April 22, 2022

Just after formally launching the Ukraine Donation Drive to collect needed items for refugees fleeing violence in their homeland, Texas Children’s is seeing an overwhelming response from our own team members and the communities we serve.

On the initial day of the drive, generous donors quickly sent monetary gifts totaling more than $25,000 and counting. The response was so great that Shannon Wallace and President and CEO Mark A. Wallace committed to matching the first $25,000 raised, reaching the milestone of $50,000 on the first day.

“Compassion is an essential part of our Texas Children’s spirit, and Mark and I are touched to see there has already been such an outpouring of support for the people of Ukraine,” Shannon Wallace said. “We are blessed to contribute and hope many others will follow to help these Ukrainian refugees with not only supplies, but also our love and support.”

Texas Children’s launched the Ukraine Donation Drive on April 18. As part of the effort, donation boxes will be set up through April 23 at employee entrances and break areas at multiple hospital, practice and clinic locations. Thanks to our team members and your commitment to serving others, the boxes are also quickly filling with items for the cause.

Our patients and their families will participate in the drive on April 19 when they gather in the Child Life Zone to write personal messages of support on cards for Ukrainian refugees. Designed with the guidance of Texas Children’s Spiritual Care team with text in English, Ukrainian, Romanian and Russian, the cards will be included in a donation shipment to Romania.

The exciting news of the donation drive is also spreading rapidly throughout the Houston area and beyond. Community volunteers are eagerly lining up for shifts to help collect, sort and prepare donations for shipping, and the Houston NBC affiliate KPRC-TV is partnering with Texas Children’s in this effort and will be covering the donation drive extensively. Click here to watch their live broadcast from the Feigin Tower on Monday.

For more information on Texas Children’s Ukraine Donation Drive, including donation locations and FAQs, please click here for the launch Connect story.

Leah Lopez was raised a Texas girl to her very core. Her idol growing up was Texas singing star Selena. Read how this love for people turned into a career as a care coordinator. Read More

Building a brighter Tomorrow, Together at Texas Children’s includes creating and maintaining a healthy environment to live, work and receive care – not only for our patients and our people, but for our planet.

As Earth Day approaches and our journey into the future continues, Texas Children’s has re-established the Green Team: a cross-functional group of team members from across the system with a focus on sustainability, education and the coordination of environmental best practices.

The Green Team is supported by our executive leadership and committed to making Texas Children’s a leader in sustainability and environmentally efficient operations. They’re working to support healthier children, women and communities, and developing new strategies to implement system-wide.

They have partnered with Practice Greenhealth, a health care membership organization that provides a range of sustainability solutions. Within the Practice Greenhealth platform are 12 areas of focus around which the Green Team will create programs and initiatives.

Let’s celebrate Earth Day!

Please join the Green Team for a fun and informative Earth Day celebration.

Texas Children’s Celebrates Earth Day
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Friday, April 22
The Auxiliary Bridge, Medical Center campus

Learn more about our sustainability goals, get tips for maintaining sustainable practices at work and home and make a personal sustainability pledge. You can also meet our vendor partners and enter a drawing for a chance to win a special Earth Day Giveaway!

Our commitment in action

Over the years, Texas Children’s has taken several steps to support sustainability and impact real change and benefits in our facilities. The measures include the following action and are just the beginning:

  • Installing low-flow toilets and faucets
  • Utilizing reusable sharps containers
  • Energy-saving improvements in NRI building with savings of nearly $350,000
  • Energy-saving assessment in Mark A. Wallace Tower with potential savings of nearly $350,000
  • LED lighting upgrade on main campus to improve lighting, save energy and reduce maintenance costs
  • Implementing dozens of energy-saving initiatives, including renewable energy projects, energy rebates and credits, and system upgrades, such as installing temperature range control in non-patient care areas

Texas Children’s Green Team is currently applying for the Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Awards program across all areas of focus. Navigating this process will help determine sustainability analytics to better understand the cost, impact and performance of past and present sustainability initiatives. It will also allow provide insight to better anticipate future conditions and requirements as the team builds a multi-faceted program.

It’s time to get your kids off their screens and on their feet! Registration is now open for the seventh annual Houston Texans Kids Triathlon, presented by Texas Children’s Hospital and coming to Typhoon Texas Waterpark on Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24.

Follow this link to sign up for the race. You can even receive a discount on each registration as a Texas Children’s employee!

As the largest kids triathlon in the world, the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon is a sell-out each year with races for children of all ages and skill levels. Each morning will include friendly competition and appearances from the Texans’ special guests, followed by an afternoon of fun with a free waterpark pass for every participating child.

Kids aged 6-10 years old can participate in the Short Course that includes a 125-meter swim, 2-mile bike ride and 1-mile run. Kids aged 11-17 years old can take part in the Long Course, which includes a 225-meter swim, 4-mile bike ride and 2-mile run.

As the official children’s hospital of the Houston Texans, Texas Children’s is partnering with the Texans to build a community of healthy children. Together, our organizations are inspiring kids to be active and healthy while having fun and learning life skills like teamwork and discipline.

To learn more about the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon and our partnership with the team, click here.

April 15, 2022

In a show of support for the millions of Ukrainians who have fled their country and been displaced during the ongoing conflict with Russia, Texas Children’s is launching a week-long Ukraine Donation Drive to collect and ship items directly to the refugees who need them.

The donation effort is a unique opportunity for our team members and members of the community to put our compassion into tangible action, even though we are thousands of miles away from the warzone.

“Texas Children’s stands with the people of Ukraine,” President and CEO Mark A. Wallace said in a global email announcing the donation drive. “We will continue to pray for the refugees who are victims of this senseless tragedy. But along with our prayers, Texas Children’s promises to take bold action and tangibly assist in any way we can.”

Here’s how you can help:

  • Drop an item at a donation box at a Texas Children’s location, or donate funds to purchase items to send to Ukrainian refugees.

From April 18-23, donation boxes will be set up at employee entrances and break areas at multiple hospital, practice and clinic locations. Take a look at this list of the most requested items – including personal, dental, feminine and hygiene products – and drop off your donation at one of the boxes listed below.

To make a monetary donation, visit texaschildrens.org/UkraineDonations. All donated funds will be used to purchase items to send to Ukrainian refugees.

  • Drop by a community donation drive and spread the word to your friends and neighbors.

We’re inviting members of the community to join Texas Children’s in this effort by bringing items to a drive-through donation station at our hospital campuses in the Houston area. Volunteers will collect donations right from donors’ vehicles, then sort and prepare the items for shipping.

    • Medical Center: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday April 18 – Saturday, April 23
    • West Campus: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday April 18 – Saturday, April 23
    • The Woodlands: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday April 18 – Saturday, April 23

Patients with scheduled appointments at Texas Children’s Pediatric and Urgent Care locations in the Houston and Austin areas during the week of April 18 can also drop off small items or donations while they’re in the office.

  • Show your support with a bracelet or button bearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

This is your chance to wear your heart on your sleeve! Starting Monday, April 18, pick up a blue and gold bracelet or pin at no cost at all hospital gift shops and patient screening stations.

  • Volunteer your time. If you have personal time to spare and a desire to serve, consider these two volunteer opportunities.
    • Community Donation Drives (Open to Texas Children’s employees only in accordance with our Employee Volunteers Policy)

Click here to sign up to help with tasks like greeting donors at the drive-through stations and sorting items. We ask that you register for shifts that do not conflict with your scheduled work hours.

Hourly employees who are interested in volunteering during any portion of a scheduled work shift must submit a PTO request to cover the time spent volunteering. Please note, all team members must obtain leadership approval before registering for a volunteer shift, and approval will be based on operational needs. For questions on volunteering, email volunteerservices@texaschildrens.org.

  • Medical Bridges Partnership (Open to all groups and individuals)

Texas Children’s is proud to partner with Medical Bridges, a local non-profit organization specializing in the distribution of donations worldwide, to help sort and package the donations we collect and prepare them for shipping to Ukraine.

Volunteer slots will be open beginning the week of April 25, with both morning and afternoon shifts available. Volunteers will need to show their vaccination cards upon arrival and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. To sign up, contact Bonnie Oggero at Medical Bridges at 713-748-8131 or boggero@medicalbridges.org.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the Ukraine Donation Drive, click here.

For more information on how Texas Children’s is supporting Ukraine, visit texaschildrens.org/Ukraine.

April is the month for recognizing the deaf community; raising awareness of autism acceptance; celebrating and sharing Native culture; and ushering in spring and the beauty of new life, rebirth and growth through major religious holidays.

Is there a cultural observance this month that has special meaning to you? We want to hear about it! Send a note to Texas Children’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team via e-mail.

You can also learn more about Texas Children’s DEI commitment on our website, which features a wide range of resources and inspiring team member stories to watch, read and explore.

April 13, 2022

This week on Mark Wallace’s blog, he reflects on the decision to bring a pediatric community hospital to families north of Houston and all that has been accomplished in the years since. Read More