Educate & Enrich A Child in Houston's 3rd Ward

We closed out 2023 with a very busy holiday season. During our annual toy drive, we distributed toys to over 700 children! Along with toys, the children were entertained with music, live performances, raffles, inflatables and games. The families were also supported with hot meals, groceries, toiletries, and resources.

While the children were enjoying their winter holiday from school, we held our out-of-school program Mon – Fri from 7am – 6pm. On December 27, we hosted a special children’s Kwanzaa, and through the week, took them on field trips to visit other children’s Kwanzaa events throughout the community.

After a much-needed break, our staff gathered for our annual staff retreat to rejuvenate and plan for the new year. The retreat gave us time to have some in-depth discussions about some of the children who were having academic and/or behavioral difficulties. One of the most jarring things we learned as we compared notes and debriefed, was that four of the families who were experiencing the most challenges, had recently become homeless. We made it our first quarter goal to help each of the families into a more stable situation. At this time, three of the families have moved into their new homes or have very close move-in dates. By including the families into our “Meals with Dignity for Unsheltered in Houston” project, we were able to support them with emergency housing, housing assistance, job resources, and other necessities.

Once school was back in session, the children had a school in-service day. Since they were with us for the full day and didn’t have school, we were able to surprise them with a “Snow Party”. Although it rarely snows in Houston, one of our supporters donated the event and had ice blown into the park where the children were able to play and pretend that it was snowing. Even the adults had a wonderful time playing.