>> WELCOME BACK TO "HOUSTON
NEWSMAKERS," AND ALSO WELCOME
TO LAWYER WAS WARD, THE
PRESIDENT AND C.E.O. OF HOUSTON
CHILDREN'S CHARITY, AN
ORGANIZATION THAT'S MADE SUCH A
BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE SUCCESSES
OF MANY ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR
COMMUNITY FOR YEARS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANK YOU, KHAMBREL, FOR
HAVING ME.
>> IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARITY
ORGANIZATION BECAUSE YOUR
ORGANIZATION HELPED ME WHEN I
WAS RUNNING AN ORGANIZATION
HERE AS WELL.
FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT
KNOW WHAT YOUR ORGANIZATION
DOES, LET THEM KNOW WHAT
HOUSTON CHILDREN'S CHARITY DOES.
>> WELL, WE DO QUITE A BIT.
I COULD TAKE UP THE ENTIRE SHOW
ON THAT QUESTION.
WE SERVE AS A BRIDGING ARM TO
SO MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO
DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING
FOUNDATION THAT WE DO AND WE
FUND PROGRAMS FOR OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS AND WE HAVE FIVE
OF OUR OWN PROGRAMS, WHICH
KEEPS US QUITE BUSY.
WE DON'T DO QUITE AS MUCH
FUNDING OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
AS WE USED TO.
IN OUR BEGINNINGS IN 1996.
WE FOCUS ON OUR OWN BED
PROGRAM, OUR VAN PROGRAM,
THEY'RE ALL VERY IMPORTANT TO
US RIGHT NOW AND THE NEED HAS
GOTTEN SO LARGE, KHAMBREL, THAT
SOMETIMES WE JUST CAN'T HELP AS
MANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AS WE
USED TO.
>> WELL, YOU DO HAVE A VERY
POTENT BOARD OF PEOPLE--
>> GOOD WORD!
>> PEOPLE WHO HELP OUT AND
THAT'S VERY GOOD.
TILMAN FERTITTA IS THE CHAIR OF
YOUR BOARD RIGHT NOW SO, HE'S
NOT EXACTLY UNINFLUENTIAL, BUT
AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY NOW, THE
TORRENTIAL RAIN FLOODING
IMPACTED THOUSANDS OF HOMES AND
APARTMENTS AND THAT MEANS
FAMILIES AS WELL AND THAT MEANS
CHILDREN, TOO.
NOT ONLY ARE YOU RAISING MONEY
NOW TO BUY BEDS, BUT YOU'RE
RAISING MONEY TO BUY BEDS FOR
THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN, THE
BEDS, THE MATTRESSES, THE
LINENS, ALL OF THAT.
TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR
ORGANIZATION CAME TO BE
PARTNERED WITH CARLOS CORREA IN
TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS
IS A SUCCESS.
>> WE'VE HAD A BED PROGRAM FOR
10 YEARS NOW AND WE PROVIDE
THESE BEDS TO CHILDREN IN THEIR
HOMES WHO HAVE NEVER BEFORE HAD
A BED.
IN 2016, THEY'VE NEVER HAD A
BED.
>> SEE, I HAVE TO STOP YOU.
>> IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
MANY OF THEM, THOUSANDS EVERY
NIGHT.
>> SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR?
>> INFANTS SLEEPINGIN
CARDBOARD BOXES, DRESSER
DRAWERS, THREE CHILDREN
SLEEPING ON A TWIN BED.
AND THAT'S BEFORE HARVEY.
THAT'S BEFORE HARVEY.
>> OKAY.
>> AND SINCE HARVEY -- WELL,
LETME GO BACK TO CARLOS.
IN 2016, CARLOS CAME TO US AND
SAID, I WANT TO HELP AND I
HEARD YOU HAD A BED PROGRAM.
CARLOS GREW UP IN PUERTO RICO
IN A FAMILY THAT DID NOT HAVE A
LOT, AND HE SHARED A BED WHEN
HE HAD A BED SO, HE KNOWS THE
VALUE OF GIVING A BED TO A
CHILD AND WHAT IT DOES TO THEIR
NORMAL ROUTINE DURING THE DAY,
TO THEIR PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL.
HE WAS AWARE OF ALL OF THAT.
CARLOS IS QUITE BRIGHT FOR HIS
22 YEARS.
SO IN 2016, WE PARTNERED AND
CARLOS HAD A VISION TO TAKE THE
2,000 CHILDREN THAT WE HAD ON A
WAIT LIST AND TAKE THEM OFF THE
WAIT LIST AND GIVE THEM A BED
AND WE DID THAT.
>> AND SO NOW AFTER HARVEY, YOU
HAVE ANOTHER GROUP OF CHILDREN
THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP.
>> OVER 5,000 ON OUR WAIT LIST
TODAY.
>> WHAT'S THE GOAL FOR THE
MONEY YOU NEED TO RAISE AND
WHERE ARE YOU APPROXIMATELY
SOME >> WE'RE TRYING TO RAISE
$500,000.
WE'VE RAISED 350.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO RAISE UNTIL
WE GET TO THAT 500,000 AND
SURPASS IT, BECAUSE WHAT YOU
HAVE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS DOESN'T
GO AWAY IN TWO OR THREE MONTHS.
THIS WILL BE HERE FOR YEARS,
THE RECOVERY EFFORT, AND WE
WANT TO PUT EVERY CHILD THAT WE
KNOW OF BACK IN A BED, AND WHAT
WE'RE DOING, KHAMBREL, FOR THE
FIRST TIME EVER, IS WE'RE
PUTTING THE PARENTS BACK IN A
BED, TOO.
WE WANT TO MAKE THESE FAMILIES
WHOLE AND WE HAVE NEVER HAD THE
NEED TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE
PARENTS AND THEY'RE PARAMOUNT
TO US RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE
WITHOUT THE PARENTS, THESE
CHILDREN HAVE NOTHING.
>> AND THAT IS A WONDERFUL
GESTURE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THAT, THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S
CHARITY, BUT THE CHILDREN ARE
SO MUCH BETTER WHEN THE PARENTS
ARE BETTER AS WELL.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> THIS WHOLE PROCESS, YOU SAID
YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP GOING
UNTIL YOU ACCOMPLISH--
>> WE ARE GOING TO KEEP GOING
UNTIL THE NEED HAS BEEN
MITIGATED TO A GREAT DEGREE AND
I DON'T THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN
IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
>> IT'S INTERESTING, WE HAVE SO
MUCH TO BE PROUD OF IN THIS
CITY, BUT WITH THAT GOING ON,
WE HAVE THAT KIND OF POVERTY IN
POCKETS THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO
NOT HAVE BEDS AND THAT'S ONE OF
THE REASONS YOU GUYS ARE DOING
WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
>> KHAMBREL, 38% OF HOUSTON'S
CHILDREN LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY
LINE, AND OF THOSE 38%, 25% ARE
FOOD INSECURE SEVEN END OF THE
WEEK, AND YET WE ARE THE NUMBER
ONE MOST PHILANTHROPIC CITY IN
THE UNITED STATES BY CHARITY
NAVIGATOR FOR THE THIRD YEAR
NOW.
>> THAT'S AN AMAZING--
>> SO THAT'S AN AMAZING
CONTRADICTION.
>> WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW
PEOPLE CAN HELP.
IF THEY GO TO YOUR WEB SITE,
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL FIRST PAGE AND
THERE'S A PICTURE OF CARLOS,
AND IT'S ABOUT TIME, NOW THAT
THEY'RE GOING INTO THE PLAYOFFS
AND ARE GOING TO BE WORLD
SERIES CHAMPIONS, MAYBE THIS
GIVES PEOPLE A CHANCE TO MAYBE
EVEN DONATE MORE, BUT IS THAT
THE BEST WAY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
GO TO THE WEB SITE OR GO TO
U-CARING.COM CARLOS CORREA.
CARLOS WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU GO
TO HIS YOUTH CARING SITE.
YOU CAN EVEN CALL OUR OFFICE,
THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S CHARITY
OFFICE, AND WE'LL TAKE YOUR
MONEY OVER THE TELEPHONE.
>> I'LL PUT THAT NUMBER AND ALL
THAT CONTACT INFORMATION ON MY
"NEWSMAKERS" WEB SITE SO PEOPLE
CAN HAVE THAT.
>> THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER
THINGS THAT HOUSTON CHILDREN'S
CHARITY IS DOING RIGHT NOW IN
CONJUNCTION WITH GETTING THESE
BEDS FOR CHILDREN
>> WELL, A PROGRAM THAT IMPACTS
THE ENTIRE FAMILY EVERY DAY IS
OUR VAN PROGRAM.
WE TAKE CHILDREN WHO ARE
MULTIPLE HANDICAPPED AND
WHEELCHAIR BOUND FOR LIFE AND
WE GIVE THAT FAMILY A
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VAN WITH
THE LIFT AND WE DID 15 OF THOSE
JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.
THREE OF THEM GOT FLOODED OUT.
WE JUST REPLACED THEM WITH
BRAND-NEW VANS.
WE HAVE ABOUT 145 OF THOSE VANS
ON THE STREET.
IT'S A BIG EXPENSE FOR ONE
CHILD, BUT IT IMPACTS AN ENTIRE
FAMILY.
>> LAURA WARD, YOU ARE AN ANGEL
ON EARTH.
YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE
ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR CHILDREN'S
CHARITY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU
DO.
AS I SAID, ALL OF THE
INFORMATION WE'VE TALKED ABOUT,
I'M GOING TO PUT IT ON MY WEB
SITE SO YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
AND HELP REACH THIS MILESTONE.
>> THANK YOU, KHAMBREL.
THE REAL ANGELS ARE MY BOARD
MEMBERS.
>> THEY GET HELP.