August 16, 2022

Now is the time to kick start your involvement in the annual Periwinkle Kickball Classic, which helps fund Periwinkle Foundation camps, arts and survivor programs for children, teens, and families affected by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

This year’s one-day tournament will be held Saturday, October 1, at Westbury Little League. Anyone age 14 or older is eligible to play. Rally with your co-workers, friends, families and neighbors to build teams of 10 (minimum 5 women) for this fun-filled event. Each team must raise at least $500 to enter.

Get kicking with your department now to form your team, register and start practicing! You will have the opportunity to select one of two divisions when you register:

Just for Fun – teams play in two round-robin games in the morning and do not participate in the playoffs. You are welcome to stay the rest of the day to cheer on teams in the competitive league.

In It to Win It – competitive teams participate in a double elimination tournament. Each team is guaranteed to play at least two games. Teams are encouraged to recruit 12-15 players to sub throughout the tournament. Keeping with tradition, a Texas Children’s bracket will be formed for our teams to compete to win the Texas Children’s 2022 Periwinkle Kickball Classic championship.

Contact Texas Children’s Pediatrics Sugar Land Physician Dr. Hubert Ho with any at questions about the tournament at hyho@texaschildrens.org.

Learn more about the Periwinkle Foundation.

October 6, 2020

As part of the company’s global Amazon Goes Gold campaign during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Amazon surprised Texas Children’s Cancer Center with a $500,000 donation. The gift will support pediatric cancer research and help with the hospital’s treatment efforts. Additionally, Amazon gifted $20,000 that will be used for patient holiday gifts and virtual events for pediatric patients and their families.

“We are extremely grateful to Amazon for this generous gift and proud to partner with them to raise awareness during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month,” said Dr. Susan Blaney, director of Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers. “Their support will help us continue to advance our cutting edge translational research efforts in precision medicine and cellular immunotherapy. These efforts will make an incredibly positive impact in the outcome for children with cancer.”

The Texas Children’s donation caps off a month of giving by Amazon and is the last of several donations made across the country during the month of September. To date, Amazon has donated more than $6 million to childhood cancer programs across the country and around the world. This year, Amazon is doubling down its focus toward innovative research by donating $4 million to eight leading cancer research institutions across the U.S. In addition to partnering with hospitals, Amazon also colors packages gold (the official color of Childhood Cancer Awareness) to further increase awareness around the world

“We are incredibly proud to donate $500,000 to Texas Children’s Cancer Center and make a difference in these children’s lives,” said Daniel Martin, Amazon Operations Public Relations Manager. “Texas Children’s has done incredible work in the efforts to find a cure for childhood cancer and increase survival rates. It’s an honor to support the hospital’s mission and patients and give back to the community where our employees work and live.”

As one of the largest and top-ranked pediatric cancer and hematology centers in the U.S., Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers provide individualized state-of-the-art medical treatment for patients with childhood cancer and blood disorders. During the check presentation, several Amazon associates received a heartwarming thank you note signed by several of our Cancer Center patients.

“This gift from Amazon means a lot for Texas Children’s,” said Paola Alvarez-Malo, Vice President of Innovation Hub. “It enables us to advance pediatric cancer research, but it also gives us the opportunity to help our patients connect and normalize their experience while in our care. Amazon is a big thought leader in innovation and technology. So, whether it’s helping us advance research or optimize the patient experience, this partnership means a lot for Texas Children’s in many different ways.”

May 12, 2020

Known for its philanthropic spirit, the Houston community rallies around those in need when times are tough. And in the wake of COVID-19, the circumstances have been no different.

As soon as news spread of the pandemic’s possible impact on our region, local businesses jumped at an opportunity to support our employees. Mostly recently — and overwhelmingly — Texas Children’s Hospital was gifted more than 2,000 cases of Coca-Cola products.

Coca-Cola’s monumental gift is at the top of a long and notable list of companies that includes HEB, Papa John’s Pizza, Salata, Southern Ice Cream and Frito Lay, just to name a few. More than a 1,000 employees at all three hospitals have benefited from the charitable donations.

Facilities Operations in partnership with the Office of Philanthropy are responsible for receiving corporate donations and distributing them to the intended department.

“Texas Children’s makes a strong impact on our community,” said Bert Gumeringer, senior vice president for Facilities Operations. “In times like these people want to help us. Large corporations reach out, but also small businesses and grateful parents who may be struggling themselves. I wonder how they do it. It’s incredible.”

Gumeringer added that many corporate sponsors also target their gifts. Some companies may want to feed employees who work at the loading dock or in housekeeping or on the nursing units. “It’s completely their choice and we are so appreciative.”

If you are contacted by a local business that would like to give a gift, please see the guidelines spelled out on the COVID-19 Connect page under Food/Meal donations guidelines. All food items are inspected for the safety of our employees. All food items are inspected for the safety of our employees.

March 10, 2020

On March 5, a ceremony was held to celebrate Texas Children’s newest wall dedicated to honoring those who contribute financial support to the organization.

The Promise Campaign donor wall, is named after the fundraising effort established in 2015 to help ensure that we can continue fulfilling our commitment and promise to meet the medical needs of children in our community, with a goal of raising $475 million by 2020.

On the first floor of the Lester and Sue Smith Legacy Tower, Texas Children’s executives, board members, and donors, arrived to music and refreshments just before to ceremony began. President and CEO Mark A. Wallace began with a welcome, briefly taking the audience on a virtual walk through the years leading up to how we have kept our promise to patients and ultimately preserved our legacy.

“Thank you for your unwavering dedication to this hospital, and for embracing the change it takes to grow and create a successful organization,” Wallace said. “We are here today to celebrate history – to celebrate the story of Texas Children’s Hospital – and to unveil the beautiful Promise Campaign donor wall.”

He followed up with an introduction of chairman of the Promise Campaign and the Texas Children’s board or directors, Mike Linn. Under Linn and his wife’s leadership, the Promise campaign has raised millions of dollars for Texas Children’s and its growing need to provide dedicated, specialized pediatric health care in Houston and surrounding communities.

“The Promise Campaign is an endeavor that will always be near and dear to my heart,” Linn expressed. “I want to thank every person here – you helped bring us to this day. You believed in our dream and generously invested in it so that it could become a reality.

The Promise Campaign made its goal and raised more than $500 million two years early. This success allowed the Promise Campaign donor wall to exist today displaying 390 donor names.

After the ceremony wrapped up with closing remarks from Wallace, donors anxiously gathered to take photos near their name on the wall.

Click here for more information about the Promise Campaign.

January 13, 2020

Tellepsen, a local construction company, hosted their fourth annual Bikes4Smiles event during the Christmas holiday. Tellepsen presented bicycles to various deserving Texas Children’s patients. Every year the event expands and this year was no exception. Along with the Woodlands Campus and Texas Children’s Pediatrics East, patients at West Campus were in for a treat this year.

All events began with a formal introduction of the Tellepsen team and their relationship with our organization. In 2015, Tellepsen participated in a donation project that ultimately led to the birth of the Bikes4Smiles event. Tellepsen’s Bikes4Smiles project was born in 2016, raising approximately 265 bikes. Today, with Texas Children’s patients added to the list of recipients, the company has donated over a thousand bicycles in total. Construction Manager of Tellepsen, John Brock, has been an integral part in producing this event since the beginning, and says that Bikes4Smiles is the best way to wrap up his year.

“I am always so excited to put a smile on these kids’ faces,” Brock said. “The fact that we are able to do more and more every year and expand to other parts of Texas Children’s makes everything worth it.”

Santa Clause also arrived to greet and entertain patients and their families. In addition, helmets were provided to each child that received a bicycle. They were distributed as part of the Bike and Pedestrian Safety grant program, funded by the Texas Department of Transportation. This program is within Texas Children’s Center for Childhood Injury Prevention, and is the lead organization for Safe Kids Greater Houston Coalition.

All Texas Children’s locations did a great job identifying deserving families and coordinating with Tellepsen on the delivery and presentation of the bicycles. With this being the first year for the program at West Campus, child life specialists and leadership went above and beyond to make this a memorable moment for their patients.

“This has been so exciting! When The Woodlands campus said the Bikes4 Smiles program was expanding to West Campus, we were really excited to be able to offer that to families and patients,” Child Life Specialist Sarah Beasley stated. “Being able to call the families and tell them was the highlight for us because the parents were incredibly excited and thankful.”

Texas Children’s Pediatrics East staff were very particular when they selected the bike recipients. Many of the children chosen are either being raised by a single parent or other family members. According to the practice’s staff, socialization is limited for most of the children because of their family’s lack of resources, time and energy. Therefore, when the Bike4Smiles event came around, they knew this would be the perfect Christmas gift.

“We have found that the families are often on a fixed budget, making things like, a bike, less of a priority for them,” Texas Children’s Pediatrics East Practice Manager Kria Hardy said. “Being able to gift the bikes to the children will not only assist the grandparents in resources, but will also provide an outlet for the children and families. On behalf of the Texas Children’s Pediatrics East we greatly appreciate and thank Tellepsen for the opportunity to bless our families with bikes.”

As families arrived to the locations, patients and their siblings were measured for their helmets then escorted into a room filled with bicycles.

“I like bikes so much; I’m so excited,” Texas Children’s Pediatrics East patient Max Garcia exclaimed! “I’m so ready to get my bike, this is the best present ever.”

The Tellepsen team, along with parents and Texas Children’s employees gathered and glared with gleefulness as the children sped out of the rooms on their brand new wheels. This is just one of many events that illustrates the bond and commitment we receive consistently from our community partnerships.

“This event was amazing! It was great to hear from the patients themselves how this was their first, or only bicycle,” Assistant Vice President of Texas Children’s Pediatrics Sara Montenegro said. “It is clear that Tellepsen enjoys connecting with our patients and their families, and it is great that they are able to be here with us to enjoy this moment as well.”

December 19, 2019

The holidays are a season of giving, and no one does it better than Ambassadors for Texas Children’s Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

This year, at two festive soirées, Ambassadors announced they had raised more than $850,000 to benefit Texas Children’s Heart Center®.

More than 250 Texas Children’s supporters attended the first event, which was held at the West University home of Beth and Nick Zdeblick. In a brief presentation, the Zdeblicks told guests of their appreciation of Texas Children’s for the care their children have received there, which inspired them to open their home for the merry occasion. Texas Children’s Chief of Congenital Heart Surgery Dr. Christopher Caldarone was on hand to accept the generous gift to the Heart Center.

At the holiday gathering in The Woodlands, more than 125 guests were in attendance at the home of Candi and Gerald Glenn. Special speaker Keridon McMahon thanked Ambassadors for their generous support of Texas Children’s mission and for giving a voice to patients – like her daughter, Teagan, who is treated at the Heart Center. McMahon then introduced Dr. Paul Sirbaugh, chief medical officer of Texas Children’s’ Hospital The Woodlands, who spoke about the lasting difference Ambassador’s generosity will make for patients from The Woodlands and surrounding areas – nearly 3,000 of which came to Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands this year alone.

About the Heart Center
Texas Children’s Heart Center has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery for the past three years by U.S. News & World Report.

The Heart Center pioneered many of the now-standard procedures and therapies related to the diagnosis and treatment of children with cardiac problems. The multidisciplinary team cares for children and adults with the most complex congenital heart conditions. Texas Children’s Hospital was named the first Pediatric Heart Failure Institute in Texas by The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium and provides a multifaceted continuum of care for patients with cardiac issues and heart failure. Additionally, the Heart Center is home to a cardiovascular genetics clinic, a syncope (fainting) clinic and the Adult Congenital Heart Program.

In addition to providing care in the Texas Medical Center, the Heart Center offers diagnostic testing and cardiology procedures at Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, and also offers walk-in EKGs at all three hospital locations and at our Texas Children’s Specialty Care locations in the community.

About Ambassadors
Ambassadors for Texas Children’s Hospital is a community of socially engaged individuals who share a dedication to the hospital’s mission and serve as a strong voice for children and women who need the most specialized care available. In addition to raising significant funds for Texas Children’s each year, Ambassadors gather together for a wide array of events including Ambassadors On Call luncheons – where guests hear from Texas Children’s experts and tour world-class facilities – and annual social events such as the Holiday Party and Family Fun Day.

Learn more about Ambassadors.

December 10, 2019

Hosted by Cox Media Group Houston, the two-day event will be held December 12 and 13 on the third floor of the Pavilion for Women near the Bistro Café.

Throughout the 48-hour period, people are encouraged to open their hearts and wallets in support of the radiothon while listening to radio personalities from The Eagle (106.9 & 107.5), Country Legends (97.1) and The New 93Q (92.9) interview patients, their families and many of our clinical experts.

Every dollar donated to the radiothon will help Texas Children’s continue to fulfill its mission to create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and research. More specifically, the money will benefit Texas Children’s Cancer Center.

For more information about the Cox Media Group Houston Radiothon, click here.