DePelchin Children’s Center honored Fox 26 Houston while raising $347,000 at the organization’s annual Families for Kids luncheon on April 25. The luncheon is the largest annual fundraiser for DePelchin, which provides services for children and families in the Houston area and other parts of Texas.
DePelchin presented Fox 26 Houston with the Kezia DePelchinAward, named for the woman who founded DePelchin in Houston in 1892. Fox 26 Houston partners with DePelchin each month on a news segment, called Finding Families, that spotlights children who need homes. The segments have helped many children find foster and adoptive families while raising broader awareness of the needs of children in the child welfare system.
“It’s hard to quantify the impact of these segments, but one thing we know is that countless individuals have learned about DePelchin for the first time through this partnership with FOX 26 Houston,” said DePelchin Board President and CEO Jenifer Jarriel. “Because of these segments, featured children have found adoptive families, individuals have been inspired to start their journey to become foster parents, and volunteers and donors have joined our cause. And for that, we are so thankful.”
Sally McDonald, the host of the Finding Families segment on Fox 26 Houston, served as the luncheon emcee. Christine and William Turcotte chaired this year’s luncheon, which was held at River Oaks Country Club.
The luncheon speaker was Dave Pelzer, an author and motivational speaker whose story of resilience and triumph over adversity has inspired people worldwide. He wrote A Child Called ‘It,’ which details the abuse that Pelzer suffered as a child. The book spent six years on the New York Times bestseller list.
As part of the luncheon, DePelchin Board Chair Temple Webber described initiatives that the organization has launched since last year, including:
o Two new residential programs at DePelchin’s Today’s Harbor campus in La Porte: one that serves pregnant and parenting teens in foster care, and one for foster youth who have chosen to age out of foster care between the ages of 12 and 17.
o A partnership in which DePelchin clinicians work alongside Child Protective Services investigators to identify families who are at the highest risk of entering the child welfare system. The partnership aims to preserve more families by providing hope, healing, and access to life-changing services.
“In the time that’s passed since our last luncheon, the landscape of the child welfare system in Texas has continued to change,” Webber said. “I’m proud to report that DePelchin has done what we do best – evolved to expand our impact on the lives of children.”
Photo Attached: (Left to right) DePelchin Board President and CEO Jenifer Jarriel, Fox 26 Houston General Manager D’Artagnan Bebel, and DePelchin Senior Vice President and COO Jesse Booher after Fox 26 Houston won the Kezia DePelchin Award.
