Saturday, May 9, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) of Northeast Texas/Tyler, will hold its annual 65 Roses Gala, La Vie en Rose, to raise awareness and funds for fighting the disease. John and Jennifer Gaston are chairing this year’s event to be held at the home of Celia and Barrie Bates. The festivities will include dinner catered by Rick’s on the Square, live and silent auctions, and live music provided by The Geezers.  Since the inception of the Tyler chapter in 2000, the community has raised more than $1 million for the Foundation.

   In addition to their service on the CFF board of directors, Mr. and Mrs. Gaston serve in numerous volunteer leadership positions in the Tyler community. 

   Mr. Gaston is currently a member of the board of directors for Carter BloodCare Center, the East Texas State Fair Association, and the United Way of Tyler/Smith County. He serves on the advisory boards for the Children’s Miracle Network and the Cowan Center, and is a member of the associate board of directors for the Texas Rose Festival.  A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Gaston graduated from Henderson High School in Henderson, Texas, and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

   Mrs. Gaston is a member of the Junior League of Tyler, Inc., the Women’s Symphony League, and the Marion Wilcox Junior Garden Club. She has also been a volunteer with the Tyler Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Texas Rose Festival Association.  Mrs. Gaston is a fifth- generation Tylerite.  She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School and received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University. Mrs. Gaston holds a secondary teaching certification in reading and business from the University of Texas at Tyler.

    The Gastons are members of Marvin United Methodist Church.

   “We reflect on the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘To leave the world a better place – whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or an improved social condition, that is to have succeeded. That only one life breathed easier because you lived – that is success,’ ” the Gastons said.